MICROFILMED 1985 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY GENERAL LIBRARY BERKELEY, CA 94720 COOPERATIVE PRESERVATION MICROFILMING PROJECT THE RESEARCH LIBRARIES GROUP, INC. Funded by THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION Reproductions may not be made without permission. CU-B SN 003%2-6 THE PRINTING MASTER FROM WHICH THIS REPRODUCTION WAS MADE IS HELD BY THE MAIN LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY, CA 94720 FOR ADDITIONAL REPRODUCTION REQUEST MASTER NEGATIVE NUMBER 5- g % 2, AUTHOR : Bancroft, Hubert Howe. TITLE : History of the i€ée © € Joseph Spencer Cone -- PLACE: San Franeiseo DATE: 1884 VOLUME F860 CALL 2 MASTER ¥5° No 4618 NEG. NO. 583 F860 Bancroft, Hubert Howe. : .C67B2 History of the life of Joseph Spencer Cone; a ‘nN character study, by Hubert Howe Bancroft. [From _ Chronicles of the Builders of the Commonwealth. Sen Francisco, Tho History co., 1389. (1]-50 p., fromt. (port.) 24cm. 7263B FILMED AND PROCESSED BY LIBRARY PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY, CA 94720 —— REDUCTION RATIO | 8 i DOCUMENT, — ~~ SOURCE THE BANCROFT LIBRARY Ra [i] 2.8 Il 2.5 | 1.0 w= J A _— kl 2:2 i$ I | ew —_— ; ° hs \ _— iz is nee | MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS-1963-A rit pepe REE FREE PEELE STERLING —_- | + | oh | ¢ | I, oh ol | N Aa LE deh it ls biddisshisddonhidanbimtioirdoobitinie Eo ee HISTORY OF THE LIFE JOSEPH SPENCER CONE A CHARACTER STUDY BY HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT [FroM CHRONICLES OF THE BUILDERS OF THE COMMONWEALTH] Ce A do Fa . pe cass - ; re pimps ERE Lo Leb lS PE SAN FRANCISCO THE HISTORY COMPANY, PUBLISHERS 1889 ng be pa ee RI RE Te? rT ? a dit ow: Ey, | me HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF JOSEPH SPENCER CONE LineacE AND EDUCATION—REMOVAL TO CALIFORNIA -- MosniNe AND TraDING ~MINING AND TRADING RANCH IN TERAMA (or ery. (Frais NHEFP, AND FRUIT RAISING MANAGEMENT OF E Bc AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. ilies which cast in their lot in what were then the British American colonies. His ancestor, William de St John, whose name was derived from an ancient town in Normandy, was among the barons who accompanied William L. in his invasion of England, and held the post of grand-master of the artillery in the invading army. From him was descended Robert de St John, the second baron of Bassing, who lived in the reign of Henry IIL, and to the cldest son of the latter is traced the pedigree of the present marquises of Winchester. Thus the line 1s traced in almost direct succession until, in 1629, Elizabeth St John, in whose person was united the lineage of ten European sovereigns, was married to the Reverend Samuel Whiting, and with him removed a few years later to America, where she ended her days at Lynn, Massa- chusetts. In the following century the Whitings intermarried with the Brainard family, one of whom, named Martha, was wedded to Joseph Cone, a naval officer in the revolutionary war. His youngest son named fimothy, a native of Fast Haddam, Massachu- setts, settled early in the present century near Mari- etta, Ohio, where he remained until his decease in 1864, his business being that of a merchant and farmer, and was esteemed as one of the most respected members of the community. Here was born on the 26th of August, 1822, Joseph Spencer, the seventh of his ten children. Of noble lineage, a more unaf- fected and thorough going American, despising cant and humbug and modern snobbery cannot be found anywhere. Until reaching his twenty-second year J oseph worked on his father’s farm, making the best of such scanty educational facilities as the neighborhocd afforded. His choice inclined toward a profession, especially career, he would, beyond a doubt, have achieved suc- cess, for he possessed a full share of the qualities to that of the law, and bad he selected this required for this calling, soundness of judgment and ce —————————————— JOSEPH S. CONE. 3 a ready wit, coupled with a remarkable force of char- acter and an almost unlimited capacity for work. But this was not to be, and fortunate it proved for his adopted state and perhaps for himself, that, while los- ing a good lawyer, his country gained the assistance of one whose later services in developing the resources of northern California it is impossible to overesti- mate. But Mr Cone was resolved to make his own way in the world, and as a beginning set forth in 1843, upon attaining his majority, on a trading exposition among the Cherokee Indians, with the results of which he had no reason to be dissatisfied. From that date until 1850 the incidents of his career contained nothing worthy of special mention. In the spring of this year the excitement that followed the discovery of gold being then at its height, he joined a company of adventurous spirits like himself bound for Califor- nia, starting from Jasper county, Missouri, and following the banks of the north Platte to the neigh- borhood of Fort Laramie. Here he became wearied with the slow and tedious travel of the wagon-trains, and with four others, packing their effects on horse- back, made their way to Green river, where, as le supposed, a settlement was near at hand. Mean- while their animals had been stolen by the Piutes, and ‘now provisions ran short, so that for a fortnight they were compelled to live on crow soup, to which were added a few teaspoonfuls of flour. At length, how- ever, all arrived in safety at Nevada City, following exactly the route afterward selected by the Central Pacific railroad. Here, and at Newcastle and Ophir, Mr Coue engaged for a time in mining with varying success. During the dry winter of 1851, while working in the placer diggings at Ophir, he became deeply involved in debt, as were his comrades, and indeed the entire camp, for while awaiting the rains their claims yielded them no revenue, and meanwhile the most extrava- i la a a a ne Sag copRadlt aT Be Sie Ba Cdl a AOR AE Da AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. . gant prices were charged for supplies. For provisions of every description—flour, bacon, coffee, sugar, and ~ even salt, the price was invariably fifty cents a pound, while for shovels, worth a dollar apiece, the charge was twenty-four dollars, and for a pair of common gum boots sixteen dollars. Within a few weeks after the rains had set in, however, the miners had cleared off their debts, and the more fortunate among them had accumulated besides a considerable surplus. Mr Cone was now satisfied with his mining experi- ence, and in the mean time had already found other occupation, making what were termed ‘“shakes” out of the tall sugar-pine trees that grew in the neighbor- hood of Nevada City, and selling them for ten cents a foot, thus often earuing from twenty-five to thirty dollars for a few hours’ work. Later he engaged in the freighting business, conveying supplies from Sac- ramento, and selling them to miners at a handsome profit. Often, as he relates, when his stock was not all disposed of, he would pile up what remained in his cabin, and permit the miners to help themselves. In no instance was his confidence abused, though his stores were unguarded, and no check was placed on those who removed them, for always on the following Sunday they would return and pay in full for all they had taken. In this line of business he continued until November 1852, when he returned to his home in Ohio, disposing of his teams to his brother, who had recently joined him at Nevada City. . But like others of the argonauts who had enjoyed the freedom and excitement of pioneer life in Califor- nia, he could not