Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-01-01

white Of The Hsthodfss uinjoo Afuursf
- the immiGfaxioo a l0l2, ed Is n
reee n4nenss Of Dr.. Nassus Whi1man
q ne Americas Beard, brought r.
much larger immiefation Of 1873, IA
made broad wagon road from Tia ~.
soori to the Columbia, and made plair
the way for future immiQratious. aud =
unmistakAbiy saved the Pacific North.
west TO the United States.
PDovsIoxAL oovnx2rKxrs.
After considerable debate and sons
dinsrcnce Of opinion, a meeting VA
held at Champoeg on May 2. 1913, and
the citizens Of Willamette settle.
ments organized provisional govern
ment with A. e. Wilson, Supreme Judge
g. w. l.. Breton. Clerk of Court; ]. l.
Meek. Sheriff; w. II. Wilson, Treasurer
Messrs. Hill. ShortiA. Newell. Beers
Hubbard, Gray, ONeil. Moore and
Dougherty we're Legislative Committee,
Messrs. Burns, Judson and A. B. Smith,
Magistrates; Msssrs. Ebberts, Lewis
and Bridges, Constables. This provis-
ional government vent into operation
and the Legislative Committee prepared
code of laws that served to guide the
action OF the courts. We also find that
Joseph Gale, Alanson Beers and David
Hill were elected Executive Committee
OF Oregon. and acted in that capacity.
In 1913 the citizens again petitioned
Congress for Territorial Government.
In the fall Of 1642 DR.. Whitman made a
journey East for the purpose OF max
ing known TO the Government the facts
relating to Oregon, and with the inten-
ton to induce emigrants to come here
the following spring. He was success
full in both objects, returning in the
fall of 1913 with q large immigration
that opened good road for teams and
wagons through to the Columbia. With
the combined immigration of 1912 and
ls43, Oregon now possessed 100 Ameri-
can population so that by occupancy
this region was secured to the United
States. These immigrants settled along
the Willamette valley; some of them
on the shores of the Columbia, while
ClatsOp plains was an early point occu-
pied and cultivated.
In 1S45, the provisional government
was put upon a more satisfactory basis,
as delegates were elected to a convention
which was held at Champoe9, and Geo.
Abernethy was elected Governor. The
legislative committee revised the organ
10 Law, and the operations of govern
ment were more uniform.
THE WHITMAN MASSACRE AND cAYusK
WAR.
Observation-Disclosures gave addition
al strength to the different American
settlements in Oregon, and no serious
trouble was experienced with the In
dams until in the fall of 1S47. Then
occurred the massacre of DR.. Whitman,
at his missionary station on the Walla
Walla river. Mrs. Whitman, and many
others connected with the mission, and
the carrying away of women and girls
to worse than death. This news spread
CONSERVATION through the settlements,
and was carried back to the States AS a
tale OF unusual horror. Probably no
man ever served the Indians more faith
fully or disinterestedly, or accomplish
ed more for them than Whitman. His
success was satisfactory until the out
break of disease revived all the maliR-
nant superstitions in savage natures,
when they receded from Christian
teachings, and nassacred DR.. and Mrs.
Whitman and the others in frenzy of
barbarian.
Governor Abernethy Immediately laid
the matter before the Legislature which
gave the Governor power to organize
and equip a company of rifiemen. The
people were called together the same
evening and fOrty-twe men enlisted.
The next day they were enrolled and on
the way amid firing of cannon and
nhnnvs~rv ~ HpsonAo ThOn~h
December, this company, commanded
BY b. A. G. Les, was supplied With arms
by arrangement with the Hudson Bay
Company and proceeded to The Dalles.
We have not space for tho incidents Of
the Cayuse war. A large force for the
period was enlisted, armed and equip
ped, and after q deal Of speeohifyina
and some fighting, the war ended in
the submission Of the Indians and
surrender of q few supposed murderers
who were hanged at Oregon City in
1851. The brave oolonists we're equal to
the emergency and perhaps the forma-
ton of territorial government came all
tho sooner, because Congress found that
our citizens were governing themselves
and otherwise taking good care of them
selves in Oregon.
THE PIONEERS.
Il would be an agreeable task If il was
within the compass of this article to
aketoh the character and give names a.
we'll as descriptions of the heroic men
and women Who came to Oregon In s'the
forties," and laid deep and sure the
foundations Of our State. History will
some time do justice to the pioneers who
made paths aorSss the continent, and it
should not fail to record the heroism CT
DR.. Whitman, the martyr missionary,
who often showed that he held his
country dearer than his life, and riaked
his life to keep Oregon for the United
States. The roll Of heroes includes
many brave and good, whs have gone,
or are fast passing away, and whom the
record of these earlier years Is finally
written in permanent history, besides
these there should be honorable men,
ton made Of DR.. John Mclaughlin,
chief factor of the Hud Ion Bay Com
pauy, who acted q Christian and humane
part by the very immigrants whose CON-
ing wrought the downfall Of the power
he represented, even acting against the
protests Of those who were above him.
RARLY ENTERPRISES AND EVENTS.
In those early days, previous to the
opening mp of Callfornia and Oregon az
the result of gold discoveries and the
commerce incident 20 that cause. whom
voyaging around Cape Horn was tedious
and expensive, and transportation OF
goods across the continent vas an i'm
possibility, the construction OF mills
and great improvements vas only
affected with extraordi nary effort. The
missionaries came equipped with men
and material 10 build saw. and Rrist
thar goods arriving by sea, and it ID
NOT much 70 claim thai in this respect
they greatly aided settlement. Rev.
Jason Lee, Of tho Methodist Mission,
and DR.. Marcus Whitman, Of the Amer
ican Board, we're b7th men Of purity,
patriotism and energy. In 1884 there