Semi Weekly Herald

RATHER CHILLY
People Failed to Enthuse Over Visit of Democrats

The special with the Democratic nominees for state officers, arrived as per schedule Thursday over the Rio Grande Southern. The special was met at Mancos by a delegation of local Democrats, Blair Burwell, W. G. Otton, George Weaver, Richard McCloud and Commissioner Reister who undoubtedly fully informed the spell-binders regarding local conditions, and if the full facts were given it must have caused a cold chill to run down their backs.

The band was at the depot when the train pulled in and escorted the aggregation to the Strater hotel where dinner was served. At 8 o'clock the band, with a delegation carrying torches, mostly boys at so much per, escorted the speakers to Red Men hall.

Willis A. Reese introduced Lieutenant Governor Fitzgarrald as chairman of the meeting. Mr. Fitzgarrald then introduced Congressman at Large Edward F. Taylor, as the first speaker. Mr. Taylor did not appear at his best. Must have observed the vacant stare of most of those present. He wanted to make a point about the policy of conservation, but was careful to state he was against monopoly, and this is all conservation is for, protecting the people against combines and corporations seeking to control the great resources of the state.

Regarding the tariff Mr. Taylor was very lame. He took special pains to mention just a few inconsistencies in the Payne-Aldrich tariff measure but could find only a few and, of course, made the most of them. His attack on the local smelter was not kindly received. To judge from Mr. Taylor's remarks the smelter is an injury to Durango. He endeavored to poke fun over a few inconsequential things placed on the free list, but he failed to mention any of the beneficial items on the free list or reduced.

Of course he told of the wonderful work accomplished by himself and colleagues: and without the trio returned to Washington the interests of the state will be sadly neglected.

Katherine Cook was onto her job although she received a cool reception and no applause greeted her fulsome flattery of the work of Governor Shafroth and other state officers. According to her version the platform was weighted down with a little band of angels. When Mrs. Cook flattered the governor the other nominees applauded and when the minor state officers were mentioned the governor applauded.

Representative Weaver was called on by the chairman. Mr. Weaver said he was not prepared to make a speech and had protested against being called on. However, Mr. Weaver was glad of the opportunity of stating that when he accepted the nomination two years ago he stood on the platform with both feet and he was still standing on the shattered planks and intended to continue to stand and when he could not do this he would resign.

Senator Leddy of Manitou the nominee for auditor, thought there was no man like the governor and spoke highly of the work of the legislature in passing one platform measure, failing to mention the planks smashed by the Democratic combine.

Then the "big smoke" was introduced. Governor Shafroth, in opening, said his voice was not in good shape, but would try and warm up to the subject in a short time. Mr. Shafroth opened by quoting from a recent copy of The Evening Herald containing figures of the deficit of the Orman administration. The governor then defended the Orman administration and the extravagance claiming that the money paid in during the succeeding Republican administrations should be credited to the Orman regime. He also made light of the large surplus turned over to the present administration by the Republicans. He also said the present administration would pay every appropriation and have money left.

It was easy to see that the Republican surplus was worrying the governor and he was compelled to try and mislead those present who do not take pains to keep posted. It is well known, and heretofore undenied, that the Republicans turned over nearly $400,000 surplus to the Shafroth administration in addition to making good the Orman deficit. A ten-year-old school boy can show any one that the present administration has spent nearly a million dollars more than the preceding one under Buchtel.

It is no wonder, therefore, that the governor placed great stress on the saving propensities of his co-workers and the great blessing they had proven to the people. Facts are facts, however.

In regard to the extra session the governor tried to make those present believe that the passage of the initiative and referendum was worth the entire cost of the session. If this is so he should have been honest enough to have given the credit for the passage of the measure to the Republicans. But there are thousands upon thousands of voters who disagree with him relative to the value of a measure that could have gone over just as well as not to the regular.

Then the governor commended the primary bill with the "assembly feature." He failed to say anything about the vicious registration measure which he has had neither the courage to sign or veto or the fact that the primary is a useless thing without the registration bill. He endeavored to say a few complimentary things about the railroad bill which all leading Democratic papers pronounce vicious. The governor was absolutely silent on the other leading "paramounts." There was nothing for him to say and he failed to score the senate caucus which made the extra session a farce.

Taking it all in all, it was a lame excuse for a political speech. The audience was not imbued with enthusiasm. It was as different a meeting from that of two years ago as day and night. Two years ago Red Men hall rang with cheers, hundreds joining in the applause. Last night the effort to applaud was indeed feeble.

When the speaking began all the seats were occupied with a good many standing, but before the governor had finished the crowd had thinned out until there were vacant seats all over the house.

Personally, the Democratic aggregation are nice men to meet, but they failed to convince the average non-partisan voter that they have made good.