rest content amid the restraints and social conventionalities of an eastern community. In the spring of 1854, therefore, we find him on his way across the plains from Missouri, in charge of a band of cattle, which, after a six months’ trip, he disposed of in the mining towns for more than double their cost. After engaging meanwhile in various occupations in 1857 he purchased land on Alder creek, Tehama, Ean 3 yA ¥ - EE i i ._e_.dsira i ee ee —— a —— JOSEPH 8. CONE. 5 county, California, where three years later he made his headquarters, stocking it with cattle bought in Tehama and Colusa, for which he found a market in Placer and Nevada counties. For the most part his business was profitable, although in the disastrous seasons of 1861-2 he suffered in common with other stock-raisers. Later he disposed of most of his herds, and employed himself in sheep-raising, in which indus- try he is still largely interested. In 1868 he sold his property at Alder creek for © $12,000, and purchased the farm of which he is stiil the owner, in the neighborhood of Red Bluff, at first consisting of about 16,000 acres, but increased from time to time by additional areas, until it now includes nearly 100,000 acres. This estate, which is now worth many times the original purchase money of $50,000, he acquired almost by accident. In that year its proprietors, Woodward and Northam, appeared before the board of equalization to obtain a reduction in their assessment to $50,000, which sum, they stated, they were willing to accept for the property. Meet- ing one of these gentlemen by chance, Mr Cone remarked: “That was all nonsense, I suppose, you were saying to the board to-day.” “No, it is not,” he replied; ‘so far as TI am concerned, 1 would not take the trouble of travelling all this way by the stage to look after my interest in the tract.” Thereupon Mr Cone offered to purchase the land, and after some negotiations the bargain was completed. Here, indeed, was Mr Cone’s opportunity. Hith- erto he had drifted with no special aim beyond get- ting ahead in the world, his character no doubt developing, but his life was moved by no high pur- pose, nor was it put under the strain of any great undertaking. He now saw rising before his awakened vision a great estate. - A large debt was to be incurred; new and larger resources than he had ever before been taxed for were demanded, but in his reserve ‘power they were slumbering, and came at his bidding. 6 | AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. To most men there comes at some time the one oppor- tunity which seized leads to fortune or to fame; the “tide rises in the affairs of most men at least once, but it is the man who has the skill and courage to mount the crest and ride it whom we are called upon to enroll among the successful men of the world. Mr Cone saw the wave, mounted it, and has never been submerged by it. I cannot stop to trace that struggle, full of lessons and rich with human experiences. Out of it came riches, honor, a well-rounded character, and a life full of personal achievements worthy of all praise. This is a history teaching by example; this is a leaf from the book of success to which the youth may safely turn for guidance. Mr Cone not ok made the farm pay for itself, but its earnings have enabled him to very greatly improve the lands originally purchased, and to largely expand the original area, and develop one of the finest tracts on the American continent ; and besides, the earnings of this land have made it possible to acquire other large and valuable properties in the county. He seemed to have that mystical touch born to but comparatively few men which turns into gold what before appeared to possess but little value. With large unemployed means, he was able to take advantage of those opportunities always offering in periods of change, such as have occurred in northern California during the last six years, and his landed possessions, lying in one unbroken body, almost equal in extent a single state of this union which may be named. And yet it is all managed so quietly, and with so little apparent effort, that it is difficult at times to realize that but one hand is at the helm. "As a typical California rancho, one of the class soon to be dismembered and subdivided under our sys- tem of laws which admits of no entailment, there 1s perhaps no finer one in the entire state. It is situated on the east bank of the Sacramento river, and extends ; LT EL BT a A LR RA Ly en Bt dla RA BE ara EAE JOSEPH 8. COLE. 7 from a point near the town of Red Bluff, south, for a distance of about fourteen miles, and thence eastward, embracing the entire valley lands and reaching into the foothills back against the Sierra for a distance, varying in width, from some ten to twelve miles, with an ‘area of not far from 100,000 acres. The quality of the soil and its location adapts the prop- erty to all kinds of farming operations, and every variety is found conducted on a very extensive scale. Two fine mountain streams, the Antelope and Mill creeks, come from the Sierra and cross this property, emptying into the Sacramento river. Their waters can be spread upon every inch of the valley lands. The farming operations are conducted from two cen- tral points, about six miles apart. The movement of men and animals and implements necessary to plant, cultivate, and harvest the crops upon this vast property as they go from these head- quarters, resemble more the movements of great armies than any scenes with which ordinary farmers in other countries are at all familiar. At different points and in localities specially adapted to the pur- pose, are large orchards and gardens, carried on to supply the neighborhood and for shipments abroad. While most of the products known to farming life in California are grown here, the chief product for mar- ket is wheat, of which he produces 125,000 bushels. Connected with the farming operations, and con- ducted on quite an extensive scale, are also sheep and wool interests. There are at present grazing upon the foothill lands, on the eastern boundary of the tract along the mountain side, about thirty thousand sheep. These sheep are brought from the mountains, from their summer range in Lassen county to the rancho in the fall of the year, when they are put upon the stubble and are sheared, doctored, and grazed, until the feed of the valley is eaten off, then they are removed into the hills, by which time the fall rains have brought on the green grasses. They are here gE AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. razed until the spring grasses begin to dry. Mean- while the lambing season has come and passed, the lambs are marked and the sheep are redipped and branded, and again taken to their summer range in the mountains. This is one of the most interesting as well as profitable branches of the extensive opera- tions carried on upon, this farm. The wool output of the rancho is about 275,000 pounds. Some cattle are raised upon the place, but to no large extent, Mr Cone’s fancy running more particularly to sheep, in which he never lost faith, even under the depressing :~ fluences of the reduced tariff. He kills, packs, and cures annually about five or six hundred head of hogs. In later years, although somewhat reluctantly, he is turning his attention to fruit-planting, and on his farm are now to be found, under successful cultivation, almost all the fruits known to our wonderful climate, including orangesand lemons, among citrus fruits, and all of the deciduous fruits grown in the state of California. He has one young orchard of Bartlett pears coming on, of ten thousand