USA > Colorado > History of the State of Colorado, Volume III > Part 6
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the Territory, become a prominent manager. The circumstances at- tending his nomination and election have been quite fully set forth in the preceding volume. Some of the pioneers of his party, dissatisfied with the selection of so late a comer and so young a man, prevailed upon the venerable Colonel Albert G. Boone to announce himself as an independent candidate for the same office, but sometime prior to the election Boone withdrew, leaving Mr. Patterson a clear field, and he was elected by a majority of 2, 163, over his opponent Hon. H. P. H. Bromwell, the Republican nominee. In the spring of 1875 he went to Washington, and there co-operated with Mr. Chaffee for the passage of our Enabling Act. During the session of the Forty-Fourth Congress he was active in prosecuting various measures for the benefit of Colorado, and succeeded in passing several bills, among them, one permitting all qualified electors of the Territory to vote upon the ratifi-
cation of the constitution, the Enabling Act as passed, limiting the vote to those qualified at the date of its adoption, March 3d, 1875; another after much opposition, providing an appropriation to defray the expenses and per diem of the members of the constitutional convention; and still another providing for the organization of federal courts in the new State. The convention accorded him a vote of thanks for his services in its behalf, caused the same to be engrossed and forwarded to him at Washington. When in 1876 the National Democratic Com- mittee met in Washington to prepare the call for its convention, Mr. Patterson appeared before it and secured for the party in his State, although not yet admitted, an equal standing with established States in the national convention. He was elected as the first member of the National Democratic Committee from Colorado, subsequently ap- pointed a delegate, and elected chairman of the Colorado delegation to the convention which met in St. Louis and nominated Samuel J. Tilden for the presidency.
The State having been admitted August Ist, 1876, by proclamation of President Grant, Mr. Patterson was unanimously nominated for Representative in Congress for the unexpired term of the Forty-Fourth,
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and the full term of the Forty-Fifth, at the State convention of his party, the particulars of which, and also the subsequent contests before the people, and in the House of Representatives, have been given in chapters XV-XVI, Vol. II. Having been duly seated in the Forty-Fifth Congress, he originated and secured the passage of the following measures: An act authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase bullion directly from the miners at the branch mint in Denver, which was an important concession to the producers of bullion; an act providing for terms of the United States Court at Pueblo and Del Norte; an act donating block 143, East Denver, known as "Government Square" to the city for educational purposes, now occupied by the East Denver High School building; and an act to provide for the erection of a military post in Southwestern Colorado. He was instrumental also in pushing to final passage the following bills, which originated in the Senate: "Allowing timber to be cut in the mountains without charge, for mining, manufacturing, and domestic uses," and creating a commission to treat with the Ute Indians for the cession of a part of their reservation within this State, whereby the mineral region known as the San Juan mining districts was opened to settlement. The record shows that he was a very active member of the House. In 1878 he was again unanimously renominated, made a somewhat brilliant canvass, but was defeated. Thence to the present he has been engaged in the practice of his profession in the various higher courts.
Such are the outlines only, rapidly etched, of a life that has been filled with earnest work, lightened with manifold triumphs, covering in few words years of study and toil in preparation for battles legal and political, of many sacrifices, and of devotion to the interests of his large clientage, which, but for a singularly robust constitution preserved by rigidly temperate habits, must have wrecked his health. Mr. Patterson is one of the most industrious and persistent of workers, and has been for the past twenty years.
Notwithstanding our familiarity with his fame as a political
arden .
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manager, lawyer and public speaker, there is a large portion of the community that but imperfectly comprehends the effort he has made to attain the position to which he has risen. There are some in his pro- fession and out of it, more especially those not friendly to him, who declare that many of his verdicts in the courts have been secured by the use of tricks and stratagems, by the remarkable gift which all admit he possesses, of dissecting evidence and leading juries to conclusions by torrents of eloquence, long and ingenious addresses, rather than by legitimate methods, or a profound acquaintance with law. There are those also, comprising a majority of the Republican party, and many in his own, who stigmatize his stump speeches as arrant demagogism, full of cunningly manufactured phrases and deceptive argument, with many other objections partly born of antagonism to the man himself, but mainly of political differences. It has been charged that his achievements in the criminal courts have resulted, not from any superior skill as a lawyer, but generally by reason of forensic displays which, bristling with sophistries, have overcome the better judgments of jurors, and thereby prevented the just punishment of criminals, against the riper experience and more estimable methods of opposing counsel. There are members of the political organization, which he perhaps, more than any other man, has labored to harmonize, strengthen and preserve intact for the trial of conclusions with an adversary that has always held the ascendancy, imparting to it whatever of prestige it has gained, who stoutly contest his right to leadership, nevertheless he has preserved its autonomy by preventing violent dissensions. Every battle the Democratic party has entered upon in this State has been in the capacity, so to speak, of a forlorn hope. Thirty years of defeat, for of itself it has won no victories, would have shattered and disintegrated the organization, had it not been held together by firm hands. After each discomfiture we have seen it arise serene and confident, ready to enter the lists again in solid phalanx for the next encounter. Now with due deference to Mr. Patterson's critics, it would be quite as reasonable to assume that such things can be done by a headless trunk, without
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skillful direction, simply by the indestructiblety of faith in, and adherence to Democratic principles, as that its machinery has been kept in constant motion without the efforts of this efficient engineer. It is a fact which every one must acknowledge that Mr. Patterson's head has been seen above all others as the guiding force of his party, through good and evil report, the one influence that has stubbornly refused to be crushed and overcome by avalanche after avalanche of disaster, who be- lieves in the justice of his cause, and that it finally will triumph.
