Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-24
VAQUEROS ARE
BARRED FROM
BIC PARADE
Cowboys Frozen Out
of Fiesta
Distinctive and Picturesque Feature Of
Great Floral Pageant to Be EllmI-
mated by Order Of
Zeehandelaar

Because one man in Los Angeles
does not like the sight of cowboys, the
vaquero feature of the floral parade,
the most distictive California feature
that could possibly be attached to that
spectacle, is likely to be eliminated If
the order sent forth yesterday by Sec
retary Zeehandelaar of the Merchants
and Manufacturers association Is to
be accepted.
Secretary Zeehandelaar does not like
cowboys, they are so graceful and
handsome on their COW ponies, DASH
ing about, the harness and the trap
pings of silver and gold flashing in the
sun, their Drowned faces and arms,
their wide brimmed hats, their leather
harness, their big guns and knives, and
all the life and spirit of the great west
about them, and they do not appeal to
Secretary Zeehandelaar. Maybe it is
because the fat little man would not
look good on cayuse, maybe he is
mad because he is not as handsome
as Billy Hammel or sore" because he
cannot sit in a saddle like Doc Shurt-
left, or Jean Plummer, or Jack Hen
erickson, or any of that crowd of real
men.
Dsappoints the Visitors
At any rate, the fat little secretary
has said, mid wild dose gov poys,"
and it is UP to the people of Los An
geles to say whether they are going to
have the greatest feature of their
floral parade. the best advertisement
they could possibly send out broad
cast through the country, eliminated
because little Zee does not like the
looks of cowboys.
At the last Fiesta the COW puncherS
were the best feature of the parade.
When an easterner comes west he
wants to see the west, the real west,
as he has imagined it, full of brave
men with shiny pistols, men who sit
on horses like they are a part of them
and men who wear leather harness
and are not afraid of anything. The
cowboy, to the mind of the easterner,
Is as essential to western picture as
a beach would be to an ocean.
The easterners expect cowboys in the
parade, they expect a view of the west
as it was in the border days, and the
floral parade and every other part Of
the Fiesta is simply treat for the
visitors.
Makes Inspiring Sight
Last year in Los Angeles a club
known as the Vaquero club was
formed. Mayor Harper, the police com
missioners, business men and some of
the most prominent men in the county
are members of that club. Their meet
ings have been held at the Plummer
ranch near Colegrove and the old days
of the west of California in all it's
glory have been rehearsed there.
These men and women, Drowned by
the sun and wind, capital horsemen
and horsewomen, everyone of them
were in the parade of last year. And
what quick thrill it sent through the
hearts of those thousands who saw
that parade, as out through the sun
light in the crowded streets there came
break in the long line of floral equip
ages, a break that allowed block or
more of space to intervene, and then
like a bolt from a clear sky, bringing
with it the sweet breath of the desert
and the plain, the very spirit of the
west an embodiment of fine manhood
and womanhood, the vaqueros swept
down the streets What a cheer met
them, what a cheer they sent back,
their eyes dancing their trappings fly
ing about them, their great horses
laundering along, skimming the
ground as the charged, heads tossing,
names flying, the rub of harness and
the jingle of metal, wild eyes, wild
costumes and over all that thrilling
wild yell of the cattleman.
Distinctive California Feature
thing to the visitors. Those leather
trappings so common to a Californian
carried the easterner into the land Of
romance, the shaggy chaps, the great
silver spurs, the broad brimmed hats.
COW saddles, wide carved belts, gaunt-
let's quirts and the heavy swing Colts
revolvers lifted the easterner right into
the center of all he had dreamed of
the west and tho western people.
The flowers were beautiful 70 the eve
a novelty, like the postcards and SOU
venirs, but the vaquesos, ah, that
was something to remember to take
pictures of and to write back to the
folks in the east, or tell them when
they had returned: You bet, we saw
COW punchers, the real article this
time, and don't you forget it,"
And that is what one man wants 10
cut out of the floral parade because it
does not tickle his individual fancy
At the recent meetings of the Va
quero club 1t had been planned time
and again how the members would take
part in the parade; some were arrang-
ing their costumes, some their horse
trappings and others were getting their
ponies into rattling good shape for the
big event.
Planned Picturesque Float
At those club meetings they have
barbecues, bulls head breakfasts and
all sorts of things that the easterner
has never heard of. 1t was proposed
by the vaqueros to prepare a float
typical OF California in the great and
good old days Of the padres. The float
wasn't to be any tinsel affair, there
were to be no fireworks about 1t. One
end Of the float was to be covered by a
little adobe shack, it's cornices hung
with strings Of dried beef and strings
of chilis. A beautiful Mexican girl was
to have knet before a little stone at
the doorstep and pounded and beat