, 1858-06-25
Plain Talk

In order that the following NAV be cor
rectly understood, little explanation NAV
not be amiss. A few days since JUDGE r
f. YANTIs, Of this county, informed us tb.,
he had been told few days previous bv
respectable gentleman, a resident =,
Portland, Oregon, that It. j. DRYER ESQ
editor of the Oregonian, made the assertion
to large assemblage of persons in tba,
city, who were on the eve of starting sor
the northern gold mines, that there ,oea ro,
a pass By 1ohieh the Cascade mountains eou,J
be crossed Jctaceen The Columbia yiuey ,nJ
Cape Flattery, or north of the Coluvb;.
rirer. Upon being informed as above
Judge YANTIs Immediately addressed a
letter to Mr. DRYER, fatty denying IN.
assertion, aud vindicating the practicabU.
ty of the, Nachess and SnoquaImie passs,
1t is passing strange, that for the purposs
Of diverting the tide Of California travel to
the gold region from its legitimate coursa
towards Frazer and Thompson rivers, and
thereby furnishing material for hungry
swarm of sharpers and spectators to feed
upon, that there are men to be found in apv
community base enOugh-sO Uery loso do,Ou
in principle, integrity, and honor, as to bs
guilty Of such fragrant falsehood as ia
charged upon the editor of the OregOniau
The following is the substance Of the
letter addressed by Judge YANrIs to Mr.
DRYER:
OLYMPIA, W. T., Juue lsI1s6s,
FHEND DRYER-l was not little surprised On
yesterday to hear Of the citizens of your placs
say that he had on very recent occasion heard Won
publicly declare that there was not pass from Pnget
Sound to the eastern slope Of the Cascade mountans
was the more surprised, knowing the part you bad
always taken in advancing the interests Of the two
Territories, to find you ignorant of so importapt a
TACT IN relation to ours and for fear that you NAV
repeat the declaration will make few plain simple
statements in relation to the different passes over
which have Travelled In the year 1850 1 Travelled
over the Barlow pass from Portland 10 the Dales and
back. In the year 1852, travelled down the Colum-
9la rom the Daes to vancouver and since that time
crossed the Nachess pass four times and give It
decided preference to either Of the other passes as
there is but one camp without abundance of grass
Tor any number Of animals and the road in other re-
spects quite good, except the crossing Of White
and Nachess rivers, which in the rainy season are
troublesome, but not seriously 80. Besides this IN
the fall Of 1850 some so immigrant wagons crossed
into the Territory through the Nachess pass. And
there is yet another and believe from Information
that to Inc is perfectly reliable better pass than the
Nachess. The Snoqualme, which is said 10 be some
two thousand feet lower and the distance from erass
on this to the other side Of the mountain Is not 20
great. As one of the evidences, by which am in.
duced to believe the Snoqualme to be the best pass
will state that on the 18th OF Nov last left nv
camp on the Yakima, accompanied by my son and
one Clickatat Indian. The Nachess pass being the
most direct, concluded to take that pass, but tbS
father Of my guide advised to take the Snoqualme
declaring it TO be much the best, as he feared ne
snow on the Nachess, though came the latter pasS
and found but two feet Of snow on the summit.
make these statements with a two-fold object in
view the nrst to correct your msapprehensons, the
second that should there In the course Of the season
be in your place persons deslrous Of visiting he
Northern mines, that they may know that there i
from Olympia, or other places on the Sound, q good
and direct route to them &c. Should you deem the
foregoing worth publishing please give il place in
your columns, If not, do with 1t as you please.
Truly yours,
B.F YANrIs-