Montgomery County sentinel., 1885-04-17
California Correspondence.
THE sAND-LopAND sAND.LoT ORATORS
SAN FRANCISCO, April Q, 1885.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 2, 1886.
Editor Sentinel {. In the geographical centre
OF San Francisco stands the new City Hall,
an immense, dingy, struggling, incompleted
building about six hundred feet long Its
erection was commenced ten years ago, and
up TO this time has cost couple of millions
Of dollars, and will probably cost several
millions more before the original designs
for its construction are carried out.
The two southern entrances 10 this build
ing and the paved enclosure Immediately in
front of them is at the present day what is
known as the Sand-lot. The real Sand-lot
of earlier days is now mostly covered with
buildings and Belgian block pavement, and
ID must be remembered that forty years ago
the entire site of the present bustlng city
Of Frisco, Tor, more appropriately speak
ing, Frsky,) was an unsightly nd-lot-
How far back of the new City Hall the his.
tory of the Sand-lot extends, and what the
character Of the meetings that originally
convened there was, your correspondent
knows not, but at this time 1t is used ex-
clusively for Sunday afternoon speech
making The oratorical repasts served up
there are usually political, but, for variety's
sake, the hungry crowd is often furnished
dishes OF religion and temperance. Ii is the
oSShO VI many u anu uldIJ
a failure too, for il takes long experience as
a speaker and good nerve to entertain that
restless crowd.
Perhaps the most noted of those who
figured on the Sand-lot was Dennis Kear-
ney. A few years ago his name. was a
household word on this coast, II not through
out the country, as a leading labor reform
agitatOr In the late Presidential election
he gave what influence be retained in behalf
of the election of Mr.. Blaine, and it was the
detection of the Irish vote which was the
chief cause of the loss of this State 10 the
Democracy.
The leading Sandlotter ut present is DIR.
ODonnell, the city coroner. He made q
successful campaign in the last election as
an independent candidate for coroner on his
interminable opposition TO the Chinese. He
il was who Travelled through the East last
fall exhibiting several leprous Chinese and
lecturing on the effects of that horrible dis
case. His weekly incendiary harangues on
the Sand-lot are as disgusting and more dan
gerous than the foul disease of leprosy.
will attempt 70 give fair description
of the usual Sunday afternoon meetings on
the Sand-lot. The hour of p. M. has ar.
rived, but Monigomerians are three hours
later and are about 10 partake of their third
meal, if they are 30 fortunate as TO get three
on Sunday. The turbulent and eager crowd
which gradually Increases 70 vast proper
ions, first call their iavorite, O'Donnel, but
he has not yet arrived. The next call is for
Wheeler. Wheeler is a Communist and, at
the same time, the deadly enemy of O'Don-
nell. Wheeler mounts the rostrum, and
ODonnell arriving about the same time is
Obliged TO occupy u temporary stand ON the
outside OF the enclosure where two small
patches of the original Sand.lot still remain
.My friends" begins Wheeler, "that man
out there has repeatedly called me a tramp
and vagabond, but where can you find q
greater vagabond than he? His language
on this Sandlot is even more filthy than the
foul dens OF Chinatown, which he describes
To you Sunday AFTER Sunday He don't
really hate the Chnsman. He abuses him
because he thinks he will get your votes by
IT, Don't you know what he ia afterg He
expects TO be your next Mayor, that's il.
lie cannot drive out the Chinese by abusing
them. Your representatives in Congress
must make laws to expel them, and II they
don't do IL, why go in n body TO Washing.
ton and hang them. Nay, my friends that
would be too mild punishment for them,
torture themi Yes, torture them for every
day OF the time they have made you wait"
At the same time O'Donnel occupies the
outside stand and he is riding the same old
Chinese hobby, He is near enough to
Wheeler to hear part OF his personal crit.
cism, which enrages him and makes his de-
nunciation of the Chinese more than ordl.
narily severe.
my fellow. citizens, this Chinese nuisance
must be abated and You must do II. Don't
depend on your legislators TO do it; they
don't care for you; all they are after is the
governments money If you can't abate
the Internal Chinese nuisance in any other
way, why apply few charges of dynamite
10 the sewers Of that pestilential hole, China.
town, and send the whole colony of pigtails
TO - amidst smoke aud birthstone You
can do IL, and you must do it.n
lntersperse these harangucs with the most
b!ood.curdling oaths, and you have fair
specimen of Sand.lot oratory. Taking the
Sand-lot all in all, il Is not nice place for
a gentleman, and even one Of the total de-
prayity Of the reporter will not be likely TO
make his visits 10 that quarter lengthy
Y.