Amador ledger., June 22, 1906, Image 1

About Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
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CAUGHT MONSTER FISH.
,ADY ANGLER LANDED BIG JEW
FISH OFF SANTA CATALINA
ISLAND, CALIFORNIA.
Inn? Monsters of Three Hundred
Pounds and Upwards are Now
Caught With Rod and Reel-Jew
fish a Gamey Fellow.
Women who enjoy angling, and, in
act, everybody who likes to hunt and
in, will be interested in the exploit
kith rod and reel of Mrs. A. W. Bar
rett of Loe Angeles, Cal. The fish in
le case was a black sea bass, or Jew-
ish, of the Pacific Ocean, weight 368
tounds, caught off Santa Catalina Isl-
nd, Cal., last month by Mrs. Barrett
fter 53 minutes of strenuous battle.
The black sea bass of the Pacific —
ne of the gamiest of its kind— is in
Bason on the Southern California
oast from about April to November,
nd affords favorite sport to anglers of
oth sexes. Owing to its great size, it
annot. of coarse, be pulled with rod
pd line into the boat, so, after one is
ooked, the plan is to play it and tire
; out and then, as it comes exhausted
> the surface of the water alongside
le boat, the boatman thrusts his gaff
ito it and tows the conquered levia
lan ashore.
Up to twelve years ago no one
earned of landing these monsters of
le deep, except with heavy hand lines;
ut since General C. D. Viele, U. S. A.,
ie summer day in 1894 managed to se
lre one with rod and reel, no true
igler thinks of fishing for them in any
ther way than with a rod.
A well-known fisherman, in describ
g his experience with this fish in the
ature Library states that he has seen
200 pound black sea bass or jewfish
tap the largest shark line like a
tread, and large specimens straighten
it an Iron shark-hook, while at the
ime time skilled wielders of the rod
itch these giants of the tribe with a
ie no larger- than an eye-glass cord.
His first experience with the Cali
irnia jewfish was a most remarkable
ie.
"When we got out to the fishing
ound," he stated, "the anchor was
ssed over, the rope ran merrily out,
id the hook baited with a 6-pound
hitefish, went hissing down to the big
bmerged rock.
" 'Sometimes he bite, sometimes he
>n't' remarked Joe; 'but whether he
> or not we have the flshin' all the
ime.' And he looked at me inquir
gly, to see if I was of that variety
GIANT JEWFISH CAUGHT BY MRS. BARRETT.
fishermen who are never satisfied
less the fish are always on the line.
so happened that I found pleasure
the mere anticipation: and we sat
ent for half an hour, I holding the
robbing line that the ebbing tide
lyed upon as the string of a musical
(trument * • • I glanced at my
mpanion, and was wondering if in
veins ran the blood of the Aztecs
(of the Indians whom Cabrillo and
iers found here centuries ago when
nta Catalina was an empire in it
f and owned by them, when sud
ily I became aware that ue ter
m of the line I held had increased
a steady pull; then came a jerk that
Tied my hand into the water.
'Jewfish, sure!' whispered Joe,
akened from his reverie by my ex
mation, 'Slack!'
'I paid out the line, while he seized
i anchor-line and made ready to
ll up.
1 'Give him 10 feet, and then hook!'
re my orders.
The Amador Ledger.
"I was an old shark fisherman, hav
ing caught many of these monsters hi
the Mexican Gulf, and had taken a
Florida jewfish and a tarpon; and I
saw that work of a similar kind was
before me now. The line jerked
heavily in my hand, then began to
run steadily. When about 6 feet had
gone over the gunwale i stopped, gave
a glance at the coil to see that all was
clear, and when the line came taut
jerked the hook Into my first jewfish.
"I have every reason to believe that
the latter was astonished, as for a
single second there was no response;
then came a jerk that almost lifted me
from the boat and the line went hiss
ing over the rail like a living thing,
playing a merry horn_>ipe of its own
composition. Nothing could stop such
a r ish, and I simply waited, while Joe
pulled up the anchor. When the latter
was in, I grasped the line and braced
back for the fight The light boat
whirled around like a top, and away
we went, like a tug surging through
the water, an ominous wave of foam
rising high aronnd the bow.
"A 10-foot shark never pulled harder
than this gamey fish, and for 5 minutes
it was a question who was master. I
took it in with the greatest difficulty,
gaining 10 feet, only to have the fish
rush toward me and then dash away
with an impetus that was more than
irresistible. Then I would stop him
again, slowly making foot by foot
hand over hand, taking a turn on the
cleat, slacking and pulling, in attempts
to tire the monster — tactics that for a
while were of no avail.
