The times., 1897-11-29
In MGMORY OF DR.. WHITMAN
Services Held at the First COngre-
gatiOnal Church.
Through His Efforts the CrcSua
Country Was Saved TO This Gov
ernment- ArIe Speakers.

a memorial meeting was held at The |
First Congi era tionaI Church, oorn.r Of
Tenth and streets, last night, in rsmem-
brancc OF Dr. Marcus whitman and wife
who were massacred half century ago
today IA oregon. They were American
beard missionaries and it was SAID last
night oil. excellent authority that it was
due to the efforts and wisdom " Or.
Whitman that the Oregon country. enabr5c
iug what aIe now the States OF Oregon.
Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyo
ming, were saved to this Government.
Mr.. Justice Brewer, OF the Supreme
Court presided. He said that he WAS
but a preface as il were, TO what would
be presented to the audience in three vol
umes. 1t was fitting that the fiftieth
anniversary Of the death OF Dr. whitman
should be cvmmemorated, because what he
did was noble and heroic, and because
it bore rich frUitage to this Republic.
By the common judgment OF those Who
have studied the subject the credit Of
having saved the great Oregon country
to this Republic must be given to Marcus
Whitman. His service 10 the Government
was greater than that which Secretary
| Seward did when he concluded the puT
/ chase Of Alaska.
| Rev. Dr, :. NJ. Newman, pastor of the
| Church, made al address, in which he
explained how the memorial meeting came
| to be held. He gave large credit for it to
/ Prof George L. Reed, of Philadelphia,
who, as boy, i'll Cncinnat, was impressed
! by pr. Whitman when the latter returned
! from his ride across the continent to ap-
I
1 the status OF affairs i'm the far Northwest
He said that Webster had denounced the
| Oregon country, say Wing that he would not
vote 10 appropriate 1 cent To hold that
region President Tyler shared that opinion
DR.. Whitman won over the Administrat-
ton, and in the summer OF I843, with
nearly / 600 followers, he set out on his
| long journey from Westport, Mo, for
Fort Waila-WaIla. Three years later the
treaty between Great Britain and America
was signed, giving to the latter the
| Oregon country by virtue of the right Of
settlement.
Gen. Q. @. Howard was the next speaker.
Mr.. Justice Brewer introduced him by
| remarking: You viii agree with me
| that no one is better fitted to speak of d
| hero than one who is himself a hero"
| OCA- INV u VI litti sbNtu AbC AlslpEg VI
! whitman. He was born at Rushville, n Y,
in 1902, and was sent TO school at Plain
field, Mass, when he was eight years old
He remained there ten years and then
went to Fairfield, n. Y, where he com.
pletcd his course III medicine He prac-
ticed medicine in Canada for four y.l
and then returned TO his native town. He
would hs We entered the ministry but for
| dis ci.- gf Nj > ,
the notice of the missionary board was at
tracted 10 the far-off country of Oregon
by four Flathead Indians, who, having
heard OF the Book OF God, from a trapper
Travelled all the way to the Mississippi
River to get some facts concerning it.
JoSen Lee was sent as a missionary in
1884 10 teach the Indians out there.
Soon after DR.. Parker and the young
physician Whitman started, but went IN
company only so far as Fort Independence
in the heart of the Rocky Mounta inS.
There they disagreed, and Parker c,n-
tinued westward under the voluntary guId-
ance of friendly Nez Perces chief. Whit
man returned to the States for recruits
and later made the trip. 1t was in lcto-
Der. 1872, when he heard officers of the
HuGsons Fay Trading Company make the
! DpoSh NAiAS t4S SOuHli9 iBcIOilStQ W
land, because Of the arrival Of a hundred
Canadians. Then Whitman, not needing
the season, started for Washington. lie
returned with enough people to hold Il e
region.
The last speaker was Senator Wilson, of
Washington. He corrected popular error
propagated largely by the last census,
which was that Washington and Oregon
We're derived from the Louisiana purchase.
He gave most credit to DR.. Whitman. Re
told OF the university at Wala Walla,
founded in bis honor, and said many elo-
quent and generous things to the honor OF
the great missionary.