There was great rejoicing in Oregon, at first, on the passage of the Donation Land Law. Every settler, except Dr. McLoughlin, could now have his land claim, for the title to which he had waited so long. A great university was to be built, without cost to anyone, except Dr. McLoughlin and his heirs. This was long before the discussion about using "tainted money." But the reaction against Thurston soon began. The newspapers printed letters against Thurston's actions in vilifying Dr. McLoughlin and in taking away his land claim. Thurston's party papers began to mention or to advocate other available men[51]for Thurston's position as delegate to Congress.[52]
Career and Death of Thurston.
Even had the Mission Party, at the next election, been strong enough to have elected Thurston, had he lived, his political career would probably not have continued long. April 9, 1851, at the age of thirty-five years he died at sea off Acapulco, Mexico, while returning to Oregon. Thurston's letter, speeches, and actions against Dr. McLoughlin are the one great blot on his career. Thurston was a man of ability, a fluent speaker, a profuse writerof letters, of untiring energy, but inclined to be vindictive, and was not careful about the truth of his statements concerning a person he opposed or disliked. He made quite a reputation during the short time he was in Congress. He was quite popular in Oregon until his actions against Dr. McLoughlin became known. But for his actions against Dr. McLoughlin his memory would even now be highly regarded in Oregon. The passage of the Donation Land Law was largely due to his efforts. In spite of said section eleven that law gave great satisfaction to many people in Oregon. Up to that time no settler had more than a squatter's right. Man is naturally selfish. Notwithstanding the treatment of Dr. McLoughlin by this law, many settlers were pleased that they could now secure titles to their lands, and to that extent were grateful to Thurston.
Thurston secured appropriations for Oregon aggregating one hundred and ninety thousand dollars. Of this one hundred thousand dollars were for expenses of the Cayuse Indian War. He introduced and worked for many bills favorable to Oregon and busied himself in looking after the interests of Oregon and his constituents. He wrote a great number of letters, which were published in theOregon Spectator, calling attention to what he was doing in Congress and thus kept his name continuously before the people, for he was a skillful politician. But his alliance with leaders of the Mission Party was a political error.
This address is about Dr. McLoughlin. I have not attempted to give the life of Thurston, nor ahistory of the Methodist Mission. To speak only of Thurston's actions against Dr. McLoughlin might be taken to mean that Thurston did nothing else while in Congress. In estimating Thurston's actions in Congress, those that are to his credit must be taken into account as well as those which are not. His actions in regard to Dr. McLoughlin's land claim were an unfortunate bid for popularity, which reacted on him and his reputation. Thurston's untrue and unjust statements, his despicable actions, and his false and malicious charges against Dr. McLoughlin are indefensible. Thurston's untimely death probably prevented justice being done to Dr. McLoughlin and his devisees sooner than it was. Thurston was not a strong man physically and it was thought that he had shortened his life in working for Oregon and his constituents. To act justly to the living Dr. McLoughlin, in a certain sense, might be construed as reflecting on the dead Thurston.
The Methodist Episcopal Church.
All my ancestors and relatives for many generations have been Protestants. I was brought up under the auspices of the Old School Presbyterian Church, of which my parents were members from my early childhood until their deaths at advanced ages. I have never been a member of any church, but my feelings and sympathies have always been that of a Protestant. I respect all true sects and denominations of the great Christian Church. I respect the religion of the Jews, of Buddha, and of Confucius, for the good that is in them. I respectevery man's religious faith, as long as it is truly a religious faith. I uphold the right of every man to worship God according to his liking. I respect, I admire, the man who against opposition and against his material and business interests follows the dictates of his conscience in religious and other matters of principle. While I may not agree with him, I defend his right. It is immaterial to me whether Dr. McLoughlin was a Protestant or a Roman Catholic. It is sufficient to me that he honestly acted according to his reason, his judgment, and what he considered was right. I condemn any persecution of him for being true to his conscience. I have great admiration for the Methodist missionaries who were true to their principles, who tried to lead blameless lives and to convert the Indians, and respected the rights of others. It is immaterial to me whether the missionaries were Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, or Roman Catholics, so long as they were really missionaries and true to their God, according to their lights, true to their professions, to themselves, and to their fellow men. I have no attack to make on religion, nor on the Methodist Episcopal Church, nor on its true missionaries, clerical or lay.
The Methodist Episcopal Church has been one of the great civilizing agencies in the United States, particularly in the newer parts of the country. In its earlier days, and until the great growth of the country in the past forty or fifty years, it reached a class of people, which no other denomination could reach or influence, and made betterpeople of them. All churches and denominations are subject to conditions and to evolution. And the Methodist Episcopal Church is today one of the great and influential churches in the United States.
There always have been and there always will be men who make use of religion for sinister purposes. These unworthy missionaries who were parties to the unjust treatment of Dr. McLoughlin are not entitled to escape criticism, nor to have their wrongful acts passed over because of their religious pretentions. They are subject all the more to severe condemnation. All good Methodists condemn those wrongful acts of the missionaries as all true, honest Oregon pioneers condemn the acts of the pioneers who abused or cheated Dr. McLoughlin. But these base actions were not sustained by, nor concurred in by all the Methodist missionaries. Some condemned these actions. Others of these missionaries, appreciating what Dr. McLoughlin had done for them, and his humanitarianism, spoke in his praise, but did not break with their fellows who were persecuting Dr. McLoughlin. Some of the signers of the Shortess petition afterwards regretted, or were ashamed of their actions in so doing. Some timid persons may say that it would be better, in this address, merely to speak of the kind acts and high character of Dr. McLoughlin and not of the wrongful and unjust ways in which he was treated by some of the early immigrants, by some of the Methodist missionaries, by Thurston, by Bryant, and others. But that would not show what he suffered for the upbuilding of Oregon, nor his martyrdomon account of his humanity, of his principles, and of his integrity. It would not be a true, nor an accurate account of his life and time.
Some persons in writing a life of Jesus would speak of his gentleness, his kindness, and his humanity, and say no more. They would not say anything against the Pharisees, nor of their condemnation by Jesus, because the Pharisees were people of some standing in their community, and did some kindly acts, and for fear of offending the descendants of the Pharisees. Such historians would not say anything against Caiaphas, the high priest, nor his actions against Jesus, because they might offend those religiously inclined. They would not say anything against those who cried "Crucify him," in their religious zeal. They would not say anything against Pontius Pilate, for fear of being thought to have attacked the Judiciary. They would either omit the crucifixion or merely say the last days of Jesus were passed somewhat in sorrow and in pain. But such a history would be trivial, and of no value. It would fail to show what Jesus did and suffered in his endeavors to help mankind. It would be a history in name only.