trees. Like all the wheat-growers and stockraen, he expresses some doubts about the ultimate profits of fruit-growing, and yet has yielded to the general judgment upon that sub- ject so far as to plant quite largely. On Antelope creck he has recently erected a water- ower, and is now lighting the town of Red Bluff with electricity over a circuit of about sixteen miles from this power and he also lights his residence and barns by this means. A great deal of the land now under cultivation was densely wooded when he took possession of the prop- erty, and covered with underhrush ; but he has cleared it off at great expense, and he is even yet carrying on this improvement and clearing land that costs from fifty to seventy-five dollars to bring into a state of cultivation. Large oak-trees are standing at inter- vals over these valley lands, which are left both for their occasional crops of acorns, and as adding a charm JO3EPH.S. CONE. D to the landscape effect Indeed, looking over the property from a distance, it presents more the appear- ance of a cultivated orchard or a park-than of exten- sive wheat fields. Probably no less than one hundred men find employment on this property "through- out the entire year, and during the season of their busiest work, the harvest and tir seasons, there are not oflen less than five hundred men engaged in the various occupations. The striking feature in the management which presents itself to an observer is that all of this great work goes on with little friction and display, and with little red tape. The usual corps of superintendents and foremen found on many large properties of the kind are here entirely wanting. No high salaries are paid ; no complicated book-keep- ing, and no series of “subs” through which orders are to pass before they reach the men who are to execute them. The management is in striking con- trast with some of the large ranchos in “the state, where there has been much less prosperity; and to this direct and efficient management must be attributed largely the success of the proprietor. An account of all the sales, settlement with the men and their pay- ment, keeping accounts with men, and in fact, the entire book-keeping of the place is performed by a man whose wages cannot exceed over sixty or seventy dol- Jars per month, and who does a great deal besides attending to that part of the business. The effi- ciency of the men in all branches of the work is attrib- utable not to a system of surveillance by various head men and foremen, but by the accurate knowledge of details of the proprietor himself, and his unvarying judgment as to when a man is doing an honest day's “work, and is doing it rightly and properly. All the ‘employés feel that they are liable at any moment to have their work subjected to the scrutiny of the pro- prietor, and aside from the advantages which this sys- tem gives, of obviating all collusive arrangements ‘between the employés and the various foremen and 4 ’ A El 4 } ¥ 4 i DE E B ea a g WE Lin 2 er Ab AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. superintendents, there is the feeling among tle men that the approval or disapproval of the proprietor ‘himself is liable to be given every day. With all these apparently great business burdens upor his mind, no man takes life seemingly more easy than Mr Cone himself. He visits his store and bank in town nearly every day, with which he is in telephonic communication from his residence, as he is also with the lower head- quarters of his farm. He takes a very lively interest in all local affairs of the county, and is quick to respond to all efforts toward populating northern California, and is, in fact, one of the most enterprising men of the county. Few men reach the highest walks of life before marriage. Mr Cone had only partly formed his character and partly laid the foundation for his for- tune before he turned his attention toward matrimony. While living upon Alder creek, in Tehama county, in the year 1867, finding that it was not good to live alone, he went back to his native state, where he married the daughter of Colonel Reppert, a young woman of cultivated tastes, who returned with him, and:shared the vicissitudes and deprivations of a social life incident to stock-raising and stock ranchos in the earlier days of California. She has been his constant companion through all his experiences and successes, and has borne to him two daughters and one son, who are promising scions of a parentage representing the Sn, better type of American citizenship. These children “Rave been given such advantages as our state has afforded consistent with the desire of their parents to have them as near to them as possible. They attended school at the local academies in Red Bluff in early years, and later were sent to the higher schools of San Francisco and Oakland. The only son, Douglas S. Cone, was married in January 1889, and is now living with his parents, and .doing his part in managing the property. With the JO3EPH S. CONE. 11 view of promoting the establishment of a lumber enterprise in the vicinity, Mr Cone in 1871-2 exteuded aid to the founding of the Antelope Flume and Lum- ber company. This was the first attempt to trans- port lumber in California by means of the V-shaped flume. The enterprise failed in 1874, and Mr Cone had to take the property for payment. He operated it one year, and it finally fell into the hands of the Sierra Lumber company, who are now successfully carrying 1t on. In the following year, in conjunction with Charles Cadwallader, he established at Red Bluff the bank of Tehama county, with a capital of $300,000. Of this institution he has been vice-president since its organi- zation, and has taken an active part in its manage- ment. It is one of the most successful banks in the state. He is also the head of the large mercantile house of Cone, Kimball, and company. Of the details of the business he knows nothing, but as to questions of policy—when to buy and where to sell products such as wheat, wool, and fruits, in which they deal largely, his partner, Major Kimball, finds in him a wise and sagacious counsellor. A man of positive character in the conduct of busi- ness and in the affairs of life, like Mr Cone, is expected to have decided religious and political opinions. In politics he has been an advanced republican, and in the early days of the rebellion, when public senti- ment in California was very much divided, and the southern population that had flowed to this coast threatened to take our state into the ranks of seces- sion, Mr Cone was very pronounced and active in his efforts to stay the current of disloyalty that was run- ning through the land. He does not think that the time has come, or will ever come, when our govern- ment can afford to forgive the great crime of rebellion, for to him it was a crime. While he has a side of his nature as gentle and as soft as a woman's, and is open to sympathy and kindliness, yet he can never be made 12 AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. to feel that those who participated in the rebellion should be placed upon the same footing and accorded ‘the same honors, and receive the same rewards from the government, either as pensioners or otherwise, as those who fought to defend the union. The senti- mental side of his nature, while very strong, would never so far take possession of his sense of justice and right as to permit the line between loyalty and dis- loyalty to be eradicated. ~ Upon the great question of protection to American industries, which in more recent years has come to be the principle of the republican party, as