COLORADO. 





absolute political equality, without any distinc- 

 tions which would form classes. He said you 

 oiiil'l provide r.|iially as well that no man 

 should own property until he can read and 

 write. This is an entering wedge, and a step 

 in the direction of an aristocratic and monar- 

 chical government. Mr. Webster recognized 

 tin- right of suffrage as a privilege and not as 

 an inherent right, and that this privilege can 

 be conferred only upon those that the govern- 

 ment pleases. Mr. Rhodes said that the ques- 

 tion of suffrage was one of inherent right, and 

 quoted from the Constitution of the United 

 States to prove his position. Mr. De France 

 read from the Constitution to prove that the 

 right to acquire property is not considered an 

 inherent right, but one of privilege. There is 

 no more sacred right to the people of this na- 

 tion than the right of suffrage, and none which 

 could not be touched with less danger to the 

 nation. Mr. John maintained that such a bill 

 would not avoid political corruption. In Ohio, 

 Illinois, or Kansas such a bill as this would bo 

 hooted at and ridiculed, and ought not to be 

 received here. The States occupying the most 

 advanced grounds on educational questions 

 have no such laws as this, and do not want 

 them. The bill was referred to the Committee 

 on Elections. 



An unsuccessful effort was made in the Sen- 

 ate to repeal the act establishing a school of 

 mines. The objections to the institution were, 

 that it had been organized nine years and has 

 nine pupils in attendance. No part of the min- 

 ing sections of the State ask for the support of 

 this school, and the State is deriving no bene- 

 fit from its continuance. The same studies 

 taught in the institution are taught in the Stata 

 University at Boulder, and the State can not 

 afford to support two institutions of the same 

 nature. Nowhere has such an institution as 

 the School of Mines been a success. In many 

 places they have been tried, and always been 

 abandoned. In reply to these assertions it was 

 urged that the institution was founded in 1870 

 by an appropriation of about $3,000. In 1872 

 another appropriation was made to the school, 

 but the Governor pocketed the bill. In 1874 

 and 1876 appropriations were made, aggro- 

 gating, with what had before been given, over 

 $12,300. The mill tax has raised the total to 

 $14,572.45. The building and apparatus have 

 cost about $8,000. This shows that the school 

 has been run for about nine years for about 

 $6,500. This accounts for the little that the 

 school has accomplished. The object of the 

 school was to promote and encourage the min- 

 ing industry. Can any man think that a school 

 can accomplish much on less than $1,000 per 

 annum ? 



A bill to establish impartial suffrage was in- 

 troduced in the Senate. When under consid- 

 eration, one of the Senators (Mr. Haynes) said : 

 "The State Constitution provided that the 

 question of female suffrage should be submit- 

 ted to a vote at the first general election, and 



it was so submitted, and one third of the rotes 

 were cast in its favor. Now it is asked, three 

 years later, that the question may again bo 

 submitted to vote, ami wo ought not to he 

 opposed to giving them a chance to convince us 

 that we are wrong in refusing the women an 

 equal chance to vote. .How will it appear to 

 the world if we few men here arrogate to our- 

 selves the right to decide that what thousands 

 of the most intelligent and respectable people 

 in the State ask shall not be granted ? Com- 

 mon fairness and respect call upon us to give 

 them the chance to educate us as they think 

 they can. The question of the propriety and 

 right of women's suffrage is not what we are 

 now called upon to consider ; we are called 

 upon only to give a large class of people a 

 chance that they ought to have, and by right 

 are entitled to." The bill passed the Senate 

 and came up for a second reading in the House, 

 when a motion to indefinitely postpone was 

 made and lost, and it was referred to a special 

 committee appointed to confer with the Senate 

 Committee on the bill. 



A bill was passed creating the new county 

 of Carbonate, in which Leadville was situated. 

 On the second day after, a new bill was passed 

 changing the name to Lake, which was the 

 name of the entire district before the division. 



Persons practicing confidence games are made 

 liable to indictment, and on conviction are pun- 

 ishable by confinement in the penitentiary from 

 one to ten years. 



Any animal injured or killed not having any 

 mark or brand upon it, or having marks or 

 brands unknown, by the trains of any railroad 

 company, said company shall, within thirty 

 days next after such injury or killing, pay 

 the value thereof, according to the schedule of 

 prices as now fixed by law, to the treasurer of 

 the district association of cattle-growers, with- 

 in the district where such animal is thus in- 

 jured or killed. All neat stock found running 

 at large in the State without a mother and upon 

 which there is neither ear-mark nor brand, 

 shall be deemed a maverick, and may be taken 

 in charge by the captain or foreman of a legal 

 round-up and sold at such time and place and 

 in such manner as shall be determined by the 

 executive committee of the district association 

 of cattle-growers of the district wherein such 

 maverick shall be taken up. The proceeds 

 arising from such sales shall be paid to the 

 treasurer of such district association; and if 

 any stock so sold shall within the period of six 

 months immediately following such sale be 

 claimed, identified, and proven by the rightful 

 owner, it shall be the duty of such treasurer to 

 forthwith pay the money received for such 

 maverick to such owner. If no owner ap- 

 pears, the money goes to the fund of the asso- 

 ciation. 



A bill for the preservation of fish was passed, 

 which provides that it shall not be lawful to 

 kill, take, or have in possession any trout or 

 other food-fish, taken or killed in any of the 