Dr. McLoughlin's Memorial to Congress.
By the passage of the Donation Land Law, and also by reason of the letter and of the speeches of Thurston in Congress, Dr. McLoughlin was put in the humiliating position of having to issue a printed circular letter to get expressions of opinions of others, as to the falsity of the charges madeagainst him by Thurston, and to support a memorial to Congress which Dr. McLoughlin afterwards sent to Congress with all the evidence. But his memorial accomplished nothing. There was, too, the question that Congress had given away his land claim, which was then technically the property of Oregon, for an university, and that Congress could not, with dignity to itself, revoke its gift. And who was Dr. McLoughlin to Congress? He was away out in Oregon nearly 4,000 miles from Washington. There were great and serious matters to be considered by Congress. The Oregon question was settled. What were the wrongs and misfortunes of one old man to Congress?
In answer to the printed circular issued by Dr. McLoughlin, after the passage of the Donation Land Law, for the purposes of his memorial to Congress, he received many commendatory letters. I give merely excerpts from the letter of that noble old pioneer, Jesse Applegate, an immigrant of 1843. He wrote: "I have received your letter of inquiries, and take pleasure in replying to such of them as I personally know to be true. I came to this country in the fall of 1843, and, from that time forward, I can safely testify that your conduct has been the most generous and philanthropic, not only to immigrants from the United States, but to all requiring your assistance, whether natives or foreigners. I can also say that you have greatly encouraged and given much assistance in settling and developing the resources of the country, but I have by no means considered your motive for doing so political, or that your charitable acts were intendedto advance the interests of any particular nation, but that you acted in the one case simply from a sense of Christian duty and humanity, and in the other from a natural desire to be useful in your day and generation.... But as the office of Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company is in no way connected with politics, the discharge of its duties imposed no restrictions upon your private sentiments, and unless they led to a betrayal of your trust, which has never been charged against you, as an Irishman and a Catholic, you were free to feel and express your partiality for the free and tolerant institutions of the United States. That you did entertain such partiality, from my first acquaintance with you, need not depend upon my assertion, for it is a fact well known, and one you did not pretend to conceal."
Jesse Applegate then says, in this letter, that he was present in 1845 when Dr. McLoughlin applied to Judge Peter H. Burnett, the Chief Justice of the Provisional Government, to take the oath of allegiance to the United States and to obtain first naturalization papers, but Judge Burnett declined to grant the request for he believed he did not have any jurisdiction to do so. Jesse Applegate further said in his letter: "That 'you pulled down houses and turned women and children out of them,' is a charge not only false, but too absurd to require refutation or notice. I can myself state, from experience, which accords with that of every other destitute immigrant who applied to you for assistance, either before or since my arrival in the country, that your conduct was entirely the reverse.My own company, of more than seventy persons, mostly women and children, who arrived at Vancouver in the storms of winter, in a condition the most destitute and miserable, were received by you, not as strangers, or foreigners, or as some would have it, enemies, but as brethren and fit subjects of hospitality and Christian charity, and our reception was not more kind and generous than was extended to every immigrant who sought your hospitality or assistance.... But however unjust the Oregon Land Law has been towards you, it may be said in excuse for the members of Congress who passed it, that with the concurring and uncontradicted evidence of the Delegate and Chief Justice of Oregon before them, you neitherhadnorwouldbecome an American citizen, they are not chargeable with injustice."[53]
The Persecution Continued.
The conspirators and their friends did not cease their persecution of Dr. McLoughlin. They were determined he should not have his land claim. To protect the reputation of Thurston and the other conspirators, it was necessary to defeat all actions of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in favor of Dr. McLoughlin. If that body made any petitions to Congress or passed any resolutions in favor of Dr. McLoughlin, it would show that he was entitled to his land claim, the injustice of section eleven of the Donation Land Law, and that Thurston was guilty of malicious untruths in his letter to, and his speeches before Congress relatingto Dr. McLoughlin and his land claim. Oregon could not, with propriety, pretend to act justly to Dr. McLoughlin and still retain his land claim. I regret to say that the House of Representatives of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, at its session in 1853-4, not only refused to help Dr. McLoughlin, but by its actions did him harm. January 6, 1854, several petitions were presented to the House asking that Congress be memorialized in favor of Dr. McLoughlin's right to his land claim, "excepting the Abernethy Island," but the petitions were immediately laid on the table. January 28, 1854, Orlando Humason presented to the House the following resolution: "Whereas, the acts of John McLoughlin in regard to his treatment of the early settlers of Oregon, have, as we believe, been misrepresented, therefore—Resolved, that the generous conduct of Dr. John McLoughlin in assisting the early settlers of Oregon, merits our warmest commendations, and that as evidence of the high estimation in which his services are held by his fellow citizens, the thanks of this Assembly be tendered to the said Dr. John McLoughlin."[54]But by the vote of sixteen to seven, three being absent, the resolution was indefinitely postponed, which was the legislative way of defeating it. All honor to the seven who voted in favor of the resolution. Their names are F. C. Cason, L. F. Cartee, Orlando Humason, B. B. Jackson, J. W. Moffitt, Chauncey Nye, and L. S. Thompson.
The End of Dr. McLoughlin's Life.
All these troubles and tribulations naturally told on Dr. McLoughlin. He was a man of fortitude, who brooded, almost silently, over his sorrows, with an occasional outburst when his sufferings were too intense. He had made expensive improvements on his land claim, including a flour-mill and a saw-mill, and other buildings. No provisions were ever made by Congress to pay for these improvements. Even his dwelling house at Oregon City, which for several years had been the home of himself and his family, was taken from him, with his other improvements, by section eleven of the Oregon Donation Land Law. It is true he remained in possession of these improvements, including his home, but by sufferance only. Because the Territory of Oregon did not sell the land he was not actually ousted. There was no way to acquire land in Oregon City, taken from Dr. McLoughlin by said section eleven, except by a law passed by the Oregon Legislature. And the legislature did nothing.
