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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1891)
THE WEST SHORE. 185 PROMINENT MEN OF THE PACIFIC COAST. The death of the United States minister to Japan removes another prom inent figure from Pacific coast political life. John F. Swift was born in Mis souri in 1829. While he was a mere lad his parents removed to Illinois, where the family resided for eight years. When eighteen years of age young Swift went to St. Louis and learned the trade of tinsmith. At twenty-two (in 1850) he crossed the plains to San Francisco, where he engaged in the pro duce business. He was prudent, energetic and ambitious, and prospered, From early youth he was a reader and student. When he had accumulated some means through his bus iness, he wisely invested it and turned, his attention to the study ol the law, being ad mitted to the bar in 1857. He soon built up a good prac tice, was successful as an ad vocate, and accumulated a large amount of money which he used liberally to gratify his literary tastes. He mar ried a daughter of Col. W. G. Wood, who was for many years clerk of the supreme court of California. His writings, his vigorous expres sion, his bold position on pub lic issues, drew attention to him and led to his election to the state legislature during the twentieth and twenty-second sessions. He was de feated for congress in 1875 by Piper, the democratic can didate in the First California district. Shortly before Lin coln's death he appointed Mr. Swift register of the San Fran cisco land office, which posi tion he held two years. In 1866 he visited Europe and the holy land, and his pub lished letters while abroad at tracted widespread attention. In 1877 he was elected to the assembly from San Fran cisco, and in 1879 was a prominent candidate for the nomination for governor of California, but the prize was secured by George C. Per kins. In 1880 he was ap pointed by the president as one of the commissioners from the United States to frame a treaty with China, with a view to checking the influx of Chinese into this country. He then made an- other trip around the world, enlarging hi store of infor mation. In the famous anti- Chinese convention he wrote the memorial to congress, which was adopted without dissent, and was received in the United States senate with marks of high consideration. It was the chief attainment of that convention, and about all that saved it from complete failure. In 1886 Mr. Swift was nominated for governor by the republican convention, but was defeated by Washington Harriett, the democratic nominee. In the summer of 1890 he was appointed by President Harrison as minister to Japan, and was discharging his duty as such it the time of his death. Mr. Swift was a man of great force of character, vigor of thought, aggressive, and with profound convictions of the right. As an author he attained an enviable reputation, many of his works being regarded as standard examples of literary excellence. His views were broad and statesmanlike, and his grasp of public questions was tha of a man of courage, depth of thought, broad intelligence and deep convictions, 1 - mini mm. 1. 11 11 1 ,11 in 11111 mii ! , 111 .imiii 1 mil i.i id mi miming k. ;-;-vj i I II , I 1 California has a bribery scandal that completely eclipses that little affair at Olympia. It has been known for a long time that coin was plentiful in Sac ramento when a United Stales senator was to be elected, but hitherto no di rect evidence of bribery has been unearthed. Those patriots who biennially went to the state capital to serve the dear people, and incidentally to do what else profitable their hands found to do, were always astute enough never to put themselves in a compromis ing position. In Nevada so much circumspection was un necessary. The senatorship was hung up like a priic, and the man who rolled .in the biggest barrel took it 1 but in California such open methods of auctioneering could not be pursued. Nevertheless, that " fine work " was being done upon such occasions by gen tlemen handling money pro vided by others, was always believed. Not until now, how . ever, was any definite proof of this discovered) but the little memorandum of names and prices found in the library waste basket supplies the evi dence. What will the Cali fornia legislature do? There is a precedent in the anion ot the lawmakers of Washing ton. They should immedi ately appoint a committee of investigation, whitewash the bribe giver and then promptly expel from their midst the man who found the paper and was so " inconsiderate " as to make it known and thus betray his fellow members. Why, if this thing of inform ing upon briliers is permitted to go on, it will not be long before there will be nothing in senatorial elections at all. Some F.nglith papers, in making comments on recent events, hive asserted that the Americ ans are brutal. This criticism comet with bad grace from a country where wife beating it countenanced by law, and applied to a country where chivalrous pro tection of women and the weak and defenseless is not only instinctive but is incoriorated everywhere in the laws. Contrast the conduct of American soldieri during the civil war with that of combatants of other nations in civil strife, and the turior humanity and honor of the American shine out with effulgence. Murder, rapine, roblwry and plundering of the dead have been inserably associated with civil war everywhere excert in America, where we demonstrated tlial even in the heat of fraternal strife the inborn instincts of humanity and nobleness of character could not be subdued by passion. Whatever tliere may I in the American character different from that of other nations, it certainly it not brutality. THE UTE JOHN F. SWIFT.