Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-05-08
EDITORIAL CORE SP0NDENCE.
A Tentative Real Estate Boom-F luotuating
Phasss-FIats and eharpz-Quiok hotel
Wwk-Rseaipts Of the Palace.

pressions. They may be summar-
ized In brief thus. If the Comstock
lode is played out, the city Of the
Golden Gate is ditto for the time
being. There is no question Of the
fact that II this lode had never ex.
listed this city would be q thousand
times better of. But that poten-
ttal ''if" stands IN the way. The
lode 10 an existing fact, and, under
ito shadows, men recognized Is
honorable, and who have been re.
csived into the cream of the society
Of San Francisco, have sailed forth
to rob and re-rob the people-to
spoliate with an abandon, impuni-
ty and success which would make
Byron's fanciful creation, Lsmhro,
hide his diminished head. A feeble
attempt has been made to start q
real estate boom, Of late. The hand
and voice Of the capper can be seen
and heard high above the psdi-
msnts Of the houses. Why should
real estate be high in San Francis
co? This city has been the real
estate "dead fall" of the American
continent. Whose, in the last six
years, entered upon 1t, was in the
plight Of the hardy visitor who
crossed the portals of Dante's hell,
when he started out on that fatal
descent he would have done we'll to
have left hope behind. l am led to
these reflections by the fact that
the San Francisco newspapers have
started In on cheerful vein of talk
lately, with real estate as its bur-
den. Their effort is certainly
praiseworthy. Such highly sagac-
ious men as DR.. Mcdonald, the
President Of the Pacific Bank, are
most sanguine as to the i'm % ediate
future OF San Francisco property.
Az to the Immediate future, not.
withstanding these respectable au.
thorities, I proclaim myself most
obstinate doubter. San Francisco,
which Is indisputably destined to
be one of the great capitals of the
world, without q new and great dis
covery on the Comstock lode, may
rs well prepare herself for hard
times for the next five or six years.
It 10 true that she will recover from
the depression and show greater
elasticity than ever, but 1 speak
only Of the immediate future. That
seems anything but roseate to me,
with the imminent transportation
drawbacks involved in the early
completion of the Northern Pacific
and of the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe road to Guaymas and the
city Of Mexico, respectively.
This city has for years been
honeycombed with q great stock
speculating fever. Every call.boy
and chamber.maid in the hotels,
every bootblack, barber and arti.
Gan. Is calculating to-day, with
palpitating anxiety, whether the
late rise is spring deal or
the fret premonition of a big
market. Every one of these poor
people realize, as fully as Mark
Twain ever did, the difference be-
tween foresight and hindsight, and
yet the former only can do them
any good.
FLATS AND sHARPs.
This week the amusement spe.
cialty in San Francisco Is local
dramas; or, rather, dramas by local
authors. I looked in on one of
them Monday night at the Bush
stree Theater, where 1 encountered
our late fellow townsman Mr., Sey-
mour Locke, who seems to -four
ish In the Golden Gate like a green
bay tree. "Flats and Sharps" is a
drama written In partnership by q
son-in-law Of your majestic towns
man Col. Wheeler, Green Clay
Smith and Mr.. Slauson Thomp.
son, and Santa Monica figures in ii
- q seaside resort. That daisy OF
. watering place will shortly show
up a. the resort nonparsil for both
winter and summer. of the Ameri.
can continent. 1t is perhaps in.
vidious to analyze the play, suffice
1t to say that the leading chsrac-
tiers, the Messrs. Sharp and Flat,
are built upon Mark Twain and
Dudley Warmers Col. Sellers. They
are individuals to whose minds eye
millions are . matter OF course.
A. Robson aud Crane are sim ply
excruc'ating comedians the result
IL IN evening of uproarious jollIty.
Tbs "sets" are very well handled,
the scene painter has done his
work perfectly and Santa Monica
shows up galore, In the full splen.
dor Of theatrical pigments.
THOROUGH WORK.
The arrival OF the Boston excur-
slea party consisting Of ovsr two