Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-11-21
LANCASTER, PA. November 81, 1889.
The Memory Of Suttcr.

We all know that II was on the ranch
Of John A. Sutter that gold was first
found in California, and that the dis
covery caused the land and the house of
Sutter to be descended upon by an in
vading horde Of gold seekers TO the end
that the owner was driven out of
his possession and that he re-
turned to the quiet village of
Lititz, nearby us, where he ended his
days few years ago. He was man of
much Information and ability, and the
great drama in which he was SO con-
spicuous figure did not have
fitting result in the impoverishment In
which 1t left him. He was distinctly
count against the force of circumstances
which overwhelmed him and it. Mr..
Sutter had had valid claim against
the government for redress, and we be-
lieve that after many years he got some
sort of compensation but his redress
was In no way commensurate with
his injury; nor did it rise to the
level Of his proper claim for the
hospitality he extended to the Invading
company that very soon eat him out of
bis house and home; besides taking the
gold FROM his land. Good Captain SUIT
ter has gone, but the land remains at
Sacramento, upon which stood his set
tlement and his fort, of which the
remains, we believe, are yet standing.
And now Sacramento wants to possess
them and to restore the fort, and to erect
A,,t tA la l. Il
spot. But the ground is owned by n
Chicago man, who is deaf TO the repeated
requests made to fix a price upon his
property, and let's 1t lie In pasture.
An indignant journal of the town pro-
poses that when the streets are cut
through, stone be placed at the inter
section to mark the spot where John A.
Sutter raised the American flag and gave
shelter TO the early pioneers of California;
aud on that stone, ii says, let there be
inscribed "the fact that certain citizen
of Chicago, stubbornly refused to sell the
historic spot to the people FOR reserve
at any price"
The New York San mildly suggests
that this man is "hog" and declares
that the Chicago journals that are so
fond of extolling the civic pride Of
Chicago as exhibited in the spirit with
which 1t enters into the worlds fair
project, had better induce the citizen
thus mentioned to permit the preserva-
ton of Suffers fort at Sacramento az n
historic pleasure ground for the people.
It is easily seen, of course, that world
fair malice inspires this suggestion of
the New York to the Chicago journals,
and Captain Sutter and the present
owner Of the Sutter ranch are hauled
n to point the gibe. But we are moved
to rise to the defense Of the Chicago
owner of the old Sacramento fort and to
the suggestion that perchance he may
think that they, who cared so
little for its original owner in
his life time and who were
slow to compensate him for the in
jury that came 10 him through the gol-
have little claim to demand possession
Of the ground to erect thereon mon
ument TO historic fact that sheds no
lustre upon the fame of the settlers. 1t
may be that the Chicago man resents
the treatment of Sutter or 1t may be
that he would save Sacramento from re-
storing the fort that would ever he a re-
minder Of the wrong done its original
builder. Evidently there is something
other than the greed for gold that sticks
in his craw and forbids his entertaining
the offers to sell his meadow for money.
The death of Mr.. Cassidy started the
orators to his memory into moralizing
upon the habit of humanity to only
waken up thoroughly to the conception
Of the value Of the life they mourn after
1t has fled from among us. There
has been unity of expression
Of admiration for Mr.. Cassidy's
character and talents, now that he is
dead, that was not heard while he lived
and when it would have brought joy to
his soul and perhaps added years to his
life. And so now this ardent desire of
Sacramento, to commemorate the hos
pitality and sacrifice of Captain Sutter,
after he had been long left in obscurity
to die, reminds us how much better it
would be If we could spare little of
the exuberant applause of the future to
the deeds and the men of the present
Doubtless it will ever be so. 1t needs
death and time to mellow memories and
to put upon record the real sentiments
of the human heart.