Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-09-15
AFFAIRS IN OREGON.


dence with General Harvey relating TO affairs
in the department of Oregon. 1t was laid up
on the table of the House of Representatives
and ordered to be printed, April ~. 1860.
1t appears by this document that Oregon
was erected into q separate military department
on the LIST of September 1858, and General
Harvey assigned to its command. The Gener-
al arrived at Fort Vancouver, Washington Ter
ritory, on the 2Sth of October 1853, in thirty
three days from New York, and entered upon
disturbances in that quarter had just been
quelled by General Clarke, it seemed at first as
if there was nothing for General Harvey to do;
but under a commander of such II high reputa-
ton for energy, the American Arms soon found
occupation. The occasion was this:-An Amer
lean citizen on the disputed territory of the Is
land of San Juan, with degree of lawlcssness
peculiar to our frontier men, shot a hog belong
ing to British subject, and was very much sur
prised and highly indignant to find that he
could not compound for breaking the peace,
and for hog and all, by merely paying small
price for the hog One of the agents of the
Hudson's Bay Company which had an estab
lishment on the Island threatened to take the
American before British authority for trial. to
which threat the American replied that he
would shoot the agent if he attempted it, and
there the matter rested until it was taken up by
General Harvey. The General, who is exceed
ingly skiltul in picking small quarrels, forth
with landed troops and artillery upon the Is
land wrote lofty letters to the British author
tiles, and seemed determined to hurry two great
nations into war. But fortunately, while the
British force there, was much superior to our
own, Governor Douglas and the British officials
generally, were very superior men to our Gen
eral so that the course which he pursued is
made to appear by their management and mod
Grafton, like mere harmless clustering. Being
an American Officer however, his conduct claim
ed the attention of our government and Gen
eral Scott, tho hardly capable Of active service
from age, wounds and repeated disgusts, was
sent out to arrange matters. 1t is not at all
improbable that General Harvey had received
rue from our government to get up Difficult
ty with the British in order to divert the atten-
ton of the country from Slavery. BE this as it
may; General Scott soon regulated matters :;
restored our affairs nearly to their former status
and gaze General Harvey permission to retire
But for some reason or Other, General Harvey
still remained in command. We do him the
justice to say that he applied for leave of alb
sence, when he ought either to have rendered
his resignation or called for court of inquiry.
1t was criminal on the part Of the admnistra-
ton in sending man of such character to
command in the presence of British authorities,
or even to command at all, any where. The
document shows amentabe state of discord
and indsciplinc among the officers unde. his
command, indicating a disordered state of SER
vice for which the General, although perhaps not
Immediately responsible, had nevertheless done
as much as any other person or cause towards
bringing about. His conduct, as portrayed by
himself or his aidde-camp often appears well
on paper but it is usually very much at vari-
ance with his proceedings as seen by his subor-
climates. Some of his acts, it is true, seem die
tated by meritorious independence of charac-
ter; but when duly examined, they will be
found to result from RIGHTEOUSNESS which has
been rendered fearless by long course of I'M
punity and corrupt favor. He is as likely to
yield where submission is a crime, as he is to be
firm where frmness degenerates into the last
degree of unenlightened obstinacy. He has
been favored by the government when favor
could only serve to sanction bad examples and
commended them to the observance of the
young and inexperienced. He is South West
ern man, and has hence been invested of late
years with some political Importance The
same administration that found high political
value in Brigham Young, also discovered po-
value in General Harvey; and this has served
to aggravate his duplicity and render his con-
duct more unmilitory than it ever was before ;
when it was already proverbial in the service
for unmanly harshncss and vaporous, disordcrly
impetuosity
Yet, from long military experience, and
aided by the views of others, he endeavored to
initiate some measures while in Oregon that
were not in i'll accordance with proper exer-
else OF his profession. He did not seem to be
fully aware of the part which the administration
wished him to play for the measures recon-
mended were certainty not in accord with their
wishes. Such for instance, were the reserva-
tons proposed by the General in favor of the
Indians the establishment of new posts, and
the exploration Of the country to the eastward
All these were proper measures but it is curl
GUS to observe that the establishment of new
posts which would have served to open up the
country and facilitate the location of rail
road by northern route was disapproved of
by the government on the grounds of economy.
The government that was sustaining the expe-
ditions of Utah and Paraguay, pretended to raise
objections on the score of economy! The
government then disapprovcd of the Generals
course, and not only in the main, as touching
the San Juan affair, but also in several instan-
ces of minor import, and yet kept him in COM
mand a proceeding which could not fail to
prove confusing and confounding to all distinc-
tons, and hence hiuhly in;ur;ouo IN tho sor,oo