The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-30


poets, princes, poor and rich. at one long
and wide table, glowing crate fires, queer
old pictures, that dear old DR.. johnson and
his friend Savage loved. on the ancient
walls; a unique club indeed, a savage club
that refuses to become civilized.
j.. Ross Browne was a millionaire at the
time-a many times millionaire, too, as the
phrase runs. He succeeded in selling the
swamp lands of California to London syn
dictate. The lands had been bonded to him
and his profits in the transaction were
simply prlncely. Those who set him down
as merely good-naiured humorist tramp
ing abont the world for what he might see
and say of it never knew him. He was q
shrewd, far-seeing man-thoughtful. gentle,
very refined. and universally loved. He
was graceful and quiet speaker on such
occasions as this referred To; not OF the
loud American sort, but Of the better class
of English gentlemen. He reminded you Of
the late 5. S. Cox, in the popular House of
Congress, and not entirely by his boundless
flow of wit and easy address, but by lis per-
sonal resemblance as well.
To get back to the source and the story Of
his great good fortune, his millions, for this
Is perhaps nearest to the American heart
to-day, let us take up the Syndicate" This
Is very common term now; but the first
man | ever heard use it vas J. Ross
Browne. Aud believe he created it, or at
use.
was hard at work In London on a new
book at the time, and we were together a
deal when we had time 10 meet. lie was
also doing book al spare moments. | re-
member he always Insisted that the only fit
place to write was in the heart of great
city, where the noise and roar and tumult
killed of oil light distinctions and strung
the mind up to its highest capacity His
wo,kroom was, designedly, where the huge
Oxi0rd-stTeet buses and Camberwell
buses crossed each other about every min
ute and fairly made the curbstones tremble.
l had somehow gotten on the inside of the
great. honest old English heart and house :;
/ don't see how now. 1t will always remain
a mystery TO me, for the outside OF the Eng
lshman's house is as cold as the inside is
warm. Maybe | got in as sCme simple
hearted tramp struggles in at some gate
which he sees open as he is passing, and is
not turned out hastily II he seems harmless.
Anyhow, | was on the inside when Browne
was handling his huge syndicate" and |
was enabled to mention him and his invest
ment 70 advantage more than once.
Shall forget his happy shout of triumph
as lie came bounding up out Of the yellow
fog one night, three steps at time. The
great syndicate transaction had been closed.
Nothing more 10 do now but make out the
deeds, count the millions carefully; and
thenl Yes. l was to have lot of it; ali |
wanted Of 1t. Aye, half of it, Why, bless
you, come TO think Of II, | too was once a
millionairel
We would buy whole desert of our own
In Arizona, lead river through ii, and
make paradise. Then he thought ne would
also buy the Vale of Cashmere. in India. He
mapped the valley out--a long, narrow land
between mountains. one end Of IL willow
marsh, all filling up with debris. He would
drain the valley, restore 1t TO its former
glory and plant 1t all in roses!
mi IN
history, was at the time O. G. In London
and the most celebrated lawyer of the
great city. And didn't we wish and wish
again and again before a fortnight that the
boat which bore him from this continent TO
Cuba in his flight from the broken cabinet
of Davis had never been heard OF.
Whether he really believed IL to be the
law, or because he hated Browne, who had
more than once held high Federal Office. so
heartily that his opinion was warped, by
prejudice l shall not say. In fact. / had
rather say of this illusirious dead lawyer
and Senator that he gave a sincere opinion.
For he was first schOoled ID the narrow
civil laws Of Loulsiana-the code NapO-
leon-the only State In the Union that at
all adheres TO the old Roman or JustinRn
laws OF tenure. But whatever the source of
his learning or his lore the result TO the
newly made millions was the same. And
although we know that there are English
companies and English capitalists with great
blocks OF real estate all over this country,
both improved and unimproved, breweries,
factories, mills. mines. marsh lands and
mountain lands, this Judah L. Benjamin,
g. C., rendered an elaborate written opinion
that an English company could not legally
hold lands in the United States.
y. Ross Browne came up one step at
time to tell me this one night; and the two
mllllonaires were as poor as two mice.
When got back to Oakland found him
taEe hF hnlI
lie took ME to his home, where | spent
some time. But late and early he was out
planting his hill in trees and planning new
walks and drives; so | did not see o much
OF him as | now wish had. But of course
we expected TO live right along for years,
TO hx up pretty places have pleasant people
around us and-yOu all know the end.
lie called his new home Syndicate Hill
at that time. But | can understand why
very sensitive nature like his came 10 dis
like that name as time went and trouble
came. The huge hill is a verdant. dense
forest now, and is the arstocratic residence
OF the wealthy Airsworths of Oregon.
j know there was something nobler than
selfshness in the feeling of disappointment
that overlook Mr.. Browne on the collapse
OF bis syndicate. He loved California. He
haG rocked the cradle at her birth. He had
seen her leap from that cradle to full
grown womanhood in single day. Cali
fornia had never known a girlhood. She
had never worn the short skirts of Terri
torial sch00ldays. j. Ross Browne had been
sent by Secretary Walker from Washing
ton TO act as sponsor as 1t were at the bap-
tlsm OF the great new State. and he loved
her as his own child. And so when he
Jailed In his effort to divert the English
millions as her dOwry he was sad indeed.
You see 1t was 4 peculiar time. England was
reaching out for bread. CALIFORNIA; wheat
and the wheat of India had entered into
competition, with all the chances Ia favor Of
California. The English preferred Call
fOrnia. They had to accept India. And
to-day, last year, for the last ten or fifteen
years the great Dlow factory of the Averys
at Louisville. KY. Is and has been ship
ping shIploads of plows to India that to-day
would ba shipped here but for that fiat of
judah Z. Benjamin. Only think. IL our
millions of acres of marsh lands, the richest
in the world, were under cultivation by the
sturdy Britons instead OF India. What fleets
of shipsl What WEALTH. 1t would change
the commerce OF the world.
This, If | may be allowed to speak from.
and for, the heart OF j. Ross Browne. was
the conservation OF his life. The glory and
exultation of his life was that he was a '49er.
and was an active participant In the con-
stituti0nal convention at San Jose. He
cared but little for the position Of Minister
tn China III a arcenfpI tho n.apa "a nlapq