It has been proclaimed far and wide that the dominating aim of his efforts, and the only one, both at the bar and in politics, is to represent his State in the Senate; that he is supremely selfish, ambitious, arro- gant, domineering, impatient of control, ready to give but never to accept counsel, training every resource of his quick and fertile brain to the consummation of his own schemes regardless of others, with multi- farious other allegations which it is unnecessary to recapitulate. But there is nothing more transparent than that throughout all the storms of aspersion, he has maintained his supremacy, and is more firmly fixed in his leadership to-day than ever before. The blows leveled at him are the same which every man who attempts to rise above mediocrity must expect at every stage of his advancement. Whatever the guiding im- pulse may have been, it is beyond questioning that as a lawyer he has been exceptionally successful in a very large number of desperate cases. Now such a career as stands to Mr. Patterson's credit cannot be made to stand upon mere trickery, inordinate selfishness and buncombe. There is too much of it, and our people, our courts, juries and politicians are much too far advanced in experience with public men to be hoodwinked for sixteen years by a mere pretender, a rank charlatan, a man with but one attribute, the gift of oratory, reinforced by extraordinary deceptive power. It cannot be claimed that Mr. Patterson is only an empiric, without disgraceful impeachment of our own intelligence. When he is on our side in a public controversy, pleading our cause, putting forth his best abilities in our behalf, we applaud him to the echo, feel proud of our advocate, rely upon him as our tower of strength, wrestle with him
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against our enemies, confident of winning because he is with us. It is only when we are in collision with him that he is denounced. Mr. Chaffee in his lifetime, as every other great leader in his, has been sub- jected to malevolent criticism. When he passed away we charitably buried his faults and all our objections in the same tomb, remembering only his virtues, cherishing his good works, building them into a monu- ment to his memory. Years hence-and may it be many-we shall do the same by Mr. Patterson. At present he is much too important a figure to be carelessly analyzed, and the fact is self-evident to every right minded person that his critics are often unjustifiably caustic and severe. It is the fate of every aggressive, forceful and successful character, for the reason that they are constantly dealing, and by the force of circum- stances compelled to deal with conflicting interests and influences which bring them to public notice, and into endless differences with their com- peers. It is probable that but for his extraordinary powers as an advo- cate and manager, pleading the class of causes that excite great comment and attract great throngs to the tribunals of justice, more criminals might have been convicted and duly punished, more civil suits determined otherwise than they have been, the Democratic party less thoroughly organized and sustained in its discouraging combats, and possibly less good accomplished than if he had not taken part in these matters, but who will contend that, taken all in all, the community would be bettered by his elimination ?
When announced to address the people upon any subject, a multi- tude is on hand to listen. When engaged in the defense of a peculiarly atrocious criminal, the court room is packed, especially when he rises to address the jury at the close. The success which attends him in such causes is ascribable, not to the reasons assigned by some of his detractors, but chiefly to his acute understanding of human nature, and his ability to reach the secret depths of the souls of witnesses; to his fidelity to his clients, to unwearying industry in preparing for trial, and in his skillful management. Every speech is the result, not so much of inborn gifts which give orators their fame, as of ceaseless work, close study, careful
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preparation in advance of the need. He makes use, it is true, of every permissible device and stratagem to secure advantages of position, and to prevent opposing counsel from scoring any dangerous invasion of his own plans. In these matters and in the cross-examination of witnesses, the selection of jurors, he is incomparable. It is probable that no other man in the State has conducted so many prominent causes, civil and criminal, in our courts. He is resourceful in expedients, quick, bold, audacious and far-seeing, contesting every step vigilantly, and at the close deluging the court with an exhaustive summary that testifies both to the intensity of his convictions and his determination to leave nothing unsaid or undone that will affect in his favor the judgment of the twelve who are to pronounce the verdict .. This is a part, and a considerable part too, of the lawyer's duty to his client. While his fees are large, he earns them by prodigious labor, tireless research, loyal attention to details, the discovery and exposure of every strong point in his own case, and the weaknesses of his opponents. Said one of his clients, defendant in one of the greatest civil suits that has been tried in Denver, "The labor this man performs is amazing, his resources illimitable, his friendship and faithfulness the wonder of all who employ him. But for the hope and encouragement with which he inspires me, I should despair." He works not only with constant application by day, but frequently days and nights together, refreshing himself with an hour or two of sleep in a chair or upon his office lounge. Thus it will be seen that those who attribute his success to his power in discussion and sagacious generalship alone, have but imperfect knowledge of his methods. Only a few of his verdicts have been reversed by the higher courts. Of fine personal appearance, attractive manners and address, he is also a clear thinker, a profound student, a ready debater, incisive if not always strictly logical ; he has, in addition, the very useful faculty of humorous and pertinent illus- tration. As a pleader and campaigner it is within the bounds of justice to say he has no superior among the public men of our day. While in Congress he attracted marked attention as a sharp controversialist and a forceful speaker. There were men in that body perhaps, capable of
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profounder argument in fewer words, but none that surpassed him in active labor for his constituents. His aspirations to a seat in the United States Senate are as rightfully his and as laudable as those of any other candidate, and may be gratified in the future evolutions of politics, but his capabilities fit him more especially for the broader and more exciting arena of the lower House, where there are endless opportunities for the fullest exercise of his better powers.
