l city, built on a slope,
between the prairies and mountains, always sunny, cool, and clear-skyed
with the very sparkle of happiness in its air; and on the crown of its
hill, facing the romantic prospect of the Rockies, the State Capitol
raised its dome--as proud as the ambition of a liberty-loving
people--the symbol of an aspiration and the expression of its power.
That Capitol, I confess, was to me a sort of granite temple erected by
the Commonwealth of Colorado to law, to justice, to the ideals of
self-government that have made our republic the promised land of all
the oppressed of Europe; and I could conceive of no nobler work than to
serve those ideals in the assembly halls of that building, with those
eternal mountains on the horizon and that sun of freedom overhead.
Surely a man may confess so much, without shame, of his youth and his
inexperience. . . . It is not merely the gold on the dome of the
Capitol that has given it another look to me now.

It was the year 1897. I was about twenty-eight years old, and my
partner, Gardener, was three years younger. He was more worldly-wise
than I was, even then; for while I had been busy with briefs and
court-work, he had been the "business head" of the firm, out among
business friends and acquaintances--"mixing," as they say--and through
his innumerable connections, here and there, with this man and that
fraternity, bringing in the cases that kept us employed. He was a
"Silver Republican"; I, a Democrat. But we both knew that if he was to
get into politics it must be with the backing of the party
"organization" and the endorsement of the party "boss."

The "Silver Republican" boss of the day was a man whom we both
admired--George Graham. Everybody admired him. Everybody was fond of
him. "Why," they would tell you, "there isn't a man in town who is
kinder to his family. He's such a good man in his home! And he's so
charitable!" At Christmas time, when free baskets of food were
distributed to the poor, George Graham was chairman of the committee
for their distribution. He was prominent in the fraternal orders and
used his political power to help the needy, the widow, and the orphan.
He had an engaging manner of fellowship, a personal magnetism, a kindly
interest in aspiring young men, a pleasant appearance--smooth and dark
in complexion, with a gentle way of smiling. I liked him; and he
seemed to discover an affection for both Gardener and me, as we became
mo