, 1856-08-01
From the National Democratic Review.
The Oregon War,

From the National Democratic Review.
The Oregon War.
The West the West where is the West?
1t follows tho declining sun
| Along the banks of Oregon
Nor leaves him where he makes his pillow
On the great Pacic's biilOw.
We have watched, with intense interest
the fearful struggle between civilization and
humanity on one hand, and savage brutality
on the other, which has been maintained
during the last few months in the Terrific
rles OF Washington and Oregon. Nothing
but an honest doubt in regard to the ma.
ture Of the difficulties in which Oregon
matters are involved has deferred MS from
calling aloud on behalf of the settlers on
our Northwestern borders, for that aid
which is necessary to quench the fagot in
savage hands, and stay the torrent Of
ruthless murder. After the most deliberate
examination of the whole subject, we are
satisfied our first opinion was correct, viz
that too small body Of troops was sent to
the Pacific coast, or that the military dis
position of those troops did not justify the
high expectations INDUCED in reference to
those most prominent in command.
What is Oregon that it should be DOOM
ed to become land of skulls and who
are its inhabitants, that they should be
plundered, murdered, and inundated by
the savages? The Territory of Oregon is
one of the loveliest in the world: it is a
land of promise, where Providence seems
to have been most prodigal in the expendi-
ture Of its riches 1t has the noblest riv-
ers, the most fertile valleys, the proudest
forests, and the grandest mountains of the
world. 1t has wales delicious as as Tempe,
groves as delightful as Arcadia, and fields
fair as those of Emma,
"Where Proserpina gathering flowers,
Herself fairer flower, by gloomy Dis
Was carried off,
Oregon is the last home Of the emigrant
Here, wearied by the march of thousands
of miles, he determined to rest forever.
Here he erected his cabin, planted his gar
den, sowed his farm, and gathered his little
family at'night in confident security. In
the midst Of his repose, he was aroused by
the cry that his dwelling was in flames, and
he awoke only to fall before the deadly
rife, and see his children struck down,
and his wife violated in his presence
Tell US not that we should first inquire
who were originally to blame In this>mat-
ter Shame upon the trucking deRa-
gogue who can maintain his composure,
aud look coldly on while the fairest daugh-
ters of America are murdered and insulted
upon the banks of the Columbia These
women, little while ago, dwelt in New
England, the Middle States, in the South,
and in the West they are our mothers,
our sisters, and our daughters. Shall we
protect them, or shall we suffer them to be
butchered and inundated by the miserable
savages Of Oregon d? All Greece engaged
in the Trojan war, to recover woman who
voluntarily fed her country oil Sparta
would have invaded Scandinavia, had such
an invasion been necessary to rescue q
single mother Of the iron Kingdom shall
we of this proud land prove the only un-
gallant people of the earth We have
not patience to reason with men who hesi-
tate in crisis like the present. 1t is the
duty OF commanding officer to execute
orders it is bis duty to take the field,
conquer the enemy, and put an end to'the
destruction Of human life. He is not the
Judge of the origin of war, and he tran
scends the boundary Of his authority when
he presumes to call in question the right Of
people to defend their own fresides.
In this connection, we may remark
nothing has gratifed usmore than the bold
and manly course pursued by the Delegate
from Oregon, Gen. Joseph Lane. The
people on our northwestern coast were
certainly fortunate in their selection Of a
man to represent their interests in Wash
ington City. Gen. Lane, the gallant vet
eran who won the glorious title Of "The
Marion Of the Mexican War;" has watched
day and night over the people who live on
the borders of the Pacific.
Here followed some extracts from
Gen. Lanes speech, on the Oregon War,
which having before published in the PIoN-
EER AND DEMOCRAT, we now admit.
Here is a plain and unVarnished state
ment, which bears the marks Of truth. We
have no disposition to reflect upon General
Wool on the contrary, we entertain the
highest respect for him as man and as a
soldier if it be true, however, that he at,
tempted, while in the neghborhood Of
California, TO detain the 9th Infantry, then
on the way to OregOn-that his influence,
at one period, prevented the settlers fur
nishing powder to the residents on the
frontiers-that he did not move boldly
against the savages, but instead, hesitated
upon the pretext that the whites were
guilty of the first offenses if these things
bo true, Gen. Wool should be held to ac-
count by the American people.
| We entertain no doubt that indscretions,
in many instances, marked the conduct ol
the white man in Oregon. There never
was a frontier population which eonld be
absolutely restrained soldiers, though,
wpra MT sent In the Territories to Judge oil