You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Saturday January 7, 1905
From The Labor World: Senator Patterson on Corporate Geed & Corruption in Colorado
Senator Thomas M Patterson
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Dear Readers do not let the lovely image of the Colorado Capitol blind you to the machinations set to begin there. Within those "hallowed halls" of "representative democracy," the will of the people of the state of Colorado, as expressed in the election of November 1904, is about to be overthrown by the Fifteenth General Assembly.
In today's edition of The Labor World, we find a reprint of an article by the U. S. Senator from Colorado, Thomas M Patterson, who adds his voice to those protesting the role of corporate greed and political corruption in bringing shame to his once great state.
From the statement of Senator Patterson:
For weeks before the election the corporation combine saw that, in spite of their money and methods, Peabody would be defeated and they conspired at that early day to cheat the people of their victory. There were other offices craved by the corporations even more than the governor. The constitutional amendment for the consolidation of the supreme court and the court of appeals had carried, and the governor would have the appointment of two of the judges of the enlarged supreme court.
This played well into the hands of the Mine Owners' Association-the organization particularly wedded to the retention of Peabody. The Denver tramway and water companies had millions staked on a supreme court packed with their tools. They must have decisions that would avoid the need of submitting the question of renewed franchises to Denver's voters....
But again the rejection of Adams by the Legislature can only be accomplished by violating the plain provisions of the constitution, for it declares it to be the duty of the speaker, on the assembling of the joint body to "open and publish" the returns, and the statute declares that it is the duty of the officer presiding over the joint assembly to declare the result as shown by the returns that have heretofore been opened and published. To count out Adams, the joint assembly, that is given no voice in the matter at all, must interfere to prevent the speaker and presiding officers of the joint assembly from performing their plain sworn constitutional duty.
Will there be found a majority of the joint assembly so deaf to appeals of honor and to the voice of duty as to do the dirty part allowed to them by this corporation conspiracy?
I will not believe there will be until the record of infamy shuts out all hope for better things.
Such innovations upon the franchise and elections should be fought at every step....
From The Labor World of January 7, 1905:
CORPORATE GREED
AND POLITICAL CORRUPTION
IS SHAME OF COLORADO
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Senator Patterson Exposes Corporations' Pact in Governor Peabody's Campaign
in Which They Insist That Court Aid in Grab.
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Millions of Dollars Used to Influence the Courts-Senator Shows Where
Favorable Peabody Decision Would Make Franchises Perpetual.
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DENVER, Col., Jan. 5.-What is taken as a thorough expose from a Democratic standpoint of the overturning of the constitution and laws of Colorado by the Republicans, who are alleged to be carrying out the dictates of the Mine Owners' Association and big corporations, was yesterday morning published in the News over the signature of United States Senator T. M. Patterson. He declared that the action of the supreme court, while it does not necessarily mean conspiracy, indicates the judges are also under the influence of the corporations which are furnishing unlimited money to push the election contests, which have already resulted in the capture of the state legislature and threaten to rob Alva Adams of his seat as governor, despite the fact he was elected by 11,000 plurality. The statement is as follows:
Corporations Foresee Defeat.
For weeks before the election the corporation combine saw that, in spite of their money and methods, Peabody would be defeated and they conspired at that early day to cheat the people of their victory. There were other offices craved by the corporations even more than the governor. The constitutional amendment for the consolidation of the supreme court and the court of appeals had carried, and the governor would have the appointment of two of the judges of the enlarged supreme court.
This played well into the hands of the Mine Owners' Association-the organization particularly wedded to the retention of Peabody. The Denver tramway and water companies had millions staked on a supreme court packed with their tools. They must have decisions that would avoid the need of submitting the question of renewed franchises to Denver's voters.
$20,000,000 Steal.
