The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-11-03

after leaving Honolulu When intro
duced to him he greeted me with
cordial and muscular handshake-he
was then running for Governor OF Cal
ifornia--but when my friend SAID
was from Hawaii his interest SEEM
ed to cool. He was after California
voters just then, not estrays from
foreign land, and though he was cour-
teous enough, 1t was clear that ne
had no time to waste on aliens.
As a politician Mr.. Estee was, per-
hans. too blunt and fortnight to be
universally winning. In later life he
was the soul of civility and perhaps
he did not mean to be brusque at any
time. Much may be forgiven man
who is rushed from one end of great
state to another as Mr.. Estee was In
1894 making almost nightly speeches,
eating at all sorts of tables and sleep
ing in all kinds of beds; kept up late,
pestered with hand-shakers, lombard
ed with kilograms importuned pg
grafters and compelled to ride thou
sands of miles by rail and stage-oVer
II all the worry of the political out
look. 1t would need a lignumVitae
constitution and philosophic soul TO
maintain politeness and composure un-
der such trying circumstances
Mr.. Estee had his strong likes ana
dislikes. The thing he objected 10
most in his campaign was palaVer'
Nor could he simulate liking Tor
brag, even that of his friends. Al the
Southern California hotel where met
him, a party of San Diego gentlemen
told him that the structure ne was
in was "the largest hotel in tine
world" The candidate said nothing
Then he was taken down stairs ana
shown 1.-The largest barroom IN the
world" Still mum. Disappointed, the
committee took him further along ana
said Here San Diego can show you
the largest billiard room in the world.
ITpon that the candidate said: Come
with me, gentlemen: ! want to show
YOU something. There! look at that!
There's the largest ocean In the world
and | suppose 1t belongs to San Diego
too
san Diego did not like that and 1
think the jeer cost Estee votes,
A MOUNTAIN CANVASS.
Two months later l was sent by the
editor of the Chronicle to JOIN MI
Estee in the mountains, spend week
with him and describe his campaign
methods. Unhappily l carried no Gre
dentials; these were to come from the
Republican State Central Committee.
After some searching l found the Gu
bernatorial candidate in the caDoose
of a logging train en- route to Grass
Valley and Nevada city. He did not
remember me, of course, nor did / re-
call myself to him as the man from
Hawaii To the statement of my
errand he made no particular reply and
I saw that he was on his guard against
a possible Democrat. An attempt to
interview him was checked at once;
he never talked politics to strangers
on the cars. Nor did matters mend
much when l was recognized and
pleasantly greeted by Lee Fairchild,
the humorist who was the nominees $
speaking partner Estee was at odds
with Fairchild and wanted nothing to
do with him or his acquaintances.
They had quarreled the day before.
Things looked blue; but at little
way station Mr.. Estee got off and was
handed telegram. He at once came
back to the car, opened his satchel,
took out half yard of bologna sau-
sage and two bottles of Belfast ginger
ale. Drawing a prodigious jackknife he
cut Off several inches of the sausage
and walking to my seat said in the
pleasantest tones, Young man, let's
have some lunch together. Here's
bottle of ginger ale to go with the
sausage. Come, turn the seat and
we'll eat, drink and talk" The sim
Pile lunch followed and then, with
quizzical look, the Republican leader
handed me the telegram. 1t was from
the State Central Committee and read:
"The Chronicle has sent reporter to
you. Say nothing to him on the mig
ger question" Estee laughed in growl-
ing fashion and said II guess I'll say
what / please; I'm twenty-one."
The "nigger question" referred to the
Democratic charge that Estee had
tried, in his younger days, to have an
amendment made to the State con-
stitution excluding negroes from tes-
tifying in courts of justice. He was
then a man of great pride of race and
he had small liking for any of the
phases of negro suffrage
JOINING THE PARTY.
I did not get the interview l wanted
at once: there was time enough for
talk after the nominees campaign
methods had been described. With
out more ado l was attached to Mr..
Estee's staff-we all called him Gov
ernor," so sure seemed his election
and taken along from town to town.
We We're in the fine old historic noun
tain country where Bret Harte had
studied some of his Argonauts of 40
All that region had been dug into by
red-shirted miners; the sands of the
brawling creek which ran through
Grass Valley and Nevada City had
been sifted clear to bed rock for
auriferous specks; and in the rotting
old dance halls what passing show of
tragedy and farce had spread its tit-
full scene! Some of the little business
places stood as men like John Mackay
and Aaron Sargent and William Shar-
on had left them in the old days when
those pioneers We're young and hopeful
of better things than selling bacon and
tobacco. One half expected to see
Jack Hamlin or John oakhurst come
out of that den across the way, and