The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-09
ADMISSION DAY.

The celebration at Sacramento to-day
by the Native Sons of the Golden West is
an expression OF pride and qualification on
the part of native CalIfornians for the fact
that California was admitted to the Union
as a State. This is an interesting thing
and peculiar to California. The stranger
may wonder why such an order should
exist for the celebration of such an event,
and why the membership OF the order
should be confined to natives of the soil.
Manifestly few if any OF these natives
could have been instrumentalities in the
struggle which secured Statehood for Cali
fornia, and hence the organization cannot
represent to an appreciable extent the
struggles OF its founders to that end.
Many of the best things in California are
peculiar and without precedent. The ele-
ments contributing to the struggle for
Statehood were singularly picturesque and
wholly unparalleled in the histories of the
States. Nothing of the commonplace az
fects the story. In the main 1t is
made up Of three elements. The first
was the war between the United
States and Mexico in 1913, which termi-
mated in victory for our arms and the
cession of the California territory to the
United States as part of Me1ico's penalty
for defeat. The second was an exceedingly
interesting species OF warfare that pro-
ceeded upon the soil Of California between
the United States and Mexican settlers
during the tendency OF the main struggle
on the Rio Grande. The third and most
potential Of all was the discovery of gold
by Americans, and the wonderfully TO-
mantle chain Of events ensuing therefrom.
All of these circumstances transporting in
California produced a race of men the
hardest, most daring and most pictur-
esque that the century has nourished.
They were makers OF history as strange
and original as that which clings to the
Crusaders or the Normans. They thrust
themselves into untried and refractory
conditions, perforce abandoned the expert
ences and traditions on which they had
been reared and hewed out a strange and
picturesque civilization to suit themselves.
The Native Sons of the Golden West are
the progeny OF these men and the product
of their civilization.
These sons (many of them now of mid
die age) were nourished during their
earlier years on the inspiration which
moved their sires. The fathers who re-
main with US have an organization of their
own, the California Pioneers. This order
is purely reminiscent and must in time
become extinct. The order of the Native
Sons of the Golden West is a perpetuation
of the principles which the pioneers
founded.
1t may be thus reasonably supposed that
the Native Sons have assumed a response
bility that contains elements in addition
to a sentiment. If they did not represent
the splendid manhood and citizenship
which characterized their fathers, their
organization would appear to lack its
highest opportunity and purpose. AS the
older men carved the State out OF war and
chaos and presented it to civilization, so
their sons, by the very fact of their organi-
cation, have charged themselves with the
responsibility of cherishing the gift of
their fathers.
California needs much at the hands Of
its able and patriotic citizens and there are
none more competent than the young men
enrolled in this order of native-born. 1t
would be ill-advised and perhaps self-de-
structive to consider politics in their
scheme, but that is trifing matter in
comparison with the material needs of the
State. That native son who best under
stands and works most strenuously to adj
vance the interests of California is the
one most worthy TO proclaim himself a
native of the soil.