USA > Colorado > History of Colorado; Volume I > Part 49
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On Saturday, January 24th, Henry M. Teller was elected, receiving fifty-one votes, the joint session having refused to adjourn until its democratic absentees, who were blocking the democratic program, appeared and voted.
It is interesting to quote from both sides of the controversy. Senator Wol- cott, in his address to the public, said:
"On Wednesday evening at eight o'clock the General Assembly consisted of fifty-one republicans and forty-nine democrats. At that hour the Senate by a motion put by its chief clerk unseated without argument or hearing of evidence two republican members lawfully holding their seats. The lieutenant governor, the presiding officer of the Senate, acting with courage and patriotism, refused to put this revolutionary motion, and assured by his associates in the state gov- ernment of their approval and support, sought to protect the legally elected senators from this action, and by steps justifiable, and, if properly supported, legal, presided over the organization of a republican Senate composed of nine- teen members-the support of which the lieutenant governor was assured-fell away from him. There was still left the House, which if it promptly recognized the republican Senate might with it constitute a valid and legal General Assem- bly. This recognition was sought for in vain."
Mr. Wolcott then declares the election of Mr. Teller valid, but "tinctured with fraud."
In the statement issued by the democrats each step in the controversy is taken up and explained. The Senate confirmed the appointment, thus putting the seal
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of its approval upon the manner of his election, which on both sides left much to criticize and condemn.
THE PEABODY-ADAMS CONTEST
The administration of James H. Peabody proved one of the most turbulent in the history of the state. The labor troubles in the Cripple Creek district of this period are fully covered in the chapter on Labor History, and need not be gone into in this purely political narrative.
In 1904 both parties were sanguine of success, for the silver issue, in Colo- rado at least, was completely subordinated by the state labor issue. Furthermore, the nomination of Alton B. Parker had been a concession by the friends of Mr. Bryan to make a campaign on other issues and to bring back the element which had left the party during the campaigns of 1890 and 1900. On the republican side, it was felt that Roosevelt's candidacy was likely to sweep the entire state ticket into office, despite the labor defection.
The democratic party nominated Alva Adams, who had twice served it bril- liantly in the office of governor. The republican party of course sought for vindication of its labor policy, and renominated James H. Peabody. The other party gubernatorial nominations were only of minor importance. On the face of the returns Alva Adams was elected governor by a plurality of over twelve thousand.
The powers that had so strenuously backed the candidacy of James H. Pea- body, basing action upon a few undoubted frauds in Arapahoe County, deter- mined to oust the new governor by legislative authority. With the Supreme Court meting out punishment for these wrongs, the republican Assembly began its investigations immediately after assembling.
The testimony taken in this case fills thirteen printed volumes. The best legal talent of both parties was engaged to examine witnesses and to argue the con- flicting law points. It is but just to say that both sides, the one in Arapahoe, the other in Huerfano County, had been guilty of violation of election laws. Yet it is perhaps a topic which is still too close in its perspective to permit of the drastic handling which future historians will give it.
On March 17, 1905, the vote unseating Alva Adams and declaring James H. Peabody legally elected governor was passed as a compromise, Peabody having agreed to serve but one day and to relinquish the governship to Jesse F. Mc- Donald, lieutenant governor. This program was carried out. Alva Adams had been inaugurated governor on January 10th, holding office until five o'clock, March 16th.
In the campaign of 1906 it was but just that the democrats should renomi- nate Alva Adams, whose sole purpose was to secure vindication from the people of the state. The republicans nominated Dr. Henry A. Buchtel, chancellor of Denver University for governor. Judge Ben B. Lindsey, however, upset the democratic hopes of success by deciding to run as an independent candidate. He was judge of the juvenile court, and had a wide popularity. When the democratic convention declined to nominate him he decided to make the race on a ticket of his own.
In this campaign also the two democratic factions in Denver, the one led by
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Robert W. Speer, mayor, the other by Thomas M. Patterson, owner of the News, fought out some of their grievances at the polls.
The result of this three-cornered fight was the election of Chancellor Buchtel.