It is much too early to predict the end of Mr. Patterson's career. At fifty he is as strong, well preserved and vigorous as he was at thirty, with ripened experience of the later years, which augments his usefulness. If his party ever reaches the ascendancy in Colorado during his lifetime, it will be largely due to his devotion to it. If he is ever rewarded with a seat in the Senate, it will have been honestly earned. During the preparation of this volume, he has publicly announced his intention to retire altogether from the practice of law, and devote the remainder of his life to the editorial management of the "Rocky Mountain News," having purchased a controlling interest in that paper, which has become the organ and law-giver of the Democratic party. The outcome of this departure necessarily must be left to the historian of the future, but the belief is justified that in this field as in that of the law, he will add new luster to his fame. Fortunately for him he has amassed a considerable fortune, and being a close financier, has no longer to struggle for support.
Mr. Charles S. Thomas, his law partner, confidential friend and coadjutor in politics, was born in Darien, Georgia, partly educated in the public schools of that State. Immediately after the war he moved North and entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, whence he was graduated in April, 1871, and in the fall of that year became a res- ident of Denver. In 1873 the partnership with Mr. Patterson was formed ; dissolved when the latter went to Congress in 1875, and again resumed in 1879. In this year Mr. Thomas took up his residence in Leadville as manager of the firm's large business in that city, where he remained five years, during which it acquired an extensive practice in
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the more important mining cases. This was the beginning of prosperity for both. Prior to this, Mr. Thomas especially, had passed through most disheartening vicissitudes, sharpened by the pinchings of poverty, lack of recognition, lack of everything in fact, which holds out promise to the deserving. Although a good lawyer, he had been financially unsuccessful. But once given the advantages he coveted and sought earnestly to earn, he quickly developed the qualities that have led to the position he now holds in the esteem of his fellows. As a politician his influence is constantly widening by the intelligent study he gives to public issues, and the force with which his views are presented. Ex- cepting Mr. Patterson, there is no man in the Democratic party who has exerted himself more diligently to the enhancement of its fortunes, nor one that has made so many speeches and campaigns in its behalf during the last five years.
Like Mr. Patterson, he is an indefatigable worker, true to the performance of duty to clients and party, and while frequently engaged with him in the prosecution or defense of criminal cases, his practice has been in the main confined to the conduct of mining and other civil suits involving large interests before the higher courts. While credited with less ability as an orator, the public which judges accords him equal, and some with superior force in argument. He was elected city attorney in 1875, the only public office he has filled. He was nominated for Con- gress in 1884, but the fates were against him. In social life there are few men in the community more highly esteemed than Mr. Thomas.
Indisputably, I think all will agree, the most finished orator, the profoundest thinker and most pleasing and impressive speaker at the bar of Colorado in his time was Major Edmund L. Smith. He was not a politician ; though in principle an ardent Democrat, he seldom took part in the campaigns of that party, rarely made speeches in that behalf, but when announced to speak either in court or on the platform, he was sure of an audience. He was fluent, argumentative, profound and incomparably brilliant, exciting the liveliest and most respectful attention to every word that fell from his lips. In the highest degree he was
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strong, eloquent, delightful, logical, incisive and convincing. He was of the material that always inspires deep but not explosive enthusiasm. No man that ever stood upon a platform in this State excited so much admiration. He despised and never employed the petty shams and tricks, the diffusive and showy, but empty devices of the mere rhetorician. He was dignity, grace, eloquence, profundity of thought and rarest beauty of diction personified, wholly without an equal, and without a critic. When Major Smith was on his feet addressing a court, he elicited a degree of attention from bench and bar and jury and audience, accorded to no other man. His voice was clear, smooth and melodious in its tones, his delivery deliberate, luminous, energetic and highly effective. We may never look upon his equal, we certainly shall not find his superior.
