New-York daily tribune., 1856-07-29
OREGON.
THE WAR IN OREGON.
co....x,na, nee Of Tue N. Y. Ino~e'

c.....r,os, ne. Of Tse N. r. Tribs~e
o., rs.scysco, Thursday, July 3, 1850.
~. rec,ut of your paper Of April produced
- ~, the Pacific Coast, almost like an earth
On,,s only it shook the people 'n'sead oi tne
1,nu,,a T, WAS felt alike in the tented seid and
% ~. citv tbropg. For months past many hsd
,o,a-,d ,be em,eves with calcuiatona OF ficn To
ward for the perils and 'uarripg Incurred by the
oar. Others hs' speculsted largely in Government
scrip, purchasing Sr 40 or 5o ccots on tns o"nar'
spo it il believed that many pefPe'io'e' anu per
p,,uated war In bopeof gain.
pn, Iur JR,BUNF (as ab0ve). containing Gen
al Wools Report with yozr remarks, aud que
t.t,ons from, YOUR Oregon CORE spondent on the
Indian Var, brought every calculstion to sudden
.,on and high 6sciuls rs well as men OF low de-
ore were seen ID solemn conclaye as though plot
ssd txuioced snd the Profits been lOst No sooner
had the bubble burst than scores Of rejecting
n inds perctised the 'tIuth and for the 6rst time
the ouestons ls itright Are we jCstifable in
hi, warof exteI miDatiOn = Could We not have
lived in peace viii out it t7-sbd, Hare not the Ii
dsps right to life, TO liberty, to land, to SELF
de- efeDse and human sympathy, the came as we =
were appreciated and met responsive Yes And
could we be tleced back with our present corVlc-
TORS, war could not again occur.
But il is to be regretted that there are in Ore
gOn,multitudes of nen from the Southern or from
tier States as well as some iron the East ana tue
West. whose minds are not cultured by education.
and are not informed iD regard to the true prln-
ciple. upon which our Government is based, but
who nevertheless assume the prerogauves OF
Souatter S.yer.gDs; and being led by intelligent
but ubpriDcipled men, whose god is gold, en-
deavor TO control public sentiment, and the iber.
ty Of speech Ind Of the press is denied. Omces
Of trust are filled by unworthy occupants, and
ensctu ents carried out subversive OF every prn.
.cipe Of law and justice. And this is the real
caue of the present wsr. 1t did not commence
because the Indians dt but because they had
| no ateII atiye; they must either suomt 10 be cut
no in detail or combine for self defense. Ever since
| the settlement Of the country, their females have
been the helpless victims Of 1awless lust; If their
brothers or fathers and husbands resisted they have
b. en- shot with iDpuhity and 40 censure was feared
| Not OILY lust, but avarce, has had full share
| in bringing about the misery we suffer. Numbers
| of mel supplied the Indians with ammunition and
AIMS contrary to law, for the use OF their squaws
| or for the gold dust they would gather.
| II was this class of men wt0 purlolned and cir
culsted the manuscript letter spoken of in The
Oregon Argus, which herewith send
Al an indignation meeting 10 Rogue River Val
| lev ON the oath of May where the manuscript and
| The TRIBUNE were read, the Chairman aud an
other speaker expressed regret that The TRIBUNE,
| which circuates in every corner OF the land,
| should contain such an article because it was q
reflection on the character Of the citizens; and yet
this reverend chairman and his colleague had been
from the fret among the nost merclless and per-
siseDt advocates OF the war; and another Methodist
| preacher of the Church South" carried around q
subte ripton paper to collect funds to pay men
| SO extra for each Indian scalp they could get
| They acknowledge no wrong they had done, but
| only regret that it was known abroad psrticu
| larly because it might inyalidate claims on the
| public treasury. And although they denied the
1 lnlo fal al landa
there was only one attempt at specification A
| Kentucky Csptsin Smith member Of the Oregon
Legislature, attempted to explain and justify the
| frtt attack On Indians, but he seemed like
chicken il the mud; the more be tried to free him.
| self, he got bedaubed the more, so that his de.
| tailed account developed more injustice and
wroDg than the brief allusion in the letter he was
| trying to coSdemn.
The necessity Of thorough investigation of the
merits OF this war arises from the fact that its
perpetJ alton has developed an extensive and deep
| Generalization Of the public mind. Multitudes
| of men from the mines have been for months ac-
customed to blood and rapiDe, regardless of JUS
tce or mercy. Human life has lost its sacred
meas, and the law its supremacy.
| If the whole claims are allowed, no check will
be given; and as long as there are Indians, wars
| will occur.
And yet the whole community is deeply embar
| raised; there are many cases of severe suffering,
| which should have prompt relief.
hope your suggestion Of commission to in
| vestieate will be adopted by the Government.
forgot to state fhat all the papers in tbe Ter
ritOry have gone Tor war; and athI ugh there are
some of the best men in the country who believe
with Generals Wool and Palmer that it need not
have been, yet they have had no public ex-
preston.
The Statesman would only publish my account
of the indignation meeting as an advertisement,
for which 1t charged $l2. The Pacific Adroeate
promised to publish both statements, but did not
print mine, and short article which wrote for
| its columns was refused admission. Icaled upon
Mr.. Adams Of The Oregon Argus: he said he had
advocated war through misapprehension Of facts,
both sides alike. But il is The TRIBUNE which
| can speak with the most telling effect and it is
read and heard in every quarter. J.B.
|