The Republican journal., 1881-03-17
takes hold of the helm, and guides the


trouble with the authorities The mill
tary police, who were arreSting everybody
they could lay hands on, had got me into
their clutches and were trying to read a
whole lot of miXed-up manuscript which
constituted the main part of my luggage; ;
IN order to find out what sort Of man
was, for could not talk word of either
French or German. | think they must
have been poorly educated, for they could
hardly read it. But they tried and tried
with all their might And the harder
they tried the madder they got and they
laid the blame all on me.
They were about to iron me and march
me off for a spy, when an American step
ped up and laid down the law in way
that made them open their eyes. He was
a Californian, and my trouble was over.
lie could not talk word to them-no
more than | but they soon saw that al
though he could not talk in any of their
six or seven tongues, he could at least
fight III any language under the sun.
am reminded here of two Californians,
WhO short of money and determined to
see the Holy Land, went with Cook, the
tourist. They were the horror of all the
staid old orthodox parties, but in less
than a week they were the leaders of the
company.
They wanted to pump out Jacobs
Well, and get down to the bed rock.
They were perfectly certain that it was
only a prospect hole. And when they
came to Mount Sinai they found quartz
indications, and declared that all that
side of the mountain from which the ia
bles for the Ten Commandments were
supposed to have been taken would pay
ten per cent. They pretended to find
plenty of gold in the rock one morning,
and made the whole party believe that
they intended to- set up a forty-stamp
mill, and have it laundering down that
same canon Moses is supposed to have
descended with the Laws.
There are many Of the wandering chill
dren Of the dear old Pacific coast in art,
and art work, all over the world. | have
known as many as five OF the eight or ten
theaters in the city of New York to have
either California actors or California plays
on their boards all at the same time. And
i'll the army and navy. Consider the
deeds Of the old Californians there.
When one speaks of California, her
northern sister, Oregon, is of course in
cuded.
But perhaps it is ia the financial world
that the Californian takes the first rank.
Non elevated railroad, that stretches
down the streets of New York, was built
and is owned by an eX-Mayor of San
Francisco. Down yOnder, at the end of
the island of Manhattan, where the ''bulls"
and "bcars' guidethe finance of the world,
there is one little Californian who stands
next TO the head of the class. And if ever
Jay Gould misses a word, this man will
spell it, and turn him down, and take
his place.
Two little facts let me mention More
than fifty years ago the very brightest of
all the youngmen of the city of New York
married the daughter ot one Of the veal
thest and most distinguished of her great
merchants. Fifty years bring changes.
The bright young man was no longer a
banker. He was poor and all his idols
lay broken and behind him. He was still
"Nho is there SO poor as Il poor gentle
man Z" Well S50,00O was handed this
good and worthy old gentleman by this
Old Californian, who is not willing to ever
let his own name be published in connec-
tlon with the same.
The other circumstance is Of less i'm
portance to any one but myself. A new
ard unskilled dealer in stocks, and an
utter stranger, found himself one morn
ING routed, "horse, foot and Dragons"
Half desperate he rushed down to the old
Californian and asked his advice. Advice I!
He gave his advice to the stranger in the
shape of 300 shares Of Western Union.
These shares in a few days turned out a
profit Of nearly $1,000. And still he will
not permit his name to be mentioned in
this connection. Very we'll: | will not
give YOU the name of this ''Old Californian -
Neither will give you that Of the vener-
able banker who received the $4,000
But | see no reason why you may not
have the name Of the embarrassed specu-
lator who received the $1,000 worth of
'advice." You will find it subscribed at
the head of this rambling sketch.
The foundations of nearly all the great
fortunes OF the far West have been almost
purely accidental. After that it became
merely a question of holding on to all you
could get. OF course, many threw away
their opportunities there. But remember
that many others gave away all they had
to help others, and are now gray and for
gotten in the mountains, while they
might have been to-day at the head of
their fellows in the city implore you,
do not too much admire the rich men of
this rich land, where wealth may be had
by any man, who is mean enough to clutch
and hold on tight to it. tell you that
in nine cases out Of ten, great acquired
wealth lifts up in monumental testimony
the meanness OF its possessor
| knew two neighbors. old Calitornians,
who had equal fortunes. They were both
old settlers, both rich and both much re-
spected. In that fearful year, 1852, when
the dying and destitute immigrants liter
ally crawled on their hands and knees
over the Sierra trying to reach the settle
ments, one OF these men drove all his cat
tie up the mountains, butchered them
and fed the starving. He had his MeXi-
cans pack all the mules with flour, which
at that time cost almostits weight in gold
and push on night and day over the
mountains to meet the strangers there
and feed them, so that they might have
strength to reach his house, where they
could have shelter and rest. The other
man, cold and cautious, saw his oppor-
tunity and embraced it. He sat at home
and sold all his wheat and mules and
meat, and with the vast opportunities for
turning money to account in that new
country, soon became almost a prince in
fortune. But his generous neighbor died
a beggar in Idaho, where he had gone to
try to make another fortune. He literally
had not money enough to buy a shroud !;
and as he died among strangers, by the
roadside, he was buried without even as
much as a pine board coffin.
saw his grave there only last year.
Some one has set up a rough granite
stone at the head. And that is all. No
name-not even letter or a date. Moth
ing. But that boulder was fashioned by
the hand of Almighty God, and in the lit
tie seams and dots and mossy scars that
cover it, He can read the rubric that
| u