" In his Autobiography he has explained that his function as a
legislative correspondent was to dispense compliment and censure with
impartial justice. As his disquisitions covered about half a page each
morning in the Enterprise, it is easy to understand that he was an
"influence." Questioned by Carlyle Smith in regard to his choice of
"Mark Twain," Mr. Clemens replied: "I chose my pseudonym because to nine
hundred and ninety-nine persons out of a thousand it had no meaning, and
also because it was short. I was a reporter in the Legislature at the
time, and I wished to save the Legislature time. It was much shorter to
say in their debates--for I was certain to be the occasion of some
questions of privilege--'Mark Twain' than 'the unprincipled and lying
Parliamentary Reporter of the 'Territorial Enterprise'.'"
Already his name was known the whole length of the Pacific Coast; the
Enterprise published many things from his pen which gave him local, and
afterwards national, fame; such sketches as 'The Undertaker's Chat',
'The Petrified Man' and 'The Marvellous 'Bloody Massacre'' had attracted
favourable and wide notice east of the Rocky Mountains.
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