The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-04-22
.AalNa0,OOO CLAIM ALLOWED.
THE NJ p MISSIONARY S0CIE1RA
SECRETARY DEI,A NOS DECISION
IN FAVOR or IT'S CLAIM ron
LAND WORM SlOOO,OOO.



The Secretary Of the Interior has rem
dered decision giving the Missionary
Society of the Methodist Episcopal
Church possession of over two hundred
acres of land at the Dalles of the Column
bia river, Wasco county, Oregon. The
case came to the Secretary on an appeal
from an adverse decision Of the Commits
sioner of the General Land Office. In
rendering his decision Mr.. Delano gives
the history of the claim.
The Methodist Missionary Society es-
tablished a station at the Dalles in 1886
and crested buildings, cleared and inclos-
ed portion of the land, and used it as a
Iarm. This, and three stations establish
ed by the American Board Of Commits
sioners for Foreign Missions for religious
work among the Indians, were, the Secre-
tary says, 1.-THE earliest white settlements
in Eastern Oregon They induced and
were the nuclei around which gathered
the food of emigration from the States
that opehed up that section, overwhelm-
ed British influence, ana secured the
\ Northwestern territory to this country.
From 1884 until the missionaries were
attacked and driven out in l847 by the
/ Indians, the Whole Northwestern terrific
ry was held in joint occupancy by Great
Britain and the United States, the bound-
ary line not being settled or defned.n
The result of the contest as to which
country should tihallVpossess it 'proba-
bly, depended upon the fact which could
first settle it with emigrants." The agents
Of the Hudson's Bay Company an Cath
olic priests sent from Canada, gave their
influence in favor Of the British, while
he Methodist and American Board mis-
s.onaries succeeded in attracting "the tide
Of American emigration thai turned the
scale in favor of our Government, result
ing in the establishment of the 'Provis-
lonal Government Of Oregon" which
was wholly American. Thisgovernment
continued until he territory of Oregon
was created in lS48. L. that year Con-
gress passed an act confirming to the
missionary societies tracts of land in Ore
gon, not exceeding six hundred and forty
acres "now occupied" etc. At the time
of the passage of the act the missiona-
ries were not residing on their claims,
having been driven from them in Iecem-
ber 1847, by the indians. But the Da las
was actually held as missionary station
until those in chaTgeywere obliged to flee
in reasonable fear Of their lives. AS soon
as it was safe ltodo so the missionaries
returned to the station, renewed their
labors and attempted to re-establish their
work. and their repeated attempts to do
so wele only frustrated by the interven7
ton of the military authorities" who had
occupied the claim when the missiona-
ries were forced to leave it and had built
fort on the land. Subsequently a mill
tary reservation was created by the order
of the President which included some
three hundred and seventy acres of the
Methodist claim. The missionary society
demanded and obtained of the Govern
ment twenty thousand dollars for this
land.
As soon as the act of1S4S could be com
piled with, which was in 1850, the bound
ares of the Methodist Missionary Socie-
ty's claim were specifically designated,
and Secretary Delano says the lines thus
established should be adopted. Certain
citizens Of the town of Dallas contested
the claim of the society, but the Secretary
thinks they have no reason for complaint
against an adverse decision, because
''Iong before the inception of their claims
the lines Of the missionary property had
been definitely fixed and ind Gated upon
the face of the ground; made of public
record, and publication had thereof in
the newspapers published nearest the
land. The claim Of the society was no
torious, and parties settling thereon end
instituting claims thereto did SO at their
peril" The case has been pending at
Washington for several years. Adverse
decision of the Commissioner Of the Cen
eral Land OH ,e WAS rent cred in 1871.
The tract of land which by Secretary d..
ano's decision belongs to the Methodist
Missionary Society includes the town Of
Dalles, and is estimated to be worth one
million dollars. .I .'H'