"One of the tricks of this fish was
to stop aid jerk his head from side
to side violently, a proceeding that pro
duced an effect equivalent to striking
blows at the holder of the line — tre
mendous jerks that came, one, two,
three! then one, two, three! — then the
line would slacken as the fish rushed
up. And if I took the line in quickly
enough to prevent a turn, well and
good; if I did not, the fish would turn
and dash at the bottom, making every
thing hum and sing.
"Giving and taking, hauling and eas
ing off, for 20 minutes, I was almost
satisfied that I had done my whole
duty in the premises, when suddenly
the fish rushed up, and recovering, I
took in slack, and with a final effort
brought the black giant to the surface.
For a moment I saw a pair of eyes
as large as those of an ox, a rich chest
nut black, and then, with a tremen.
dous heave, the fish threw itself over
deluging me with water and half cap
sizing the boat It was the last
struggle. I kept my hold, and with
another haul had the king of Pacific
coast at hands-length, where it rolled
and tossed, its huge tail bathing us
with spray, protesting against its cap
ture.
"What a wonderful creature it was!
The experience of the moment, the
sensations, could not have been pur
chased. It was worth going a long
way to accomplish: Imagine, you
casters of the black-bass fly, a small
mouthed black bass lengthened out to
six feet, bulky in proportion, a giant
black bass — one increased to a size
that tips the scales' at 347 pounds!
Imagine this, and you have the jew
fish, black sea-bass, of the Pacific
coast — a noble fish, a gamey fellow.'
"It has always been doubted that a
large jewfish could be taken on a rod;
but during the summer of '94 I went
to the jewfish grounds one August day
with Major Charles Viele of the
United States army, and watched him
bring a jewflsh of 103 pounds' weight
to terms, on a Tufts — Llyou yellow-tail
rod of 16 ounces and a No. 21 Cutty
hunk line, in just 2% hours!
JACKSON, AMADOR COUNTY, CAL., JUNE 22, 1906.
CANNON AT SEVENTY.
A GREAT ADO MADE OVER THE
ANNIVERSARY OF "UNCLE
JOE'S" BIRTHDAY.
Greeted With Hearty Applause on
the Floor of the House and Honor
ed With Reception Which all Official
Washington Society Attended.
There were great doings hi Wash
ington town last month when "Uncle
Joe" Cannon, the "Czar" of the House
of Representatives reached his seven
tieth year.
In the first place a great storm of
cheers greeted the Speaker when he
appeared on the floor of the House.
Both Republican and Democratic
members applauded the Illinois states
man long and loud, Mr. Cannon ac
knowledging the salutation with a
homely bow.
In the evening, official Washington
honored the Speaker at a reception
tendered him by the House of Repre
sentatives, where some 1500 guests
were invited. That the passage of
"UNCLE JOE" CANNON.
time was not worrying Uncle Joe was
manifested by the hearty hand-clasps
with which he greeted his friends, as
well as the salutations extended to
those who confused years with age.
Uncle Joe was "seventy years young."
President Roosevelt joined in the
ovation, offering the Speaker his
htarty congratulations, not because he.
was getting old, but because he was
doing it gracefully. Mr. Cannon did
two things which might worry many
a younger man. First he had.to sign
something over a thousand photo
graphs of himself, which were given to
the guests as souvenirs, and again he
shook hands with the guests upon re
ceiving an equal number of personal
congratulations.
There were many sly digs and re
marks regarding the buzzing of the
presidential bee around Mr. Cannon's
head, and one of the throng remarked
at the close of the reception, "Any man
who can stand and shake hands with
twelve hundred or more persons be
tween nine and twelve o'clock, and not
show signs of fatigue, is well fit to
enter the presidential race, and ought
to enjoy the prize if he wins it"
There were many friends present
from Danville, 111., who had sent a
number of handsome wreaths and
floral decorations. Mr. Cannon, how
ever, is a native of Guilford, N. C,
and if his friends have their way the
Speaker will be the first Southern man
since the war to become a White
House occupant
Speaking seriously of the presidency,
Mr. Cannon said, "No man would de
cline to become President of the
United States, but not all men can af
ford to be a candidate for the place.
The bee is not bothering me. I want
to do my work as Speaker; that will be
glory enough for me, and if I were
a candidate I'd have to lie about my
age, and I'd have to live constantly In
fear and trembling, not as to whether
I'm doing my duty, but as to whether,
by doing my duty, I wouldn't give of
fense to somebody.
"I guess I'll just go along and 'tend
my own business."
BASEBALL AT WASHINGTON.
Games Played Before Cabinet Offl
cerst Diplomats, and Congress
men.
