The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-01-12
A COSBY LETTER.
Roy Hudson Writes to His Mankato
Friends from San Francisco.

Friends from San Francisco.
We have received the following in
teresting letter from former Man
kato boy:
San Francisco, CAL, Dec %, 1899
Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year to all Mankato friends. | sit by
my window with the sun streaming in
brightly. The air is soft and warm. A
beautiful day. No clouds overhead and
no mud or snow under foot. All nature
is smiling with summer hues this JOY
full Christmas season. l wonder what
the condition of the weather is in Man
kato today? I venture the guess that
Frisco's climate is far superior. You
poor fasteners are feeding the greedy
base burner while the coal dealer wakes
rich like Croesus of old. Here we are
eating Christmas turkey without arti-
fetal warmth, and after doing justice
to the aforesaid majestic fowl we will
go out to the park and sit on the green
sward and listen to the strains of
"Trovatore, and 'She's the Warmest
Baby in the Bunch" as they are waited
on the summer air from the hidden re-
treat of the band We are going to
have very exciting game of foot ball
here today between the University of
California and the famous Carlisle In
dian team. It's my impression that
when the Indians leave the field they
will haYe the scalps of eleven sturdy
young Californians dangling at their
belt.
I'VE are on the eve of a very import
ant bond election in San Francisco.
Next Wednesday we vote on the prop
osition to issue $3.50, 900 of bonds,
most of which is to be expended in ex
tending the panhandle of Golden Gate
park towards the center of the city. A
very bitter and determined struggle is
in progress over the bonds. They re-
quire a two-thirds vote to authorize
their issuance. On Friday next we vote
on the issuance of $6,475, 900 in munic
ipal bonds for public utilities of which
$4,000, 900 is for sewers, $475, 900 for a
county hospital and 81, 400, 900 for new
schools. The park bonds are twenty
years, 81 per cent. The other forty
years, per cent. Of the former. one
twentieth must be raised annually for
a sinking fund Of the latter, one
fortieth must be paid every year. The
hoy
visions of a newer and greater San
Francisco; of time when she shall
have taken her place among the highest
cities of the world; when she shall be
mighty not in opulence and in wealth
alone, but when she shall as well be a
centre of artistic and aesthetic tastes.
And, standing on the western edge OF
our continent, no longer the western
edge of Old Glory's domains who shall
say that her possibilities are not limit
less? She is the legitimate port of en-.
try for all the great carrying trade OF
the Orient; from China and Japan and
the nations of the rising sun; from the
boundless fields of wealth of the Philip
pine Islands And by the way, speak
ing of the islands, what has become of
our anti -imperialists friends? They
have all crawled in their holes out
here, and. as matter of fact, we never
had many. save an occasional wall from
that self-constituted prophet, the silver
tongued orator of the Platte, the dolor
Gus cry of anti-expansion is not heard
in California.
California is saved from another ''dry
year" All over the state from Siskiyow
to Mendocino the rains have fallen in
excess of last years precipitation. A
crop seems to be assured. Some por-
tions of the state can have more to ad
vantage, notably the southern-most
counties, but yet they are better off
than for some few years past. Further
more, the winter season is not yet over
and so all portions are destined to re.
ceive further wettings l give few
figures showing total amount of rain
fall at this time last year and the total
to date this year.
This Last
Season. Season.
EUREKA. % % lO.Sf
San Francisco. ~ W
y n -