Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-04-28
JO. LANE.

A Man Ot Mark In y Past Ccper,t,on.
| y. Y. Times.
The brief dispatch announcing the death
of Joseph Lane, which came from Oregon
a,day or two since, can Have had but very
little significance for the great majority of
the people who readit. Yet the man to
whom it related was ut one time ono of
the foremost figures in the republic. Had
he died thirty years ago. the nation would
have gone iu mourning for him, yet SO
fleetinS is fame in cur country that the
present generation scarcely recalls his
name and knows next to nothing OF his
most eventfnl history. Joseph Lanes
grandfather was an American, born near
the present site Of Raleigh, n. c., in the
early colonial times. He and his
two brother did good services
during the war of the Revolution.
His son. John Lane, the father of Joseph.
was at the battle Of Kings Mountain and
served in the patriot army until the sur.
render Of CORVALLIS at Yorktown. He
voted for George Washington for prcsi.
dent and lived to see Jackson in the same
Office. The son Of this old soldier was
born in North Carolina in 1901. Early in
life he went to Indiana. Lator he became
power in the politics Of the West When
the Mexican war broke out he was one OF
the first to 60 to the front and BY hard
fighting and distinguished bravery won
his way to u major generalship. Return
ing to his home, all Indiana united in do
ing him honor, and later on President
Polk, in slight recognition of his services,
made him governor of the territory Of Or
egon, to which place he was reappO;nted
by President Pierce. In 1852 he had tllir.
teen votes in the national convention
which nominated Cass for president, and
ut one time during that memorable meet
ing seemed almost sure OF the nomination.
As old William Allen used in after years
to relate. 'Joe Lane came nearer being
president than any man who ever missed"
But though he missed the presidency, he
did not lose influence with his party. In
1859 he was elected to the United States
Senate from the new state OF Oregon. He
sympathiZet. with the South i'm tho strug-
gle then pending, and later was nominated
iOr vice president Oh the ticket with Breck-
inidse.j He carried eleven Of the slave
states, but was buried ont Of sig ht in tho
free North. Little has been heard OF him
since. He spent the last years OF his life
in his favOrite Oregon. Some months ago,
to = party Of eXcursionists who called on
uliu lOT sb SlCCCl, HC SskAu COIuO uVt OS
a celebrated man ur distinguished SOL
,lier, but as humble citizen of Oregon.
True. l have been accorded some fame As
Il soldier, and am credited with having
served my country faithfully and well.
These hurels were not won by my
self, however. My command won them
for me. Any man with such q COM
nland could not help achieving fame.
came to the North. west in 1916 rs COVER
nor Of what was then Oregon Territory.
all the country lying between
the fortieth and forty second parallels, in
cluding 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 portion of the
territory. 1t Was on the iirst OF July, now
almost thirty years ago, that Il courier ar
rived at Oregon City, bearing the news
that Mr.. Wallace, living Oh Budd's In
let, where Olympia is now situated,
had been murdered by tho Indians.
" it'll an army Of six men, tried and true
in arms with me in the conflict
with Mexico, We proceeded down the
Willamette river in a canoe to the COlum-
bia, down.the Columbia, and thence up
the COwiltz to the Catholic mission.
Here VIC procured mules and horses and
added three fresh recruits to our force.
We took tie Indians by surprise, aud de-
surrender Of the nurtlerers.
The old chief after viewing our force and
lOOkin,, me in the eye, concluded to accede
to this demand, and the murlerers
were accordingly delivered up, tried
and executed. Ihis made good Indians
Of them" During the same speech Gen.
Lane. referring to his service during the
Mexican war, said 1.-TWO years agOI
oOked over the old army register, and
found there only five of the seventeen
American generals who entered the Mex
can war surviving. OF the seventeen
who entered that struggle, fourteen
were younger than myself. Ono by
onc these brave men have answered to
he last roll call. Since last looked over
lie register, Pillow his been called away.
and Gushing followed, and
IN the first of the present month Shields
answered the summons and passed over
lie dark river, across the Va 10y and sllsd-
w of death. During the last few years
lie roll has been called once in six months
md one by one these cal!ent men have re-
p0nded.' JcseDi, Lane has now been
alled and hc too h::> responded to the sum-
mons.
ShDri and Sweet.
Dill city Derrick.
ANOTHER CARD TO the pubic.
s puc<oI I,,.,-S DnyrE