He could not move nor sell his improvements. They belonged to the land on which they were erected. Even if he could have sold them they would have brought but little as they would have to be moved. His mills were erected to be run by water power and they were conveniently situated on the bank of the river near the falls, for the economical handling of wheat and logs and the shipping of products of these mills. They could not, at that time, be successful financially if they were moved and operated by steam. Hehoped that Congress or the Legislature would restore his land claim to him. But he hoped and waited in vain. The lion was entangled in a net. He struggled but he could not escape. And so Dr. McLoughlin became straitened financially. Had Dr. McLoughlin been allowed to have his land, he could then have built up a large town at Oregon City. As it was, investors went to places where titles to land could be obtained and there built up enterprises. With the moneys from the sale of land Dr. McLoughlin could have paid the Hudson's Bay Company all the moneys due by settlers, who had failed or refused to pay. The payment of this heavy indebtedness Dr. McLoughlin had assumed. It was a matter of honor with him. He owed nothing else to the Hudson's Bay Company. The settlers who would not pay their indebtedness caused Dr. McLoughlin to feel keenly their ingratitude. If they had paid him, he would have paid the Company in full.
And there, too, was the question of providing after his death for his loving and faithful wife, to whom he was devoted, and his children. He had always been generous to his family. He had provided for his mother until her death at the age of eighty-three years. He had educated four nieces. He had helped other of his relatives. Is it to be wondered at that he sometimes felt bitter?
The McLoughlin Document was undoubtedly written at this period. It is a brief of his defense. He probably wrote it so that his descendants would understand. At the end of this Document, Dr. McLoughlin said: "By British demagogues I havebeen represented as a traitor. For what? Because I acted as a Christian; saved American citizens, men, women and children from the Indian tomahawk and enabled them to make farms to support their families.[55]American demagogues have been base enough to assert that I had caused American citizens to be massacred by hundreds by the savages. I, who saved all I could. I have been represented by the Delegate from Oregon, the late S. R. Thurston, as doing all I could to prevent the settling [of Oregon], while it was well known to every American settler who is acquainted with the history of the Territory if this is not a downright falsehood, and most certainly will say, that he most firmly believes that I did all I could to promote its settlement, and that I could not have done more for the settlers if they had been my brothers and sisters, and, after being the first person to take a claim in the country and assisting the immigrants as I have, my claim is reserved, after having expended all the means I had to improve it, while every other settler in the country gets his. But as I felt convinced that any disturbance between us here might lead to a war between Great Britain and the States, I felt it my bounden duty as a Christian, to act as I did, and which I think averted the evil, and which was so displeasing to some English demagogues that they represented me to the British government as a person so partial to American interests as selling the Hudson's Bay Company goods, in my charge, cheaper to Americanthan I did to British subjects.... Yet, after acting as I have, spending my means and doing my utmost to settle the country, my claim is reserved, while every other settler in the country gets his; and how much this has injured me, is daily injuring me, it is needless to say, and certainly it is a treatment I do not deserve and which I did not expect. To be brief, I founded this settlement and prevented a war between the United States and Great Britain, and for doing this peaceably and quietly, I was treated by the British in such a manner that from self respect I resigned my situation in the Hudson's Bay Company's service, by which I sacrificed $12,000 per annum, and the 'Oregon Land Bill' shows the treatment I received from the Americans."
And so, worried and troubled without surcease, Dr. McLoughlin maintained his grand, but kindly, attitude to the last. But these matters affected his health. For several years before his death he was an invalid, but his pride assisted him to persevere and to transact such business as he could, although his heart was breaking. His flesh became greatly reduced, his eyes deeply sunken. He grew so emaciated that his great frame stood out, making him look gaunt and grim. For a few weeks, only, before his death he was confined to his bed.
Thus encompassed and overcome, and crucified by robbery, mendacity, and ingratitude, Dr. John McLoughlin died at Oregon City, September 3, 1857, a broken-hearted man. He was buried in the churchyard of the Roman Catholic Church in Oregon City, where his body now lies. The stonewhich marks his grave bears the simple inscription:
"Dr. John McLoughlinDIEDSept. 3, 1857.Aged73 Years.The pioneer and Friend of Oregon.Also the founder of this City."
Dr. John McLoughlin is not the only great character in history, whose memory shall live for all time, but whose death was under sad circumstances and whose heart, at the time of his death, was then filled with thoughts of the wrong-doings and the ingratitude of others.
The frontispiece to this address is made from a photograph of a daguerreotype of Dr. McLoughlin taken in 1856, when his sorrows and tribulations were beginning to tell on him. This daguerreotype belongs to Mrs. Josiah Myrick, of Portland, Oregon, who is a granddaughter of Dr. McLoughlin. She kindly loaned this daguerreotype to have the photograph made of it.
Governor L. F. Grover was elected Governor of Oregon for two consecutive terms. He resigned during his last term to be an United States Senator, to which latter office he was elected. He is now living in Portland, at an advanced age. On the fourteenth of September, 1905, he gave me a written statement of an incident which occurred in the last sickness of Dr. McLoughlin. In this statement Governor Grover said that he was riding on horseback through Oregon City on his way fromSalem to Portland, and passed down the street directly in front of Dr. McLoughlin's home, a few days before his death. As Governor Grover was giving directions for the care of his horse, a messenger came to him from Dr. McLoughlin requesting Governor Grover to call at Dr. McLoughlin's house. Governor Grover says: "I found him extremely ill.... He said that he was dying by inches. He said: 'I shall live but a little while longer and this is the reason I sent for you. I am an old man and just dying, and you are a young man and will live many years in this country, and will have something to do with affairs here. As for me, I might better have been shot'—and he brought it out harshly—'I might better have been shot forty years ago.' After a silence, for I did not say anything, he concluded: 'than to have lived here and tried to build up a family and an estate in this government. I became a citizen of the United States in good faith. I planted all I had here and the government has confiscated my property. Now what I want to ask of you is that you will give your influence after I am dead to have this property go to my children. I have earned it as other settlers have earned theirs, and it ought to be mine and my heirs.' I told him I would favor his request, and did."
Justice to Dr. McLoughlin's Memory.
