Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-09-11
DENVER.
Decline of This Western Metropolis
The Earthquake.

To the Standard.
Denver, that brightest gem of the
Rocky Mountain towns, and the me-
tropolis of the Centennial State"
was to have been the topico this, my
last letter, and it was an undertaking
in which my pen would scarcely have
moved with Pegasean ardour, but
more likely have creeped along a
Pca,yot, for while. In some respects,
it is not an unfruitful topic, the glory
of Denver, like that of Rome, lies
rather in thepast than in the present.
This may appear a paradoXical asser-
ton to make of a city so young, and,
at very recent date, considered so
promising, and as eXemplifying, in
the most marked manner, the I'M
daunted energy and progressive
spirit of the wonderful West but the
opinion is fast gaining ground that
Denver has seen its best days; that,
considering the inroads being m9de
by several other Western towns on
its trade and prestage, Denveris dead.
Whether this be true or not, l am
sure that, seeing the town as I did,
through damp, driving snow, (al-
though it was the 10Th of ApriD l
did not see much in days time on
which to construct letter.
My opinions could be easily epito-
mixed by saying it is a pretty little
city with wide streets, handsome bus
mess houses and cozy homes-in
some instances, elegant mansions
that it has the handsomest opera
house, built by Senator Tabor, and
the finest courthouse to be seen west
of Chicago. / need not have said
even this much, for your correspon-
dent, IS. F. P.," had in last weeks
STANDARD already served up Den.
yer for your readers in very palata-
BILE style, for which I, with them, am
obliged. He also deserves my thanks
for his indefatigable efforts to find me
when in Kansas City, though it does
appear that he went at tin irrational
way. When the directory gives ones
place of business and, at the same
time, his boarding house, lis certain.
ly an unusual proceeding to try tc
find him during business hours at his
hotel. putting me.down as board
ing at the "Cortes House" wasa pract
ical joke on the part of some one ir
the Office, that has given me no little
annoyance, and of which this inabili
ty of an old Tennessee friend to fine
me, is fair example of a constantly
recurring experience. | trust tina
when he has regained his health il
the bracingatmosphere ofthe Rockies
and is on his way back to Tennessee
/ may be more fortunate.
The recent earthquake. has Show
5 what philosophers the most of us ar
= and that the tendency to seek for tn
cause of any known effect, was by n
means peculiarly a penchant of tn
: Greek sages. Why, l have heard al
kinds of causes ascribed. Some sa,
1 the drought caused it, although as
S matter of fact, they have had plent
5 full rains in the region of the distul
bance; a New York daily says tn
:; Sun at first thought it was owing
Senator Garland's handing in hi
resignation to the President; a West
Q ern ''smart Alex" says it was a mar
u Hesitation of the displeasure of On
impotence that-to use its significar
but inelegant phrase-the Unite
States did not seize the late opportr
nifty "to mop up the earth with tn
Mexicans;" and yesterday 1 hear
s the most remarkable reason of all
reason that would never have com
to me even in moments of most eA
uberant fancy, and 1 dare say, woul
: not be entertained even momentaril
y by one out of a thousand of the mo-
: rabid Unionists, or of those, in who's
& ears the firing on Sumter reverberatt
|. as loudly and stirs as deeply their il
born hatred of the South, as it did 9
the 18th Of April, 1861. The reaso
advanced was that it was the divir
wrath being vented on Charlesto
because she took the initiative in tn
g. measures which brought on the +
belliOn.
n Think of it! Aman of "sound min
st in a sound body" at this day, twent
one years after Lees surrender, ar
A' after the South had sorrowfully b
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