The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-11-01

The first time ever saw Judge Estee
was in 1892 but I did not meet him
until August, 1ss4, some few months
after leaving Honolulu. When intro
cordial and muscular handshake-he
was then running for Governor of Cal
ifornia-but when my friend said I
was from Hawaii his interest SEEM
ed to COOL He was after California
voters just then, not estrays from a
foreign land, and though he was cour-
teous enough, it was clear that he
had no time to waste on aliens.
AS a politician Mr. Estee was. per-
haps, 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 a man
who is rushed from one end of great
State to another as Mr.. Estee was in
1894, making almost nightly speeches,
ing in all kinds of beds; kept up late,
pestered with hand-shakers, lombard
ed with kilograms, importuned by
grafters and compelled to ride thou
sands OF miles by rail and stage-over
it all the worry of the political out
look. 1t would need a lignumvitae
1t t. 81
maintain politeness and composure I'M
der such trying circumstances.
Mr.. Estee had his strong likes and
dislikes. The thing he objected to
most in his campaign was palaver.
Nor could he simulate a liking for
brag, even that of his friends. At the
Southern California hotel where I met
him, a party of San Diego gentlemen
told him that the structure he was
in was "the largest hotel in the
world The candidate said nothing.
Then he was taken down stairs and
shown "the largest barroom in the
world" Still mum. Disappointed, the
committee took him further along and
said Here San Diego can show you
the largest billiard room in the world"
Upon that the candidate said: "Come
with me, gentlemen; I want to show
you something. There! look at that!
There's the largest ocean in the world
and I suppose it belongs to San Diego
too
San Diego did not like that and 7
think the jeer cost Estee votes.
A MOUNTAIN CANVASS
Two months later I was sent by the
editor of the Chronicle to join Mr..
Estee in the mountains, spend a week
with him and describe his campaign
methods. Unhappily I carried no Gre
dentials; these were to come from the
Republican State Central Committee.
After some searching I found the Gu
bernatorial candidate in the caboose
of logging train en- route TO Grass
Valley and Nevada City. He did not
remember me, of course, nor did I 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 I 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 acquaintance.
They had quarreled the day before.
Things looked blue; but at a little
way station Mr.. Estee got off and was
handed a telegram. He at once came
back to the car, opened his satchel
took out half a 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
pie lunch followed and then, with
quizzical look, the Republican leader
handed me the telegram. 1t was from
the State Central Committee and read:
1.-THE Chronicle has sent reporter to
you. Say nothing to him on the mig
ger question" Estee laughed in growl-
ing fashion and said ST guess I'll say
what I 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 I wanted
at once; there was time enough for q
talk after the nomine IS campaign
methods had been described. With
out more ado I 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 were in the fine old historic noun
tain country where Bret Harte had
studied some of his Argonauts of '49.
All that region Mad been dug into by
red-shirted miners; the sands of the
Drawing creek which ran through
Grass Valley and Nevada City had
been sifted clear to bed rock for
in "a rntfirc