The senatorial candidacy of Simon Guggenheim, vice president of the Amer- ican Smelting & Refining Company, to succeed Thomas M. Patterson, was not strongly in evidence during the campaign, but with a republican majority in the General Assembly, and a prëelection agreement between leaders, it became a foregone conclusion. He was not opposed within his own party in the legisla- tive balloting in January, 1907, and took his seat in the United States Senate on March 4th of that year.
In 1908 the democratic national convention was held in Denver, and nomi- nated William Jennings Bryan for president, thus giving to Colorado democracy assurance of victory in its state campaign. John F. Shafroth, who had served his district repeatedly in Congress, was named for governor, the republicans nominating Jesse F. McDonald. The entire state ticket, headed by Shafroth, was elected, and the General Assembly was overwhelmingly democratic.
C. J. HUGHES, JR., GOES TO SENATE
In January, 1909, when the democratic General Assembly convened it elected Charles J. Hughes, Jr., to the United States Senate.
Senator Charles J. Hughes for the brief time he occupied a seat in the Senate was establishing a national reputation for constructive statesmanship. With the great record he had made in the west, there was every reason to believe that his national career would but for his untimely death have rivaled that of Henry M. Teller.
In 1910 John B. Stephen, a popular mining man, and who in the state Senate had shown marked ability, was nominated for governor by the republicans to oppose John F. Shafroth, who was one of the greatest vote getters in the demo- cratic party. It was moreover a democratic year throughout the nation, that party making heavy congressional gains. The result in Colorado was a victory for democracy, Shafroth winning out by over twelve thousand plurality. Two of the republican candidates, Benjamin Griffith, for attorney general, and Helen M. Wixson, for superintendent of public instruction, were elected. The democrats also kept control of the General Assembly.
In January, 1911, the factions of the democratic party began a bitter fight for the speakership, with the Patterson candidate, A. C. Skinner, of Montrose, opposing George McLachlin, the Speer candidate, the latter scoring a victory. On January 12th news came of the death of Senator Charles J. Hughes, Jr., and with the Legislature in session this necessitated immediate action. Four demo- cratic leaders announced candidacies, and opened headquarters. These were, Robert W. Speer, Alva Adams, Charles S. Thomas and T. J. O'Donnell. In the early balloting Speer had 26 votes, Adams 20, O'Donnell 3, Thomas 5. Charles B. Ward was also honored with five of the democratic votes, the rest scattering. The republicans voted for Joel F. Vaile, F. C. Goudy, C. C. Daw- son and E. O. Roof. This deadlock continued until the end of the ninety-day session. On the final night an effort to elect Thomas McCue, leader of the Speer
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forces, failed. Thus the vacancy continued until the next regular session of the Legislature in 1913.
In the campaign of 1912 the senatorial fight loomed large for there were now two seats to fill, one for the unexpired term of the late Senator Hughes and the other for the full term to succeed Senator Guggenheim. It was, moreover, the first election at which senators were to be chosen by popular vote. On the demo- cratic side the primaries had swept aside all candidacies save that of Charles S. Thomas, for the short term, and John F. Shafroth, for the long term.
On the republican side the cause was hopeless, with the party split nationally and in the state, for the "progressives" headed by Theodore Roosevelt were determined to test their strength along the entire line.
The result was the election of the democratic ticket in Colorado, including its congressional delegation and a sweeping majority for its General Assembly. Elias M. Ammons was the democratic victor for governor, and opposed to him were Edward P. Costigan, progressive, and Clifford C. Parks, republican.
At this election the state-wide prohibition movement, which won out in 1914, was defeated.
The campaign of 1914 began with the democratic party divided as to the ad- visability of nominating Thomas M. Patterson for governor. The convention, which now merely suggests candidates, put the matter up to the primaries. At these Patterson was made the choice of the state democracy for governor. It is doubtful if he realized the strength of the many elements opposed to him and which his fights of several decades had engendered. The labor element, too, en- tered into this contest, for the republicans nominated George A. Carlson, who as district attorney had been fearless in his prosecution of militant strikers. With- out the candidacy of Roosevelt to aid them the progressives, still active, could make no great impression at the election. The result of the election was the defeat of Thomas M. Patterson by an overwhelming vote.
