The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-11-03
ACT OF CONGRESS
Fort WaIIa WaIIa Ordered
Abandoned
BY ACI PASSED EARLY IN 1870
The Military Reservation Surveyed
and Plated in Lots Of Differ
ent Sizes.

SEATTLE, Nov, 1.-EditOr States
man-In discussing the recommended
ton of Gen. Funston for the abandon
ment of Fort Walla Walla, you over
looked one very important point, and
that is this:
In the early 70s congress passed an
act abandoning Fort Walla Walla,
and the care of the reservation was
turned over to the interior department
Acting under orders of that depart
ment the register and receiver of the
Walla Walla land office had the reser-
walton laid off by surveyor, into
lots of different sizes, and as clerk in
the office 1 was busy preparing the
necessary advertisement and making
preparations for selling the lots at
auction, when in 1878, Gen. jeff G. Da-
Wis, commander of the Columbia,
reached Walla Walla fresh from whip
| beds, and perceiving the advantages
possessed by Fort Walla Walla for a
military garrison ordered the First
| cavalry to take station there. His
| military foresight was made very evil
| dent during the Nez Perez war in
| 1878, and by the march of the Indus
| trials" in 1894, when their high hand
| ed attempt to go through the coun-
| try by stealing trains was stopped
i because it was found possible to load
troops on the cars at the garrison
gate and, in a few hours, put them in
| front of the oncoming outlaws.
| These things, and many other ar
( gumentS for the retention of Fort
| Walla Walla as a military post, were
set forth in a memorial drafted by a
| committee of the Commercial" club
Miles G. Moore being it's chairman
and P. 3. Johnson secretary, which
was presented in the senate, January
| II, 1895, by Senator John H. Mitchell
| of Oregon, who supported it so vigOr-
ously that the proposal to abandon
Fort Walla Walla was defeated in the
senate. The memorial of the CONNER
cial' club can be found on page 1863
| and following pages, of the Congress
sional Record of January II, 1895.
| If Gen. Funston who has never to
my knowledge, visited Fort Walla
| Walla could be induced to read the
memorial of the Commercial club he
might change his mind as to the ad-
visibility of abandoning it.
Of course it is rather late in the
| day to undertake to obtain the Fort
! Walla Walla military reservation for
| Whitman college, but 1 could not re-
| sist expressing the opinion that had
| President Penrose not gone after the
reservation with brass band, In the
winter of 1895, it would today be the
site of a future great university.
| 1t is not too late for Senator An
keny ito hold the fort" But as the
military authorities ever since the un-
fortunate lynching of Hunt by soldiers
have had it in for Fort Walla Walla
and as they are a persistent lot of fell
| lows, it is we'll to look ahead.
In my judgment it would make a
splendid site for an agricultural ex-
pertinent station. 1t comprises within
| it's boundaries, almost every kind of
soil found in eastern Washington, has
water for irrigation and could be made
an ideal farm college, which would
attract students from all parts of the
Pacific coast, and become the boast
of every resident of Washington.
In my judgment if Senator Ankeny
can put through congress a bill do
mating Fort Walla Walla military res
ervat ton to the state of Washington
as an agricultural experiment station,
| he would accomplish more good to the
community where he lives than he
| would should he be able to put through
a bill establishing it as a permanent
military post.
1t is we'll to add that unless Senator
Ankeny can put a bill through con-
gress making Fort Wafa Walla a
permanent part Of the military estab-
lishment of the United States it will
be abandoned, as it was established
by a scratch of pen.
P. B. JOHNSON.