Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1900-02-16
aFashin9ton Standard
OIx di'Is. WASH.
tEIbAi EVENING. fEBEl ARi t6. 1900.
He Was Good and Great.

man IN many respects. He possessed
4 brain 81 wonderful power and activ-
ltr. AMI hi- memory OF facts, dates
auI ii.urc, made him living cncyclo-
:, ~ 81 Useful knowledge. His ply
-.cai energy was equal to his brain
POKER. and late in lie he took an ac-
tive part in manual labor. His cdu-
cation was derived mainly from con-
tact with the world, but he enjoyed
exceptional opportunities for acquir-
ing knowledge from intimate associa-
ton with many OF the leading men OF
the nineteenth century.
He was an intimate friend and
roommate of Horace Greeley, in New
York city, during the early life of both
men, and although widely apart in
principle, their frequent discussions OF
public matters we're conducted in a
friendly spirit and but confirmed
either in his steadfast belief. 1t is
probable that this friendly strife bur-
nished the weapons of both for the
conflict OF lifetime in defense of
their respective political creeds. An
other powerful friend who exercised a
positive influence in shaping Mr..
Browns life was Lewis Cass, the first
Territorial Governor of Michigan, and
Democratic nominee for President
against Taylor, in 1S4S. 1t was Mr..
Cass who induced Mr.. Brown to come
to that State in 1884, ard engage in
publication of the Niles Register, pa
per he made power in the State.
Elihu Washburn, Minister to
France; Horatio Seymour, once Gov
ernor OF New York, and Democratic
nominee for President against Grant !;
James X. Polk, Franklin Pierce, James
Buchanan and Stephen A. Douglas,
defeated for the Presidency by Aba
ham Lincoln, we're all warm personal
friends of Mr.. Brown.
In 1868, Mr.. Brown was the Demo-
cratic nominee for Congress in his
district. His opponent, John F. Pot
ter, was elected, it is said, through the
active campaign made by Carl Schurz,
who induced the Germans, who were
in the main free thinkers" to vote
against him for his connection with
the Episcopal church, of which he was
Senior Warden at the time-a literal
persecution for righteousness sake"
In 1862, Mr.. Brown came to this
coast, and after a brief connection
with the Stockton Republican, became
the editor of the Democratic Press, in
San Francisco, which is now the En-
aminer. When the news came of the
assassination of President Lincoln, his
office, with several others, was de-
stroyed by mob, and with it his val
liable library including material he
had spent a lifetime in gathering
from which it was his life's ambition
to publish political history of the
United States. All this priceless re-
search was destroyed in moment by
the flames which frenzy and madness
had loosened against man as inno-
cent of the lamentable tragedy as the
saints in heaven. The city afterwards
endeavored, so far as money would 60,
to compensate him for his loss, but he
always deplored the vandal act by
which the browning effort of his life
was rendered impossible.
In 1866 Mr.. Brown edited the Hol-
laday organ" as it was called, the
Herald, in Portland, and afterwards
the Democratic Press at Salem. In
1870 he came to Olympia, and for a
year was employed as associate editor
of this paper. Many of his editorials
were "set up" direct from the case,
without manuscript, an achievement
which very few printer-editors have
even been able to accomplish.
Mr.. Brown possessed genuine vein
OF humor, and during years associa-
ton with him, we found this geniality
of disposition to be a constant source
of happiness. "Blue Devils" could
not live in the same atmosphere with
his even-tempered nature, and nobody
could converse with him without be-
ing entertained and instructed.
Our Old-time friend S. L. Crawford,
who was composition on the STAND
ARD while Mr.. Brown was connected
with it, gives the P.-I., this leaf from
memory of that memorable epoch:
"The STANDARD Office was a great
place for Democratic politicians to meet
nights and discuss party affairs or tell
stories. When Mr.. Murphy came in the
next morning he could invariably tell by
the way the chairs stood whether politi-
cal affairs of Importance or story telling
had been the order of the night. Every
time chairs were drawn close together
something of Importance was brewing"
"Sam" is right in the main, but it
was Mr.. Brown who, read the nature.
character and temper of the preceding
nights caucus from the position OF
the chairs. His residence was in the
upper part of town, and he very sell
dom took part in nocturnal meetings
OF any kind. But he could tell very
clearly from the position of the tables
aud chairs and the humber of cigar
stumps on the floor and stains OF nico-
tine on the stove, just how many had
taken part in those gatherings, as we'll
as whether the deliberations had been
OF a pacific or a turbulent nature.
In 1871, Mr.. Brown moved to Seat