The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-04-17
George Rogers Clark Eu-
logized by University
Historian
MET MANY TROUBLES
Pollock impoverished to Help
Explorer in His Embar-
easements

ysorrc Rogers ozark. the tnnVueToI
~ no northwest. were reviewed at
,5o Mis-. ssippi Valley Historical as
s,c,lor by Or. J. G. Randall, OF the
history department OF the Cnlv'r.
80 ~ Illinois. Dr. Randall called
,.to,tion 10 tho vast importance of
%,ark's work and pictured him as an
.dc,i combination OF the typica.
'ionecr and the frontier statesman.
,srro middle west" said Or. Ran
5ou "oWus It's very existence as an
AMERICAN community to General
ciark who wrAstcd the western
n1,ts from tho British during the
rcnbitiou, making a Mississippi
,spndary possible in the treaty of
Independence. while lhe nation as a
whole owes him an equal debt of
honor oud gratitude
Or. Randall reported TO tho asso-
,lation the results Of his researches
IN the original records at Richmond,
virginia. and at Washington, in
,yhIch Doc gave particular attention
a Claras service OF supply.
In the matter of supply, lie said,
the difficulties confronting Clark's
expedition seemed insuperablc. In
moving against Kaskaskia. Cchokia.
and NIneeunes in 177S-9 Clark was
acting primarily for Virginia, but
.uch was the administrative chaos
m the old Dominion, that he never
secured adequate support financial
s. or Otherwise, from the state gov
ernmcni
Fought Obstructions.
"Eyen less help was obtained
rom the continental congress" said
d.. Randall. Clarke was thus
thrown largely on his own re-
sources .n the administrative as well
as the military phases Of his cNpcdi-
ions. For the support OF his troops
hc required, besides food, variety
9. commodities including boats, tar,
powder cannon, guns. pistols,
Knives wagons. horses, paint, blan-
kets material for forts, and numcr-
GUS other necessaries. He needed
also tho services OF hunters, who
furnished the meat supply, black
smiths, men skilled In rifle repair
ing, carpenters. guides and inter
preters.
mot only did he have TO support
his troops ON the march and during
lng periods OF inactivity but gifts
mad 90 be made to the Indiana to
preserve their friendships. and the
French inhabitants in the frontier
posts had 10 be kept In good hu-
nor The task OF meeting all these
demands In an unsettled frontier
country In the absence Of adequate
goyerumcntal support. practically
without money, and In the face Of
British intrigue, was one which
called for the highest s:atesmanship
and involved an cXacting amount OF
administrative and clerical work.
Hard money was almost entirely
lacking and the supplies had TO be
paid for IN Virginia paper currency.
which had fallen to scale of about
10 100 as compared to gold, in
\ and warrants, in drafts on the Nir-
4 g.nia agent OF New Orleans, or in
promises. y financial breakdown
vas merely ono of the many diff
clties which Clark rCsolutely faced
and OyerCamc as best he could.
such supplies as We're not de-
rived from the inhabitants Of the
country through which he passed
were for the most part obtained by
Ihrh from New Orleans by way OF
me Mississippi. The presence Of
british s.OOps OF war on the river,
the danger OF Indian attack, and the
peFl.s OF navigation made this
method Of communication very
hazardous Sometimes the Missis-
sppl ovcfloWed and valuable pro-
islons We're lost, once a "batteau'
" supplies had to be stopped after
us departure up the river on ac-
count Of tory plot to capture the
cargo.
In all of these administrative
operations there is one man who
sands ont clearly as General
SArks main prop in matters OF
BUSINESS, This man was Oliver
roIock, wealthy citizen OF Penn
WNaala, who served Clark. Poi
,Cch was the agent OF Virginia at
New Orleans, then a Spanish port
ana j was due TO his activity and
s4Grlt!ces that the posts in the III
Ios country We're held by the
americans. Drafts drawn on POL
!ock constituted Clark's most i'm
Ponant means Of financing his ex-
peulons' and to meet these drafts
wei as TO procure and forward
supp!es az New Orleans, sorely
.aAeu Foaocks 5 energies, making
1Am poor ln the process.
i disappointed in his expectation
y. tuuus iIom the Virginia treasury,
so"ock drew in vain on a French
" Ian VINO had been extending some
'eals To America. lie then bor-
oNed heavily on his own account
rt Ulutr 10 meet Ciark's urgent
seees' mortgaging his estate, and
aH he'ANg his own slaves far un-
W. W. Their value TO obtain funds. Vir-
INA and the Continental congress
t4"sa 20 give him the relief which
"y "S sought in 1888 he was impris.
Vhed for debt.
3, h I'5l he returned 10 his home
h, pennsylvania a poor man, Ills
80 years, like those of Clark him
nv, Were embitiered and impover-
T'sl rT'Sll by a lack Of adequate recog-
l1g ~ " services freely given dur
Ar NATIONAL crisis"
RI ne course OF his paper Dr..
,Sa.1a" called attention to the fact
g.. no adequate biography of
pb,s,,lN mas been written, and he EN-
i@.-1e4 the Importance OF This
"y9e 5sS 'or "a true understanding of
-1s.r western history.
II ~