At the base ball games In Washing
ton., the learned Justices of the United
States Supreme Court, law makers of
both Houses of Congress, members of
the Cabinet and the diplomatic corps,
sit side by side with the merchant,
artisan and government clerk, all
keenly enjoying the national pastime.
The big men of this and other nations
in the capital are base ball fans of
the highest degree, and are glad to
eschew court decisions, railroad and
other legislation, national and inter
national topics for the less weighty
decisions of the diamond. As soon as
business can be transacted at the
Capitol and in the departments it Is
customary for these distinguished
base ball enthusiasts to betake them
selves to National Park for an after
noon of enjoyment, rooting for their
favorite teams and resting from af
fairs of State.
The different teams throughout the
country like to visit Washington for
the privilege of playing before the
most distinguished spectators to be
found in any country on the globe.
Members of the local teams very
quickly recognize the faces of the on
lookers and take pardonable pride in
pointing out to the visitors the big
guns of the nations. It is an Impartial
crowd too, which sits in judgment on
the work of the athletes on the dia
mond and good play is appreciated and
applauded no matter which side makes
the exhibition. There are nine judges
on the Supreme Court bench and a
majority at the ball park is not an
unusual spectacle. A quartet is a cer
tainty, comprising Associate Justices
Harlan, Day, McKenna and White,
who can often be seen engaged in
discussing a knotty point regarding
a foul or strike, or close base play,
showing as much seriousness as
though some intricate problem re
garding the flag, the Philippines or
the tariff was under question. Justice
Day is probably the best posted on
the national game of any of his asso
ciates on the Supreme bench, for he
has played it, and never misses an
exhibition when he is in the city, and
a ball game is advertised.
ARDENT CONGRESSIONAL FANS.
There are nearly five hundred con
gressmen In the two branches of the
national legislature md it is pretty
safe to predict that fully one-half oi
this number are interested attendants
during the championship season. They
are not at all dismayed at the pros
pect of a long season of Congress
when sure of an afternoon's recrea
tion following a long-drawn war of
words at the Capitol earlier in the
day.
President Roosevlt a few weeks
ago, was presented with a golden pass,
entitling him to free admission to all
ball games in the National and Ameri
can Leagues and circuits. He prom
ised the presentation committee to en
deavor to occasionally visit the ball
park in Washington and witness the
ball games played there. Frequently
his son-in-law, Nick Longworth and
his wife occupy seats in the grand
stand, preferring to be among the en
thusiastic gathering than to a^ ■11
themselves of the President's pass and
a seat in the private box.
When ijere is n call of the House
or Senate and the sergeant-at-arms Is
charged with the duty of bringing in
absentees the first place to which the
deputies are sent, if the base ball sea
son is on, is out to the ball park.
One of the most picturesque spec
tators at National Park is the Chinese
minister in flowing oriental robes,
usually accompanied by his little son.
When he was a student at Amhersi
the Chinese minister played on his
class team, and he Is initiating his
heir into the mysteries of the Amer
ican game.
MIGHTY ONES OF THE LAND.
Three of the President's official fam
ily. Attorney General Moody, Post
master General Cortelyou and Secre
tary. Metcalf of Commerce and Labor,
dispel the Irksome, routine of depart
ment life by going out to the ball
game whenever they can steal away
from their desks. They generally sit
together and, being pastmasters in the
art, keep score and compare notes as
to base hits and errors. Attorney Gen
eral Moody has a warm spot in his
heart for the catcher, having played
that position when he was a collegian.
Vice-President Fairbanks wants a
front seat when he goes out to witness
the national game, his favorite place
being just back of first base, where he
can command an uninterrupted view
of the entire field.
Surgeon General Wyman was a
pitcher in his early days, and when
not busy with quarantine matters or
other details relating to the public
health he finds his greatest enjoyment
in witnessing a cMmplonshlp contest
between two evenly matched teams.
One of the first things Prof. Willis
Moore of the Weather Bureau looks
for in bis morning newspaper is the
base ball record. This is contingent
upon the fact, however, that he has
not been a spectator, for the professor
never fails to answer present when
he can get away from the study oi
prognostications. Moreover, he is frt»
quently Imdemand, c rlier in the day,
to predict if the weather can be de
pended upon for v goiltt.
A Kindly Smile.
Mrs. Coxe has the same kindly greet
ing for every one, whether he be the
miner, blackened with the grime and
dust of the mine, or in a higher sta
tion of life. She suggests to the parent
that in the home there should be im
portant training of the children, but
the idea is never advanced excepting in
a spirit of kindliness and of the broad
est kind of sympathy. Her love for
the masses is not simulated; it is the
joy of her heart. She has paid the rent
for many a widow and orphan; has
helped out so that the little ones may
attend school, and has provided the
mother with employment so that the
home may be kept together.