contradistin- guished from the doctrine of tariff for revenue only, or of free trade, his opinions are very pronounced and very strong. He attributes the enormous expan- sion of our home industries, and the great prosperity that has attended the country since the war, to the principle of protection. No amount of ‘‘soft-sawder” could make him see that he could successfully grow wool in competition with the pauper labor and untaxed grazing lands of other countries; nor could he be made to see why the woollen industries of the country should be ruthlessly sacrificed to the doctrines of free trade while other and less important industries were 1eceiving the protection of high rates of tariff. His recent trip throughout the countries of Europe has given him opportunities to observe their methods, their rates of wages, and the chances for competition which the Americans have over the people of other countries, and with his wonderful power for practical application of facts, the argument to his mind in favor of protection seems overwhelming. Upon the question which, in his mind, is soon to be the most important one in politics, to wit, that of foreign immigration, his views are equally pronounced. He is a thoroughgoing American, and believes in restriction of immigration and radical changes in our naturalization laws. He thinks that our population is now so great, and our industries of every descrip- JOSEPH 8. CONE. i 13 tion so well established, that whatever argument once may have obtained in favor of unrestricted immigra- tion, in order to people the country and add to the number of wage-workers, that day 1s passed and that it is the highest duty of the government now to provide for the coming millions of our own race, who, in the natural course of increase of population, must demand the right to our soil and to the fruits of our union. Upon the question of religion, while not a com- municant of any church, his convictions are very strong, and his reverence for religion and religious work is undoubted. He contributes freely and liber- ally to the support of various churches ; but inclines personally, by reason of early associations, and con- nections of his parents, to the presbyterian faith. If he had spent his years in the older and more populous communities of the country, the bent of his mind, and the natural gentleness of his disposition, and the impulses of his emotional nature would have doubtless led him into active relations with the church. Living in California, remote from churches, and in regions where churches were not generally established, he did not feel impelled to make any connection with any church body. But he is in no sense a so-called free- thinker, or disbeliever, but ‘thinks on the contrary, that men of the class of Robert Ingersoll, and other romoters of unbelief, are doing a great harm in the world, that they are undermining and overthrowing a faith which brings comfort and consolation to many, and are offering nothing in its place, and his mind revolts at the harm thus done. Mr Cone was never a candidate for office and never held office but once. He was one of the first board of railroad commissioners selected under the new con- stitution of 1879. His connection with that board deserves more than a passing notice. It was an important public trust in the performance of which he did not escape public criticism, however undeserved 1t was. 14 AGRIOULTURE—CALIFORNIA. Under the new constitution, adopted by the state, which went into effect in 1879, a new and altogether untried experiment was entered upon by creating a ‘board called the board of railroad commissioners ; who were invested with extraordinary powers upon the subject of establishing and regulating charges for transportation of passengers and freight by railroad and other transportation lines. In every other state in the union these boards are the creatures of the legislatures and possess only such powers as are con- ferred upon then from time to time by the legislative body ; the legislature always reserving the right to ultimate control. In this state, however, under the excitement which prevailed among the people on various subjects relat- ing to the internal affairs of the state, among them being the important question of transportation, a dis- trust of the legislature had grown up, and instead of bringing to bear, as was done in other states, a public sentiment, ultimately by its force compelling the legislature to yield to the demands of the people, they entered upon the novel scheme of taking all this power from the legislature and conferring it upon a board of three persons, to be elected by the people, and this plan was ultimately worked out in the new constitution, so that there no longer rests in the legis- lature any power whatever to legislate upon this very important subject, but all authority is vested in this so-called board of railroad commissioners. Both by the constitution and the act of the legisla- tures subsequently passed to give effect to the consti- tution, the broadest and most comprehensive powers were conferred upon the board, embracing legislative, executive, and judicial functions ; the power to make the regulation, to interpret it, and to execute it. No thoughtful man can help at least doubting the wisdom of such a great departure from the usual course of legislation, such an absolute surrender on the part of the people, of powers which can only be regained JOSEPH S. CONE. 15 through an amendment of the constitution. And under all lies the graver doubt of the power of the people to create, practically, a fourth department of ;overnment, while declaring that all power is vested in but three departments. ; The legislature had attempted reforms in railroad management, through the boards of its own creation, with limited and practically emasculated powers, and nothing had been accomplished in the way of reliev- ing the burdens believed by the people to be put upon them by the transportation companies. The public mind, however, which had inspired this remarkable departure and had created this unprecedented body, was not in any temper calculated to do justice to any persons who might take hold of the very complicated subject and attempt to bring about an intelligent reformation of the alleged and real abuses. : The surprise to Mr Cone when he found himself the republican candidate for railroad commissioner from the first district was very great, because he Fad never held public office nor been a candidate, either in this state or elsewhere, for any office whatever. Iu casting about to find a person in whom were to be found those qualities of honesty, firmness, and good judgment necessary to the performance of the high duty soon to be devolved upon this board, the repub- lican convention, with but little dissent, turned towards this unambitious, modest, yet most successful, man of business. There never was any question after the orgatiization of the board but that he was the strong- est and ablest man upon it, and he necessarily became its president. There are few more conspicuous pub- lic offices in the state. Much was expected of the members, and Lad Mr Cone given way to any ambi- tious motive to reach the governorship in this state his pathway was simple and easy ; by assuming an attitude of unrelenting hostility to the transportation companies. There is no doubt but that the mass of people would have justified any arbitrary action, how- 16 AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. ever unjust, without stopping to reflect that serious; complicated, and protracted litigation would have “inevitably followed, and no practical