The San Francisco call., 1909-10-31
SOME OFFENDED AT
PORTOLA BANQUET
HumOr of Don Seitz Taken Seri-
ousIy by Oversensitive Cali
fornians in Gotham
Witty Shots of New York Jour-
naIiSt Arouse Criticism, but
All Without Reason
By c. c. CARLTON

Especial Disoafch 10 The Call
NEW YORK. oct. so have heard
some quiet criticism OF the speech made
by Don Seitz. general manager of the
New York World, at the Portola jubi-
lee dinner. It is astonishing that any
one should have taken any part Of his
remarks seriously. Yet few super
sensitive souls have been inclined to
resent portions Of his speech.
Now. Don seitz is the last man in
the world to willfully give offense TO
Californians or any one else. especially
at a dinner where he was an honored
guest. Don Seitz is seldom in a Sc
rious mood, outside of his own Office
during business hours. He fairly bub-
bles over with good humor and can not
utter a dozen sentences without saying
something witty or mirth provoking
AT the Portols jubilee dinner. in re-
sponse to a toast The Press he dwelt
on the early Californian days when the
power OF the press was al sufficient
tas an auxiliary of the Vigilance COM
mittee) to string up evil doers in front
Of the Alta-California Office. Later as
he looked about the room. he com
mented upon the glowing eulogies of
California and OF San Francisco that
he had just heard, and upon the inher-
ent love of home that resides in every
loyal Californians heart. But he could
not understand why, IL they were so
in love with California, so many had
come to such a poor little place as
POSSIBLY some OF them had not left
The state OF their own free will There
was. perhaps. a reason for their en-
forced exile from a state they loved
well.
'Of course" said he, we have no
means Of knowing what some of your
names were before you came TO New
York"
This provoked a good laugh at the
time, but, do you know. that after the
dinner there were some oversensitive
souls who took his remarks quite to
heart
Possibly and quite likely in his sly
reference to change of names. Seitz
uncOnsciously had Bret Harte's early
writings in mind. for on the menu
fronuspiece was printed a stanza of the
beautiful poem on San Francisco:
Serene, Indifferent of fate
Thou sittest at the western gate"
And possibly. too, he recalled that in
the early ffties at Poker Flat and
SANDY Bar surnames never gave the
camps any Inconvenience. Most men
were chrIstened anew and ones real
name rested upon his own unsupported
statement" The nomenclature of these
camps included such self-imposed titles
as "Saleratus Bill" "Dungaree Jack"
ETC. and these were deemed quite suf-
hcient for all purposes of identihca-
ton.
Call yourself Clifford. do you?"
asked Boston" addressing a timid
newcomer with infinite scorn Hell is
fun of such Cliffords." He then intro
duced the unfortunate stranger as
'Jsybird Charley" an unhallowed in
spiration Of the moment, that clung to
him ever after.
And yet, within earshot Of Don Seitz'
voice sat one who had actually changed
his patronymic. 1t had been a good,
honest name, of which he need not
have felt ashamed. There he sat
among his fellows. The shot in
Seitz speech must have struck home.
though the speaker was Of course
blissfully innocent of any intent to
give offense. Perhaps this incident
gave rise TO the criticism of Seitz'
address that has been heard in some
quarters.
A prominent Californian who is So
journing at the Hotel Belmont said to
me today:
1t is a pity that the PortoIa jubilee
festival in San Francisco was not more
widely advertised here in New York.
have been here month and prior TO
tive banquet here on Tuesday night
all that had been printed concerning
the forthcoming festival would not have
filled a half column measure. And
during the five days OF the celebration
in San Francisco the amount of matter
printed here was barely sufficient to
call attention to the fact that such
jubilee was being held. There should
have been q well organized press bu-
reau here for months prior to the fes
tivaL"
How about the California Promotion
committee?' ] asked. 1T has a bureau
here TO promote publicity" but in an
swer, this Californian looked bored.
He spoke truly. There was little
enough printed here, as every Cali
fornian knows. and a grand oppor-
tunity to advertise San Francisco and
California was missed, bat IT is per-
haps not quite fair to hold the Cali
fornfa Promotion committee respon-
sible for the failure. IT has been here
tofore pointed out in this column that
the average New Yorker. if not pro-
vincial is 'tinsular" and self-suficient.
that he cares little for what happens
beyond the environments of Manhat-
tan island and thinks that the sun
arises out Of the East river and sets
just behind the Palisades OF the Hud-
son. and that while an event of some
Importance happening west of Buffalo
may be given a scant para graph in n
obscure corner of some New York
daily If Nanderbilt's dog gets lost in
the park IL is worth a column, with
Il.
street crying Uxtryi Uxtry. all about
Nanderbilts dorg"
It is perfectly true, however. that
up to the middle of October. within
week Of the opening of the great festi-
val the average New Yorker was
scarcely aware that such a celebration
was planned in San Francisco To
prove this 1 need only quote from, an
evening paper here that about the
middle of October. ha6 a mere para
graph stating that san Franciscans
are preparing a great festival ('to he