Mrs. Coxe's home, like her life, is the
paragon of modesty; she leads the
"simple life" in all its real- simplicity.
Her chief aim seems to be to assist the
poor and needy. She has no pet phil
anthropies; there are no endless calls
upon her time from society folk; there
are no wonderful gowns, no costly mil
linery; no splendor of jewels, laces or
sables adorn her person. It is not,
after all, the charity which she dis
penses that has won for her the love
and admiration of the toilers of the
mines, and that of their wives and lit
tle ones, but it is the purity of her
character that constantly teaches a
beautiful lesson, not only to the mining
town, but to the world at large which
may study to its own improvement the
generous, unselfish, sacrificing life of
this noble woman.
A folding baby carriage is on the market.
This will be a great boon to worried
fathers, as you can shut the baby up at
any time.
A SURE SAFEGUARD.
CO-OPERATION AMONG PRODUC
ERS A FOUNDATION FOR AN EN
DURING SOCIAL STRUCTURE
An Address by George H. Maxwell
at Bloomington, 111., Showing How
This Principle Will Overcome Op
pression by Combination of Capital.
Mr. President ana Gentlemen of the
Convention: —
I am a profound believer in the capa
city of the human race to work out the
high destiny of which it Is capable if
its genius is rightly directed. lam a
most extreme optimist in my expec
tations of what the people of this na
tion will eventually accomplish in se
curing in fact as well as in theory not
only equal rights, but equal opportun
ity for all men and the achievement by
all our people of the highest average
standard of life of which all are cap
able and which can be brought within
the reach of all.
Unless this is accomplished our
boasted civilization will be but a
wave on the great ocean of time, ris
ing into a brief existence, only to be
submerged, as all the civilizations that
have gone before us have been sub
merged, beneath the rottenness and
corruption which has followed in
evitably in the wake of vast accumu
lation of wealth, and the gradual ab
sorption of the land into great estates.
HANDWRITING ON THE WALL.
Already in this country the hand
writing is on the wall, and he who
runs may read the warning which
Byron painted in words when he
wrote:
"There is a moral of all human tales,
'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past.
First freedom, and then glory — when that
fails,
Wealth, vice, corruption — barbarism at
last,
And history, with all her volumes vast,
Hath but one page."
Our history will not be written on
that page, and I am here to tell you
why, and to tell you that your move
ment in the line of co-operation is one
of the reasons why we will escape the
fate that has at last destroyed all the
great nations of the past
But we have already reached the
stage of "wealth — viee — corruption."
No one who knows what goes on in this
country doubts that for a moment.
If any one questions it he should read
the recently published book entitled
"The Shame of the Citi" " by Lincoln
Steffens.
How are these dangers to be safe
guarded against?
THE CAR OF JUGGERNAUT.
1 It cannot be done by purifying the
cities, because they cannot be purified.
Man will not rise above his environ
ment or the dominating influence of
that environment, and the influence
which controls all things in our mod
ern city is the mad race for wealth.
It Is a car of juggernaut which crushes
public and private integrity and
morality and every just conception of
patriotism under its wheels as it rolls
ruthlessly onward, driven by the
multitude who are ready to sacrifice
not only themselves, but their country
in the great gamble for quickly gained
wealth.
We closed up the Louisiana lottery
in a burst of righteous public indigna
tion, because it was encouraging the
gambling mania and corrupting the
people.
The district attorney of New York
has recently set the machinery of the
law in motion to stop the operations of
a gambler named Canfield.
In St Louis and Grand Rapids the
foul brood of bribe-givers and bribe
takers has been held up to derision
and disgrace, and a few of them may
be punished.
COOPERATIVE COMMONWEALTH
But we have gone so far that cor
ruption has become a business system
and conditions in our cities will breed
two corruptionists where one is pun
ished. Those conditions get worse and
worse as the profits of preying upon
the people become greater with the
increase of the population of our cities ;
and our political and social institutions
are rotting at their very sour^-
The corruption of our cities will in
evitably taint and in the end control
our national politics and the adminis
tration of our national government —
Unless —
And here is the only safeguard —
Unless we plant the great majority
of our people on the soil and maintain
it there, and the people themselves
learn to do for themselves by co
operation, so that in the end we shall
eventually become a great co-operative
commonwealth.
I am not proposing socialism, as its
devotees understand it, or as it is
usually defined and understood, as a
remedy.
I am proposing the exact opposite
of it
I am proposing the very highest
form of individual rights, opportunity,
activity and development
Socialism is to dream about doing
things, and to begin at the wrong end
and fail.
