Pueblo chieftain. (Pueblo, Colo.) 1889-current, 1921-10-30
:FTY DIE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA FL00
The Spot Light

If fellow had come to me that Fri
day night of the big rain with a plan
to make silk stockings out of rainbow
trimmings, I'D have told him chat !
had something else to think about,
and l feel very much the same way
still. Trying to look at the thing i'm
partially as can, I think Pueblo
has made a mighty good showing in
recovery from flood damage. Every
body else says so, and why shouldn t
we who live herc7 I'm proud of the
old burg.
What ] want to do is to keep trot-
ting along right down the middle Of
Comeback street until we get to Nor
malcy avenue, and then if I see
rainbow over my right shoulder that
says there isn't ever going to he an
other flood in Pueblo, ri be willing
to turn the city government over to
the boys for an experiment station.
Get me straight! I don't say that
Jim and Mike are the only men that
can push the Pueblo go-cart along the
sidewalk of prosperity without up
setting the precious contents. If any
BODY knows that another candidate
will do a better job, I want that voter
to vote for the better candidate. But
I don't want to see any friend of mine
buying a gold brick. and don't want
to see Pueblo dropping something real
to grab at something imaginary.
Folks talk with say that il the
City Manager plan is defeated, Jim
and Mike will probably be reelected,
because the opposition vote is divided
among SO many candidates. And they
saw, that is. the ones ! have talked
with. that Jim has somewhat the best
Of it. in chances. | admit that there
are other good men on the ticket, but
! don't think Mike is getting quite
square deal. and | would hate to
see him beaten for the reason that
he will be beaten for. if he is beaten.
Mike stands as an example OF what
is ono of the worst things in demo-
cratic government. something that
happens to every official who tries to
serve the people faithfully and nc
oording to the best of his ability and
judgment. He is being slammed from
both sides. and the folks on one side
are slamming him for exactly the OPP
posite reason Of the folks on the other.
On one side the bootleegers and
gamblers are slamming HIM because
he has enforced the laws. and on the
other side the church people are slam
ming him because he hasn't enforced
the laws. That is exactly what always
happens 10 every official responsible
for law enforcement.
Do think Mike has enforced the
law against every known lawbreaker
in Pueblo! No. I don t No official
ever did No official ever will. For
instance the law against gambling,
municipal, state or national, applies
equally to the club, the lodge, the
church. the cigar store and the pool
hall. It runs equally strong on Main
street, Northern avenue and in the
Grove. The people who want the
gambling laws enforced impartially In
Pueblo arc in small minority, but
every fellow seems TO want the law
enforced against the other fellow s
kind of gambling.
I believe Mike has done his best
to enforce the laws as the people of
Pueblo want them enforced, and as
near as can Judge he has kept sbout
three notches above the general level
of public sentiment. And | believe
Mike is on the square. oh yes, you
can hear all kinds of talk. You can
always hear talk, and when a man at
the head OF city police department
is on the square all the grafters IN
town are out for his scalp. And there
always has been. and there always
will be, graft OF ono kind and another
in city the size of Pueblo. Grim
inals are always towards, and many
of them are easy marks for threats
or promises. But from what 7 know
of Mike and from what the men who
are in the best positions to know him
tell me. Mike isn't getting his. He
is honest and he isn't man that is
going around with dirty dollars in
his pocket, or double crossing the
people that put him in office.
Mike is one Of the kind Of fellows
that when a thing needs to be done,
he does it. In the flood days, when
there wasn't man handy to do n
piece of dirty work, Mike put on a
pair of ovcralls and took shovel,
and did it himself. He was on the
Job late at night and carly in the
morning and all day long. And that s
the kind of a man that is pretty good