The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 9, 1903, Page 19

— a €€ ROM the importunities of ritory. Brannan started the first paper, g F;l the active present which tae “California Star,” and through its surrous us, it is meet columns did much to bring California be- that to-day we turn for a fore the eyes of the Eastern states. His briet ace to the past, friend and co-worker, Colonel Stevenson, up to memory had come across the continent with the Az oughts are due 10 famous Stevenson regiment just at the s not assembled With US: close of the Mexican War and had set- whom not on the street and at shines no more t e hills, t fornta—to t fe th to a s died sublimely touching words we nia Ploneers, abers of the socle celebrate the tenth & in the ful their robust ma hood and fired with erthusiasm born er in the brief span of 1 all old pioneers and res- hood listened to the vears and upward will the speaker and with him b a " 1 ct of the meeting will oa bowed their heads in & solemn requiem for those who had already passed into the shadow To-day at our fifty-third birthday of the t 1 this hardy band of strong ul few w silvered locks an nd remain ite thelr pl chorus green the days which have lon VAR T'CALIFORNIA'S the door of our ot that you rose Ploneers hree years ago to-day these sim- ong men of the Edmund ssion of California ds of strong men which had crowded e hearts ¢ the g . THE €AN FRANCISCO CALL. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 9. “1903. ARGON! = tled at San Francisco, there to become later a prominent figure in the early his- tory of the State. The steamship California, which ar- rived at San Francisco on August 23, 1850, brought news of the death of President Taylor. By W. D. M. Howard, J. C. L. Wadeworth and Brannan it was proposed to call together all of the “old residents f the vicinity to pay due respect to his memory. This call did not include any of the argonauts who had come in 49, for the earlier ploneers were very jealous of thelr distinction as such and looked upon the men of the gold rush, if not in ths light of Intruders, certainly not worthy of the titles of pioneers. Accordingly the following notice appeared in Brannan's paper of August 30: “The early pioneers of California are requested to t the Iron Warehouse of - on Montgomery street, ot Howard & M on Saturday evening, 3lst of August, at he he of o re ty n- LO-CALIFORNIANS.” at an iron ware- street then, that foneers was or- 7, when the con- been drawn up, the existence of the e morning papers. na of mmented upon the an- 1 the following editorial: no movement in our with interest as the ‘alifornia Soclety of readers are proba- the old lers have ith the view of pre- various historical the early colon- Americans, which preserved by likely to be irough this organization. time these records will and we doubt if any vol- it after than these e reminiscences of rterprising men love adventure res long before the 1 have since turned American people.” Pioneers’ Band Includes Intrepid Heroes of the Rebellion. and of first officers to be chosen the constitution of the soclety were: President, M. Howard; vice presi- R George: F. ary g secre Cap in J. / . £ As{»’ i AN Members of California Society of Pioneers, Who Guided Organization in th= Early Days. Men of Arcadian Period Are First to Bind Fraternal Tie. when was a ince of old Mexico. *49 there ng events which tended to weld jcan settlers into a compact e and common s of the Bear Flag revo- which are touched upon yet e d in the the ensuing conguest of ja by General John Fremont mmodore R. F. ockton, the men ether in support of their new their mother country far over taine sowed the seed from which the To the blood of the society, organ- se earliest settlers, there was 1 new stock of the argonauts. From these two branches sprang the or- zation which was to do so much in rt of the patriotic sentiments of er generation—the native children ornia those who were the very earliest settlers in the territory of California were two who did much to inaugurate the so- ciety, Samuel Brannan and Colonel Jona- D. Stevenson. Brannan had come the Horn in 184 with the Mormon which had intended to find in Cali- ia an abiding place for the Saints, so recently driven out of their city of Nau- D Iilinois. The Mormons found that the settiers from the East had already pre-empted the country, but they made the best of it and stayed in the new ter- great soclety. L. Folsom; assistant recording secretary, themselves to realize that the men who J. C. L. Wadsworth; corresponding sec- fiocked to California in ’49 and subse- retary, Edwin Bryant. To realize the quently were the ones who did real yeo- man work in laying the foundations of the great commonwealth and that it would be the later influx of settlers who would far outshadow the few who had come before in the light of subsequent history. After much opposition, the early settlers at last gave way and in July, 1853, the constitution was so amended that all those who had come to California prior to January 1, 1850, could be admitted into the part which these men played in