The Coolidge examiner., 1936-01-24

the political maneuver1ngs incident to that action
and made number of enemies among the future
leaders of the new American territory.
After retiring from the Hudson Bay company
service he moved to the present site of Oregon
City where ''he had every reason to expect that
his new neighbOrs, so extensively the recipients
of his largess would welcome him as a bene-
factor rather than spurn him as a fallen auto
crat. He made the very human mistake of count
ing too heavily the religious tolerance and
anticipated gratitude of these people" For they
were Protestants and he was Catholic having
returned once more to the religious faith of his
youth; he also a British subject and they
were reused to high pitch of patriotic ardOr
over the Oregon boundary dispute.
Although he Immediately took steps to become
an American citizen, his motives suspected
and there were numerous annoying delays before
his final citizenship papers were signed. But
even that did not end his troubles. American
settlers had squatted on some of his lands and
there were disputes over land titles. After Ore
gon became a territory, its first delegate to con-
gress, an enemy of the doctor, influenced the
passage of legislation, the Oregon Donation Land
Law, which cheated Mclaughlin out of real
estate that was rghtfully his
No wonder that toward the close Of his career
the embittered old man penned these lines: by
BRITISH demaSOSueS L nave been represented as
a traitor For what? Because l acted as a Chris
tian saved American citizens, men, women and
children from the Indian tomahawk and enabled
them to take farms to support their families.
American demagOgues have been base enough to
assert that had caused American citizens to be
massacred by hundreds by the savages. |, who
saved all that | could =. . l could not have done
more for the settlers if they had been brothers
and sisters >. To be brief l founded this set
tlement and prevented a war and for doing
this peacably and quietly | was treated by the
British in such manner that, from self-respect,
resigned my situation in the HudsOns Bay com
pany's service by which sacrificed $4,000 per
annum, and the Oregon Land Bill shows the
treatment l received from the Americans"
The end of his troubles came on September 3,
1851 when he died peacefully in his home in
Oregon City. Five years later the Oregon legiS-
Iature made partial amends for the njusticeS he
had suffered by passing an act which permitted
his heirs to acquire all of hi. original land
claims, with the exception of one island. upon
the payment of 81 200 which was designated for
the University Fund of Oregon.
Although he is generally hailed as the Father
of Oregon" monument in keeping with his
Importance in the history of the Pacific North
west has ever been erected in his memory. The
simple, whitepainted frame dwelling in Oregon
City where he spent his last days is preserved
as a museum and memorial to him. The in
ScrptiOn on his odfaShiOned tombstone, set in
the brick foundations of the brOwn-painted Cath
Olic church where he lies buried, records the
fact that he was '"The Pioneer and Friend of
Oregon. Also the founder of this city"
The magnificent column at Astoria, Ore. hon
Ors the names of Capt. Robert Gray, of Lewis
and Clark and of John Jacob Astor but not that
Of DR.. John Mclaughlin. The monument at
Wishram, Wash, lists his name along with 40
other "dauntess pathfnders and pioneers of
varying Importance. On grassy plot within
the city limits of Vancouver, Wash, stands a
heXagOnal marker, on one face of which is this
simple inscription: Under the influence of DIR.
John Mclaughlin (sc) !! manager of the Hudson
Bay Co., civilization of Washington started at
Vancouver, A. d. 1925" Meager as is this trib-
ute, they might at least have spelled correctly
the name of the man of whom this latest biOgra-
pher says: "Of all the heroic figures of the early
West, DR.. John Mclaughlin was the most re-
markable. AS leader benefactOr and Chris
tian, he was unrivaled and, though his life ended
in tragedy, the passage of time has not only en-
HANGED his greatness but placed him with the
charmed ciNlc of our national heroes"
SWestern Newspaper Union.