results have been attained. Mr Cone, however, was not the type of man to give way to any such unworthy motive, or to make his office the avenue of self-aggrandisement. He had lived a simple and unostentatious life, and no hope of political preferment could shake his determination to continue to act as he always had, with a view to the rights and privileges of others. He chose a brave, conservative policy, from an honest sense of his responsibility and a fearless resolve to do as nearly right as it was possible for him to see the right. No one of the thousands of early and later Californians who have had long and intimate business and personal relations with him ever gave a second thought to the brutal suggestion that money influenced him in the discharge of his duties. He was a rich man when elected to office, with an income from his established business of over $50,000 per annum ; his tastes and wants were as simple as a proper regard for economy would exact from a person of one-fiftieth his income; n> amount of money could have contributed in any way to his happiness or pleasure in life. In the absence of motive and proof, and in the light of the well-established points in his character, it would be the grossest injustice to impute any dishonest thoughts, from first to last, during his short and only career as a public officer. No clearer or more satisfactory statement of the moving causes and underlying motive of his policy can be given than is presented by the supplemental report which he made to the governor in connection with the more elaborate report of the board of the third and last year of their transactions. It is just and fair, and is due to Mr Cone in any study of his character and life, that this report should be given at length. «I have united with my remaining colleague in JOSEPH 8. CONE. 17 the foregoing report,” says Mr Cone in his sup- plemental report, ‘because I believe the general principles therein set forth and discussed are in the main right, and should control the action of any one who sincerely desires to be guided by just and correct views of the high and responsible duties devolved upon this board. It will not surprise me to find. those principles controverted by persons who have not time or disposition to examine them in the light of experience and the laws governing commercial rela- tions throughout the world. But sooner or later, whatever may be the specific action of my successors in specific cases, they must, to effect permanent good, hold themselves amenable to that experience and those laws. While this is true, I have been governed in some respects in my action as commissioner by views not always shared by my colleagues, but which I believed would result in most usefulness to the public. It is to give expression briefly to some of {hese views, and to place more specifically before my constituents the governing motive of my action, that I submit this supplemental report. «Without doubt the public would have applauded the board if it had, without investigation or consider- ation, reduced all fares and freights one-half. While recognizing fully my obligations to the people who elected me to office, I could not bring myself to believe that they had a right to expect ignorant and inconsiderate action at our hands, or action grossly unjust to the transportation companies. I believed then, and I believe now, that a reduction was right- fully demanded ; but I did not know it, and could not know-it without investigation, nor could I know to what extent reduction should be made, or in what manner it could be best and most speedily attained. «My first efforts were directed to the question of cheapening the cost of getting the products of the soil to market. As a farmer myself, I had already found out that the producer in California was working 18 AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. under the disheartening fact that the great grain- producing region of the northwest, as far out as ~ Dakota, was laying its products on the docks at Liv- erpool for so much less than we from this coast that we could not enter that market in competition at all, and often only at a loss, when farmers from that region were making large profits. It was plain to me that our producers travelled so comparatively little by rail that the gain to them by reducing fares was of trifling importance compared with reducing their freight charges on products of the soil, and hence this ques- tion received my first attention. « How to bring about relief in this direction, whether by litigation or by arbitration, had also to be deter- mined. On this point, at least, one of the board dif- fored from me. He was at that time opposed to having anything whatever to do with the railroad companies. His idea was to make reductions by the exercise of the powers of the board, and leave the consequences to take care of themselves; if litigation ensued, and our whole term was frittered away in the courts without results, nobody could blame the board, and so long as not blamed it would be measurably successful. I believed that by judicious, fair, and impartial treatment of the transportation companies much could be accomplished, and if not all we might wish, it would still be better than the loss of every- thing by the law’s delays. The advantage of treating with the companies, instead of resorting to the courts, may be seen from the result of the suit brought to restrain the board from regulating the coast lines of steamships. That action was brought in December 1880 in the United States circuit court, and was soon after argued and submitted, and no decision has yet been rendered. When rendered, an appeal to the United States supreme court will involve one or two years more delay. Acting under this belief, I sought at once to acquaint myself with the disposition of the chief transportation company of the state towards ) JOSEPH 8. CONE. 19 the board, and whether its purpose was to resist all reductions, or whether it was willing to make con- cessions to the industries of the state. I found that great and hitherto all-powerful corporation disposed to enter upon the question of reduction of freights apparently in good faith, if they could feel assured of being met with like good faith by the board. They did not want to be tricked into making concessions which the board would use only as a basis for still oreater and arbitrary reductions. I saw no reason why I should not, as a public officer, treat these cor- “porations with fairness, and negotiate terms for the people if I could—falling back upon our powers when- ever compelled to resort to them—and I saw no reason why I should not avail myself of every oppor- tunity afforded me by resort to the companies’ records at their offices, and by intercourse with their employés, in order the better to understand the complex duties of my office. In this view I was sustained by one member of the board only, the other apparently pre- srring to accomplish nothing except by absolute non- intercourse and by arbitrary exercise of power. «The board visited nearly all the shipping points in the state ; held public meetings to which all persons were invited; the wants of shippers were inquired into and their importance considered. Meanwhile every opportunity offered by the companies to disclose the extent to which they would concede the terms asked by the people was taken advantage of, and a body of facts thus collected enabled a majority of the board to prepare a schedule of reduced freights, which, however little known to or appreciated by the peo- ple, I have the satisfaction of knowing has saved and will hereafter