Although the Donation Land Law went into effect September 27, 1850, and its section eleven provided that the "Oregon City Claim" should be at the disposal of the Territory for the establishmentand endowment of an university, nothing was done with this land claim until 1862, three years after Oregon became a state. In October, 1862, the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon passed an act, which was approved by the Governor October 17, 1862, conveying and confirming to the legatees under the will of Dr. McLoughlin, who were his son, David, his daughter, Eloisa, and her husband, Daniel Harvey, the McLoughlin or Oregon City land claim, excepting Abernethy Island, upon the condition that said legatees pay to the University Fund of Oregon, the nominal sum of one thousand dollars. This was forthwith paid by Daniel Harvey and wife in gold coin although they might have paid it in greenbacks, which were then at a large discount. As the eleventh section of the Donation Land Law provided that the proceeds of the sale of said Oregon City Claim should be applied to the establishment and endowment of an university, there had to be some consideration paid on its disposal by the State. All this occurred twelve years after the passage of the Donation Land Law and five years after the death of Dr. McLoughlin. During all those twelve years the title of this land claim was in the Territory, or State of Oregon. It stopped the growth of Oregon City. It impoverished Dr. McLoughlin.
As appears by the Senate and House Journals of the Legislative Session of 1862 said act passed the Senate, with two negative votes only, and there were none in the House after the act was amended in the Senate in the form in which the act became a law. The injustice of the Donation Land Lawto Dr. McLoughlin had appealed to the people of Oregon in the twelve years which had elapsed since the passage of the latter law. What Dr. McLoughlin had done for Oregon and its pioneers could not be forgotten. Justice to him and his memory was, at last, triumphant. The enactment and approval of this law of October 17, 1862, was an official vindication of Dr. McLoughlin, by the Legislative and Executive Departments of the State of Oregon, of all the false statements about, and all charges against him made by Thurston and others, and of all their misrepresentations of Dr. McLoughlin and of his acts. It was a formal official acknowledgment of the injustice of the Oregon Donation Land Law to Dr. McLoughlin. It was an official recognition of his sterling qualities; of his humanity; of his great services in assisting the early immigrants; of what he had done for Oregon; and of what was due to him and to his memory as the Father of Oregon. It cleared his character and reputation from every imputation of unfairness, injustice, and chicanery. It was, in effect, an official condemnation of the acts of the conspirators against him.
In 1846 the fame of Dr. John McLoughlin as a great and good man had extended to Rome. That year Gregory XVI, then the Pope, made Dr. McLoughlin a Knight of St. Gregory the Great, of civil grade. The original patent, written in Latin, is now in the possession of a descendant of Dr. McLoughlin. A copy in English is in the possession of the Oregon Historical Society. The Pope sent to Dr. McLoughlin the Insignia of theOrder, which was delivered to him by Archbishop Francis N. Blanchet on his return from Europe in August, 1847. It was a high and deserved honor. But without it Dr. John McLoughlin was one of Nature's knights in all qualities which the highest and best of knights should have. He was such a knight,sans peur, sans reproche.
Opinions by Dr. McLoughlin's Contemporaries.
In 1887 the people of Portland determined to raise six hundred dollars for a three-quarter life-size portrait of Dr. McLoughlin, to be painted by William Coggswell, the artist, to be owned by the Oregon Pioneer Association. The money was raised by popular subscription. The total amount subscribed was nearly double the sum required. This portrait was formally presented to the Association at its annual meeting, June 15, 1887. Judge M. P. Deady made the presentation address. He was a judge for forty years continuously in Oregon. A part of the time, six years, he was on the Oregon Territorial Supreme Bench, and for thirty-four years he was United States District Judge for Oregon, after Oregon became a State. In his presentation address Judge Deady, speaking of Dr. McLoughlin,[56]said: "The man, whose portrait now hangs before you, came to this country from the Atlantic commissioned as Chief Factor and Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company west of the Rocky mountains. He was clothed with absolute power.... He was the ruler of this country, and had the peace and security of the peoplein his hands. He was distinguished for his justice and fair dealing with the Indians. When the immigration came he was distinguished for kindness and hospitality. He always literally obeyed the scriptural injunction to feed the hungry, visit the sick and clothe the naked. The maintenance of law, order and justice rested on his shoulders and he was equal to the occasion.
"The people of Portland have thought to honor his memory by having his portrait painted and giving it to the Pioneer Association, to be taken to the fair city of Salem and hung in the State Capitol, where you may look at it and show it to your children, and they to their children, and say: 'This is the old doctor, the good doctor, Dr. John McLoughlin.' Thirty years ago he laid down his life at the Wallamet Falls, where he had builded and lived since 1845, somewhat in obscurity, somewhat in sorrow, somewhat in sadness and disappointment. But the political strife and religious bigotry which cast a cloud over his latter days have passed away, and his memory and figure have arisen from the mist and smoke of controversy, and he stands out today in bold relief, as the first man in the history of this country—the Pioneer of Pioneers."
The Oregon Pioneer Association deemed it best to present this portrait to the State of Oregon. This was done February 6, 1889, at a joint session of the Senate and House of the Oregon Legislative Assembly held for the purpose. This portrait now hangs in the Senate chamber of the State Capitol at Salem in the place of honor, immediately backof the chair of the President of the Senate. John Minto, an honored pioneer of 1844, was selected to make the presentation address. In this address Mr. Minto said:[57]"In this sad summary of such a life as Dr. McLoughlin's, there is a statement that merits our attention, which, if ever proven true—and no man that ever knew Dr. McLoughlin will doubt that he believed it true, namely, that he prevented war between Great Britain and the United States—will show that two of the greatest nations on this earth owe him a debt of gratitude, and that Oregon in particular is doubly bound to him as a public benefactor.... It is now twenty-six years since the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon, so far as restoration of property to Dr. McLoughlin's family could undo the wrong of Oregon's land bill, gave gladness to the heart of every Oregon pioneer worthy of the name. All of them yet living now know that (good man as they believed him) he was better than they knew. They see him now, after the strife and jealousies of race, national, business, and sectarian interests are allayed, standing in the centre of all these causes of contention—a position in which to please all parties was simply impossible, to maintain which 'only a good man could bear with patience'—and they have adopted this means of conveying their appreciation of this great forbearance and patient endurance, combined with his generous conduct. Looking, then, at this line of action in the light of the merest glimpses of history known to be true by witnesses yet living, can any honest man wonderthat the pioneers of Oregon, who have eaten the salt of this man's hospitality—who have been eye witnesses to his brave care for humanity and participators of his generous aid—are unwilling to go to their graves in silence, which would imply base ingratitude—a silence which would be eloquent with falsehood?"
