The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-19

States to the Oregon country; neither. for
that matter, did Columbus set out to dis
cover new continent, nor was
his vessel the first to touch the MAIN
land. Nevertheless, Columbus is accounted
the discoverer OF America, and his voyage
Is held to have initiated that mighty train
Of consequences involved in the opening of
a new continent to civilization. So the
expedition of Lewis and Clark. the realiza-
ton Of Jefferson's idea, set in motion q
series Of events that has brought this ma
ton into position Of advantage in the
commerce and International politics Of the
Pacific. The voyage Of Columbus at first
led only to other voyages of explora tion.
and not until three centuries later, In the
independence Of the United States, did
something Of It's tremendous significance
for humanity dawn upon the world.
America, with her new role In the worlds
affairs. political and Industrial, has dur
ing the last five years added Immensely
to the revelation of what was involved IN
the voyage of Columbus. So, on lesser
| scale, but yet with grand import. Is the
Lewis and Clark exploration working out
Its train of consequences. Its first eHect
is shown in a series Of noteworthy govern
ment explorations under Long, Pike. Dun
bar, Freeman and others. These traced
the courses of the main western streams
from the Red River Of the South to. the
Red River of the North. BY them the map
naturally were these the sequel to the
| completes success of Lewis and Clark.
| Coues thus characterizes their work Of en-
ploration:
The Continental Divide was surmounted in
| three different places, many miles apart. The
various side trips, amounted to about one-third
the circumference of the globe. This cost
but one life, and was done without another Sc
| rious casualty, though often with great hard.
suffering
Imminent peril. - The story of this ad'
venture stands easily arst and alone. This is
| our national epic OF exploration.
Results Of the Expedition.
While out title to the Oregon region was
in question and our claim to the Pacific
northwest was disputed by England, it
was customary to name the Lewis and
Clark expedition as one of four or five
links in the chain Of our right. The list
comprised generally the following: The
discovery Of the Columbia river by Cap
tain Robert Gray, the Lewis and Clark
expedition, the founding of Astoria, the
restitution of Astoria in 1913, involving an
acknowledgment Of our possession of the
region; the transfer to us of the rights OF
Spain to the northwest coast in the treaty
of 1S19 But were these events equally
and Independently decisive? The naval
battle in Manila bay Is recognized by all
as the decisive event leading to our pos
| SSSSlOIi III Lil6 1EllllPplAcS. AZ SoNS 40 "
| foothold and brought on train of events
| that called forth the desire to possess
those islands. Much the same relation did
the Lewis and Clark exploration bear to
the subsequent events that furnished the
basis Of our claim to Oregon. Lewis ana
Clark's report on the Columbia region was
necessary, along with that Of Captain
Robert Gray to lead John Jacob Astor to
plan the occupation of that country with
system of trading posts The capture
Of what had been Astor's post, where now
Ia Astoria. led, as a sequel. to the act OF
restitution in fulfllment of the first article
of the treaty Of Client. In the treaty
with Spain in 1919 the parallel or ~ de-
grees was insisted upon by our secretary
Of state as the northern limit of the Span
ish possessions from the Rocky Noun
! tains to the Pacific coast. That boundary
| line left lis in possession of the country OF
the Upper Missouri and OF the Columbia.
! This possession was the result OF the work
Of Lewis and Clark. Thus the Lewis and
Clark expedition was not merely one Of a
| series of events forming the basis OF our
claim to Oregon, but it was the event that
carried the others in Its train. From IT
emerged gradually the conscious desire to
claim that territory. This pregnant re-
lation to subsequent events can be claimed
for the Lewis and Clark exploration rather
than for Gray's prior discovery Of the Co
lunbia, as no trace Of any influence on
Jefferson in his promotion Of the explora-
ton can be aseribed to Gfay's achieve
ment.
Until the railway locomotive and the
ocean steamship in the '30s gave promise
Of the virtual humiliation of distance fol
the future, our claim to Oregon could
hardly have had in view the making OF
this region an integral part Of the United
States. Up to that time we looked upon
it as ours to exploit In the fur trade and
to hold in trust as home for the adven-
turous and for the fugitives from oppres-
sion, who might here rear institutions Of
freedom and independence. On Nov, -
. 1918, Jefferson wrote to John Jacob Aston
as follows:
learn with great pleasure the progress yor
have made towards an establishment on the
sre river and as ans on q
, side Of our continent. and that liberty ane
: self government, spreading from that as vel
lishment over the whole 1t must be still more
name ' win be handed down With, that of Co
lumbus and Raleigh, as the father Of thu
Hall J. Kelley, who SO persistently to-
, twenty years. from 1916 on, advocated the
occupation Of Oregon ''by an enlightened
, people," thus spoke of the settlement HI
proposed to make in 1882:
From the plenitude of Its own resources,
will soon be enabled to sustain 1ta own opera
lions; and will hasten on to its majesty
J, to a proud rank the earth.
Q The provisions pertaining to this region
: in our treaty with Spain in 1919, and will
! Russia in 1924, and in the declaration o
t the Monroe doctrine. were inspired b!
the desire to debar despotisrn rather thai
n b. a conscious purpose to Incorporate
r Oregon within our national jurisdiction
. In the discussion Of the Oregon question
= in congress, some acclaimed against hold
r ing it tor any purpose. Congress was SLOW
8 in extending our laws over the region
d even after considerable body Of our PEG
: pie had gone thither and were pleading 70
: an organization under the national aegis.
s These first settlers demonstrated Wha
l.. should he the destiny Of the Oregon region
e They were scions of that stock that had
from the time of the earliest settlement
l. on the Atlantic coast, been pushing tn
. frontier west. pressing on to the highe
- lands of tho Atlantic slope, thence throug
- the valleys of the Appalachian system
a on by way Of the great lakes into tn
!. valley Of the Mississippi. even to tn
t river and across it. until the states OF Mis-
g souri, and Arkansas were formed beyond
= This work had developed a people I'm
y bued with the pioneering spirit and rest
!. lessness. Z he Lewis and Clark narrative
as many Of the pioneers profess; the dis
cussions in congress, based in considerabl
q part OIL that narrative. and the reports
"a fur traders-these all helped to kindle tn
l. Oregon fever in this pioneer population
le so susceptible to such Influences, tn