If the tramway company can obtain a decision by a supreme court that its franchises are perpetual it will put more than $20,000,000 that belongs to the people of Denver into its coffers; after the water company can get some such like decision, which it is seeking, its net profits of more than $1,000,000 per annum will not only become an unending profit, but they will advance in an increased ration with the increase of Denver's population. The railways demand a supreme court that will lessen their even now unreasonably low taxation and that will decide cases by or against them in their favor; the smelter trust is determined that no efficient eight hour law shall go upon the stature books, and if it should it wants a court that will make it ineffectual. And so these great corporations-some particularly wedded to Peabody and some determined to capture the supreme court at every hazard-pooled their issues and corruption funds to steal the senate, which was made Democratic by the election, and the governorship, without either of which a Supreme Court to their liking could not be obtained.
Court Ran Election.
A few days before the election the Supreme Court had been induced by the attorney representing these influences to practically take charge of the election in Denver. Whether it had authority to do this or not, it assume it. No court had ever before in the history of the country exercised such power. The jurisdiction was assumed ostensibly to secure an honest election. If to prevent fraud and punish election thieves, even under the guise of punishing them for contempt of court, had been the end of the courts interference with the election no one would have found any fault.
I have always urged that courts should go to the extreme of their authority to secure fair elections and to punish election crimes, but no one before [this happened?] could in the [wildest imagination?] have anticipated that a court would find the plea of punishing contempt have emptied ballot boxes of their entire contents, disfranchising three honest voters for every ballot tainted with the suspicion of fraud until more than 1,000 voters about whose ballots and rights to vote there could be no question of doubt were disfranchised as clearly as though they had been kidnaped on election day and prevented by force from reaching the polls.
The usurpations by Peabody and his brutal disregard of personal and property rights, with the extraordinary decision of the Supreme Court in the Moyer case constitute the first chapter of the Peabody regime.
Grand Transformation.
The election and the defeat of Peabody with the constitution of a Democratic Senate by the people; the adoption of the Supreme Court constitutional amendment and the opportunity for Peabody to appoint two corporations judges should the Senate be transformed from a Democratic body into a Republican body and the determination of the corporations to make the opportunity by stealing the Senate and seating Peabody, constitute the second chapter.
The proceedings by which the conspiracy sought to effectuate its end and the destruction of popular government in Colorado through the change wrought in the election system by the Supreme Court in its decision of the cases brought before it through the agency of the attorney for the corporation conspirators constitute the third chapter.
Adams Counted Out.
But again the rejection of Adams by the Legislature can only be accomplished by violating the plain provisions of the constitution, for it declares it to be the duty of the speaker, on the assembling of the joint body to "open and publish" the returns, and the statute declares that it is the duty of the officer presiding over the joint assembly to declare the result as shown by the returns that have heretofore been opened and published. To count out Adams, the joint assembly, that is given no voice in the matter at all, must interfere to prevent the speaker and presiding officers of the joint assembly from performing their plain sworn constitutional duty.
Will there be found a majority of the joint assembly so deaf to appeals of honor and to the voice of duty as to do the dirty part allowed to them by this corporation conspiracy?
I will not believe there will be until the record of infamy shuts out all hope for better things.
Such innovations upon the franchise and elections should be fought at every step.
Use No Force.
Not by force, for there is no place for physical violence to bring about reforms in our government, but by the courts when open, by appeals to reason, by plain and fearless exposure of the wrongs and in the end when all else fails, by the ballot box for in the face of continued outrages such as have been inflicted upon the people of Colorado popular indignation will in the end sweep away every obstacle and restore free government and the reign of the ballot to the people.
SOURCES
The Labor World
(Duluth, Minnesota)
-January 7, 1905
http://www.newspapers.com/...
Official Souvenir and Manual
of the Fifteenth General Assembly
and State of Colorado
Denver, 1905
https://archive.org/...
See also:
From Souvenir and Manual above,
Biography of Senator Patterson:
https://archive.org/...
IMAGES
Colorado State Capitol, Denver, 1905
https://archive.org/...
Thomas M Patterson, 1902 photo
http://www.loc.gov/...
Text from Labor World
http://www.newspapers.com/...
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