Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-12

rescntative of the newspaper guild, but
would hardly be taken for the leader
of a hostile movement against a for
eign country, like that against Mica
raEua.
THE first OF literary wits on the
coast, point of time If not i'm merit. was
Lieutenant Derby-"John Phoenix" He
lived in san Diego but was not un-
known in san Francisco His humor
was highly appreciated, and his early
death was deeply deplored. He was
much quoted until his humor suffered
a partial eclipse by the appearance in
the literary armament of Bret Harte
| the miner of Calaveras Personally
| Harte was an effeminate appearing
young fellow. exceedingly humorsome
and as modest as he was witty. The
transactions o the Calaveras Antigua
| rian society, because much more Ameri-
can, were thought to rival the proceed
fngs of the PickwiCk club, besides be-
ing little more poetic.
Samuel Clemens-Mark Twain--was
also California production, though
his humor was hardly t out of the
bud when he abandoned California for
the fresher fields OF Nevada. where his
genius blossomed out and eventually
developed ripe fruit. / was first intro
duced TO Mr.. Clemens in Washington
by j. H. Riley. a well known newspa-
per correspondent. AS Mr.. Clemens is
still talking about on the face of the
earth it may be 1 should forbear to
give my recollections of him. | will
venture to say, however, that he was.
and still is, if he has not reformed, ex-
ceedingly drawing in his speech. a
habit that may have arisen from the
great value set on his utterances."
Reconstruction Period
Tbo ,f
riod with the Ku Klux Klan and the |
invasion of Mexico by force under !
Maximilian is fully treated, and many |
new and important additions to theI
knowledge of the reading public are |
given.
Turning to Californian interests in |
1867 the author enlarges on the inside |
history OF the fight between the Cen
tral Pacific company and the people for i
Buena. I'm San Francisco bay. OF his |
official attitude on this important ques-
ton he writes:
MY opposition at once turned the
long existing friendship between the
members of the company and myself
into hot displeasure on their part They
utterly ignored the many and most val |
ua BILE services it had been my good for
tune to render to them while a member
Of the select committee on the Pacific
railroad in the house of representatives
only few years before. Though anx-
ious to favor them. as old friends and
neighbors, it was not possible to serve
two masters at the same time. and in
this instance the people Of San Fran
cisco seemed to have the first claim
on me-"
The impeachment Of President An
drew Johnson, the Alaskan question.
tariff revision, the national banking sys-
TEN, the great whisky ring the Santo
Domingo question, the treaty Of Wash
ington and a score of matters of vital
natural interest-then and now-pass
In review under tho powerful pen of
this author, and the mon and measures
that made this nation great and famous
pass in review, revivlfied and presented
with telling force.
When Gen. Grants memoirs were
first issued "A notable writer said:
''rhere is a life record the chief beauty
Of which lies in the fact that no man
is Wronged In its pages" This can be l
said of these stirring memoirs of Sena-
tor Coles busy life, and as he rests. I
veritably, under his own vine and flg I
tree In his declining years and views s
with pardonable pride the vast incre-
nent or wealth, power and peace the !
country now enjoys it must be the de- ]
light Of his days to know that he was
n the forefront Of all the troublous /
lines and measures that have led up {
% present prosperity. +
Account of His Stewardship 9
In beautiful Colegrove, so named (
rom the maiden name of his wife, sur C
ounded by or in close touch with the
light children who bless their union,
unconscious Of bitterness to the living
" dead, ripe in years and laden with
lonors truly won in the service of the c.