the early history of California we have only to re- flect that the names of four of them have been perpetuated by being applied to four of the streets of San Francisco. Bry- ant afterward became the author of one of the st books on California life, entitled * at I Saw in California.” its very inception the soclety came to command the respect and honor From of all. In the monster procession which society. But the distinction yet remained was held to celebrate the news of the re- that the early settlers, or those who had ception of California into the Union, Colo- come to the West before 49, should con- nel Stevenson, the grand marshal, placed Stitute a class, with class privileges. As a result of the removal of the barrier against the men of '49 the membership of the soclety was doubled before the end of the year. Ag: celebratic the stree he t the occasion of its first public the s ty marched through and afterward kept open e entertaining State and city digni- taries with a lavish hand. well coma tne D@ring Digilantes Led by society claim for Itself pre-eminence at Vs that time. Among the first members were William T Coleman the following noted men in subsequent his- tory: General Henry W. Halleck, Gen- eral Willilam T, Sherman, General John C. Fremont, General John W. Geary, General George A. Stoneman, General Henry M. Naglee, General Joseph Hooker, Commo- Against Crime. HE part played by the Pioneers in 1 the social life of the fifties cannot be overestimated. In those days of restless money getting, when dore Robert F. Stockton, Commodore Sel- fridge—all men who either had become famous or were destined to achieve great mark in the Civil War, As the society grew older, it began to become evident that if its membership were confined strictly to the men who came to California before 1849 it would soon cease altogether, so the movement to incorporate members who were in the land of gold before California was admit- ted to the Union began to be agitated. Strange to us of the present day appears the jealousy which was maintained by the first settlers against the argonauts. In their narrowress they could not bring San Francisco was, at its best, a very poor place in which to live, when gamblers and murderers elbowed respectable citizens into the gutters, and crime in all its hideous shapes, was rife, the fraternal spirit of the society acted as a counter-irritant to the demoralizing in- fluences of the time. To the man, wearied by the hurry and confusion of early San Francisco life and sick for the noble com- radeship of a good man the society of- fered the safest refuge. While gambling dens and dance halls were nightly offer- ing their tawdry attractions to the young man, wearied by the day’s tell, the rooms of the society were the only safe haven. It was at this period of the Piloneers that the sterling worth of the members of the society was demonstrated in an hour of need. When San Francisco was overrun with murderers and blacklegs and justice was blinded by the machinations of desperate and unprincipled politicians, the Vigilance Committee sprang into existence. At its head was William T. Coleman, a leader among the Ploneers. Among its members were numbered over a hundred Ploneers who enrolled themselves gladly to serve the city in its hour of need. In 1851 when the Vigllantes were first organized, Coleman became a member of the executive committee. When James Stuart, arrested for the assault committed upon an innocent storekeeper, was tried by the Vigilantes, Coleman acted as pros- ecuting attorney. When the organization arrested John Jenkins, known as “Sydney Cove,” Samuel Brannan and Coleman were those most active in securing for the prisoner fair but speedy justice and they had their hands on the rope which swung the guilty man into eternity. It was at the organization of the second Vigilance Committee of 1856 that Coleman and Brannan, together with Major John W. Geary, all members of the Pioneer So- ciety, figured prominently. The incidents of the first steps toward armed protec- tion showed that Coleman and his asso- clates were tried men and true. ‘When James King of Willlam was shot down in cold blood by James P. Casey, excitement raged to a fever heat and it was Coleman’s steady hand which crystal- lized indignant protest into armed resist- ance to rampant lawlessness. The morn- ing after the murder the members of the old committee met at a hall on Sacra- mento street near Leldesdorff. Coleman took the lead by penning a strong oath of fealty to the cause to which they were pledged. He suggested that each man in the history A 19 < - SN QPW- \‘ Am\ A‘\E{%w benevolent, literary and sclentific asso- ciation and its objects are: “To cultivate social intercourse, form & more perfect union among its members and create a fund for charitable purposes in their behalf. “To collect and preserve informatiom connected with the early settlement and subsequent history of this country. “To form a library and cabinet and preserve such literary and sclentific ob- Jects as the board of directors may from time to time determine and in all appro- priate