East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1917-09-20

neer character and the missionary
character.
Adventures With Indians.
I'm order to convey my impression
of the place which it seems to me
Mr.. Gray is entitled to hold in north
west history, 1 can perhaps best al
Iude to certain events in his life,
widely different and illustrating in
their difference the varied nature of
his enterprise as well as his own
character.
"The first of these events was in
connection with his return to the east
in 1887. The special aim of that jour
ney was to report to the missioary
society and to secure added help. In
the portion of his journal published
in the whitman College Quarterly Of
June. 1918. we find his own account
of adventures upon that journey,
which well illustrated his undaunted
and resourceful nature He went with
small party of Hudson's Bay people
and a number of Pend d'Oreil'e Indi-
ans. In the Blackfoot country they
were attacked by those savage In
/
d. 'Oreilles. A number were killed on
both sides. Later. Gray himself was
captured by the Sioux The nonchai-
ance with which he narrates these
and other adventures. such as would
| have seemed hair-raising to most peo-
/ pie, gave some conception of the
nerve OF the man.
Formation of Government
DIR. Lyman then referred to Mr.
Gray's part in the formation of the
provisional government of Oregon in
1S43. He said:
THAT event. little in itself. a hand
full of sett' ers gathered on the bank
of the Willamette to agree upon a
frame of government was one of the
turning points of history. From the
time of the joint occupation treaty
between England and the United
States in 1918, renewed in 1928, down
to 1S43, Oregon was disputed terri
tory The gigantic Hudsons' Bay Com
pany stretched its BrIaran arms from
California to the Arctic circle and its
fundamental aim was to keep that
vast region for fur bearing animals
and Indians, DR. Mclaughlin the
of Oregon. was one of the best and
most humane OF men: but the policy
of the great monopoly was to keep
American settlers out. A few Ameri- !
cans had drifted in from one side or
the other. hy sea and and. The love !
of the homeland the hope of lano |
and wealth for themselves. with some |
of the larger vision Of world progress. |
III 81
Western Americans to create u
build, to do some big thing. animated |
those few lonely settlers.
Monopoly Is Wrecked.
They were a feeble folk. seeming |
ly to enter the lists against the great |
est com pany and strongest maritime |
nation on earth But the little David |
of American settlers and missionaries |
had the stones in his sling for a CEN
ter shot at the Goliath Fur Mo
opoly. 1t was the stone of the Am
erican home in the sling of he nine |
teenth century, and David prevailed |
nightly.
May 2, 1s43. is a great day in the |
calendar of the Northwest on that |
day the settlers, American and Brit
ish. in the willamette. voted SO to |
so to form a government on Ameri- |
can lines and to urge the congress of |
the United States to come to their
relief and to look forward to ultimate |
acquisition. OF the thrilling story of |
the stages by which the vote on that |
narrow margin was secured we may
not now speak. but we may empha-
size the fact that william H GRAY
was the animating soul of the organ
ization I cannot forbear incorpora
ing here the resolutions which he Of
fered in the meeting which led to the
deciding one. which was the turning
point in the deliheration and which
may be cons dered the preamble to
the constipation of Oregon.
Protection for Families.
After declaring that no one could
question the wisdom and rightfulness
of measures looking to protecting Il
tteir stock from wild beasts. he
went on like this: How it is. fell
low citizens, with YOU and me, with
our wives and children? Have we
any orga nization on which we can
rely for mutual protection? Is there
any power in the country sufficient to-
protect us and all that we hold dear
from the worse than wild beasts
that threaten and occasionally de-
stroy our cattle? We have mutually
and unitedly agreed to defend our
cattle and domestic animals: now.
therefore. fellow citizens. I submit
and move the adoption of the follow
ing resolution. that we may have pro-
lection of our lives and persons, as
we'll as our cattle ana herds: Reso'v-
I'd, that a committee be appointed TO
AXE into consideration the propriety
II taking measures for the civil and
protection of this colony.
1T was upon the report OF the
committee thus provided for that the
'ote of May was taken. One Of the
nilestones in history was set for
food
Oregon became American. The
Provisional government was one of
everal forces without which il would
not have been. If Mr.. Gray