Co-operation Is to do things, and to
begin at the right end and succeed.
Co-operation is evolution — not revo
lution.
Evolution is the law of God.
Evolution is the natural law which
has controlled the creation of the
earth and all that there is on it
It is the law of the development of
the human race, and we need only to
learn its lessons and study it as a
method for the solution of every social
problem to save the people of this
nation from the social and political
dangers that confront them to-day.
The trouble with most theories for
the reform or betterment of social con
ditions is that they are too radical.
Reformers of that class plan an at
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tractive theory, and then urge its adop
tion all at once as a substitute for
social conditions which have been a
slow growth through the centuries.
GROWTH MUST BE GRADUAL.
They would create a tree instantly
and have it all complete and perfect at
its creation, doing it while you*watch
them, like a Hindoo juggler. They
are not content to plant the acorn and
let the sturdy oak of social strength
grow gradually in accordance with the
law of nature and as was intended by
the all-wise Creator.
But we cannot charge Nature' 9
laws.
They are as unchangeable as the
stars.
Whatever men may do they must
first learn to do.
Every oppression from which the
producers of this country or any other
sufferer to-day Is because they have
not learned or been trained to do for
themselves the things which they
leave It to others to do for them.
And those to whom they leave such
things to be done, plan to make the
greatest possible profit to themselves
for doing them.
It is human nature that they should
and always has been and always will
be so.
THE DELUSIONS OF POLITICS.
The delusion that you can protect
producers from such oppressions by
making laws or by electing this man
or that man to office or putting this
political party or that political party
in power, is a delusion which has long
been maintained by a multitude of
people.
But it is only a question of time
when those who are misguided by this
delusion will awaken from their
dream, and learn that there is no help
for them but to help themselves and
do things for themselves.
This great movement in the direc
tion of doing things for themselves by
co-operative methods among producers
from the land is something- more than
a mere question of profit and loss.
It is the slow awakening of a slum
bering giant, who is just beginning to
feel his strength, and when he has
finally raised himself up to his full
height, and trained his mind so that
It can direct for his own protection all
the faculties which God has given him,
he will look back with surprise and
astonishment at the days when he
imagined he was bound hand and foot
by the Liliputians by .whom he was
surrounded.
AWAKENING OP THE GIANT.
And It Is In the awakening and
training of this giant — a symbolical
embodiment of the abilities and ener
gies of the people themselves, which
is the hope of this nation for the
future.
You cannot oppress a man who
draws the rewards of his toll straight
from nature's treasure vaults — gets it
from the land itself — land which he
owns — land on which no money lender
holds a mortgage — provided, always,
that that man has learned to co-op
erate with his fellow men of the same
class, to do for themselves the things
which It is beyond the power of the
individual man to do for himself — the
things which require the combined
and co-operative effort of many men
to accomplish.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF RUSKIN.
The broad solution of our social
problems which I am presenting to
you contemplates the creation of con
ditions in this country under which
we will carry into practical effect the
sound philosophy of Ruskin when he
said:
"But since we live in an epoch of
change and too, probably, of revolu
tion, and thoughts which are not to
be put aside are in the minds of all
men capable of thought I am obliged
to affirm the one principle which can
and in the end will close all epochs
of revolution — that each man shall
possess the ground he can use, and no
more."
It contemplates as a part of our
public school system that every boy
should be trained so that he will know
how to till the land for a livelihood.
It contemplates that the rush to the
cities shall be stopped by the better
ment of all the conditions of rural life
— good roads, near-by neighbors, rural
telephones, net works of electric rail
ways, rural free delivery, thickly
settled communities and towns and
villages in close proximity to every
farm home, so that every farmer may
enjoy as well as the city dweller the
advantages of schools and churches
and libraries and gymnasiums, and
where art and music may be studied
for enjoyment in the home as well as
In the cities.
It contemplates that wherever the
thing to be done for the benefit of
such a community requires the effort
of more than one man, that those who
require to have the thing done for
them, whatever it may be, shall com
bine together and do it for themselves,
provided it is within reach of the
united and co-operative energy and
capital of the aggregated number of
individuals who require to have the
thing done for them.
In this category are creameries,
laundries, rural telephones, associa
tions for the co-operative purchase of
supplies, associations for the sale or
disposition of the products of the soil,
and many other associations which I
might mention for mutual economy,
mutual benefit or mutual protection.
In sections where irrigation is
necessary, co-operative canal systems
and irrigation works come within this
category; and in many parts of the
country where irrigation is not now
generally supposed to be necessary,
co-operative pumping plants might be
established among farmers for the
irrigation of lands which they could