Page:Upbuilders by Lincoln Steffens.djvu/260



A concerted effort was made to have the Judge suppress his report. Many respectable friends of the grafters went to the front for graft. They pretended to represent “business,” the “party,” “the fair fame of Denver,” etc. They used the names of United States Senators Patterson and Teller. They were panic-stricken. As for the Judge, he was awed at the show of influence. “And,” he says, “I was really in doubt lest I might be doing a great harm to accomplish a little good.” But he was reassured. He sounded the United States Senators, and both Mr. Patter- son and Mr. Teller sent back word to “go ahead and show up the grafters regardless of party.” That was the first encouragement the Judge got. Finally, three of the County Commissioners called, and their pleadings decided him. They also prayed in the name of “the party, the “credit of business,” Denver, gratitude, their families; but — there was no word about stopping the stealing! The Judge published the report in the Democratic newspaper, the News.

The County Board had to act; and it began with an investigation of its own a farce, of course. “One thing I learned from it, however,” the Judge says, “and that was that many men of business are cowards. The same experts who had told me that the commissioners were thieves, went