Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-07-19

Who DISCOVERED THE South PASS 1.-The De.
troit Advertiser having asserted that Col Fremont
was the discoyerer of the South Pass of the
Rocky Mountains, correspondent of the Detroit
Free Press denies the truth of the statement and
the editor Of that journal publishes the following
letter from Ramsay Crooks, Esq, of New York
NEW YORK. June 26, 1856.
MY DEAR Sir Just as ] was about closing my
letter to you, of vest erdays date, received the
Detroit Free Press, Of 2lst instant, containing
laudation of Col. John G. Fremont, taken from the
Detroit Advertiser Of the previous day, and which
Cf it had been true) is not in my humble opinion,
a very important item in making up the essentials
of such man a. should become the President of
this glorious Confederacy. /, however, presume
it is intended to exhibit him as endowed with I'M
common intrepidity and daring in exploring 80
wild region, surrounded by savages and grizzly
bears thereby proving great frmness Of charac-
ter, 80 very desirable, but unfortunately 80 very
rare in the head Of q great nation.
But even IL the Colonel had discovered the
"South Pass" it does not show any more fitness
for the exalted station he covets than the nume-
rous beaver hunters and traders who passed and
repassed through that noted place full twenty years
before Col Fremont had attained legal right to
vote, and were fully his equals In enterprise ener-
~, and in indomitabe perseverance, with this
somewhat important difference, that he was back
ed by the United States Treasury, while other eI-
plorers had to rely on their own resources
The perils of the South Pass" therefore, con-
fer on the Colonel no greater claim to distinction
than the trapper is entitled to- and his party must
be pressed very hard when they have to drag In a
circumstance 90 very unimportant as who discover
ed the "South Pass
Although the Free Press conclusiyely proves
that the Colonel could not be the dscoyerer of the
"South Pass" the details are not accurate, and in
order that history (f it ever gets there) may be
correctly indicated, win tell you how II was.
Mr.. David Stuart sailed from this port in 1910
for Columbia river, on board the ship Tonquin,
with number Of Mr. Astor's associates In the
Pacific Fur Company and after the breaking up
of che company in 1914, he returned through the
North West Company's Territories TO Montreal, far
to the North of the "South Pass which he never
saw.
In 1911 the overland party Of Mr.. Astor's ex-
petition, under the command Of Mr.. Wilson p
Hunt, OF Trenton, New Jersey, although number
ing sixty well-srmed men, found the Indians so
very troublesome in the country Of the Yellow
Stone river, that the party Of seven persons who
left Astoria toward the end of June, 1872 consd-
ering it dangerous to pass again by the route Of
1911, turned toward the southeast as soon as they
bad crossed the main chain Of the Rocky Noun
tsins, and after several days journey came through
the celebrated South Pass,n IN the month Of No
vember, 1917 Pursuing from thence an easterly
course, they fell upon the river Platte Of the Mis-.
souri,, where they passed the winter, and reached
Sc. Louis In April, 1919.
The seven persons forming the party were Rob
ert McClellsnd, Of Hsgerstown, Nsrylsnt, sho,