The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-11-16
JESUIT STORY TOLD
BY PRIEST
FATHER TRivELll RELATES A
CHAPTER FROM HISTORY OF
THE EARLY NORTHWEST.

is'it'i -. ht nave
read in your issue of this morning a
sermon on Marcus Whitman. which, as
you state. was preached yesterday
morning in the First Congregational
church by its pastor, the Rev. Dwight
). Bayley.
l have no objection whatever to the
Rev. Mr.. Bayley making a eulogy of
Marcus Whitman if he thinks it worth
the while. But I strongly object to
his building up Whitmans patriotism
by tearing the patriotism of another
man. especially when the other man
was Jesuit, as l am myself
Mr.. Bayley tells us in his sermon
that in the early days of Oregon, when
that country was in danger of passiy
into the hands of the English. Jesuit
rose to his feet at Il banquet and
shouted: "Hurrah for Oregon. Amer
lea is too late.. We have got the coun-
try
Now. Mr.. Editor. had that really
happened j would certainly feel
ashamed of that Jesuit But when we
go and examine dates, and dates never
lie. they tell us that no Jesuit ever
made such a statement. Ii a Jesuit
has ever made the statement it must
have been made, according to Mr.. Bay
ley. on october ., 1s42: for the Rev.
Mr.. Rayles tells us that the very next
morning, October 3. 1872, Whitman
started for Washington to avert the
impending calamity.
| have carefully scanned the official
records of the Jesuts in the northwest
and find that the only Jesuit who set
his foot i'll Oregon in 1912 was Father
Dcsmet, the great pioneer priest and
missionary of the northwest. Now
these records tell us that Father De-
smet went from st. Mary's mission,
now Steeensville. to Vancouver. Wash.
iii the spring of 1872. ON June 80. 1912.
he left the oregon country and "A
month later. viz: July 90 he left St
Mary's now Stevensville. for ST. Louis
and Europe. to secure new recruits.
and did not return tn the Oregon coun-
try till - months later.
Now, Mr.. Editor. as there VAS no
Jesuit in the Oregon country when the
above obnoxious statement is said to
! have been made, ii follows that no
Jesuit made such a statement
There is no doubt that Father De-
smet is the Jesuit made uniustls re-
sponsible for the above false state
ment. To thus attack Father Desmet's
patriotism is II gross injustice done to
his memory Those that knew him
personally knew no stauncher Amer
lean citizen than he Was. 1t is there
fore Improbable. in the very face of it.
that he would i'm any manner advocate
or encourage anything so unpatriotic
II hA rva.
country To the British sovereignty
There is excellent and conclusive
proof eNtant that Father Desmet felt
and did the very opposite.
There is Il letter of Father DesmeS
eXtant. written i'm 1919 to Senator
Benton. in which he recounts a con-
Nersation which h"~had with several
British officers on the brig Modesto
before Fort Vancouver. in 1916. in
which his attitude toward the Oregon
question is made clear. The party was
discussing the possibility of the Eng
lish taking possession. not merely of
Oregon, but of California as well.
Father Desmet ventured the opinion
that such Il conquest was a dream not
easily realized. and went on to remark
that should the English take posses
sion of Oregon for the moment. it
would be an easy matter for the
Americans To cross the mountains and
wrest the entire country from them
almost without a blow. On hearing
these sentiments. the captain asked
Desmet somewhat warmly: Are you
Il Yankee
Not a born one. captain" was the
reply, but have the good fortune of
being a naturalized American for many
years past. and in these matters all
my good wishes are for the side of my
adopted country"
Another of Mr.. Bayley's statements
is, to say the least. inaccurate. He
tells us that during Wshitman's alb
serce in the east opposition against
him had sprung up. fostered by the
Jesuits. This has evidently reference
To the strong dislike the Cayuse In
dians had for DIR. Whitman: that the
Jesuits instigated ii is not true. for il
is wellknown fact that no Jesuit
visited or worked among the Cayuses
till Is wears after Whitman's death at
the hands Of those Indians.
A. r. TRIiELLI. S. J..
Rector Of ST. Francis Y. Church.
Missnu.ia. November Is, 1909.