Charles S. Thomas was elected to the Senate by a small majority. James H. Teller, democrat, was elected to the Supreme Bench ; Mary C. C. Bradford, demo- crat, was rëelected to the position of superintendent of public instruction ; Al- lison Stocker, republican, was elected state treasurer; Harry E. Mulnix, repub- lican, was elected auditor ; Fred Farrar, democrat, was elected attorney general. It was the first election in which the voters came in such numbers to the polls with a determination to vote for their own and not for party candidates. Never in the history of the state had there been quite so even a division of the offices.
In 1916, with Woodrow Wilson again the democratic standard bearer, the party felt sanguine of wiping out its previous defeat. The republicans, with the progressives practically all back in the fold, and Charles Evans Hughes as the presidential candidate, started their campaign with all the old-time vigor. Gov- ernor Carlson was the candidate for reelection, and opposed to him was Judge Julius C. Gunter, who had been on the Supreme Bench of the state, and who had a splendid following all over the state, but particularly in the southern tier of counties. There were complete tickets in the field by democrats, republicans and socialists, and partial tickets by progressives, prohibitionists, liberals, citizens, independents and people's party. It was estimated that the candidates running for office in the state numbered twelve hundred. There were seventy-eight can-
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didates for nineteen county and legislative offices in Denver; and this proportion held throughout the state. The election was an overwhelming democratic victory, only one of the republican Supreme Court judges, Judge George W. Allen, win- ning out.
CHANGING THE ELECTION LAWS
Colorado has kept pace with the most advanced states in the country in the perfecting of its election machinery. It had no greater obstacles than were en- countered in many if not most other sections of the country. It was long the prey of party gangs, no better and no worse than those of other states, and went at its work of purification in a commendable and thoroughgoing manner. Woman suffrage had no ameliorating effect on the gang methods of the earlier years following the granting of the right to vote. But with knowledge of their power and a growing appreciation of the need of "house-cleaning" methods the woman voter became a tremendous power for good. The adoption of the pri- mary law in 1910, and which became effective with the election of November, 1912, practically eliminated the old convention method. Efforts at the introduc- tion of primary laws had been made in previous periods, one as early as 1883, but these were largely the work of party men who saw to it that the sting was removed before the change became effective.
But the primary law, applying to county and city as well as state elections, passed in 1910, was drastic and with changes made by successive General As- semblies, particularly in the protective improvements relating to registration, has worked out to the satisfaction of the people generally. This primary law permits of party "assemblies," at which platforms are at least outlined, and one or more candidates endorsed for the various state offices. Delegates to national conven- tions and presidential electors are, however, still named by party assemblies. All primary elections are held four weeks prior to the general election. Nominations by petition are permitted, and all names of state primary candidates are officially filed with the secretary of state, who certifies them to the various county clerks. Nor is the primary law confined to the selection of candidates for state, county or city offices. It provides for the election of party organizations-of commit- teemen and committeewomen. A political party under this act is one which polled at least 10 per cent of the total vote for its candidate for governor at the preceding general election.
The actual platform is adopted by the candidates for state offices, including those running for the General Assembly, the state chairman and state senators, four weeks after the party assembly.
Expense accounts must be filed within ten days after the primary. In 1917 the General Assembly safeguarded both registration and the election by providing for the most stringent supervision of both, even to the extent of appointing dis- tinctive election and "vote counting" or "canvassing" judges for every precinct.
The so-called "headless" ballot was adopted by initiative petition on Novem- ber 5, 1912, and was effective January 23, 1913. The vote on this question was: For, 43,350; against, 39,504. Under this act "no emblem, device or political party organization designation shall be used on the official ballot at any election, by which a voter may vote for more than one candidate by placing a single crossmark
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on the ballot or by writing therein any political party or organization name or other name or political designation."
The first prohibition of a party emblem was enacted May 3, 1899, but this permitted the writing in of the party name if a straight ticket was to be voted by the elector. Under the present law a cross against each name voted for desig- nates the choice of the elector.
The "Recall," an amendment to the state constitution, was adopted Novem- ber 5, 1912, by a vote of 53,620 for and 39,514 against, and was effective Janu- ary 23, 1913. This provides that "Every elective public officer of the State of Colorado may be recalled from office at any time by the electors entitled to vote for a successor of such incumbent through the procedure and in the manner herein provided."