matters to advance the interests and perpetuate the memory of those whose sagacity, energy and enterprise induced them to settle in the wilderness and become the founders of a new State.” Duty Well Accomplished, Old Members Depart to Last Rest. OW well the Ploneers have malin- tained their principles can best be gathered by a consideration of the results which they haye attained. At pres- ent the soclety num 827, of which 337 are junior members or sons of ploneers. Of the senior members, all are neces- sarily at an advanced age, 78 years being the average. Many of this number are Fendered feeble by the welght of years Ay 22 Fos U cor s o 2SI should take a number and thus sink his personality for the sake of the secrecy necessary to successfully carry on the work which had to be done. Immediately the question arose: ‘“Who shall be number one?’ At once Coleman was singled out by his assoclates. Cole- man vainly tried to refuse, but at last was forced to acquiesce. Thus was the strength of the Ploneers represented in “No. 1" ¢f the famous Vigilance Com- mittee of '56. At this time a man was elevated to the presidency of the sdclety whose name is inseparable from the early history of California. This was Thomas O. Larkin. He had come to Monterey in 1832, being therefore one of the very first Americans to settle in California. As consular agent of the United States during the time when our Government was making manifest plans to lay hold of the western coast, he did much. He was a worthy representa- tive of the old order of things among the ploneers. During Larkin’s presidency the entire board of directors was made up of forty. niners, he being the sole representative of the old conservative first settlers. From this time forward, the younger branch of the society remained in control almost to the total exclusion of the old guard. The first headquarters of the soclety were in the old Bella Union bullding, on Washington street, near Kearny. This was then the center of the business dis- trict of the city, and the building in which the Pioneers lodged was considered a remarkably fine one. In 1860, however, James Lick made his first gift to the so- clety in the form of a lot on Montgomery street, near Pacific, where now can be still seen a dingy old hall, at present the headquarters of a livery stable, with the legend, Ploneers, across Its stone front. As a result of one of San Francisco's great fires, which ruined hundreds and paralyzed business temporarily, the So- clety of -California Ploneers languished during the early '60's. But through the earnest endeavors of O. P. Sutton, Wil- lard B. Farwell and William R. Wheaton, interest was revived in 1862. By the plan of having numerous individuals take out life memberships, a fund of $5000 toward the erection of the bullding upon the lot donated by Lick was accumulated. Through Gifts of James ,Lick, Society Gains Palatial Home. HE poclety was then forced to de- ‘vise means for placing a mortgage on Its property in order that more building funds could be raised. No sufficient authority for such ac- tion being vested in the officers, it became necessary to have an act passed by the Legislature bestowing upon the president, secretary and board of di- rectors the necessary authority for such a step. Willard B. Farwell, who was at this time one of those most active in com- pleting the reorganization of the society, secured the passage of the act, and the mortgage was given. To provide against possible contingencies of a like nature, the society drew up articles of incorpora- tion and on January 28, 1863, they were filed and the organization thus started on a firm legal basis. ‘With all obstructions thus removed, the new bullding was started, the corner- stone being lald on July 7, 188. Upon the oa R completion of the new structure, the so- clety entered into its new home with one of the most brilliant soclal functions of the year, The first important step which was made after the new bullding had been put into use was the creation of a rellef find. Already some of the earlier members were becoming infirm with age and many were broken in fortune. With the generous gift of $500, made by Rob- ert J. Tiffany, the relief fund soon grew to the $10,000 mark and since that time has been kept at that sum, notwithstand- ing the many deeds of charity which have been done by the soclety for the benefit of needy members. On October 3, 1573, Lick made another generous gift to the soclety of which he was an enthusiastic member. This was a deed to the magnificent site where Pio- neer Hall now stands on the corner of Fourth and Stevenson streets. Lick had desired that his name and the fame of and have to call upon the assistance of their brothers. As an example of what is done by the relief fund the figures of disbursements for%the last two years may be cited. The total disbursements for relief in 1%01-02 were $10.28, equal to an average payment of 3855. For 190203 the total rellef offered amounted to $11,320 90, mak- ing an average monthly payment of $944. Forty-seven worthy beneficlaries claimed assistance In 