In accepting this portrait, on behalf of the State of Oregon, Gov. Sylvester Pennoyer, also an Oregon pioneer, who served two consecutive terms as Governor of the State of Oregon, said:[58]"This gift is alike creditable to the venerable men of your Association in its bestowment and to the State of Oregon in its acceptance. It does honor to the pioneers of Oregon, because it shows their full appreciation of the high qualities of a true and noble manhood; and the placing of this painting in the honorable position it now occupies in the senate-hall of the state capitol evinces a like appreciation on the part of the representatives and the people of this great State. Dr. McLoughlin was, indeed, a most extraordinary man. Entrusted with a most responsible position under the British flag at a time when there was a bitter contest for governmental supremacy in Oregon, it was the undoubted and honorable wish and prompting of his heart that the flag of his country might continue to wave over Oregon soil, and yet in instances repeated without number, he extended the hand of charity and unstinted aid to the poor immigrants of the contesting people, whose advent here threatenedthe supremacy of his government over the contested territory. While he was loyal to his country he was, as became his lofty character, more loyal to his conscience; and while never forgetting his full allegiance as a Briton, he never forgot his higher duty as a man.... Then let this picture of the grand old man, whose numerous deeds of charity are inseparably interwoven in the early history of our State, ever enjoy the place of honor it now holds; and when our children and our children's children shall visit these venerated halls, let them pause before the portrait of this venerable man and do homage to his memory, who, with his patriotic devotion to his country and his devout service to his God, crowned the full completeness of his high character with an unmeasured love for his fellow men."
I have already spoken of the Rev. H. K. Hines, D.D., a Methodist minister who came to Oregon in 1853, and of his memorable address delivered at Pendleton, December 10, 1897. In this address Dr. Hines said that "Dr. McLoughlin should escape the traduction of sectarian rancor and bigotry, ... was perhaps an impossibility. He certainly did not. Of course all could see at the outset, and none more clearly than the missionaries themselves, that the attitude he assumed towards the American missions and missionaries, must needs decide the success of their work, and even the very inauguration of it.... Dr. McLoughlin was a Christian, professedly, and it does not lie in me to say that he was not really and truly. At this time, and long before, and foryears afterwards, he was a member of the Church of England. That subsequently, in 1841, I think, he became a devout member of the Roman Catholic church, does not, to my mind, take from or add to the estimate I make of him as a devout believer in that form of religion called Christianity." And speaking of Dr. McLoughlin's treatment of the missionaries of all denominations, Dr. Hines said: "All these missionaries came while Dr. McLoughlin was not connected with any of the churches they represented. His treatment of them was on a broader and higher plane than that of the sectary. It was that of the humanitarian and the Christian, and it continued thus even after he must have seen that, at least, the missions of Mr. Lee and Dr. Whitman were, in the order of events, gathering about themselves the elements of an American civilization that indicated what the future of Oregon would be—what it has long since become." And referring to the early immigrants and Dr. McLoughlin's treatment of them, Dr. Hines said: "What would Dr. McLoughlin do? Would he shut the gates of his fortress? Would he lock the doors of his granaries? Would he deny asylum to the weary, footsore, famishing immigrants? What would he do? We can answer by rehearsing what he did. He forgot, in large measure, that those who lay at his door, sick, weary, poor, and almost ready to die, were not his friends. He fed them and pointed them out the ways in which they could take living root in the soil of that very Oregon which was the covet of England, and had so long been the possession of his own Company,albeit they who came were American citizens, and each brought an American flag in his heart if not in his hand.
"To me it seems evident that Dr. McLoughlin clearly saw the inevitable outcome of the struggle between dilatory and procrastinating diplomacy and the steady tramp of the growing army of ox teams that slowly swung down the slopes of the mountains, and, in his humanity, which was wider than his national prejudices, and stronger to control him than his love of gain, gave the final cast of his own act to humanity and peace, rather than to gain and war. I cannot here trace the individual acts that demonstrate this general conclusion, as my aim has been rather to indicate the results and show the conclusions of history than to relate its incidents and chronicle its dates.
"A few years pass on. The great Company, erst and long the rulers of Oregon, disown the acts and reprove the conduct of this man of men. Rising to an even higher altitude of resplendent manhood, with a magnificent scorn he casts down his lofty office, with its salary of $12,000 a year, at the feet of these knights of the counting-house and ledger, cuts all the bonds that bind him to their service, comes back from the palaces of London to the green woods and soft plains of Oregon, takes his place as an American citizen under the stars and stripes, and thus wins the place of imperishable honor and fame as the true 'Father of Oregon.' There his ablest contemporaries place him. There the great State within whose bounds he died and whose foundations he laid, by the voice of herlegislature and her chief executive has crowned him. There history, whose verdict I record to-night, and with which my own heart agrees, enshrines him as the greatest of our really great pioneer era."
I have given these opinions because they are those of men who personally knew Dr. McLoughlin. And years after his death, after careful consideration and reflection, they have properly estimated him and, thus remembering, have spoken truly and justly.[59]
Eulogy upon Dr. McLoughlin.
Like many others of the world's great men, Dr. John McLoughlin had many characteristics, apparently conflicting, but making in the aggregate a wonderful and harmonious whole. He was the autocrat of the early Oregon Country, yet all his feelings and political sympathies were for a republican form of government, and for rule by the people, and for personal liberty; he was a trader, with the training of a trader and of a business man, yet he gave credit, without security, to the early pioneers, because he was a humanitarian; he was quick tempered and impulsive, yet he was courteous and kind, for he was a gentleman; he was stern and severe and a strict disciplinarian, yet he had a sympathy like that of a woman, and a heart as tender and susceptible as that of a little child.
Whatever Dr. John McLoughlin did to or for the Oregon settlers, missionaries and immigrants,he did to every citizen of Oregon, man, woman, and child, for all time, then, now, and to come. In honoring him, we honor ourselves. To fail to honor him and his memory, we would dishonor ourselves. To every true, honest Oregon pioneer, and to the descendants of every Oregon pioneer, has come the pleasing and loving duty of letting the whole world know of Dr. McLoughlin's actions and character, so that memory of him and his humanity shall never perish. The time will come—and it should come soon—when a magnificent and stately monument will be erected in Oregon in honor of Dr. John McLoughlin. But it must be a monument of such size and beauty as, in that manner, to show the appreciation of the people of Oregon for him, and of the good and noble deeds of this grand old man.