A petition signed by 25 per cent of the votes as cast at prior election for the office in question shall be sufficient for an election under the "Recall" amend- ment.
There was for many years a diffidence on the part of many women to the ex- ercise of their voting privilege. But in 1913 a law was passed stating that "it shall only be necessary for a female voter to state that she is 21 years of age or older in answer to all questions concerning her age."
CHAPTER XXII
COLORADO COAL PRODUCTION
COAL IN THE UNITED STATES-FIRST COAL MINING IN COLORADO-PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT FROM YEAR TO YEAR-MINES IN 1888 OWNERS-TABLE OF MINES IN 1916-OPERATORS AVERAGE NUMBER OF MEN EMPLOYED-CAPACITY OF MINE PER DAY IN TONS-STATE COAL PRODUCTION FROM 1864 UNTIL 1917 IN SHORT TONS-VALUE OF OUTPUT FOR EACH YEAR-EMPLOYES-MACHINE MINING-AVERAGE PRICE PER TON AT MINE-FATALITIES-PRODUCTION OF LEADING COUNTIES FROM 1887 UNTIL 1917-COLORADO COAL FIELDS-THE COKE INDUSTRY-COKE ESTABLISHMENTS-PRODUCTION-VALUE
So far as known, the first mention of coal beds in the United States is made in the journal of Father Hennepin, a French missionary, who, in 1679, recorded the site of a "cole" mine on the Illinois River, near the present City of Ottawa, Illinois. The first actual mining of coal was in the Richmond Basin, Virginia, about seventy years after Father Hennepin's discovery, but the first records of production from the Virginia mines were for the year 1822, according to one authority, when 54,000 tons were mined.
The coal areas of the United States are divided, for sake of convenience, into two great divisions-anthracite and bituminous. The areas in which anthra- cite are produced are confined almost exclusively to the eastern part of Pennsyl- vania. In addition there are two small areas in the Rocky Mountain region, in Gunnison County, Colorado, and Santa Fé County, New Mexico. The bitumi- nous and lignite fields are well scattered over the whole country.
Coal was first mined in northern Colorado in the year 1864, in Jefferson and Boulder counties. This mining was carried out in a superficial manner by the settlers and the coal, obtained from the outcroppings, was used only for domes- tic purposes, little or no marketing occurring. In 1872 coal was mined in Weld County for the first time and in the following year Las Animas and Fremont counties became known as coal producers. The two latter counties, one of which is now the greatest coal-producing county of the state, produced 12,187 short tons together in the year 1873. Not until 1876 did Colorado produce as much as 100,000 tons, but from this time until the present the annual production has grown steadily, until now the state ranks seventh in the country as a coal- producer.
Coal in southern Colorado was discovered in the fall of 1860, near Cañon City, by the settlers then building the town and flocking there from the gold diggings to winter. Everyone who sought his horses or oxen in the grazing lands of the foothills on the south side of the Arkansas River, or hunted ante-
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lope, discovered in the deep gulches an exposure of coal, cut by the ages of water-erosion. This coal was first used by Anson Rudd, one of the first settlers of Cañon City, a blacksmith and gunsmith, who erected the first workshop in the winter of 1860-61. He used this coal in his forge in place of charcoal. No one sought to acquire title to this coal, as there was no commercial market for it. When the settlers began to use it for fuel, everybody dug for himself and took away as much as he could use. This condition existed until the building of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad from Pueblo to the coal mines. It was found by test that it was a fine locomotive coal and the first of this type in Colorado, as the northern coal fields were all lignitic and little better than wood for furnace purposes.
In the decade from 1860 to 1870 much coal was mined for domestic pur- poses in Golden, Denver, Boulder, Blackhawk and Central City, the principal supply coming from the mines near Golden and on Ralston Creek, ten miles north. The Marshall coal bank first assumed importance in 1865, although previous to that time the ranchmen in the neighborhood had hauled away small quantities of the coal. The completion, in the summer of 1870, of the Denver Pacific Rail- road from Cheyenne to Denver, the Kansas Pacific, and the Colorado Central from Denver to Golden, created a large demand upon the mines of Jefferson and Boulder counties. The completion of the Boulder Valley Railroad from Brighton to Boulder in 1873 opened to the market the mines of Boulder and Weld counties.
