Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-05

Written for The Herald by COIL Joseph D. Lynch

his friends. was one OF the old guard,
when Democracy was in flower" a
generation or so ago. without any
diminution Of his popularity, Ryan
dropped out Of politics and attached
himself to the water company and since
that corporation sold out to the city
has become an unobtrusive citizen
among u.s.
Although Los Angeles made Stone-
man governor, he was little concerned
in politics prior to the early eighties.
When he had filled out his term he
dropped altogether out of public life.
In addition to the men I have named,
there was quite following of the old
time Democracy in the Los Angeles
bar, such men as General Volney r..
Howard, Colonel George II. Smith and
others like Judge Sepuveda, who is at
present resident in the city of Mexico.
Colonel Smith was elected to the state
senate, beating our esteemed fellow
citizen II. D. Barrows. He is at pres
ent a member of the supreme court
commission and rumor has 1t that
Governor Pardee is about to appoint
him one of the nine appellate judges
provided for by the last Legislature.
One of the most popular of this old
Democratic regime was w. r. Row
land who, as sheriff of Los Angeles,
had the distinction of capturing Vas
quez. An incident of Rowland's career
well illustrates the change in the poll
tical complexion of Los Angeles county.
He had been nominated for sheriff by
the Democracy and everybody was sure
of his election. I thought so myself
when the campaign began. His OPP
ponent was Senator Currier of Spadra,
a tall, athletic spieler who can get over
more ground and more effectively in a
campaign than any man in California,
1 should be tempted to say, and who
has more of ST. Paurs knack of being
all things to all men than any politi-
clan in Southern California. A group
of Rowland's friends, among whom
1 happened to find myself, were dis
cussing the chances of the contest, and
we all agreed that Currier was making
a lightning fight and that Billy was
taking it rather easy, and ought to be
! warned. / took that task upon my
self and was assured by him that he
understood the county pretty well and
thought he had the game well in hand.
AS this was true, l had no more to say.
We Democrats were all greatly morti-
| fed to see Currier win by a small ma
| jority, which a little effort on Row
lands part would have readily over
come.
About this time new race of Demo-
cratic leaders sprang up, the most
notable of them being Hon. Stephen M.
| White and Hon. Reginald f. Del Vale,
but the field was hardly a fair one.
The latter gentleman was elected to
the assembly and senate and then
found himself face to face with that
awful Republican immigration. Mr..
White had been elected district ,attor-
ney of Los Angeles county and to the
state senate. His election to the
senate of the United States had pulled
him out of local politics.; but, had he
! lived he would have found himself
| confronted with the same difficulty
which has initiated against the politi-
cal career of Del Vale, Dockweiler
and other ambitious and able gentle
men of the younger race of Democratic
| leaders.
Perhaps they can find consolation in
| the facts that in the iron clad ascend
ancy of the Democracy of Los Angeles
county General Phineas Banning and
DR.. Bush-the latter gentleman still
resident among us-were elected to
the legislature against Democratic OPP
ponents. while there's life there is
hope" in politics as in other things.
- H0 1T TIA " " ETA ~