Evening star., 1923-07-03
Text of Executives address
On Blazing Trail to Northwest
Soul of Unalterable Purpose Saved Great
Empire for Nation Without Government
Aid, Harding Declares at Meacf,am.

| was nltman- one easily 0lSmayeu.
Encouraged by the manifest friendli-
ness of President Tyler. he portrayed
with vivid eloQuence the salubrity
OF the. climate, the fertility of the
soil. the magnitude of the forests, the
evidences of ore in the mountains.
and the splendor of the wide valleys
drained by the great rivers. And he
did not hesitate to speak plainly, as
one who knew, even like the prophet
, Daniel
Mr.. Secretary" he declared. you
would better give all New England
for the cod and mackerel fisheries
of Newfoundland than to barter away
Oregon"
Then. turning to the President in
conclusion. he added quietly, but be-
seechingly:
All ask is that you will not bar
| ter away Oregon or allow English
interference until l can lead a band
| of stalwart American settlers across
| the plains. For this / shall try to
The manly appeal was Irresistible
| he sought only the privilege of prov
ing his faith. This just and consid-
! crate Tyler could not refuse.
DIR. Whitman" he rejoined SYM
pathetically. your long ride and
frozen limbs testify to your courage
and your patriotism. Your credentials
establish your character. Your re-
quest is granted.
Used Good Strategy.
,Whitman's strategy was true states
manship. Substantial occupation
would make good the claim Of the
United States. and that was what he
had initiated during his few days in
st. Louis. A few months later he had
completed an organization of eager
souls. and led the first movement by
wagon train across plains and noun
What sight that caravan must
have appeared to the roaming saw
ages. And what an experience for
the intrepid pioneers,
More than two hundred wagons,
bearing well-nigh a thousand emf
grants. made up the party. They
travelled by substantially the same
route that Whitman had taken when
ne nrst went out TO Oregon; from
rendezvous near what is now Kan
! sas City, they moved due northwest
across northeast Kansas and south
east Nebraska to the Platte river:
followed the Platte to the middle of
what is now Wyoming. thence cross
ing the mountains by way of the
Sweet water valley and the South
Platte: and from Fort Hall, follow
ing the well known route, roughly
paralleling the Snake river, into Ore
volving beside the two hundred wag-
ons, the care of women and children,
and of considerable herds of live
stock, were such that it's success
ful accomplishment seems almost
miraculous.
SoSed Great Empire.
But stern determination triumphed
and the result was conclusive Amer
leans had settled the country. The
country belonged to them because
they mad taken 1t; and in the end the
boundary settlement was made on
nf hA -
your great northwest was saved and
veritable empire was merged in
the young republic.
Never in the history of the world
civilization following Christianity.
,, The missionaries led under the ban
ner of the cross, and the settlers
moved close behind under the star
spangled symbol of the nation.
Among all the records of evangeliz-
ing effort as the forerunner of hu-
man advancement there is none 50
impressive as this of the early Ore
gon mission and its marvellous con-
sequences. To the men and women
of that early day whose first thought
was to carry the gospel to the In
dians-to the Lees. the Spauldings.
the Grays, the Walkers, the Leslies.
to Fathers De Smet and Blanchet and
De Mers, and to all the others of that
glorious company who found that in
serving God they were also serving
their country and their fellow men
to them we pay today our. tribute; to
them we owe debt of gratitude
which we can never pay, save par
TALLY through recognition such as
you have accorded it today.
We may reasonably do more today
than rejoice in possession of the i'm
perial domain which they revealed,
and the life they made possible to the
virile, aspiring and confident north
west. l find new assurances in re-
calling the heroism, the resolution,
the will to conquer of these pioneers.
Stirred by Covered Wagon.
wish 1 might more effectively Wis
ualize them. Not very long ago L saw
the covered wagon in the moving pic
ture. l sat entranced. There was
more than the picturesque. more than
sorrow and encouragement, more
than appealing characters and en-
thralling heroism. There was more
than the revelation of the irresolute.
who failed in fitness to survive; more
than tragedy and comedy in their in
separable blend. There was more
than the scouts who surpassed our
fancies, more than natures relentless
barriers revealed. Everywhere af1ame
was the soul of unalterable purpose
and the commanding sturdiness Of
elemental greatness. Still more, there
was determination to do themselves,
not asking the government to do. but
for government only to sanction or
permit.
Much the same spirit was revealed
in the making of the central west,
where the determined pioneers build
ed in the confidence which they had
in themselves. They battled with ma
ture and every obstacle which they
encountered. heroes perished without
fame's acclaim, and they conquered
and wrote big their part in the MAX
ing of the greater republic. Their
victory proclaimed the strength of
resolute purpose, and the human ge-
Mus. confident in itself and eager to
achieve on it's own account.
Lesson VIII be Lasting.
The lesson cannot fail to impress
itself. In this test of self-reliant citi-
zenship there came the rugged, mill
tant, wholesome west Greater things
were wrought, larger accomplishment
was recorded, greater victory was
won in this wholesome, inspiring in
dividualism than will ever attend pa
ternalism or government assumption
! of the tasks which are the natural
inheritance of the builders who NAV