The morning call., 1892-06-12

In the SagebTush and chaparral on the other
side of that road, why every single state
ment made in that article der0gatory to
the honor and integrity of Bret Harte would
be found up to the neck in the brush on
the side of the road exactly opposite TO that
battered old statue.
IN NO NEED OF VINDICATIoS.
Bear in mind Bret Harte is in no need of
any YindicatiOn here. When man has
managed to survive 20 years of abuse and
insult like this he can we'll afford to either
despise or pity the writer who can find no
higher employment in this beautiful world
than the throwing of mud at those who
stand up like white marbles in perpetual
glory of this State.
But there is one thing l want settled
right here. Year after year and year after
year, as in this cruel article, It has been
proclaimed that Bret Harte was in debt for
board. for washing, borrowed money and
what not.
Now, l will pay dollar for dollar On any
debt that Bret Harie owes in this city, this
State, aye. in the United States. OF course,
l know that this Will make the proud and
sensitive man angry and he Will insist that
there is no need OF making such an offer.
But the truth is good thing to have in our
California family Of writers, and we can't
have too much of it. | am not caring at ali
for Bret Harte's personal friendship or par
tcularly for his feelings. But l am caring
a heap about this habit Of throwing mud at
an absent man merely 10 make sensation.
Let ME tell you, all this debt" business
was looked into in Washington long, long
ago. Harte was there out of money, i'll and
unable to work, and so he applied for Fed
eral employment These nasty California
fctions, TO the shame Of the State and to
the sorrow of nearly every soul in the State.
were thrown in his teeth; and he had to
take what he could get, miserable little
place at Crefeld. a pottery town on
the Rhinei And thither The man went in
Punishment, a French grammar and
German grammar A gray-beaded man who
had covered his land with immortal glory
sat down to learn French and German In
order to do his duty In the shipments OF
pots, so that he might eat his bread and not
borrow or beg. l tell you it was pitiful. 1t
was mean, miserable. But malice, envy,
sen sation, had to have sway in San Fran
cisco, and the Federal State could not do
much for a man so oOiled with mud.
HOW HARTE WENT TO GLASGOW
When John Hay was made assistant to
EYarts, some one wrote him the facts about
Harte, and in little time came back
glorious letter. I've got Glasgow for
Hartep I" That is the way the letter began,
and that is the way Bret Harte got to
Glasgow. John Hay. poet, brother
writer, a man, gentleman, like Harte. got
it for him. That is the way the writers do
in New York, in London, anywhere that
the world is halfway Christianized. |
want to tell you, my fellow scribes. and
more especially my friend, Jerry Lynch,
we are abont century behind the times
out here. a little kindness, a little bit Of
brotherhood, and the truth-the cold, clear
truth-that is all | ask for Bret Harte.
Bret Harte can do without California
But California cannot do without Bret
Harte. He is, and will for all time, be the
pillar OF fire by which the world knows
that there is such land as California, and
that California is gl0riOusly. truly beautiful
and full of blossoming splendor for the
thousand years to come.
l will tell you, my brother-scrlbes. what
we want. We want another Bret Harte;
we want dozen, 80 such men; as many such
men as we can get. And | am willing they
shall be idle; even In debt. No danger they
will ever be very numerous.
Tell me, what is the difference between
California and Australia? To be frank
with you. to pack whole lot of truth in a
single little tin cap. like concentrated milk;
| will tell you that the main difference is
Bret Harte.
A VISIT TO SHASTA.
Oh, to have him back here in the poppy
fields Of the Sierra foothills. as / saw them
last week. / went up to Shasta, habit OF
years. 10 put my flowers on the grave Of a
fellow-sOldier. For you see, we old-tlme
fighters must ordain our own dec0Ta-
ton day and see TO 1t for ourselves. And
how the grass had grownl Change every
where. Only the bright new moon settling
slowly down in the black pines on the hill
seemed the same. How surely these SOL
emn pines will gather about our old
graves. And how somber and how
solemnly and continually they moan
in the warm winds of the Sierra
twilight. And only the pines and |
to mourn our dead; ah, yes, and a large
eyed rabbit that came limpiDg through the
grass and sat down in the shadow of the
pine that was slowly lifting its som ber man
tie from off the grassy summit. The poppies
closed their eyes, the wild lilies nodded
with their weight Of dew and dropped their
fragrant tears above my fellow-soldier.
And then the sinking moon, just as she fell
behind the somber pines. thrust forth long
white arm and laid SWORD of silver by the
dead mans side.
But to return to Harte. His record as a
Federal officer is fine, And l reckon if he
good time. But he is partisan, and his
head fell, as is the habit of heads. Some
effort was made to save him. John Hoy
was editing the Tribune at the time,
Reid being in Europe. l went to see
f Hay = for the air TEaso was asS.. once more
claimed, were due around the Tribune
"Not a cent does he owe here" was the
substance of every answer got from scribes
of that paper and other New York papers.
1 wanted clean bill of health and got its
UNDER THE AK.
You see. Lamar, now Supreme Justice.
had come to me at my cabin in Washington
from President Cleveland to offer me a
place at his side in the Department of the
Interior, he claiming that he needed
me and my knowledge OF Indians
Well, as l declined to take the place
thought | could influence the adminlstra-
ton, il all was clear and clean, to let Harte
remain at Glasgow. Hay told me 1t
wouldn't work, and. of course. it didn't
The head fell as soon as the bloody AK got
around. / remember Hay quoting the re-
marks of the great mugwump, &c orge Will