Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-04-13
\ Prsss.siou. E.po"nder.


ssvenal press, the penny-al liners
land debauched vagabonds who
"put forth their shallow objections
ito the Constitution, I have not
tread or seen one worthy of con-
"sideration."-John q. Dovney in
the San Francisco Chronicle.
Now we beg to inform his little
ex-accidency that we don't propose
to be talked Of In that style with
out vengeance "in heaped meas.
are. fliled full and running o'er.n
We confess that this Is nervous
language Of the eex-Governor's, and
we carry this confession further to
the point that this putative COM
munication to the Chronicle be-
trays more logical arrangement
and more conform ity to the rules
Of syntax than the ordinary pro.
ductions OF this distinguished gen.
tleman. 1t is very hard to believe
that the same individual concected
and wove the diatribe In the Chr on
jcle who acquitted himself of the
''fsarfully and wonderfully made"
sentences, couched in "robust An.
glo.Saxon," that have appeared Of
late In the Express. Neither does
1t correspond to the mystic min.
Cling Of absurdlties and bad Eng
ltsh which was appa rent in the ex-
Governo Agricultural Address,
nor does 1t comport with the phras.
eology Of his attack upon the Cath
olic religion in his discourse on q
certain memorable st. Patrick's q
Day. This author of ours Is gen.
orally very tame and insipid in
ileas AMI turgid in language, with
thu accompanime Mt of most afro.
cious disregard OF the plainest rules
Of grammar.
The Ex-Governor must pardon
u for our bluntness, for, in stig-
matizing the m embers Of the press
~ "venal," with some hints at
their being "debauched vaga.
bon is," he justifies. in advance,
the severest recrimination. And
yet we prom ise to be quite mild
upon his ex.exce llency, this time.
The first question, with those ia.
mlllar with the ex Governors
sloppy, uncouth and school boy
style Ia, who is the author of the
late effusion in the Chronicle 2
Nor is 1t the first time such query
has been propounded in reference
t, productions bearing his sigma
ture. We have been furnished
with q notable instance of the
same thing. for full understand
ing OF which it is necessary to 60
back a few years.
There was, quite long time ago,
an humble adobe tenement near
the site OF the present st. Charles
Hotel. This 'dobie was ostensibly
devoted to the compounding and
vending of drugs, but q different
and more lucrative species OF COM
Pounding was fostered there-the
compoundlng OF interest. The
genius of the establishment was
young Irish gentleman, suave in
manners and particularly accom-.
plishsd in Chesterfisldian bow.
As We have said, oste nsibly his
business was of the drug oider, but
his main occupation was loanin g
money at extravagant rates of in.
terest. Particularly would he lie
In walt for the native Californian
who required small sums to furnish
out his losses at the gambling ta-
BILE. The usual rate Of interest ex-
acted was five per cent. month,
compounded monthly. AS a conse-
quence. the confiding 7oaisano was
often aroused from his sweet slum-
bsr by an officer demanding a sum
that would often absorb his cattle
and paternai acres. The court rec
ord, of Los Angeles county show
that Downey and his partner Nc
Farland were the principal
PLAINTIFF In those primitive
times. AS an illustration of the
rapid accumulation of interest, an
Engllshman, by the name of Car
penter, borrowed of this virtuous
firm-both friends Of the people, in
Chronicle parlance-$500, to make
good a gambling loss. In less than
six years this Indebtedness had
swollen to 100000 The present
fiourishing Los Nietos tract was
sold to Downey & Mcfarland, the
mortgages, for $50, 900, with per-
sonal Judgment in their favor for |
the remainder. Poor Carpenter,
falling to obtain any delay from
his remorseless creditors, blew his
brains out.
The Governor is made to ex-
press, in his late communication to
the Chronicle, a holy affection for
the hardy, yet oppressed yeomanry
Of Les Angeles county. Well, he
should love them! He has drawn
ais dueats from their lands, and
ears, and blood.
But we are wandering q little!
As With all of his countrymen, this
fascinating young Irishman was an