The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-22
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.
Marcus Whitman and the Early Days
of Oregon.

out tnere Is enough or the incidental III II
to take it from the class of dry reading"
10 which many persons assign all histories
and biographies. Marcus Whitman was a
pioneer missionary, who. with a few COM
p~anions. blazed the way for Christianity In
what arc now the north Pacific States. lie
was not an explorer. and he did not dis
cover Oregon, but his name is more closely
associated with the early history Of the
State than that Of any other man.
The Oregon country was secured from
Spain by treaty in 1919. The Columbia
river was discovered by Capt. Robert Gray,
a daring New England navigator. who
sailed around Cape Horn and up the Pa
cific to the mouth Of the Columbia, which
he reached in 1892. There was not water
enough on the bar for his vessel to enter
the river, but he waited for a fair wind.
then set all sails and literally Jumped"
the ar-that is, struck it with such speed
that the ship glided over it. He then
sailed up the river and took possession OF
the country in the name of the United
States. Thirteen years later, in November,
1906. Lewis and Clark reached the mouth
OF the Columbia on their overland trip. In
1911 John Jacob Astor established a trading
post on the Columbia. Thus the United
States had a quadruple claim on the Ore
gon country. but fur traders quarreled and
Great Britain came near making it part of
her possessions. Indeed. she actually
claimed a large portion of 1t, at the insti-
cation of the Hudson Bay Company, until
Caleb Gushing and other statesmen of the
time took the matter up and proved con-
clusively that Spain, in the treaty of Flor
Ida, signed in 1919, coded Oregon to the
United States. Great Britain. however. did
not relinguish her claim until 1876. Here ii
may be stated that many people think the
louisiana purchase" included all of the
Northwest, but this is a mistake. France
never claimed jurisdiction beyond the
Rocky mountains. Thomas Jefferson, OH
Dec. 81, 1916, wrote: The western bound
airy of Louisiana is rightfully the Rio
Bravo, from its mouth to its source, and
thence along the highlands and mountains
dividing the waters of the Mississippi from
those of the Pacific. On the waters of the
Pacific We can found no claim in right of
Louisiana"
The American minister at London, Mr..
Rush. held similar views in 1924. The same
contention was made by Mr.. Gallatin two
years later: also by John Quincy Adams,
James buchanan and others who partic-
pated In the prolonged negotiations with
Great Britain. But while the Louisiana
purchase did not gain Oregon for the
United States, it indirectly assisted in per-
fecting the title of this country to That
territory. When France sold Louisiana In
1893 little was known Of a large portion or
the vast domain embraced in the sale. Its
C1NS II OdAld y liz 1lGot III a
not been accurately mapped, and there was
opportunity for division Of opinion. But
when Spain, which laid claim TO all the
land west Of the former French colony of
Louisiana. coded to the United States. by
the treaty of Florida. the Pacific coast
territory north of latitude AZ. the United
States had only Great Britain to contend
with. Fortified with the Spanish quit
claim, the discoveries of Captain Gray and
the Lewis and Clark expedition and the
rights that go with prior settlement, this
country forced Great Britain to move her
boundary line IN TO the forty-ninth paral-
lei. and If a little more backbone had been
displayed the boundary probably would
have been still farther north-at $40. Ill
this and a great deal more is treated in
detail by the author OF the book, William
A. Mowry. Phi. D., a well-known historian.
Marcus Whitman took no part in the
negotiations that saved Oregon to the
United states, but it was almost wholly
given away. While the Observation-Disclosures
treaty was under consideration, the British
were particularly active in colonizing Ore
gon with their own people and discourage
ing any movement of settlers from the
States. Whitman was astute enough to
see the object of the scheme, which was to
numbers. This was expected TO favorably
influence the diplomats in final treaty ne
gotiations. In October. 1872. Whitman
started on a long journey overland to
Washington to warn the government of the
plans OF the British and to give informa-
ton regarding the value of the country.
'00 OS1h 10
worthless by persons who leaned towards
the British contention. Whitman arrived
just In time, for 1t had been almost de-
cided to abandon all claims to the territory.
To prove that it was accessible to <he peo-
pie OF the East he led a large colony to
the valley of the Columbia i'm lS43 The
following from the Louisville Courier
Journal of 1912 shows the sentiment Whit
man had to contend against:
"Of all the countries upon the face of
the earth Oregon is one of the least fav-
ored by heaven. 1t is the mere riddlings of
creation. 1t is almost as barren as Sahara
o of Ita aIi'e Russia as an hss ber s ST the sSa PRnsl
land her Botany Bay. and If the United
States should ever need a country to which
to Danish her rogues and scoundrels the
utility Of such a region as Oregon would
be demonstrated"
This is what might be called rich read
ing" in view of what is now known of Ore
gon, for the people of that region regard il
as little less than a paradise. Even William
Cullen Bryant is said to have had a poor
residence, for In 1912, when only eighteen
years old. he wrote the imperishable
"Thanatopsis" which is construed by the
author of Marcus Whitman to be a re-
Election on the valley of the Columbia.
Bryant wrote:
Take the wings of morning.
And lose thyself in the continuous woods
" here rolls the Oregon, and hears no sound
Save his own dashings-yet-the dead are
there;
and millions in those solitudes. since FRS,
The Tight OF years began, have laid then
In their last sleep-the dead reign there
alone
Bryants famous poem was suggested &c
him while he was wandering in the prime
val forest near his home at Cummingfon
and it is probable the word Oregon wa
used because he had heard that giant tree
covered the country, and where great
trees exist dead ones are to be found, and
possibly dead human beings as we'll Mr.
Mowry says. complainingly. that Brvant
searched the whole world for a lifelass
country-a country devoid of life. but dIIeG
with the dead. 1t would seem that he was
unfortunate in his choice. He passed by
Sahara. Arabia and Siberia. . . Thers
visited the shores of that great river Uhs
Columbia) when the country was min.
habited. Robert Gray. Vancouver Tevi.
and Clark discovered the country peonleC
with Indians. and the Missionaries late,
found thousands to whom they preached
the gospel.
Dr.. Whitman's home was at Wailatpu
on the Walla Walla river. where n.
founded an important mission. He wa,
energetic and accomplished much eooT
among the Indians. He made two visits ~
the States, the second known as "Wbit
mans ride when he was credited VIII
saving. Oregon from passing into Britisl
control. In November, 1S47. he was masss
cred by the Indians. His wife and tweIv.
other persons also persisted. Ii has hee,
stated that the Jesuits and the Hudso,
Bay Company agents were responsible fo
melting the Indians against the mission
aries. but the charge was never fully euh
Stimulated. The story of the tragedy 4
told at length by Mr.. Mowry. who has for
tined his description with numerous letter
bearing on Whitman's career. The hoot .
puDllShed by Silver, Burdett & Co NJ