The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1879-08-06
mo. So.
GEN. JOE LANE, THE 0REGONlAN.
THE LAST SURVIVING GENERAL OF TIE
MEXICAN WAR MAKES A
SPEECH.

/ SPEECH.
/ Recently party Of Oregonians or
ganized an excursion for trip to
| Victoria, in British Columbia, and
around Puget Sound. Among the
excursionits vas the venerable Cen
eral Joe Lane, now in his cightieth
year. He was the first Senator from
Oregon, and ran for Vice President
with Breckinridge on some of the
electoral tickets Of 1850. One of the
places visited was Seattle, where a
/ formal reception was rendered the
party, and Gen. Lane was called on
for a speech. Among other things
lie said:-
| I come not as a celebrated man or
as q distinguished soldier, but as an
humble citizen Of Oregon. True, I
have been accorded some fame as q
soldier, and am credited with having
served my country faithfully and
well. These laurels were not won by
myself, however. My command won
them for me. Amy man with such a
command could not help achieving
fame. / came to the Northwest in
lS49 as Governor Of what was then
Oregan Territory, embracing all the
country lying between the fortieth
and forty. second parallels, including
what are now Washington and Idaho
Territories and the State OF Oregon,
Only once during my term Of office
did | have occasion to visit this por-
ton of the Territory. Il was GA the
lst of July, now almost thirty years
ago, that a courier arrived at Oregon
City bearing the news that a III.
Wallace, living on Budd's Inlet
where OLYMPIA is now situated-had
been murdered by the Indians
With an army (?) Of six men, tried
and true comrades in arms with me
in the conflict with Mexico, we pro-
ceeded down the Willamette River
in a canoe to the Columbia, down the
Columbia and thence up tile Cowiltz
to the Catholic Mission. Here we
procured mules and horses and add
ed these fresh recruits to our force.
We took the Indians by surprise and
demanded q surrender of the muir
derers. The old Chief, after viewing
our force and looking me in the eye,
concluded to accede to this demand.
and the nurderers were accordingly
delivered up, tried and executed
This made good Indians Of them. I
was then Governor of a vast terrific
ry, but Of not many people. At that
time there were only nine families ON
the whole sound. My head has been
whitened by the frosts of many win
tiers and my form bent by the weight
of accumulated years, my voice has
grown feeble and weak front the SER
vice of three quarters of a century.
and l soon expect to be called upon
to answer the final roll call. I am
fully prepared, friends, to obey the
summons cheerfully. Two years ago
! looked over the old army register,
and / found there only five Of the
seventeen American Generals who
entered the Mexican war surviving.
lOf the seventeen who entered the
struggle fourteen were younger than
myself One by one these brave
men have answered to the last roll
call. Since | last looked over the
register Pillow has been called away,
Cadwallader and Cushing followed,
and on the first Of the present month
Shields answered the summons and
passed over the dark river across the
valley and shadow Of death. During
the last few years the roll has been
called once in six months, and one
by one these gallant men have res
pended.