His name should be enrolled in the Temple of Fame of distinguished Americans. A county in each of the states of Oregon and Washington should be named for him. For prior to March 2, 1853, what is now the State of Washington, was a part of the Territory of Oregon, and Fort Vancouver, where his noblest deeds were performed, is in the State of Washington. That State would do itself great honor if it should change the name of Thurston County to that of McLoughlin. I am glad that the last Legislative Assembly of Oregon restored the name of Mt. McLoughlin to that sublime, snow-covered mountain in Southern Oregon, sometimes called Mt. Pitt, but, prior to 1838, named for Dr. John McLoughlin by the early residents of Oregon, and for years called and shownon the maps as Mt. McLoughlin. It will forever be known by his name. It would have been appropriate if the Legislative Assembly of Oregon had changed the name of Mount Hood to that of Mount McLoughlin, for, in the days when Dr. John McLoughlin was in charge at Fort Vancouver, it was the custom of the Indians, in what is now called Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington, to point to Mt. Hood as showing near where was his residence.
Dr. McLoughlin died more than forty-nine years ago. Under the canons of the Roman Catholic Church no one can be canonized until he or she has been dead at least fifty years. If I may do so with propriety, I suggest that, when the fifty years have passed, those in proper authority in that Church cause Dr. John McLoughlin to be canonized, if it is possible to do so. But the people of Oregon, as a people, are not bound by this canon. Already the memory of this grand old man is enshrined in their hearts. To them he is now the patron saint of Oregon, without regard to canon or rules, religion or sect.
Of all the names and titles given to, or bestowed upon Dr. John McLoughlin, the one I like best is "Father of Oregon;" for he was, and is truly, the Father of Oregon. And it enables every old, true Oregon pioneer, and every son and daughter of every Oregon pioneer, and his and her descendants, to the remotest generations, to speak of Dr. John McLoughlin with affection and love, with respect and veneration as "Our Father." In the past the fervent prayers of these grateful pioneerswere made in his praise and that his tribulations might end and persecutions of him might cease. Their tears consecrated his martyrdom and his memory. Today the hearts of the survivors and of the descendants of these pioneers quicken at thoughts of what he was and what he did; and their eyes moisten in recalling what he suffered and what he endured in the making of Oregon.
Of all the men whose lives and deeds are essential parts of the history of the Oregon Country, Dr. John McLoughlin stands supremely first—there is no second. In contemplating him all others sink into comparative insignificance. You may search the whole world, and all its histories from the beginning of civilization to today, and you will find no nobler, no grander man than Dr. John McLoughlin. His life and character illustrate the kinship of man to God. He was God-like in his great fatherhood, in his great strength, in his great power, and in the exercise of his strength and of his power; he was Christ-like in his gentleness, in his tenderness, in his loving-kindness, and in his humanity.
ILLUSTRATIVE DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THE TEXT
DOCUMENT A
Article 3 of the Convention between the United States of America and Great Britain, signed at London, October 20, 1818.
"It is agreed that any country that may be claimed by either party on the north-west coast of America, westward of the Stony Mountains, shall, together with its harbors, bays, and creeks, and the navigation of all rivers within the same, be free and open for the term of ten years from the date of the signature of the present convention, to the vessels, citizens, and subjects, of the two powers; it being well understood that this agreement is not to be construed to the prejudice of any claim which either of the two high contracting parties may have to any part of the said country, nor shall it be taken to affect the claims of any other power or state to any part of the said country; the only object of the high contracting parties, in that respect, being to prevent disputes and differences among themselves."
DOCUMENT B
Convention between the United States of America and Great Britain, signed at London, August 6, 1827.
"Article 1. All the provisions of the third articleof the convention concluded between the United States of America and his majesty the king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, on the 20th of October, 1818, shall be, and they are hereby, further indefinitely extended and continued in force, in the same manner as if all the provisions of the said article were herein specifically recited.
"Art. 2. It shall be competent, however, to either of the contracting parties, in case either should think fit, at any time after the 20th of October, 1828, on giving due notice of twelve months to the other contracting party, to annul and abrogate this convention; and it shall, in such case, be accordingly entirely annulled and abrogated, after the expiration of the said term of notice.
"Art. 3. Nothing contained in this convention, or in the third article of the convention of the 20th October, 1818, hereby continued in force, shall be construed to impair, or in any manner affect, the claims which either of the contracting parties may have to any part of the country westward of the Stony or Rocky Mountains."
DOCUMENT C
Statement concerning merger of Hudson's Bay Company and North-West Company; and grant to Hudson's Bay Company of 1821 and 1838 to trade in the Oregon Country.
A great enmity arose between the Hudson's BayCompany and the North-West Company. In 1815 a regular war broke out between the two companies, which was, for some time after, openly carried on. In 1821 a compromise was effected, by which the North-West Company became united with, or rather merged, in the Hudson's Bay Company. In connection with this merger the British Parliament July 2, 1821, passed an act entitled, "An act for regulating the fur trade and establishing a criminal and civil jurisdiction in certain parts of North America," containing every provision required to give stability to the Hudson's Bay Company, and efficiency to its operation. Under this act of Parliament, the King was authorized to make grants or give licenses for the exclusive privilege of trading with the Indians in all such parts of North America, not being parts of the territories previously granted to the Hudson's Bay Company, or of any of His Majesty's provinces in North America, or of any territories belonging to the United States of America; "provided, however, that no such grant or license shall be given for a longer period than twenty-one years; that no grant or license for exclusive trade, in the part of America west of the Rocky mountains, which, by the convention of 1818 with the United States, remained free and open to the subjects or citizens of both nations, shall be used to the prejudice or exclusion of citizens of the United States engaged in such trade; and that no British subject shall trade in those territories west of the Rocky mountains without such license or grant."
