The Western news., 1900-07-11

4 celebrate this, the anniversary of on,
natal day, than by telling you some
thing OF the early history of this por-
ton OF our common country. We
stand today on historic ground, made
SO by the fact that this beautiful val.
ley, dotted with the homes of free
American citizens, and over which the
American flag waves today, was once
a portion of the country claimed by
Great Britain, and also by the United
States, and which was only wrested
from Great Britain, and saved to the
| United States, by the indomitable will,
| perseverance, struggles, sufferings
and heroic conduct of the early pio-
ncers of old Oregon, lead by that no.
blest old Roman of them all, who sac
rihced his life for the good of his coun-
try and hunanity-Dr. Marcus Whit
man.
It is long story of thrilling inter-
est, but the time and occasion will not
permit me to tell you the whole story
and you will have to be satisfied with
summary statement of the strug-
giles, hardships and sufferings of the
early pioneers of Oregon, and the
story of the heroic acts, and devotion.to
and love of country of DR.. Marcus Whit
man, in his noble efforts to save to the
United States, the vast and, then, al
most unknown country of Oregon, out
OF which, there have since been carved
the great and growing states of Ore
gon, Washington, Idaho and parts of
Montana and Wyoming. Oregon as
it then existed, was bounded on the
south by Mexico, the boundary lines
being the And degree of north latitude
and extending from the summit of the
Rocky Mountains-then called, the
Stony Mountains-to the Pacific
Ocean.
The United States made six distinc.
and separate Claims OF ownership to
Greg on, the first and chief one being
by right of discovery, basing their
claim on the fact that Capt. Gray in
his ship Columbia, discovered the
mouth of the Columbia river, in 1902,
and named the river Columbia after
the name of his ship. England claim
ed Oregon by the right of discovery,
basing their claim on the fact that
Captain Vancouver had discovered the
mouth of the Columbia river, a few
days after Capt. Gray had discovered
it, and had sailed up it some miles.
The two governments claimed the
country, and being unable to settle
the question of ownership, had defer
red the matter, and in 1918, had made
treaty by which Oregon was to be
held by the joint occupation of both
countries. This treaty was to extend
ten years, or until 1928, when it was
again renewed, and continued up to
the time that the Oregon question was
finally settled by treaty between the
two nations.
Under this treaty for the joint occu-
patton of the country by the two ma
tions, there seems to have been tacit
that whichever nation
should actually settle and occupy the
country, should hold it, therefore, it
was, or should have been the policy of
both the United States and England
to get as many settlers into Oregon as
possible, but the Hudson Bay Coin
pany, gigantic English corporation,
was in the possession of the entire
country with powers of government,
and the policy of that company was
to the policy of both the
United States and England, for it de-
sired that the vast domain of Oregon
should not be settled, but that it
should remain wilderness, or a great
preserve for the Indians and wild
game, so as to furnish furs for the
and to this end. that COM
pauy did everything W thin its power
10 discourage immigrants from conf
ing to Oregon. In 1912, there were
not over two hundred American set
tiers in that country. There was one
or two Methodist missionaries settled |
in the Willamette valley, a few old |
trappers and about one hundred and |
twenty immigrants that came into the
country in the fall of 1S42. The Hud-
SON Bay Company had their forts or
trading posts at Vancouver, Fort Hall,
Fort Boise, Fort Colville, and several
othcr small forts,wit several hundred
employees, each and every one of whom
we're instructedto throw every possible
in the way of American
and to do everything in
heir power to prevent the Amer..-
:ans from opening up homes and
farms in the country, and particularly
Was this SO in reference to Fort Hall,
On the Snake river, near where the
road for California left the
trail to Oregon Nor was this ali