The Republican journal., 1910-04-14

had known Lewis and Clark, quieted
tneir FEARS by telling them it was better
TO hve in peace than it was to fight as
they did before the white man came.
whitman ate mule and dog flesh, fed his
horses cottonwood bark. pushed them on
ne edge of ice to swim them across riv-
ers and pulled them out on the other side.
Finally Whitman, in buffalo-coat and moe
casins, portrayed the beauties OF oregon
to Webster and then to President Tyler.
A long train Of immigrants was far out
on the Platte when DIR. Whitman joined
them in May, 1S43. Six months later he
met some of his friendly Indians at Fort
Hall with ponies loaded with provisions.
Here flour was selling at $40 per Dbl.
After crossing the Snake river at Sal
mon Falls they made but 10 miles per
day through sand and sage brush. They
took the center of the river bed for rs
miles on Burnt River and entered Grand
Ronde valley early in October. Burnett,
future governor, and Nesmith, future
senator, helped to cut wagon road
through the Blue mountains. When DR..
Mclaughlin heard of starving immigrants
at the Cascades he commanded every
boat to be manned and loaded with pro-
visions and fastened to the rescue. For
this, and for day after day welcoming
the Immigrants to Fort Vancouver, he
afterwards lost his position. Being born
on the st. Lawrence he had more love
for Americans than English bred Britons
had. But being an English subject, and
head OF an English company. he was view
ed with suspicion by many Americans.
When DR.. Whitman came to thank DR..
Mclaughlin for supplying the needs of
the immigrants and quieting the Indians,
who were becoming excited over the ar
rival OF SO many Bostonians to take pos
session of their land, the reply was,
Justified of God, do not thank me-.
DR.. Whitman was entreated to remain
at Fort Vancouver until the Indians be-
came accustomed to the new conditions.
Here was typical Catholic and Prot
estant working together in harmony
and true to their opposing professions.
Where shall we place those who in times
past have tortured each other to a
greater or less extent on account of re-
ligious differences? The character of
these two men is we'll portrayed by Eva
Emery Dye in book entitled, "Mc-
Laughlin and Old Oregon" published by
A. c. McClurg & Co., Chicago.
Ezra Meeker, now in his eightieth
year, proposed to start from The Dallas,
Oregon, the 18th of March to mark the
Oregon trail. He first passed over this
trail when he was % years old, in 1852.
He expects to reach Kansas City in
about six months with his OK team and
wagon box fitted for fording streams.
The hub Of one of his wheels crossed the
plains in 1858. He says in The Sunday
Oregonian that they travelled 800 miles
northwesterly from what is now the
outskirts of Kansas City to the Platte.
Crossing the north fork at Fort Laramie
they followed it into the Black Hills and
then followed the Sweetwater to the
South Pass. They followed the Little
and Big Sandy, then down Green River
and crossed the dit ide to Bear River;
then northwesterly to Port New valley,
then down to the Snake past Fort Hall.
This trip of 220O miles is made with hope
that interest enough will be aroused SO
that Congress will pass the pending bill
appropriating $4,000 for the trail. He
intends to set posts, to be replaced later
by permanent monuments.
GEO. M. COLE.
Husum, Wash, March IA. 1910.