The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-08


ton that his cause is a lost one. So CDR.
Nixon of Chicago" instead of bringing one
particle of proof of his assertion that DR..
Marcus Whitman saved Oregon, fills nearly
TWO columns of THE CALL with assertions,
and, schoolboy like, calling names. | take
this to be characteristic of the inventors
and defenders of the Whitman myth, for,
after all, DR.. Nixon is only an imitator in
this respect, as he is in so closely follow
ing w. H. Gray in his Historical TO-
nance"
The subject is, as he says, too large for
discussion in newspaper. but [ will re-
ply as briefly as I can, not with simple as
sertions, but with proofs which any one
who will take the trouble can verify for
himself That DR.. Nixon will not in his
present mood take the trouble goes with
out saying.
DIR. Nixon starts out with the assertion
that every position which | assume is dis
proved by 'facts of history that | utterly
ignore" yet he does not give those facts.
That is just what 1 propose to do to show
him the folly of neglecting so important
move. I can only suppose he overlooked
its Importance in the fear OF converting
me, which he says he does not propose to
do. Now, au contraire, l have strong
hopes of converting DIR. Nixon. believe
that he is a man of good intentions, and
that he is not willfuIly telling falsehoods,
as he says l am. The mistake he made
was in assuming certain thing to be true
because a person who ought TO know said
so. made the same blunder myself at
the beginning of my Oregon studies, but
once caught in that net was enough Tor
me. 1 would not now say this is the year
1895 without consulting the calendar
The doctor says am the author of the
ouirks and fables called history IN Ban
croft's Oregon" but gives Mr.. Bancroft
credit for having changed some things"
and me for having said that Mr.. Bancroft
"printed falsehoods in their stead" L
would remark, with regard to the
use of quotation points, that it is
the custom to be accurate when
doing so, and that the doctor fails
in this respect. [ never said that Mr..
Bancroft printed falsehoods," whatever
might have been implied by what l did
say; and / am not going to say that DIR.
Nixon prints falsehoods, whatever my
conviction in the matter may be. L hope
! have better manners. At all events, L
shall try TO content myself with simply
making faces'-a relief which the doctor
has kindly suggested TO me.
But now to argument: AS the real
author of the History of Oregon" of
which Mr.. Bancroft knew little except
what he learned from my work, | am pre-
pared to correct my opponents statements
or several points, and to explain the
passages which he imputes, rightfully or
wrongfully, to Mr.. Bancroft or myself. First,
the quotation from the CHRONICLES of the
Builders, volume 1, page 5e4 The he MISSION m S.
sure the country TO the United States. Had
there been no movement OF the kind England
would have extended her claim over the
whole Territory with u fair prospect OF making
1t her own"
In saying that the missionaries OF oregon
assured the country to the United States Mr..
Bancroft simply copies what have amply set
forth in the first volume of Oregon; but
neither he nor ! referred to the Presbyterian
missions any more than we would have 1t I'M
derstood of the Catholic missions. 1t was OF the
Methodist missions of Western Oregon-of the
country south of the Columbia-that it was
said. They held the country against the Brit
ish claim. They were politicians, and were
encouraged to be so by agents OF the Govern
ment. ana patriotic writer's and travellers. They
had a colony of between sixty and seventy
persons and were rich in cattle and goods, in
houses and lands; whereas the missions in the
upper country were scattered, were without
members and were almost entirely dependent
upon the Hudson Bay Company for transpor-
tetion, mails protection from the Indians and
whatever of civilization they enjoyed. This
have made plain in the history, and this say
now, that If DR.. Whitman could have been
laboring in deceitful and underhanded way to
bring discontinue upon his truest friends he
would not have deserved better fate than
that which unfortunately befell him. But
have steadfastly denied that nc acted in this
treacherouS manner.
Again Dr. Nixon quotes, and this time from
Oregon l. page 579: "But missionary work
did not pay, however, either with the white
men or the red, whereupon the apostles OF this
religion began to attend more to their own al
fairs than to save sagage souls. They broke
up their establishments in 1874, and thence
forth became q political clique, whose CHIEF
aim was to acquire other mems property
THAT" he says. sis a Victor sentiment" With
out claiming or rejecting the sentiment, ac-
knowledge the revision OF Mr.. Bancroft in this
instance. He seemed to think / put 1t too
mildly for the facts and did little interljning
But now as to DR.. Nixon's historical accuracy.
He should have known that the above quoted
paragraph referred without question to the
Methodist missi0ns-in fact he could not have
read my history without knowing it-ior not
only were they broken up IN 1874. as he must
have heard when he was in Oregon, but the
history of their affairs is given distinct mar
ration, unmixed with any other missions, in
the volume referred to. This statement of the
closing of the Methodist missions is made by
DR.. Nixon to apply to the Presbyterians By
these artfully worded sentences: 'Now, mind
you, the Whitman massacre did not occur unit
November 49, 1S47. The challenge to Mrs
needs no comment" I think, myself, that
comment is unnecessary to point out the pre-
varicstion.
Again, DR.. Nixon quotes me as saying thai
CDR. Whitman got well-to-do by selling f1oul
and grain and vegetables to immigrants a.
high prices" and object to his use of quota
ton points unless he constructs his sentence:
differently. However, l am shortly going tc
show that after the immigration to Oregon SCI
in he did accumulate a snug property; but
first must object again to the manner in
which DR.. Nixon mixes UP dates. An instance
of this kind OF now you see it and now you
don't see it history is too painfully confusing
as perhaps it is intended to be. The doctor
October 9. 1910, to disprove something have
said which related to period several year:
later. She mentions that her house was 9
''rissonary's tavern" Nothing more natura
true. AS the mission station was the only
residence of white people in Walla Walla Val
ley, every traveller, explorer, Government OF
ficer or other person who happened to be il
the country was sure to visit IT. Mrs
Whitman complains that they have tC
entertain so much without payment the pres
ence of the Hudson Bay Company prohibiting
trade, and the mission property, besides, being
owned by the A. B. f. NJ, by whom DR.. Whit
man was appointed. But after DR.. Whitman,
journey East that was changed, and he wa
permitted to trade, as he did every year, going
out to meet the immigrants, instead of draw
ing them off to his station, the immigrant,
of 1S43 planned that he did, causing then
to travel eighty or ninety miles out of thei
route. Mr.. Spalding is quoted as saying tina
reached the mission wayworn, hungry, sicl
and destitute, but he cared for all. Sever
orphan children of one family were left upoI
tho hands of nr and Mrs Whitman one ba hi