The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-08
DID whitman SAVE OREGON!
FATHER FLOHR SAYS THE ACCEPT.
ED STORY Is NOT TRUE.
vices 70 the Territory Was Origi-
mated by spaaldia&-Three Good
Reasons for Dishelieving 1t.
Special Correspondence.

Patrick's Catholic church last evening 10
hear Rev. Father NJ. Flohr's address on
Oregon Saved Without Whitman. The
address is intended 10 controvert the gen.
orally accepted view tina. Whitman was
instrumental In securing Oregon terri
tory to the United States. Father Fionr
spoke as follows:
-.In addressing you tonight. fellow citi-
gems, / have the pleasure 10 take Tor
motto the words that my honored prede-
cessor wrote upon he fiy-ieaf oil his pam
phlet in which he treats the SANDERS tnat
were hurled against him and against the
church which he represented: Magma est
veritas. eft preyalebit-Great is the truth
and the truth shall prevail
IF there be one among you tonight who
thinks for a moment that / arranged TINS
lecture in order to create religious cisser-
sion or iIl-feeling he shall go home sore
headed for shall disappoint him. ! speak
TO you tonight not as priest not as
Catholic, hut as citizen TO his fellow
citizens. If Oregon was in danger or be-
ing lost and had 10 be saved. 1t matters
nothing 10 me who did the deed: whether
Whitman, or anybody else, he 10 entitled
TO our gratitude
$50 far, all the documents that have
been brought forth In this matter have
completely failed to show that Whitman
was entitled to this honor. You need not
think for a moment that II makes one
particle of difference to me whether Dr.
Whitman was a Presbyterian, Metho-
dist, Baptist or Catholic / would ad-
mire his deed just the same IL he had
a claim to 1t. am broad-minded enough
to admire the works OF Cicero or Caesar,
Of Demosthenes or Xenophon, and they
were pagans. / love and admire George
Washington and Abraham Lincoln on &C
count OF the noble deeds they did for their
country and for humanity at large. and
still they differed from me in religion.
Why then, should withhold my admira-
ton from Whitman, Christian man. IL
he saved Oregon to the Union?
THE remarks that intend to make to-
night are based upon documentary evil
dence. and IT is due, In Justice. TO state
that / obtained most of the dates and
documents from a gentleman In the East
who Is about to write a book on this sub
ject To him these documents rightfully
belong until the book is published. In
view of the fact that you have been
treated this week to great deal OF dem
onstration and oratory. I shall dispense
with that and take up the subject at once.
shah simply lay before you facts. and
you shall be Judge and jury In the case.
In order that you follow all the easier, I
will give you briefly the outlines of my
lecture. i will give you first the facts OF
history. then the misrepresentation
made TO you, and finally the refutations
thereof.
I'm the year 1886. two missionaries. Mar
Gus Whitman and his wife, and III. II.
Spaulding and his wife. were commissioned
by the American board OF foreign missions
tn 60 TO the far Northwest In order TO
christianize the Indians. They crossed the
plains and Rocky mountains and Marcus
Whitman settled in the Walla Walla val
ley. while Spaulding established his mis-
sion on the Clearwater 100 miles further
east. They remained there until the year
1872. when Marcus Whitman started for the
States. He returned in the following year
and remained in the Walla Walla valley
until the year 1877 when In the month OF
November. he was massacred. together
with number of members of his house,
hold. Spauldng. being on a visit at Whit
man mission. was saved by the kindness
and humanity of Father Broullett and ar
rived home in safety.
SpnuldinK Originated the story.
Seventeen years afterwards the Holy
Ghost came down upon Spaulding, and in
his inspiration he wrote a book or pamph-
let on Whitman's ride and massacre. Co
ing around iecturing. he brought forth the
most atrocious ISLANDERS against the Catho-
les and against the man who saved his
life. He II was who also brought forth the
cfaRn or W 6liulan 10 saving oregon. WHICH
was not known of before.
Let US see IL we can put any reliance in
the report SpauIding gives us. What was
Standings character? What was thought
of him by those among whom he lived?
What opinion did they entertain about
him? On the 18th OF September. 1910. the
Rev. A. ID. Smith. who was at that time
with DR. Whitman and SpauIding. wrote To
the Rev. D. Green. corresponding secretary
s. .rf.4 ~
a foIrtesn-page letter. in which. after re-
ferring 10 the dissensions among the mis-
aud the sianderous statements Of
Spauiding. he demanded that Spauiding be
recalled 10 the States and dismissed from
the service without bringing min 10 any
trial regarding his conduct. And then he
continues:
=" From what ] have seen and know OF
him. ] fear that the man will become de-
ranged. should any heavy calamity hefan
HIM The above remarks have jus, read
TO DIR. Whitman fwho was physician not
a missionary. and he concars in wha; /
have written and says. moreover. that
Spauiding has a disease OF the head which
may result In arrangement, especially If
excited by an extraordinary circumstance
lis Il no, charitable. then. TO hold that &,
was lunacs rather than the utmost depray-
iiy. that caused him to inven, those sian
d. Tous reports9 And II rs 20 DC regretted
indeed. that the same claim, Of lunacy can
not he made as an excuse for those who
have helped TO spread the falsehoods shat
Spsuidng mad invented.
Was spsnlding truthful Can We trust
his words as witness On January 5. fS.S
shortly after the massacre. ne wrote let
ter 20 the American board Of foreign mis-
sions. which Vac published In the Mission
AIRY Herald. The official organ Of the board
stating thar ne owed his life 20 the kind
ness OF Fstaer Brosilett. and 4 few years
later he slandered the man who saved hts
Hfe and the religion in which he believed.
Now even a deg feels gratitude toward the
mAn that saves hm.
''on tne sth dsv of March. 1888 Mrs
Whitman wrote a letter 10 her husband in
the States IN which she remarks that the
Indians have been very ugly and trouble
some OF tata. And then she continues. i
regret very much 20 say that IL Is caused
nv Spsala!ng's siaadeToGs tongue while
Spsuiding attributed The cause to tie Cath
olicsa
Vow. would you believe that man as a
witness sitting on a jury? Would YOU
take his word - truth in any Important
question? SEsAusd!aw has proved himself a
siau1srer. ard his companions considered
him a iuna'.c. WITH him a witness In the
case, We mtght dismiss IL at once Never
fheie<s We wst give him the benefit OF the
doubt since even a oliad chicken may row
and then snd A grain AZ corn. 81 alSa
spaaldiag may nevertheless have sosns-
times spoken me trwth in a lucid interval
''Os the massacre and causes ihat led
up 10 IL. / shall not speak tonight. h..-
canss consider that fixed fact. Al teas-
as far as Catholics are concerned ira.
they had nothing whatever TO do with II.
The Points in Dispute
The story 90 Whitman saving Oreror
rasts upon three false sgPpoSlgians Thu
first false supposit1cH IS that The govern.
willing n SHAysAtas tMts