The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-19
A REPRESENTATIVE AMERICAN

merchant who was known all over the
world. and whose name had long been
familiar to San FranciScans through rela-
tives who lived here. This was Abel A.
Low, for many years the head of the house
of A. A. Low & Bros, shipping and tea
merchants.
Mr. Low was q Yankee. born at Salem,
Mass. just sixty years ago he went to
Canton. China. and established an American
house there for the exchange Of American
sheetingS and American notions for tea
and silk. AT that time the foreign trade of
China was conducted surreptitiously Ac-
cording TO the letter of the law no Ameri-
can had right TO pollute the sacred soil of
China by the pressure of his foot. Mr.. Low
carried on business at Canton under suffer-
ance He was liable to be driven out any
moment. There was no hong Kong under
the British flag, nor were there any open
ports with gunboats lying in the offiag
watching over the rights of foreigners. But
as n member of the house of Russell & Co.
MIR. Low commanded such respect among
the Chinese by his probity, his geniality
and Lis manhood that he was rs safe In
Canton as he would have been at his native
Salem. and after seven years residence he
returned to New York with fortune and
started the house Of a. A. Low & Bros.
This house took the lead in the i'm
portatiOn of tea. Those were the days of
clippers, when a New York or a Boston
ship started from China simultaneously
with an Aberdeen shin, and the skipper of
the ship which arrived first won prize
which almost enabled him TO retire from the
sea- Tile house of A A. Low & Bros went
into the business Of building clippers. They
soon owned quite a feet of them. Old
salts still remember with emotion the
Mandarin, the n. Il. Palmer and others
which skinned the seas Ike birds,
and were run man-of-war fashion under
strict nautical discipline. The head of
the house lived up TO the old doctrine
that whatever is worth doing is worth doing
well. When he imported tea, the best and
cheapest teas in the market were to be
found In his warehouse. When he sailed
clippers they were faster than any other
CLIPPERS. and got the best rates Of insurance
going. In the course or few years this
policy led to fortune, though the house was
TOO conservative to make any struggle for
profits.
Nearly forty years ago war ragged between
Great Britain and Russia. Britannia was
ruling the waves. as usual and the Russians
were straining every effort To get privateers
launched somewhere or other to prey on
British commerce. Every day or two stories
we're set afoat that Russian prlvateer was
being QUILTED at New York. After tine
the rumors took definite shape. The Gov
ernm ent at Washington was notified that a.
a. Low & Bros were fitting out Russian
privateer called The Maria. The President
did not wait, as another Executive did on
like occasion, 10 consult law officers. That
night United States Marshal seized the
Maria, and United States gunboat came
to anchor in the path she would have to
take 10 get out.
The Messrs. A. A. Low were indignant.
They demanded an immediate trial Of
charge which impugned their honor as
American merchants. Sir John Champion,
the British Minister, who had made lie
charge, was called upon to substantiate It.
II employed a battalion Of detectives. out
the Inquiry proved that there was not the
slightest evidence against the Maria. The
finding completely ex0neraied the Lows,
aud in a brief HOte they expressed their
satisfaction at being exonera,ed from
suspicion which was degrading to an AmeTl-
can citizen. Their heightened sensbility
was shared by the Government. Secretary
Marcy promptly sent Sir John Champion
his passports. What contrast between
the story Of the Maria and the story of the
Alabama. eight years lateri Aud how poor
a figure is cut by Mr.. Laird. NJ. p. BY the
side Of the plain American merchant. Abel
a. LOW!
1t is merchants Of the stamp Of A. A. Low
who have built up New York to be the
metropolis Of North America. People talk
Of cities growing TO be metropolitan by
advantages Of local position That is
small factor in the case. Great cities are
created BY the men they contain. If these
are large-mnded, high prlncipIed, honor
able in their dealings and liberal In their
views, they Will lead the community of
which they are members, and it will be
prosperous. A city Of mere shopkeepers,
no matter how we'll it may be situated, can
never Use above the status of market
place.