Prelude to Ruin

Three weeks ago Democratic Governor Edwin Carl Johnson addressed a special session of Colorado's General Assembly in portentous words:

"This nation will never fall beneath the conquering tread of an invader. It will never be lured to chaos and destruction by the red flag of Communism. If this Government is destined to follow the course of human history and, in the fullness of time, to fall into ruin and decay, it will perish as the result of official dishonesty and corruption within the State and nation!"

As harbinger of ruin and decay, Governor Johnson nominated his own Secretary of State, James H. Carr, 32, youngest Colorado official in history. He asked the Assembly to impeach and remove Mr. Carr from office. Secretary Carr, a dapper, toothbrush-mustached flashy dresser, hired as his attorneys Frederick E. Dickerson, Denver Democratic leader, and George Evans, friend of Colorado's rural Legislators. He attended the House hearings sipping milk for an ailing stomach. The story told in court against him:

In Denver last September the local manager of McKesson & Robbins, Inc., national distributors of drugs and liquor, went down in the office basement with an unemployed liquor salesman named William E. O'Toole whose brother is a member of the Colorado House of Representatives. The manager handed O'Toole a check for $3,000 payable to the State in settlement of past due liquor taxes, which, according to a later audit, should have amounted to more than $22,000. The manager also handed O'Toole $3,000 in cash. "This is positively the last shakedown, now, isn't it?" he asked.

"This is the last," answered O'Toole. "You won't be bothered any more. You don't have to worry."

Out from behind some barrels at that point stepped a deputy and investigators from the local district attorney's office, seized Fixer O'Toole, seized the check which he had hastily torn in half, the $3,000 of marked bills. Also seized was a letter from Secretary of State Carr acknowledging settlement of McKesson & Robbins' liquor taxes.

In spite of Secretary Carr's well-connected attorneys, Colorado's Democratic House impeached him by a smash vote of 48-10-15. Promptly Mr. Carr underwent two minor operations connected with a blood clot on his lung. On the eve of the Colorado Senate's assembling to try the impeachment, Lawyer Dickerson marched into Governor Johnson's office and laid down Mr. Carr's resignation. Next morning George Saunders, 35, crook-hating sheriff of Larimer County, marched into the Secretary of State's office and, by appointment of Governor Johnson, took over his new duties as successor to James H. Carr. While Colorado counted up the cost of the impeachment proceedings ($19,520), Impeachee Carr underwent another operation, was pronounced in "critical condition."

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