save to the producers very large sums of money. This schedule, after considerable hesita- tion and some reluctance, was consented to by the chief railway company, and wes put in operation with- out resort to the courts, on June 1, 1881. It ‘embraced the principal products of the state, to wit : 4 i Be TET ne ———. SE PTE ‘20 : AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. Wheat, corn, barley, oats, rye, flour, and mill stuffs, cattle, sheep, hogs, and wool. Any one who will take ~ the trouble to consult this schedule, or will compare his shipping receipts for 1880 with those of 1881 (after June) will see that he has a net gain, through the interference of this board, of from twenty-five to thirty-three per cent. If he will compute the saving to the people of the state he will see that it amounts to several hundred thousand dollars per annum, and this advantage will inerease every year. I desire also to say, that in nearly every instance the reduction was entirely satisfactory to the people who came before us, and was as great as was demanded by them. This schedule went into force without the assent or codp- eration of the minority member of the board, who still adhered to his purpose of doing nothing to which the transportation companies would assent. “ Parallel with our investigations upon this branch of our duties, we were also gathering facts and acquainting ourselves with the more difficult question of a general freight tariff on goods shipped to the interior, and upon the question of fares. Upon the general classification of freights we were met and beset by the most complex difficulties, and I regret that so little substantial good was accomplished in that direction. “ Upon the matter of the reduction of fares we had the same friendly assurances from the companies most interested that we had received as to freights and pro- ducts of the soil, but we were besought not to press action upon them concurrently with freight reductions, because of the disastrous effect it might have upon their struggle to complete their through line to the Atlantic seaboard. This latter great enterprise I had come to regard as the most important source of relief to the chief industry of the state ever yet undertaken. We had long been completely at the mercy of the ocean vessels, and by combinations of tonnage our farmers were practically working for speculators, and JOSEPH 8S. CONE. 21 were absolutely helpless. The cheapening of freights to the bay of San Francisco only added to the gains of tonnage buyers. The Liverpool market had no controlling interest on prices here, but they were regulated by ocean charges. We saw the western farmers making money while we were cultivating the soil and shipping our vastly superior wheat at a loss. I saw no relief except through the controlling power of the Southern Pacific dd: and being assured that by this route wheat could be laid down in Liver- pool for a rate never afterward to exceed fifteen dol- lars per ton as against twenty-two and twenty-five dollars per ton, which we had been paying by ocean, I felt it an imperative obligation upon me to abstain from any official action which might seriously cripple "this means of relief, and destroy a possible saving to the state of from $3,000,000 to $7,000,000 annually in the near future. It seemed to me suicidal to need- lessly impede the progress of this important outlet. « After, however, the southern route was assured, and the non-action of our board was no longer impor- tant, I renewed my efforts to have the companies revise and reduce fares, and I was informed that it would be done. In nearly every portion of the state they established a practical reduction by introducing reduced round-trip tickets and putting on second-class cars ; still this did not seem to me to quite meet their duty to the public or their promises, and at length, despairing of securing the reduction without the exer- cise of the power of the board, I introduced a resolu- tion fixing the maximum of four cents per mile. «The efforts I have made to secure the passage of the resolution are fresh and need not be recalled. I Lad no doubt that I could count now upon the codp- eration of the minority member, who had all alcug affected to want to do wi.at this resolution proposed. He became the candidate of one of the political par- ties of the state for governor and was elected. All his previous pledges, and every sense of duty, seemed WR vr ET _— oo - —, rn = LG i nS a Se pe ee Sm SOP i aS Bn » % yc ony DELS CA BP ine — . " a ES Re ree measles OR a == me st AA ~~ ns JE PU UE SU i. — DSS PoE at J . mr a DUS a ~— - pap tn py a Ja I — pn ani a = En MA Se Crt E SOA utili fine: hii TTT a ~~ rt a r E—— a 22 AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. to me to require that he should remain on this board until some action was taken as to fares. Numerous ~ and high precedents were at hand for his continuing to exercise the powers of railroad commissioner up to the time of his induction into office as governor; there was no possible or conceivable impropriety in it what- ever; the people had a right to expect this of him; he, however, made haste to resign, and at the last 1 stood alone to record my vote for a reduction of fares. «In taking leave of my office as railroad commis- sioner, I do so with a consciousness of having endeav- ored to serve the people faithfully as far as I could from my standpoint. Freights have been very mate- rially reduced, and fares also to a large extent. I fally realize that much more remains to be done, but looking back I am still convinced that had the board forced the issue into the courts we would be to-day where we were three years ago, and our producing classes would have suffered immeasurably more than they have by the course pursued. However perma. nant and substantial have been these benefits to the public, I cannot hope at this time for a fair judgment from a people who have so recently elevated to a high place the one member of the board who has refused to take part in the only measures of relief proposed, and who at the last turned away from performing a signal act of duty plainly incumbent upon him. IfI was mistaken in my judgment as to how best to per- form my duties, I can in all faith submit the rectitude of my conduct to the scrutiny of the world. “J. S. Cone.” Mr Cone brought to the performance of his duties no practical knowledge of railroading or railroad oper- ations, or the so-called science of transportation, or the laws governing it. Neither had his associates, General Stoneman and Mr Beerstecher, any knowl- ‘edge of the subject. They found themselves with these vast powers, and with our entire system of transportation to a degree at their mercy; and with JOSEPH S. CONE. 23 the exception of Mr Core there was no other member of the board who can be said to have had any wide experience in affairs, and at least one of them had none whatever. Naturally Mr Cone became presi- dent of the board, and by reason of his larger experi- ence in business affairs, and contact with business men through his varied interests as rancher, mer- chant, and banker he became the leading spirit of the board. i 30N0T A reduction in freights amounting from twenty-five to thirty-three per cent upon the chief agricultural products of the state secured by the board was a pro- digious gain to the people, and as, under the law, freights once reduced could not be again raised above the point of reduction, this immense gain was perma- nent. It needs but little reflection to see how great this advantage was, and if nothing more had been accomplished by this board in its