The Elk Mountain pilot., 1923-02-08
'TRIBuTEsToA. NJ. STEVENSON
By A. Burlingame Johnson

BY A. Burlingame johnson
Some interesting "reminiscences
about "A NJ. Stevenson of Colorado,
one of the outstanding figures in: the
Republics an party who died recently,
were vouchsafed today by State Sen
ator-elect A. Burlingaine .Inhnson of
this city.
Mr.. Stevenson had been an inter-
esting ,behind-the-scenes figure in
! American politics for many years.
Mr.. johnson knew him we'll, their
friendship dating back to period
years ago when Mr.. johnson was con-
Quoting, newspaper in Colorado and
Mr.. Stevenson was just looming large
in political affairs. Mr.. johnson has
written the following recollections
of his distinguished friend:
an the death Of Senator A. M. Ste
venson ('Big Steve'C of Denver, one
of the two greatest political influ
ences in the Republican party in the
United States during the past quar-
ter of century has passed into his
tory. The other is Nicholas Murray
Butler, president of Columbia Uni
versity, who still fingers on the scene.
This statement, to the great mass
of readers, will cause some surprise.
There are many names of party lead
ers more familiar to the people than
that of either of these men. The fact
remains that the influence of Presi-
dent Butler in shaping the policies
of the Republican party has been i'm
portant, as exemplified in the fact
that for twenty years he blazed the
way for the party leaders, and has
actually written the principal planks
of the platforms and prescribed the
limits beyond which party leaders
could not safely venture. So Big
Steve has probably, during the past
twenty-five years. exerted greater
personal influence over the leading
men of the party than any other man
in America. He did his work quietly
and was content that others might
seem to lead as they executed his or
ders. Standing feet inhes in sta
ture and weighing just under 300
pounds, in later years. he was giant
among men physically, but in the
compass of his brain and his power
to grasp and analyze legal, political
or economic problems, he lowered
even farther above the captains who
crIo o,vxr,oroI L..
1T; was imy1good fortune as young
man to have lived, In the same COM
munityi with A. I'M. Stevenson. That
was in the early sos. NsAs q young and
brilliant attorney, Mr.. Stevenson
went to Gunnison, Colo, in the wake
of the great Leadville. Gunnison and
San Juan. boom. There were millions
in money and tens Of thousands Of
ambitious men crossing the range.
Gunnison promised to become great
mining center. Many who later be-
came leading financial and political
powers in Colorado and the Nation at
some time during that boom called
Gunnison home! There was none
more popular, and surely none with
more commanding intellect than
young Archie Stevenson. :.
There were two leading Republic
can newspapers west of the divide
in those days Daily Review
Press of Gunnison, and the Crested
Butte Pilot. i was editor and half
@x,,,,o. of ~. fo,-.o- .-l = Z III 4,
lips, now retired and living at Fuller
ton, Cal, was the owner of the Pilot.
Mr.. Phillips and I belonged to the
'Stevey' crowd. In 1882 we started
campaign in our papers to bring our
brilliant young companion and friend
prominently before the public and
boost him for political honors. The
result was he went to the State Sem
ate in 1883, at the age of 81, but Of
flee holding was not to his liking and
he was never an aspirant for Office
again. He preferred to work out.
side of office.
Generous to fault, he made for
tunes in Colorado mines and mining
litigation, and with lavish hand
spent or gave away the greater part.
There are literally hundreds of me
in the Western States who owe to A.
M. Stevenson their political and fnar-
cial success.
"In the forty years IF his polite al
life recall but two instances where
his political judgmen. was wrong, or
where he failed to sense the trend of
popular sentiment.
''One was in 1896 when the 16 toI
L and cross of gold silver craze
captured large sections of the coun-