, 1856-11-07
Substance Of the remarks Of Gov Stevens at the
Dinner given 10 Col. Shaw and the Volunteers

his name with the measures Of the war,
| Gov. Stevens gave history Of the causes
of the war, demonstrating that it was the
result of wide spread combination, and
had commenced under circumstances OF
great atrocty. The relations Of the whites
and Indians had been friendly, and but
few cases of injury to the property or per-
son of an Indian, had ocurred since the
| first settlement Of the country.
Treaties had just been entered into, and
yet in violation Of the faith Of them, our
people, entirely unSuspciouS Of danger, had
been massacred in cold blood innocent
women and helpless children even, moi
having been spared. 1t was determined,
all persons agreeing, the people, the au.
thoritieS and the regular troops that these
murdercrS should be punished, and the
tribes which protected them
The tribes in the Yakima and refugees
from the tribes on the Sound under LeSchi,
now wuged war in earnest, but thanks to
the valor and patriotism OF our people, the
war was ended on the Sound, and thoSc
who did not surrender unconditional pris
onerS, were driven uctoSS the Cascades.
Gov. STEVENS regretted that he could
not approve Of the operations of the rcgu
lar troops east of the Cascades, which, in
his Judgment, brought discredit upon the
county, aud lowered the prestige Of the
white race in the mind Of the Indian.
The bright spot in the operations of the
war east of the Cascade mountains, since
the signal defeat of the enemy in the Wala,
wala valley in December last by the Ore,
gon volunteers, was the brilliant victory OF
The Grand Ronde The troops moved in
two columns from the Sound over the Cas-,
cades and from the Dales along the Co
lumbia, aud IN citing almost the same day,
pushed on by night marches, and struck
the seyereSt blow Of the war.
Words cannot express the respect and
admiration which such achievements excite
III the patriotic heart The vaor and con-
duct Of Col. SHAW in command, and the
courage and devotion Of his officers aud
men, will have lasting record in the his
tory Of the Territory aud OF the coast.
Fraternal relations of the dearest kind
have been established between the River
and the Sound. The Southern Battalion,
under the intrepid Maxon, came by forced
marches to the Sound in its hour Of need,
and the Sound forces marched with then
over the Cascades to the Grand ROnde, Of
which the relations are with the Columbia
valley, there routed the enemy and returned
home with them by way Of the Columbia
river. =
But the citizens Of the Territory gener-
ally, have given an example Of patriotism
which past history furnishes no parallel
Every thing that could be spared was
freely tendered, at fair prices, to carry on
the war Farmers, merchants, owners Of
vessels, oil contributed, turning out animals,
wagons, provisions, clothing aud transpor-
talion to equip aud keep well supplied for
six months more than One-hulf Of the able
bodied men Of the Territory-and yet with
arms in their hands aud ut tile risk Of their
lives, those who remained ut home, less
than one-half Of the adult males, got in
crops which have ripcned into II harvest,
sufficient for the next years subsistence OF
the Territory.
But it is not so much the valor aud pa
triotism Of our people which challenges ad-
mirution, as their noble humanity under
circumstances Of extraordinary excitement
and proyocation.
No bird Of i'll omen lowering over the
coast, and sending its stencil TO the shores
of the far Atlantic, eau obscure the glOri-
GUS record which the conduct of our people
has made in the history of the country. -
{ No friendly Indian has been molested III
volunteer camp or scont There has
been no killing OF prisoners or plundering
Of property from the hostiles. Captured
animals have been accounted for as public
property. For six months, not friendly
Indian was killed throughout the Territory,
although one-haf were ready at the fnvol1l.
Bile moment to join the war party. Of the
five thousand live hundred Indians held on
reservations, not one was touched. 1t was
not the strength of few lrail men, but the
strength aud courage of whole pOpula-
tion that secured 10 the Indians this immu-
nifty from suffering and wrong.
or the few cases of murder which occur
red subsequent 10 the first six months Oi
the war, there was extraordinary provoca.
ton in two cases which occurred in dis
trict forbidden to the friendly Indians, aud
which had been laid waste by the enemy
These murders have been universally re-
GREETED and reprobated by our citizens /;
and it would be as unjust TO attach the
censure of them to an entire community, as
Liz would be to attach the censure of the
recent killing ola northern Indian by some
soldiers at Steiacoom to the whole garri
sou.
All snch officers of the regular service
as IIaller, ANord, Maloney, the lamented
Slaughter, RasSell Nugent, and Major
Rains himself, who from long residence in
the Territory actually know the country
and the Indians, have agreed with the
people and the authorities us to the char
acter Of the emergency we have had to
meet. They have been with us in senti'