Among the old guard of pioneers, there are a few and only a few, who remember with delightful emotions the impressions made upon them by Major W. F. Johnson, second president of the original Denver Pacific Railway Company, whenever he could be persuaded to address the public in behalf of that highly important corporation, which built our first iron thoroughfare, and thereby laid one of the corner stones of sub- sequent progress. Although a Democrat, and in Cincinnati whence he came, had been an active politician, he held entirely aloof from political plans and movements here, his heart and soul being given to the work of salvation in which he had engaged. Less than half a dozen speeches were made by him, and none more than twenty minutes long, but they evinced a power, depth and masterly eloquence unparalleled in those days.
Though not often engaged upon political platforms, Hon. Hugh Butler possesses somewhat remarkable qualities as a public speaker, and though devoted to its creed is inclined to be a conservative, high minded Democrat. His career in his profession-the law-has given him en- viable distinction. Excepting vocal expression which, though clear, is low and inflexible, he possesses a very considerable degree of oratorical ability. There is but one tone and that a distinct monotone, that but
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for the profundity and clear cut analysis of his subjects which hold and continue the attention of his listeners, would become tiresome. There is nothing of the customary froth and pyrotechnic display in his addresses, but each word is carefully chosen, each sentence carefully framed, each thought thoroughly defined. When reported, they can be printed with- out change of a word. He is a sound counsellor, a learned and successful lawyer.
In his day General Bela M. Hughes was a strong light among his fellow men, in the leadership of great enterprises, at the bar and on the platform, an honest, scholarly, high-toned, lofty figure, a talented orator, the incarnation of aggressive energy. In his later years, almost wholly retired from public life, he is an extremely attractive type of the old style Kentucky aristocrat, to whom all manner of littlenesses, all uncleanness of heart, body and soul, is as foreign as if such things never existed,-a man whom all admire and reverence for the exalted probity of his life, no less than for his learning.
From 1876, more correctly from January, 1877, when admitted to his seat, to 1884, James B. Belford was with the exception of one term, our sole representative in the House of Representatives in Wash- ington. Although one of our ablest lawyers and public speakers, in some respects well fitted for active engagement in politics, but lamentably deficient in the qualities of which leaders are made, he never was and never will be a guiding political force here or elsewhere, for the reason just given. He has but one attribute that is calculated to move the spirits of men in his favor .- that of political speech making, and even this force has lost much of its pristine vigor. When he entered the Grant and Colfax campaign in 1868, and in 1876 when he became the candidate of the Republican party of Colorado for Congress, he had few superiors on the rostrum. Notwithstanding his rather shrill and unpleasant manner of delivery, his extensive knowledge and mas- terful grasp of national issues, his remarkable memory and faculty for the quick absorption of facts, figures and the entire breadth of subjects to be discussed before the people, and his fiery, sweeping energy in pro-
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nouncing them, gave him a position very near the head of the column of Western stump orators. As a judge on the bench, he was disposed to be fair, just and impartial, but impetuous and willful as the impulse seized him, nevertheless willing to change a ruling when its rashness was made clear to his mind. Lawyers agree that he was a just and upright jurist, against whom no graver comment was made than that he sometimes ruled and decided without sufficient consideration of the point involved, but when shown to be in error, promptly rectifying the mistake, that full and exact justice might be done. He was what the better practitioners most admire, a thorough lawyer and a thoroughly honest judge.
Mr. Belford was born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, September 28th, 1837. All the education he received outside of the public schools and his own researches, was obtained from a term of two years in Dickinson College, that State. But he was an apt scholar, an earnest student, far in advance of his classmates, absorbing knowledge as a sponge water, penetrating at a glance the intricacies of problems that were impenetrable to others without long and earnest study, one of the phenomenons always met with in schools, who are the envy of plodders. He informs me that he mastered Latin, Greek and French by himself, almost without any other aid than his own quick intuitions, in his room at home before entering college. With this basis of intellectual culture, he began the study of law in the office of David W. Woods at Lewistown, and in due time was admitted to the bar, after which he moved westward to the little town of Moniteau, Missouri, and there began to practice. A year later he removed to Indiana, locating first in Monticello, and subsequently in Laporte (1863), when began his actual engagement in the law with an imperative leaning toward politics. He is one of those whose nerves keep them in a fever of unrest, who can permit no public excitement to proceed without taking part in it. He drifted from the court to the political rostrum as naturally as a newly fledged duckling to the nearest water. He had scarcely been settled in Laporte before he began to plunge into State
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