three years official existence, the people of this state can well afford to acknowledge a debt of gratitude for such services; but a great deal more was in fact accomplished. A great many inequalities were corrected in their freight schedules, and practical reductions secured. That Mr Cone’s efforts to secure reductions in fares, as he explains, should have been ultimately thwarted through the finesse of the transportation companies, the unkindly, unnecessary, and precipitate resignation of General Stoneman, together with the persistent absence of the commissioner Beerstecher while Mr Cone was urging a vote on his proposition to reduce fares to a uniform rate of four cents per mile, formed the chief and only great disappointment of Mr Cone’s term of office. He found himself at last standing alone, deserted by the member who all along had insisted on this very reduction, and unable to secure a vote by reason of deliberate absenteeism of his other associate, without whose vote‘he was powerless to secure official action. His ‘efforts, however, in that direction must have created some impression upon - RRS ie Nite SRE —— co RM i a Cg — me = PISS I an capi RE su Rae, RR 5 i? esti Ds ee onda ; Sais ene — : Bon a i INP ps A — a LL —— rn — Eo min AO XC ag ro pa _ DE Ei UNE Su cine 4 AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. the transportation companies, and must have put them in a position where they dare not long refuse to make this concession, for it is known that within a few months after Mr Cone’s term of office expired the railroad company did in fact adopt a schedule of uni- form rates on the basis of four cents per mile. The board succeeding the Cone board, and composed of Carpenter, Humphreys, and Foot, all of whom, except Mr Carpenter, differed from Mr Cone politically, in their annual report to the governor have this to say of Mr Cone’s efforts in securing a reduction of freights: « Prior to the present term of this cffice but one schedule of charges for transportation had been estab- lished or adopted by any commission in this state. That was introduced by Commissioner Cone, and went into effect on the first day of June 1881. It made reductions of from twenty-five to thirty per cent on preéxisting rates for the carriage of wheat, corn, oats, barley, flour, millstuffs, cattle, sheep, hogs, and wool. It went into force with the reluctant acquiescence of the leading company in interest; for that reason it was probably less appreciated by those who hold that thus often was created prolonged con- troversy, or to provoke litigation. But it was none the less a substantial benefit.” It is, perhaps, a source of gratification to Mr Cone in lookiag back over the years that have elapsed since his retirement from office, as it must also be to his many friends, that his successors in the last five or six years—able and conscientious though they were _ have found this perplexing question of transporta- tion in all its ramifications so difficult that, with all their endeavor, there has not been so relative a change to the benefit of the shippers and patrons of the trars- portation lines as there was during his term. Each successive board has only confirmed the belief always entertained by Mr Cone’s friends—that during his term of office he entertained as broad and comprehen- sive a view of the question, and acted with as great CE a JOSEPH §. CONE. 25 intelligence and sound judgment as have been brought to bear on this very complex question by any of his successors. The hot blood which ran through the political currents of Mr Cone’s time has greatly cooled, aad the agrarian sentiment which would have confis- cated the transportation properties of the state in those days is fast settling down into the belief that the relations existing between the people and the common carriers of the state have to be considered and dealt with as any other relation, and with the same spirit of fairness. With that unusual ability for directing affairs and placing in charge men who are competent to carry out his plans, notwithstanding the long and frequent periods of absence from business at hishome in Tehama, county while railroad commissioner, Mr Cone’s pri- vate business affairs: progressed with but little appar- e1t diminution of favorable results. The same habits of economy, the same simple tastes which had char- astarized the man before, attended him throughout his offizial life and accompanied him back to his retire- mant to private life ; as before, so afterwards, the sams business success attended him. The mercantile business, of which he was the head; the banking house, of which he was the main prop; the farming operations, which were among the largest carried on in the state, continued to increase in importance and magnitude, and into their management he dropped again as naturally and easily as though he had never been absent, and no one would have supposed from any change in his manner or habits, that any newer or broader experiences had been introduced into his life. The most striking instance of his tenacity of pur- pose, self-control and strength of character is found in the fact that he has been for several years a great sufferer from a kidney trouble, which finally compelled him, a year and a half ago, to suspend all business management. However, after most men would have surrendered and given up the fight, he continued to FP ES mi ~ Flyer — —— = pe - a = — J a a a TCT > or. i ™ = = ee pu i AAA 26 | AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. manage his -affairs, without even Lis most intimate friends realizing how great a sufferer he was. But * when the time came and he was fully convinced that he must seek relief, he acted with that same prompti- tude and determination that has always characterize him, and upon very short notice to his friends, and with a feeling that he might never return again to behold the monuments of his enterprise, everywhere to be seen in this country, he sailed for Europe, and after an absence of six or eight months, returncd very uch relieved, and to all appearance has many years of usefulness yet before him. In personal appearance, since his recent illness, Mr Cone has very much changed. Six or eight years ago he was a man quite stout. in appearance, sturdy looking, and slightly inclined to portliness. His height is five feet seven and a half inches, and his present weight 1s 165 pounds, a falling off of thirty or forty pounds. His features disclose the firmness of his character, and at the same time present a kindli- ness and gentleness of disposition apparently 1n con- tradiction to the sternness of his character in matters of business. In manner he is quite unobtrusive, with a gentle voice, and rarely giving way to impulsive expressions, Or evidencing mental excitement. His great power of self-control holds in restraint whatever of the impulsive nature there may be in him. He converses well, expresses his 1deas strongly and logic- ally, but has never attempted and probably would not succeed if he did attempt to express himself in a pub- lic speech. He writes well, and with considerable force and vigor, but concisely, and very much as he talks. He has a finely shaped head, and a forehead indicating intelligence, with an exceedingly bright and expressive eye, of a dark brown color. His hair, originally dark, is now frosted by the touch of time. He is a man very tenacious of his rights, and quick to resent any encroachment upon them. His success may be attributed, perhaps, as much as to any other JOSEPH S. CONE. ay cause, to the fact that he looks after the small things, which make up a part of the