December 21, 1821, the King of Englandgranted a license for twenty-one years, to the Hudson's Bay Company and to W. McGillivray, S. McGillivray, and E. Ellice (representing the North-West Company) "the exclusive privilege of trading with the Indians, in all such parts of North America, to the northward and westward of the lands and territories belonging to the United States of America, as shall not form part of any of our provinces in North America, or of any lands or territories belonging to the said United States of America, or to any European government, state, or power." Said grant also provided: "And we do hereby declare that nothing in this our grant contained shall be deemed or construed to authorize the said Governor and Company, or W. McGillivray, S. McGillivray, and E. Ellice, or any person in their employ, to claim or exercise any trade with the Indians on the north-west coast of America, to the westward of the Stony Mountains, to the prejudice or exclusion of any citizen of the United States of America, who may be engaged in the said trade: Provided always, that no British subjects other than and except the said Governor and Company, and the said W. McGillivray, S. McGillivray, and E. Ellice, and the persons authorized to carry on exclusive trade by them on grant, shall trade with the Indians within such limits, during the period of this our grant." Under this license, the parties to whom it was granted continued their operations until 1824, when the claims of the North-West Company were extinguished by mutual consent; the Hudson's Bay Company then became the sole possessorof the privileges conceded, which were enjoyed by that body until the expiration of the grant. Previous to that period, 1838, a new grant was made to the Company, entitled, "Crown Grant to the Hudson's Bay Company of the Exclusive Trade with the Indians in certain parts of North America, for a term of twenty-one Years, and upon Surrender of a former Grant."
Said grant of 1838 provided: "We do hereby grant and give our license, under the hand and seal of one of our principal secretaries of state, to the said Governor and Company, and their successors, for the exclusive privilege of trading with the Indians in all such parts of North America, to the northward and to the westward of the lands and territories belonging to the United States of America, as shall not form part of any of our provinces in North America, or of any lands or territories belonging to the said United States of America, or to any European government, state, or power, but subject, nevertheless, as hereinafter mentioned: And we do, by these presents, give, grant, and secure, to the said Governor and Company, and their successors, the sole and exclusive privilege, for the full period of twenty-one years from the date of this our grant, of trading with the Indians in all such parts of North America as aforesaid (except as hereinafter mentioned)." Said grant of 1838 also provided: "But we do hereby declare that nothing in this our grant contained shall be deemed or construed to authorize the said Governor and Company, or their successors, or any persons in their employ, to claim orexercise any trade with the Indians on the northwest coast of America, to the westward of the Stony Mountains, to the prejudice or exclusion of any of the subjects of any foreign states, who, under or by force of any convention for the time being, between us and such foreign states, respectively, may be entitled to, and shall be engaged in, the said trade."[60]
DOCUMENT D
Excerpts from Manuscript Journal of Rev. Jason Lee.
The following excerpts are taken from the manuscript journal of Rev. Jason Lee, all of which is in his handwriting. This original journal is now in the possession of the Oregon Historical Society.
"Vancouver, Teus[day], Sept. 16, 1834.——Arrived at Fort Vancouver 3 o'clock found the Governor and other Gentlemen connected with the Fort on shore waiting our arrival and conducted us to the Fort and gave us food which was very acceptable as we had eaten our last for breakfast. We received every attention from these Gentlemen. Our baggage was brought and put into a spacious room without consulting us and the room assigned for our use and we had the pleasure of sleeping again within the walls of a house after a long and fatiguing journey replete with menacies, deprivations, toil and prosperity.
"I have been much delighted today in viewing the improvements of the farm, &c. The dinner was as good and served in as good stile as in any gentleman's house in the east. Fine mus[k] & water melons and apples were set before us which were indeed a luxury after the dry living we have had for some time. After dinner took a turn in the Garden and was astonished to find it in such a high state of cultivation. The orchard is young but the quantity of the fruit is so great that many of the branches would break if they were not prevented by props.
"Dr. McLoughlin the Governor of the Fort seems pleased that Missionaries have come to the country and freely offers us any assistance that it is in his power to render. It is his decided opinion that we should commence somewhere in this vicinity. O Lord do thou direct us in the choice of a location. This evening received the joyful inteligence that Capt. Wyeth's Brig was in sight. It is a matter of joy because the last we heard it was on a sand-bar some 70 mi. below and we found we should be obliged to go down for our goods. Is not the hand of Providence in all this? Would to God that I could praise him as I ought for his gracious dealings with us. It is now past 11 o'clock and I must commend myself to divine care and retire.
"Friday Sep. 19, 1834.——Daniel and myself are now on the bank of the Willamette River a little distance from Mr. McKay's place. Wednesdayexpected that the Brig would come up to Vancouver and we should receive our goods there but the want of wind prevented her coming up. Went on board just at night and ascertained that we could not get them until the cargo was taken out. Slept on board and walked to the Fort 3 mi. in the morning and commenced preparations for a trip up the Willamette. Dr. Mc. made all the necessary preparations of men, boat, food, &c. and we were off about 4 o'clock. Camped upon the sand. Started early this morning and came to the mouth of the W. [Willamette] and found the Brig there. Took breakfast on board. Waited while Capt's Lambert, Wyeth & Thing explored the vicinity in search of a place to suit their business but the[y] could find none to please them. Left them with the expectation that they will unload some of their goods and arms at or near the place where they now are. Arrived 1/2 past 1 o'clock."
After an exploring trip up the Willamette River, which is described in his journal, Jason Lee sets forth: "Sat. 27 [Sept.]. Arrived at the Fort g. h. found our brethern well.
"After mature deliberation on the subject of our location and earnest prayer for divine direction I have nearly concluded to go to the W. [Willamette]."
"Sun. 28 Sep. 1834.—A. M. Assayed to preach to a mixed congregation English French scotch Irish Indians Americans Half Breeds Japanese &c. some of whom did not understand 5 words of english. Found it extremely difficult to collect my thoughts or find language to express them but amthankful that I have been permited to plead the cause of God on this side the Ry. Mountains where the banners of Christ were never before unfurled. Great God grant that it may not be in vain but may some fruit appear even from this feeble attempt to labour for Thee.
"Evening Preached again but with as little liberty as in the morning, but still I find it is good to worship God in the public congregation."
"Mon. Sep. 29, 1834. This morning began to make preparations in good earnest for our departure to the W. [Willamette] and after dinner embarked in one of the Company's boats kindly maned for us by Dr. McLoughlin who has treated us with the utmost politeness, attention and liberality. The Gentlemen of the Fort accompanied us to the boat and most heartily wished us great success in our enterprise. Arrived at the lower mouth of the W. where Capt. Wyeth's Brig is late in the evening."...
