Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-03-13

The query at the head of this paper
is,what am set down to reply to, and
/ confess that the job is tough one.
professor John Phpnixo (Lieuten-
ant Derby was of opinion years ago
that our system of expressing matters
comparative was imperfect. If you
meet man, and ask him how he is,
he will reply "Tolerable, thank YOU"
If you ask about q young lady, the
party inquired of will be likely to say,
"Passably good looking" The style
of answer, the Professor urged, did
not convey a meaning sufficiently
accurate. He thought all these things
should be expressed by figures, as is
the standing of the children ut the
public schools. Then, instead of u
man replying Tolerably well, thank
your he should say, II am we'll, 49,"
So, also, when a party is desired to say
how pretty his sweetheart is, he would
promptly answer "Pretty, 81 ~ Now,
If this system should be extended to
each mans capacity for making a
living, made up from his standing in
industry, economy, prudence and en-
ergy, should have no difficulty in
answering the party who desired my
opinion as to whether he would be
able to make a living in California
But, unfortunately, this excellent
system is not in vogue, and hence l
/ have bad job. / will essay to east
some light upon the subject, however,
without the aid of figures. What
man has done man can do again; and
If | tell you what men have done and
are doing in that country then you can
form pretty good idea Of what you can
do. In December, 1913, L sailed into
the bay of San Francisco, in the good
sloop-of- war st. Mary's. was q mid
shipman, and my station at anchOring,
ETC.. was alOft. AS we passed
the "Heads" was directed to
go on the royal yard and look
out for town, houses and ship
ping. l did as was ordered, and save
and except a deserted barrack and an
old fort on the point, could see moth
ing which would indicate that the
country had ever been trod by the foot
of man. Sailing a short distance fur
Their we "opened' our flagship, the
Ohio, riding at her anchors off q
spring, where she was replenishing
her stock of fresh water; but there was
no house in sight from her. The
ground I overlooked from my lofty
perch on that bright December day,
but twenty-five years ago, is now a
part of the great city of San Francisco,
and the person sailing in now will be
charmed by the evidences of busy life
all around him. He will see grand
steamers sailing out to China and
Japan, to Oregon and British Column
bia, to Mexico and Central America,
and to the Islands of the Pacific and
Australia. Coasting vessels with
their glistening white wings are COM
ing in from and going to the north
and the south. At the numerous
wharyes you see an array Of the
noblest merchant ships to be found in
the world, showing a very forest of
spars and yards against the sky.
Steam ferries are plying hither and
thither, and bay boats going and COM
ing help to finish the marine picture.
Over where we found the Ohio, is a
handsome little town, sheltered be-
hind the hills, and the locomotive
whistles and snorts; for it is the ter
minus of a railroad. This busy scene
would indicate that during the past
quarter of u century these people have
been busy, and that many have been
and are making living. Probably
my readers will demand better evil
dence to support the last proposition
than the mere seeing of towns, ships
and steamers, and railroads, where
was only wilderness few years be-
fore. Let us go, then, and inquire
concerning the condition of the peO-
pie of this country, and see whether
they are making a living or not. In
San Francisco (Which was not so large
as Raleigh, our ancient county town,
when first saw it), we will find that
the laboring population has on deposit
in the savings banks a sum triflc
greater than fOrty-three millions of
dollars! The people who own this
vast deposit are a little over forty
thousand in number, hence it Is fair
to presume that these depOsitOrs and
their families are in no danger of star
walton; especially as they live in the
country where food is cheaper than
elsewhere in America, and where
wages are highest. Possibly the
reader may not comprehend at once
the prosperity this deposit of savings
represents. San Francisco has pop
"
thousand, and she has the savings
mentioned. A year ago, or there
abOuts, the Governor of New Hamp-
shire took occasion in his message to
congratulate the people. of his State
upon their prosperity, which he said
was evidenced more by the accumula-
tons of the working people in savings
banks than in any other way. These
accumulations, he told us, amounted
to seventeen millions of dollars. New
Hampshire has stipulation just twice
as great as that of San Francisco.
Therefore eight and half millions in
that city would represent greater pros
perity according to the New Hamp-
shire standard. Now if that standard
is correct, how much greater must be
the prosperity where the accumula-
tons per capita are four times as
great! Do you begin to comprehend
California prosperity? Let us adj
vance step farther. We measure the
value of farm by its fertility and ca
pacity of production, and the same
rule will apply to "a State. Our great
savdnt, Commodore Maury, delighted
to boast of the Cotton States, which
had capacity to export products of
the value of forty dollars per capita,
per annum. California exported dur
ing the past year products of the value
of eighty millions, equal toe one hun
dred and hirty-seCen dollars per cap
ita! No other country on, earth can
equal this. Just as l wind up this
grandiloquent assertion friend at my
elbow suggests that he saw in the
appeal the other day an extract
from a letter printed originally in the