Willoughby: Electing our own — 1892

Adam Frisch has joined the list of “Aspen’s own” running for a major political office.  Preceding him by over a century was Davis H. Waite who ran and won the governor’s race in 1892.

Waite as an early pioneer settling in Ashcroft and Aspen in 1880. He was the first superintendent of schools. He applied his attorney background and paired up with B. Clark Wheeler to handle legal issues and to buy and sell land and mines. Wheeler ran The Aspen Times; Waite had newspaper experience before he came, so he was involved in the Ashcroft Herald, the Times, and later the Aspen Union Era.

Both Wheeler and Waite lost their wives just before coming to Aspen. Waite was older. Wheeler married Waite’s eldest daughter. Both were politically active. Waite, prior to Aspen, had been elected, as a Republican, to both the Wisconsin and Kansas legislatures.

The economic turmoil prior to and after the panic of 1893 adjusted their politics. Waite was a pioneering member of the Peoples Party, the Populists. Free coinage of silver was the dominant issue locally, but he added other Populist issues including support for unions.

He ran for governor in 1892 as a Populist along with the Populist presidential candidate James B. Weaver. He toured the state for 90 days giving speeches. Four candidates ran but only three gained attention, including Joseph Helm the Republican and Joseph Maupin the Democrat.

Helm, accused of corruption and mishandling of public funds, was portrayed as being part of a “gang” that controlled government. A Denver paper praised Waite, “He is intellectually the peer of anyone who has ever held the office and would be incapable of countenancing a dishonorable act.” The Boulder Daily Camera wrote, “a vote for Honest Judge Waite is a vote to defeat the gang.”

Republican papers blasted him with comments like, “who ever heard of him before the present campaign opened and who expects ever to hear of him after its close?” As you can imagine, in Aspen, he was the hero. The day before the election, just after Waite returned from campaigning, the Populists organized a parade with union workers joining others, an estimated 2,000 joined in. There were cheers for Weaver and for Waite. A leader, Dr. Paul, pleaded, “vote for ourselves, our homes, your families Colorado, and free silver. Vote your ticket and vote it straight.”

Waite won by a large margin taking office in 1895 for a two-year term. The effects of the Panic of ’93 made the term one of the most difficult for Colorado governors, he being the 8^th.  He was the first governor to support unions, including in some vicious month’s long strikes. He was not able to institute many of the Populist goals that later were championed by Teddy Rosevelt, but he did work hard to get women’s suffrage passed, making Colorado the second state to do so. Unfortunately, he lost in 1896, the first year women could vote, and he blamed his loss on them — he was certain they did not vote for him. 

Weaver lost to Grover Cleveland but managed, as a third-party candidate, to win five states. Free coinage of silver (and the gold standard) continued be a national issue with William Jennings Bryan championing it running against William McKinley in 1896 and 1900.

Tim Willoughby’s family story parallels Aspen’s. He began sharing folklore while teaching at Aspen Country Day School and Colorado Mountain College. Now a tourist in his native town, he views it with historical perspective. Reach him at redmtn2@comcast.net.