1901-02, and In the succeed- ing year the number was forty. The finances of the Ploneers, thanks to the generosity of James Lick and the perfect management of the funds since the time of the soclety’s inceotion, are in such a condition as to warraut the gen- erous assistance xiven members in dis- tress. As the result of wisely invested in- terests, the assets of the soclety were valued at $535,848 06 at the last report of the treasurer. With such a firm founda- tion, the organization is in a position to rival many benevolent and fraternal so- cletles with far greater membership. In the museum of Ploneer Hall there is a rich store of historical material in the shape of valuable documents, quaint me- mentoes of the early days and pictures of prominent pérsonages of long ago. Along the walls of the assembly hall and museum are hung the engravings of every president of the organization, from Howard, the first, down to Henry B. Russ, the incumbent. Forty-filve mem- bers of the society have thus been hon- ored: They are: Willlam Davis Merry Howard, Samuel Brannan, Jacob Rink Snyder, Stephen Randpll Harrls, Thomas Oliver Larkin, Alexander Gurdon Abell, Phillp Augustin Roach, Henry Martin Gray, Owen Paul Sutton, Willard Brig- ham Farwell, Joseph Webb Winans, Plerre Barlow Cornwall, Robert Joyce Tiffany, Willlam Rufus Wheaton, Wil- liam Henry Clark, Richard Chenery, Charles Daniel Carter, Alexey Waldemar von Schmidt, Peter Donahue, James Lick, William Tell Coleman, Peter Dean, Serranus Clinton Hastings, Henry Lee Dodge, Joseph Green Eastland, Washing ton Bartlett, Nathaniel Holland, Louls Sloss, John Nightingale, Gustave Rels, Isaac Elphinstone Davis, Arthur Mercein Ebbets, Edward Kruse, Alexander Mont- gomery, Livingston L. Baker, C. V. S. Gibbs, Christian Reis, Heber Nutter Til- den, Elllott M. Root, John H. Jewett, Aylett Rains Cotton, Nlles Searls, E. W. McKinstry, Walter Van Dyke and Henry Beauchamp Russ. Commodore Stockton’s proclamation upon the raising of the Stars and Stripes over California soil is also among the relics treas- ured by the Ploneers. There are clippings from old newspapers announe- ing the sailing of steamers to the land of gold, faded pictures of familiar scenes in the early history of the city, the bell of the Monumental Fire Company, which used to sound the alarms of the Vigi- lantes, and even the battered plug hat and rusty sword of “Norton, Emperor by the grace of God.” A visit to Ploneer Hall Js in itself a full course In the his- tory of our State. Thus, with their work wel' established, the Ploneers who yet remain look back upon that which has been of their doing and justly feel that they have tried to perform their full measure of private duty and public benefaction, and leave a fair measure of good to the new Cali- fornia whose growth has been so greatly stimulated by their efforta, the organization should be perpetuated by a building which should be a lasting monument to both. In September, 1875, Lick made the Ploneers one of his residuary legatees in the deed of trust through which the final disposition of his great estate was to be made. By these two benefices that capitalist and philan- thropist put the Soclety of California Pioneers in the position of being one of the richest social organizations of the State. Housed in Magnificent Quarters, Destiny Is Fulfilled. ICK died on September 30, 1876, L and great trouble was destined to surround the munificent gift which he had made before the soclety could derive any benefit therefrom. When in 1852 the society had not yet received its benefice from the “Lick Trust,” which was closing up the es- tate, a committee was appointed to in- vestigate the affairs of the executors and report to the society. This committee made some sensational charges against the executors of the estate and a remark- able degree of excitement was aroused both in the society and by the public press, But it was fairly shown to the society that all the time that the Lick benefice was tied up in the estate it was gathering larger and larger accretions of wealth, When the estate was finally set- tled in 1896, the cash benefit to the so- ciety amounted to $604,654 08. Before the Lick estate had been di- vided, the agitation for a new Ploneer Hall, to be erected on the lot which Lick had presented to the society in 1873, was commenced. After considerable oppo: tion, a permanent building committee was selected and after first reincorporating under the new constitution, work upon the present structure was commenced. The correrstone was laid on September 7, 1884, and in due season the society en- tered into its permanent home. Since that time the old Pioneers have been loy- ally standing shoulder to shoulder, clos- ing the gaps as they are made by the hand of the reaper and resolutely foster- ing the same old spirit which obtained when first the young Pioneers marched at the head of the procession on the first Admission Day celebration. The purposes for which the Society of California Ploneers was formed and is maintained are thus succinctly stated in its constitution: “The soclety is designed to be a moral,