The morning call., 1893-09-05
MALIGNED HEROES
Bancroft Pilloried by the
Pioneers.
HIS HISTORY TORN TO SHREDS.
Generous Tribute to the HOnored
Memories of Suffer, Fremont
and Stockton.


and his designation of the mon of the
"Bear Flag Party" vagsbond set
tiers, are plainly the vaporings of a
mind distorted by prejudice or enyen-
omed by malice. and attach greater
degree of disgrace to their author than
tn the honored names and mem cries of
the men whom he thus maliciously
maligns.
Resolved, That upon the principle of
"false in one thing, false In ALL" Ban
crofts History of California;" So
called, Is, In the opinion of this society.
unworthy of credencs authority,
source of correct informs ton for
present future generations, and
mcrits the just oond emnation of every
mind ed man whose early person al
experience. enable him to form n true
estimate of Its value
| The pioneers have not forgotten. The
dangers Of the toilsome journey across the
plains, the perils of the long voyage BIZ
sea, the friendships formed amid hard
ships and the memories of pioneer life in
pioneer days are so iudelibly impressed
upon their minds that the rolling years
cannot efface them.
Assembly Hail. in the Pioneer building,
was we'll filled last night with the forty
miners who had come to give their voice
and vote TO remove any stain from the
characters of their illustrous eOmpeers.
whom thew felt had been grossly maligned
in a work which purports to be history
of the times in which they played promi-
nent part.
At the August meeting of the society w.
b. Farwell introduced series of resolu-
tions. quoting from Hubert Howe Ban
crofps history Of California the passages
in which he so bitterly characterZes the
men who are mentioned. and the resolu-
tons came up last night for adoption
! They were adopted with no uncertain
| tone. The men who had been personally
/ acquainted with Suffer and Stockton and
! Fremont have made a final effort in the
| defense OF the memory of those heroes,
| and the Society of California Pioneers has
said TO the world that the aspersions
sought to be cast upon these hOnored
names are not only unkind but untrue.
! In moving the adoption of the resOlu-
tons Mr. Fsrwell said: at may be true
that unprejudiced testimony can not be
written in the lifetime OF the actors
but it is true that evidence can be gath
cred by the living witnesses for the guild
/ ance of historians when the time comes to
write unparalleled history.
IAN that Bancroft has said about John
| c. Fremont may not be untrue, but in
reference to his connection with the early
events of California history, it is utterly
and absurdly false. Fremont's report
made IN 1914, on his return from his first
| trip to California, was the first real inf0T-
nation which the world ever had of this
wonderful land, and every one of You
came with that book as your guide, and It
furnished all your knowledge of your
| future home.
"When he came on his second trip, n
trip of exploration only. and after he had
/ asked anu received the permission of the
J Mexican authorities to perform his work
IL was Ouy when threatened with eXpuI-
sion by them that Fremont retired to
Gahilau Peak, where he proposed TO de-
fend himself. There was nothing of the
filiDGster in this.
And when he finally started to with
/ draw and was Overtaken by a courier or
/ dering him 10 return, not warlike act
was performed until after war had been
/ declared, the battles of ReSaca de la
! Psliva and Palo Alto had been fought. 10
seven months and three DAYS from the time
! that Fremont captured General Castro's
| horses he received the final surrender of
! the Mexican forces in the territory, and
| California became American.
And | feel the blush OF shame a. it
NANTES my cheek, at being compelled to
stand here and defend the name OF GeneI al
Sutter. lie Is the man above all others
| who is remembered with mingled fealings
Of love and respect. He needs no defense.
!
| by his kind deeds. have made his memory
dear to every one of us.
Mr.. Farweil then took up the second
resolution. false In one thing false i'm
all, and introduced two quotations from
the history In support of them, In vol
ume so o Bancr0fts works, in the original
edition, the author attacked Judge Z. o.
! Pratt of Oregon and intimated that he was
a most venal Judge. But when the matter
was brought to the attention Of the
Judges friends they at once went to the his
/ t0rian. and in the second edition, which APP
peared soon after, Judge Pratt was lauded
TO the skies as most learned and upright
Judge. and where before Bancroft had
so bitterly assailed he now heaped full
! some t1attery.
But the speaker reserved his strong
\ point for the climax of his argument. and
even the pioneers were hardly prepared
for the sentiment which Bancroft had
penned about General Grant and which he
cut out of his work only at the earnest
solicitation of friends. Mr.. Farwell had
the original proof sheet In an old scrap
book, anc there is no doubt OF the anthem
| ITCHY OF the extract Here il is:
Among these soldiers was U. S. Grant, a man
| of mediocre abilities ana somewhat loose
| habits. subsequently elevated by accident TO
/ the head IL lie army, and twice TO the presi-
/ upon the worlds highest honOrS he turned ana
/ took downward course, asked again to be
]
/ Mexico important concessions ana was refused.
and finally engaged in business which was
disreputably managed and resulted In igno.
! minOus failure. so The end OF the man was as
bad as the beginning
Judge Niles Searls made a most elo-
! Quent plea in behalf Of tho memory of the
men whom be knew and whom he loved.
1T goes without saying" he continued
that am In accord with the letter ana
the spirit of the resolutions. 1t seems to
me that Bancroft's work is made up
largely of vituperation and abuse, or of
! fuls0me eulogy. But that he should as
sail our own Suffer and Fremont and
Stockton, that he should give vent to such
utterances against men whom l have
known, that l cannot understand.
The spirit of almost all of us who
started out for the great West was famed
into blaze by the words of General FIRE.
mont. He stands as an index, one of
those heroes through whose Instrumental
! ity California was snatched from the
hand of foreign foe.
And as for Captain Suffer, as we loved
to call him, he was simply kind-hearted.