The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1883-09-21
What was Thought Of Oregon Forty
Years Ago.

z, 1874: with the exception OF
lands along the Willamette and
strips along the few of the water
courses the whole country is
among the most irreclaimable bar
rem wastes of which we have read,
except the desert of Sahara. Nor
is this the worst of it. The clim-
ate is so unfriendly to the human
life that the native population has
dwindled away under the ravages
of its malaria to a ds1ee which
defes all history to furnish par
allel in SO wide a range of couu
try" He also read from the Lou-
isville Journal, as republished in
the National InteIligencer of
Washington, as follows: "Of all
the countries on the face of this
earth, it (Oregon) is one of the
least favored by heaven. 1t is the
mere riddlings of creation. 1t is
almost as barren as the desert of
Africa, and quite as unhealthy as
the Campania of Italy. Now that
such a territory should excite the
hopes and cupidIty of citizens of
the United States, inducing them
to leave comfortable homes for its
heap OF sand is indeed passing
strange. Russia has her Siberia,
and England her Botany Bay, and
if the United States should ever
need country to which to Danish
its rogues and scoundrels the
utility of such region as Oregon
would be demonstrated. Until
then we are perfectly willing to
leave this magnificent country to
the Indians, trappers and buffs-
loes that roam over its sand banks,
and by the side of its rushing and
unnavigable rivers"
After quoting more of similar
character, Mr.. Dayton said, 81
confess these descriptions are be-
low my estimate. / had thought
it a poor country as a whole, but
not quite SO poor as these authen-
tic accounts would make it. Yet
these accounts are substantially
correct as applied to the country
as a whole, though l have no
doubt there are some green spots,
some strips along the streams,
which may be good and even per-
haps rich for agricultural purposes,
and it is to these spots that the
glowing descriptions have been
applied. " Judging from all
sources of authentic information
TO which l have had access / should
think the territory taken together
very poor region for agricultural
purposes, and in that respect un-
worthy of consideration or contest
at the hands of this government.
How will the speedy settlement
of Oregon affect us? In my judg-
ment it must be injuriously. The
admission of Oregon as a State to
the Union seems to me as unde-
sirable on the one hand as it is
improbable on the other; undesir-
able because by the aid of repre-
sentative principle, we have al
ready spread ourselves to a vast
and almost unwieldy extent. i
have no faith in the unlimited ex-
tension OF this government by that
principle. We have already con-
fiicting interests more than enough,
and God forbid that the time
should ever come when State on
the banks of the Pacific, with its
interest and tendencies of trade
all looking toward the Asiatic ma
tions of the East, shall add its
jarring claims to our already dis
tracted and overburdened country.
But it is not only in my judg-
ment undesirable, but improbable.
Distance and character of the in
tervenlng country are natural OBJ
stacles forbidding the idea. By
water the distance around Cape
Horn is said TO be about eighteen
thousand miles. By land the dis
tance by the only line of travel is
about FIVE thousand miles from
this spot to Vancouver, in the val
ley of the Willamette. And when
considered with reference to the
facilities of communication, Eu-
rope is in comparison sour next
door neighbor.
And this state of thugs must
continue unless some new agent
of communication shall cast up.
The power of steam has been sug-
gested. Talk of steam communi.
cation-a railroad to the mouth of
the Columbia-whv look at the