The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-10-19
WAS CHRIS ANY GOOD ]?
A Tammany View Of The Great Dis.
cOVerer Of America.
He Is Considered as a Practical Politi-
! cian by Eminent New York
Authority - The SIowest
Mule in Hispania.
ICopYRIcHr, 1927

been told that he was an angel, and we
have learned on equally good authority
that he was pirate. Indeed, l have
recently heard him considered as poll
tician, by an eminent authority on
practical politics whose opinions | shall
present directly. But these things need
not grieve his admirers. The publica-
ton in a leading magazine of an article
showing Columbus as pirate does not
make him one, any more than the ex-
posture of a rhymed contribution in the
same place makes it's author a poet
The estimate of great man is a meas
ure of him who takes it and not of the
great man himself And so, by record
ing here the opinions OF a representa-
tive New Yorker of the governing
class-I do not portray Columbus, but
rather the city which is now having fun
with his illustrious name.
The rooms of the John 3. Swagley
association were brilliantly illuminated
by several large gas jets, and the. wis
dom of Police Justice Robert Kidd, who
used to be school-teacher.
'sTo the best of my knowledge and
belief he was saying, 1.-THE date Of
Christopher Columbus landing should
be the 21st of October, and not this
18TH
'sWhat's der dih'rence?" said Swag
ley, entering in time to catch this re-
mark. sIf he gifts here by der 21st
he can vote, can't he? I'll fix dat all
right"
'sNo, no, John" said the justice; "we
were talking of the great diseoverer OF
America.
sob, ter Hoboken wild him, ''rejoined
Swagley; 81 fought it was some Eye
Italian dat was comm over. Don't
bother about no dead men, Bobby. Git
der vote out"
Swagley's practical views were loud
lily applauded while he was present, but,
after he retired, the conversation drift
ed back to matters of historical re-
search.
ssWhadie t'inlz O. Chris, anyhow"
asked ex-Alderman Rilly-the-Mug, OF
Justice Kidd "on de dead, was he any
good?"
s'He was all that" exclaimed the JUS
tice, with enthusiasm. Say, he was a
worker Maybe you think he had a
puddin', but he didn't Say, he went
before the government of Spain with no
/ pull at all, and he worked 'em for one
O. the biggest cinches inethe way of
contract that ever 1 saw. What's your
idea of a great man, Billy?'
! "Swagleys good enough for me-" re-
piled the ex-alderman, "Say, he's a
slick citizen, he is. He'll be de boss O
dis town, and the state, too, he will,
one O desc days"
''But Pm speaking O principles said
the justice. whats the test of a sue
icessful man?"
! "He's got to git what he's AFTER said
;McGarrahan, secretary of the associa-
ition, San he's got to t'row de udder
fellie down an walk on his face"
The justice looked from one to anoth-
er and waited. Morris Rogulski, the sa-
loonkeeper, who, when he opened his
present place of business, threw away
1.-THE key in the presence of all the boys
land brass band as a sign that his door
would never close, here put in his word:
tssHe must know how to make deal
and"
! Don't say another word, Morris, %
said the justice "Ihat's all there is to
it,
There was no dissenting voice, and
the Justice continued: LET me show
you how Columbus made his big deal.
Say, they were all agin him. He started
in Portugal. King John wouldn't have
1T. I'm expected to put up all the stuff,
said the king, and ] don't see any of
lit coming back. He wanted Columbus
to go off and annex America to Porta-
gal, and then get his claim through the
Legislature if he could. Columbus knew
better than to make a deal of that
kind. IF you don't take it at my fig
lures, you don't get it, see?' said Chris
topher, and he went to Spain with the
contract. Say, it was just like the vote
of this association. We have our terms,
and the party that accepts them is the
one that gets the vote.
! 'sWhen Columbus got to Spain, he
started in right away to get party
behind him. He was bound to put the
deal through, and he worked nearly six
years"
''Swagley d a-done it in six months,
AN I'm gambling on it," interrupted
Billy the-Mug.
'Would hep" rejoined the justice
ssSay, do you know what Columbus had
agin him? He had a committee of silk
stocking chumps to investigate him,
and they were all fixed up to vote the
wrong way. Say, it was like the Fas-
sett committee, only the one that Co
lumbus bucked up against had chance
to do something about it, after they'd
investigated. They held him back for
a long time; but, say, he got the best Of
them in the end. He got the contract
on the minority report, and mighty
small majority at that
At this point there began to be signs
of enthusiasm for Columbus.
ssAll the time he was before the COM
mittee," continued the justice, che was
working for infooence on the d. O.,
and he got it. Then he made a big
bluff. He took his scheme to couple
of jukes who owned shipping and were
well fixed financially He played one
of them off against the other, and both
of 'em against the government, and got