Denver labor bulletin., 1917-03-24
The Optimistic
Phi1os opher
OoMETIME tonight the twenty-first

COMETIME tonight the twenty-frst
y general assembly of Colorado will
adjourn. This will be the most be-
fitting act performed since the session
opened the first week in January. The
| o. P. regrets that in bidding farewell
to this reactionary body he finds it
| impossible to say single word in COM
mendation of the work performed. Un-
questionably this has been the most
incompetent bunch of legislators ever
assembled in Denver. Having a ma
jority in both branches and elected
upon a platform which promised to
give Colorado "Wilson administra-
tion," there has not been a construc-
tive measure written upon the statute
books of the state. The Republican
minority has played good politics. 1t
has forced the burden of proof" upon
the Democrats, and this party is made
responsible to the people. At the
opening of the session organized la
Dor presented number of bills in the
expectation that, having supported the
Democratic party in the election last
November, some consideration would
be received. When the session closes
tonight, labor will have been handed
the proverbial political lemon. The
best labor gets out of it is a record
votes, which they will be able to use
during the next two years, and this
ought to make quite a change in the
complexion of the next Legislature.
THERE will be a municipal election
in May, when a city auditor and
nine members of the council are to
be chosen. A movement also has been
inaugurated to amend the city charter.
The o. P is of opinion that this is
inopportune, as the present charter
was adopted by vote of the people
only one year ago. 1t is a. mistake,
regardless of what opinion we may
have of those now in charge of the
municipal government, to inaugurate
a charter revision every time election
day rolls around. A new council
elected by direct votes of the people
will bring about more representative
government and this should be tried
out before another charter change is
undertaken. William A. Dollison,
chairman of the Republican county
central committee, Henry Brady and
| Alexander Nisbet, the latter being for
mer commissioner of safety, are said
to be at the head of a new charter
movement. They want to abolish two
offices, that of manager of safety and
manager of revenue, creating eleven
other offices and take away from the
mayor his present centralized execu-
tive power. The Independent League" "
| of which Dollison and his associates
are sponsors, also would create six
teen councilmen instead of nine, as at
present, at salary of $1,000 each.
Besides mayor and councilmen, other
elective officials under their plan
would be city attorney, assessor, city
treasurer, county treasurer, sheriff,
coroner, two justices of the peace and
two constables. Up to the present
writing no great enthusiasm has been
indicated by the public for this move
ment.
nETER P. SHEVLIN, editor of a
labor paper, has been appointed
chief of the bureau of efficiency
standards in Pittsburg, to succeed
cepted an appointment by Mayor Speer
of Denver as secretary and efficiency
chief of the newly created industrial
board in this city. Shevlin will re-
ceive a salary of $4,000 per year and
prepares the annual budget for Pitts
burg, approximatine twelve million
dollars. Not a bad job for a labor
editor, and it will be noted that Pitts
burg was able to find man in that
| city deemed competent 10 I'LL tniS iH-
portant position. Some of these days
mayors and governors of Colorado
will discover that there are. men in
this state, perhaps in the ranks of or
ganized labor, just as competent to
fill responsible positions requiring pc
culiar fitness as are to be found in
other sections of the country. Shevlin
has been editor of the National Labor
Journal in Pittsburg for some time.
During the Russo-Japanese war he
acted as correspondent for a syndicate
of American newspapers and was ar
rested and placed in prison following
the siege of Port Arthur, later being
released by instructions of the United
States authorities. Afterward he act
ed for a time as London correspondent
of the New York American.
:. :. :.
TINE DENVER LABOR BULLETIN
is rapidly becoming a newspaper
of national circulation and infiu-
ence. AS evidence of this there ap-
pears in the current issue display ad
appealing to union men and women to
fight the saloon. To some of our Colo
RADIO readers this may appear inapro-
pos, because saloons were driven from
Colorado over a year ago. Those who