duties and business of his life. He insists, in business matters, upon a strict compliance with agreements, even in the sim- plest matters, and yet no man is more generous or more ready to compromise on broad principles in matters of larger moment. His memory has been very tenacious, although losing some of its power in later years, and this has given him great advantage, because he was rarely found at fault in matters rest- ing with the recollection. In all his transactions, this exacting disposition which insists upon a strict compliance with agreements has created an impres- sion upon some that he was unnecessarily harsh and unrelenting in business matters; and yet those who have observed him most closely, and have known him best, concede that, after all, 1t 1s but an assertion of that principle of justice which runs through all his business relations. He is as quick to yield a point when he is wrong as he is to insist upon it when he is right, and his readiness to make liberal use of his money for the benefit of others, when the occasion offers, shows that his method of business is more the result of a fixed principle of action than of any harsh or severe disposition of mind. As an assoclate or partner in business, no man could be more delightful. He gives to his associate his entire confidence, never for a moment questioning his motives or his integrity, and only contending with him at times on matters of business policy. | In his relations with the bank he has often been called upon to take a responsibility, which other offi- cers of the bank would not take, when the fate of some customer hung upon the decision, and in many such instances, well known in Tehama county, his judgment of men and of their ability to pay, and their honesty, has enabled him to save many persons from financial disaster by timely aid through the bank, 23 AGRICULIURE- CALIFGRNIA. himself taking the responsibility to order the loan, and in no instance being deceived. Another index of his character is seen in the strong friendships which surround him, and are drawn out by those who know him best. They will go to any trouble to serve him, not only because they are glad to submit to the leadership of so strong and well- developed a mind, but because of the friendship and affection for the man himself. It would be strange if such a man escaped the enmity of others, and he has not escaped, but a man who acts from principles of right and justice, as he endeavors to do, rarely has many, and Mr Cone has but few who can be said to be personal enemies. He has never used his power and influence and money to oppress others. In the main his operations have been conducted and his money has been let in avenues where he was not brought in conflict often with the interests of others. On the contrary, in later years, since he has had an abundance of capital to use in“his own business and a surplus besides, cir- cumstances are numerous where he has, by timely aid and by interposing when men were in financial trouble, been of very great service to his neighbors. A strictly moral man, in every sense of that word, leading an upright and biameless life, always just in his dealings, and ever ready to lend his advice and counsel, and often his purse, he has been consulted by many people in their private affairs, and has done much good as counsellor and friend. Because his ventures have almost always resulted in financial success, and because financial aid extended to friends has ordinarily been given under circumstances involv- ing no loss to him, some may have thought that he always had an eye to his own interest, and that underlying his actions was a selfish motive of personal gain, but all this is entirely consistent with the char- acter I have given him, because with all there was that same unerring judgment which told him where JOSEPH 8S. CONE. 29 and when to extend aid or enter upon a doubtful ven- ture. It was perfectly natural that he should come out successful, because his actions were prompted by his judgment, and his judgment being good the result was inevitable; indeed, as all know, the useful man in society is the successful man. Others have attrib- uted his success to luck ; but the long course of deal- ings and the long experience in varied enterprises nearly all terminating successfully, cannot beaccounted for on the theory of luck. The early battles fought and won by General Grant were attributed to the same cause, for the reason that those who had known Lim could not bring themselves to regard him as a oreat general, and those who had not known him could not conceive of great success attending an obscure man except as arising from accident or luck. But when these successes became the rule of his life, his manceuvres upon the field and his battles sur- ceeding them resulting in victory upon victory people began then to analyze the character of the man, ard inquire for a cause beyond that of accident ; and grad- ually he came to be looked upon as a great general, and as having within him the material out of which great generals are carved. So with Mr Cone; none but a superficial observer could refer the successes of his life to accident. Whether he will before the close of his career ded- icate a portion of his well-earned wealth to some pub- lic charity or some public use can only be predicted, but not stated with any degree of certainty. His charities, however numerous and varied, are not her- alded, and if he has in his mind any unformed plan for leaving behind him some monument, in the shape of some public institution, it has not been disclosed beyond the very narrow circle of his most intimate friends. It is believed, however, that some such idea is in contemplation by him. ‘ He feels greatly attached to the county which has been the scene of his principal successes, and to the 30 AGRICULTURE—CALIFORNIA. people among whom he has lived so many years, and it is believed that if he is spared to work out some practical method of public good he will do so. That he values education, and desires to see our educational institutions prosper, and that there should be a more general diffusion of knowledge than was obtainable in the days when he was a boy, his career affords many evidences. If he should bestow any public benefaction upon the community in which he lives, it will in all probability take shape in the form of some educational institution. Many persons are wondering whether in his life- time this great property will be subdivided and opened to settlement. Upon this subject he has expressed himself as ready to enter upon the work of subdivi- sion as rapidly as other improvements seem to demand it There is at this time a good deal of desirable land in the market in Tehama county, and therc seems to be no pressing necessity for the dismemberment of the property in which he takes so much pleasure; but when the time comes the sacrifice will be made; indeed, there is a very fine property for subdivision __some five or six thousand acres—south of Mill creek, and a part of the original Rio de los Molinos rancho, which he 1s now ready to separate and put upon the market. Such a man as we find Mr Cone to be could not fail in having a very great influence upon the people among whom he moves. It is difficult to measure the influence of such a man upon society and upon the rising generation, growing up within view of such an example; In point of fact, notwithstanding the absorb- ing business which has engaged his attention for so many years, he has been very near the people, and has in many ways made his influence felt for good among them. OF TITLE END OF REEL. PLEASE REWIND.