The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-06-18

BILE traditions of tie senate by the
ears and actually made a set
speech. It was ON resolution,
offered by him, providing Tor a.
commission to investigate the dep
relations of Indians in Oregon.
In it he made a stirring appeal for
the hardy settlers who had suffer
ed in the Modoc and other Indian
wars. He reviewed the atrocities
of which the Indians had been
guilty, and how. the settlers had
been compelled otake upon them
selves the duty of the government,
expend money and offer up their
lives i'll defense of the lives and
property of the people of Oregon.
"In the next session, he did
much more daring thing. He
crossed swords with John Sher
man, veteran, even in those days,
and the latter remembered the
rencontre for some time. The bill
for The Portland, Dalles & Salt
Lake Railroad was up, and Sena-
tor Sherman interrupted the read
ling of it with motion TO table.
speaking of it contemptiously. 1t
was discourtesy, and Senator
Mitchell! resented it with vigor-
o.sness which must have shaken
some of the old senators out Of
their chairs. He said:
"'If the senator from Ohio is
the senate of the United States.
then the bill cann9 pa s; but |
think that common courtesy, al
least, if nothing else, from the
honorably senator from Ohio,
would prevent him from rising in
his seat, and interrupting tie read
ing of bill, that has been report
ed by committee Of The senate
and reported favorably; [ say,
without any discourtesy to the
senator from Ohio, that | think
common courtesy TO The represen
tatives from Oregon here; common
courtesy to this senate; com:non
courtesy to people who today
occupy a territory larger in extent
than all of New England, New
York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and
[Ohio combined; a people that to-
day ship more wheat to the port OF
Liverpool, more wheat per capita.
five times, than all the wheat grow
ing states of the Mississippi val
Hey; common courtesy would re-
quire that the bill, at least, should
be allowed to be read
1t is hardly necessary to say
that the bill was read, and that the
senator from Ohio made his ex-
lcuses.
| st Is easy to find even III this
first session III the written recor S,
levidence of the same zeal, the
same unflagging industry, the same
regard for the interests of his state
for which he has since become dis
tinguished. It was an up hill bat
tie in those days to secure any
recognition for the North Pacific
coast in the appropriation bills.
/ but he fought it regardless of the
odds. He never lost an opportu
nifty and m ade good many in ad-
dition to those made by others, TO
Ichampion the interests of the
hardy people, who far away from
railroads, cut off in a measure from
the rest of the world, were engag-
ed in turning wilderness into a
splendid abiding place for man.
"sIn the 43rd congress Senator
| Mitchell succeeded in establishing
a standing among his compeers,
and when the forty fourth met, he
was honored by being made the
president pro tempore an unusual
number OF times, probably more
or at least fully as many times as
Iany other senator. He made a
masterful speech during that con
gress in favor of the Hawaiian re-
ciprocity treaty, measure the
wisdom Of which, has been .justi