Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-05-02
HUNTERS
ORGANIZED
OREGON
There Was a Gather
ing at Old ChampOng
to Kill PantherS
And as a Result an Independ-
emf Government Was
Formed That HOiSted
Stars and Stripes

Champoeg, May 2.--This part of
Marion county and the surrounding
country turned out well to honor the
anniversary Of the formation Of the
provisional government of Oregon.
Among those present were the follow
ing from Salem:
p. II. darcy, John Mimic, George
Downing, DIR. J. A. Richardson, T. T.
Geer, G. B. Moores and Hon. VIM. Gal.
loway.
Among the speakers was Hon. John
Minto of Salem, who, with the only
living survivor of those who formed
that government in 1s43, Hon. f. X.
Matthew, shared the honors of the day.
His theme was;
Hearing the Cry Of the Wild,
Doubtless there are hundreds of thou.
sands of mature citizens Of these Unit.
ed States who cannot enter into the
mental attractions, wild scenes and the
killing Of wolves and bears have for
the President of the United States. To
many born Of many generations Of an.
cestors who have struggled with men
for the controlling places Of life, wheth'
er for place or pelf, a man leaving a
home Of case, influence and highest
earthly duty to sO,OO0,OO0 Of people and
seek exposure to the storms which whirl
among the peaks Of the Rocky noun.
tains TO engage in personal efforts TO
kill wolves and bears seems, is so In.
comprehensive as to border upon in
sanity. Many whose lives are spent in
daily struggles TO keep on top Of the
markets Of the world, the call Of the
wild is no longer heard and the act of
the President in seeking contact with
IL cannot be understood. Ye- among
the male children Of this latter class,
many IL not most will read with eager
delight Of President Roosevelt's wolf
and bear killing,
This seems far fetched introduc.
tion TO the birthday Of American gov
ernmeut on the Pacific coast, but il is
only seeming TO those citizens Of the
United States who for generations have
trained their strongest thought TO
money getting and have lost taste for
the wild life where danger itself is lure
enough for action. The native sons of
Oregon ought not yet TO be so far re-
moved from the wild, as TO forget the
fact that the anniversary Of the found
ing Of the provisional government of
Oregon on May ?, ls43, originated at
a meeting called for an organization TO
destroy the wolves, bears and panthers
which were the natural and very dis
tinctive enemies of settled life in Ore.
gon in ls43.
sixty.two years will not eliminate the
love Of the wild from the descendants
of men who founded government at
Champoeg in ls43, and a slight glance
at that and immediate preceding his
tory, will show that il was the hunter
class not the missionary or traders
who led on that day Of days in Oregon
history,
IL was the missionaries as a class that
first perceived the necessity of civil
government, and made Intellectual at.
tempts TO form one, starting with DIR.
Babeock, one of their own number, as
supreme judge, George lie Breton, clerk
and recorder of court, and three eonsta.
bles. That was as far as missionaries,
as a class, reached in the formation
Of a government. 1t was the wolf
that brought out the more
practical hunter and trapper class, and