By 1883 mining in Colorado was yet in its first stages, except in the im- mediate neighborhood of Golden; no depth had yet been obtained, only surface outcroppings having been worked. North of the divide and east of the moun- tains, whence Denver drew its principal coal supply, coal was found in Jefferson, Boulder and Weld counties, in which region some twenty mines were being worked. The leading mines of this number were the Marshall, Fox, Welch, Boulder, Valley, Northrop, Stewart, Superior, Mitchell, Garfield, Briggs and the Star. The coal here secured was a free-burning lignite of jet black, high luster and destitute of any fibrous or woody structure. Second to the mines of South Colorado the mines of North Colorado were the greatest producers. The middle division included the counties of Park, Fremont and El Paso. In El Paso County, in 1883, the only mines worked to any extent were those owned by the Denver & New Orleans Railroad at Franceville. The product of these mines had only become available since the completion of the above named railroad in 1882. In Park County the coal mines were at Como and were owned by the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad Company. The principal mines in Fremont County were the Oak Creek, Nos. 1 and 2, and the Coal Creek, owned and worked principally by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé road. The coal from these mines ranked first in the state for domestic purposes and was largely used in Denver, while Cañon City 'and Pueblo also derived their supply from here. The southern division of mines included the counties of Las Animas, Huerfano, La Plata and Dolores and ranked first in Colorado as a producer. The mines in Las Animas, Huerfano and Fremont counties were mainly owned and operated by the Colorado Coal & Tron Company, a corporation closely allied to the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad
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Company. At this time the coal veins in La Plata County were the largest in the state, varying from twelve to ninety feet in thickness.
By the end of the year 1884 the known and partially developed coal fields of Colorado covered an area of about fifteen hundred square miles. The only anthracite coal then known, as now, to occur in the state was in Gunnison County, on Slate Creek, near Crested Butte, west of Irwin and on Anthracite Creek, a tributary of the north fork of the Gunnison River. The anthracite Mesa mine in Gunnison County was opened in 1882 and the Cow Creek mine, near Ouray and on the branch of the Uncompahgre River, was opened in 1883, but little coal was extracted. The principal mines of Colorado at this time were owned and operated by the various railway companies of the state. Those operating on the largest scale and the corporate name under which they transacted their mining operations were as follows:
Denver & Rio Grande R. R .- Colorado Coal & Iron Company.
Union Pacific R. R .- Union Coal Company.
Burlington & Missouri R. R .- Colorado Fuel Company.
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R .- Canon City and Trinidad Coal and Coking companies.
Denver & New Orleans R. R .- New Orleans Coal Mining Company.
Denver, Utah & Pacific R. R .- Mitchell Coal Mining Company.
The largest of these companies at this time was the Colorado Coal & Iron Company, with headquarters at South Pueblo, and in control of mines in Fre- mont, Las Animas, Huerfano and Gunnison counties, also owning practically all the coking veins in the state. The Union Coal Company owned mines mainly in northern Colorado. The Colorado Fuel Company had no productive mines, but consumed the greater part of the product of the Cameron and Walsen mines belonging to the Colorado Coal & Iron Company. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé controlled the Trinidad mines in Las Animas County and the Cañon mines in Fremont County. The Denver & New Orleans owned mines at Franceville in El Paso County. The Denver, Utah & Pacific operated the Mitchell mine in Weld County.
During the year 1885 one new coal field only was opened in Colorado; this was the Cimarron, or Cutler, field. No new mines were started.
The greater development of the Colorado coal fields began in the year 1886. The mines in the southeastern part of the state were greatly increased, in order to accommodate the demand from western Kansas and Nebraska. The greatest amount of new work, however, was done in the Glenwood field, west of Pitkin and the Continental Divide. Large discoveries of coking coal were made in Gunnison County, on Ohio Creek, also of anthracite southwest of Hahns Peak in Routt County. Work upon the coal beds in Routt, Garfield and Pitkin counties was hastened, owing, in great measure, to the railroad activities in that direction.
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