"Wednes[day] Sep. 31, 1834. This morning put Br's D. Lee & Edwards on shore to go to Mr. MKay's place to get horses and we pursued our course up the river. Met Capt. Wyeth on his return from his farm and shall not see him again til summer. Camped on a small prairie about 9 mi. from the Falls and found here the men which the Dr. had sent with the cattle he has lent us 8 oxen 8 cows & 8 calves."
After November 9, 1834, there is no entry in this journal until August 18, 1837, where there is an entry by Jason Lee, saying that he has not kept up his journal. There is no further entry untilJuly 28, 1838, which was written at North Fork, Platte River, when he was on his first trip to the eastern states. He says in his journal that on February 16, 1838: "The 16 Feb. [1838] I set out for Umpqua, and after 23 days, of toil and hard-ship reached home in safety, and after a few days rest found myself rather better for the trip. This was encouraging, considering the difficulties encountered such as being drenched in rain many times, fording creeks high enough to wet our feet, sleeping in wet clothes, and blankets, very bad roads and sometimes hard marching, &c. The subject of the necessity of some one of the Mission Family visiting the U. S. had been agitated during the winter, and it was at length decided by a majority that it was expedient formeto go. Previous to leaving for Umpqua, I had written Dr. McLoughlin, requesting a passage, in the companies Boats, with himself by the Hudson Bay route. This I greatly preferred to the route I came, as less fatiguing, less dangerous, better calculated to restore my debilitated system, and much more likely to afford new, interesting and useful information. The answer was near when I left, and was to be brought me by a man, who was to overtake us the second day, but by mistake he sent it to my house, hence I did not get it till my return. The Dr. could not grant my request, and expressed himself 'doubly mortified;' because he could not do me the favour, and should also be deprived of my company." The remainder of the journal is taken up with the account by Jason Lee of his trip East. March 26, 1838, there is an entry that he left theMission House on the Willamette for the United States. March 28 he arrived at Fort Vancouver. On April 4 he left Fort Vancouver in company with a Hudson's Bay Company's party bound for the Rocky Mountains. The rest of the journal is taken up with his trip Eastward. The last entry in his journal says that on July 17, 1838, he was at Sweet Water River.
DOCUMENT E
Rev. Jason Lee's visit to the Eastern States in 1838; and his Report to the Missionary Board at New York in 1844.
On arriving in the Eastern States in 1838 Rev. Jason Lee seems to have become imbued with the zeal and fervor of an evangelist in regard to christianizing the Oregon Indians, and the necessity of more missionaries in Oregon. Rev. Dr. Hines in hisMissionary History of the Pacific Northwest, p. 194, says: "Mr. Lee devoted the winter of 1838 and the summer of 1839 to traveling and delivering missionary addresses in the cities and larger towns of the Atlantic states. He was accompanied in his journeys by the two Indian boys, Wm. Brooks and Thomas Adams, brought with him from his missionary school in Oregon, whose presence and intelligent speeches added greatly to the popular enthusiasm. Lee's appeals were irresistible. The fire of his zeal caught on the altars of the church everywhere. Oregon and the Oregon Mission fired the heart of the church as nomission ever did before. The age of apostolic fervor seemed to have returned, and Lee was in the eye of the church like the great Apostle to the Gentiles building on no other man's foundation. The thought of distant wilds, where uncounted red men waited and longed for deliverance from the darkness of heathenism that had wrapped all their race for all these ages became an ever present vision to the church of the United States." In thisHistory, p. 195, Dr. Hines also says: "Poverty donated its little; wealth gave its 'gold, frankincense, and myrrh.'... The culture of Boston responded; the pride of New York cast its jewels into the treasury. The staid sobriety of Philadelphia wept and shouted and gave. Baltimore out-did the renown of her ancient missionary fame. Lee, erst the lumberman of Canada, later the pioneer missionary, who had dipped his banner in the spray of the Pacific was the hero of the hour." But in his oral report to the Missionary Board in July, 1844, after quoting the following from the letter of a complaining fellow missionary who went to Oregon on the Lausanne: "And indeed they [the Indians] have no life or energy and are a melancholy, doomed race," Jason Lee said: "I think this is in part true, the Indians on the Willamette will become, as a distinct race, extinct. But I think there will be more Indian blood through amalgamation, running in the veins of white men a hundred years hence, than would have been running in the veins of the Indians, if they had been left to themselves."
In July, 1844, Rev. Jason Lee made an oralreport to the Missionary Board in New York. This report was not reduced to writing in full but a brief statement of it was made. A copy of this report, as reduced to writing, corrected by, and in Jason Lee's handwriting, is in the possession of the Oregon Historical Society. The principal serious charges made against Jason Lee, and which caused his summary removal as Superintendent of the Oregon Methodist Mission, had been made secretly, and without notice to him, by members of the Oregon Mission. Lee answered these charges in detail, occasionally with some indignation. These charges against Jason Lee were: using the Mission's funds for speculation for his own use; misuse of Mission funds; and failure to report concerning the property of the Mission.
In this report Jason Lee said of certain Methodist missionaries:
"In one of Bro. Abernethy's letters, he tells you that the Superintendent [Jason Lee] refused to send the report of the state of the property home. There is some error in this. I cannot, I will not, believe that A. intended to charge me with opposing the sending of that report.
"Before I had left Oregon I was aware that Bro. Hines had written to the Board. He had read part of his communication to some persons, who had hinted to me about it. He started from Oregon with me, and I was in hopes we should have met face to face before this Board. He returned, however, from the Sandwich Islands to Oregon.
"Bro. Kone complains of my treatment of him, and professes to know my secret reasons for wishingto keep all in the field. I never had anysecretreasons.... Bro. Kone by his injudicious remarks caused great excitement among the laymen, and made much difficulty.
"He considered Dr. Richmond his enemy because he had so declared himself, and sent word to him [Mr. Lee] that he was his antagonist. And he hoped as they had heard his enemy they would hear him.
"Of Bro. Frost I cannot say much. He has made no thorough effort to bring sinners to God. I mean such an effort as would render it probable that these Indians could not be benefited by the Gospel."
In this report Jason Lee also spoke of some other Methodist missionaries who had made charges against him, without giving their names.
As the Board seems to have exonerated Jason Lee from all charges, it must have found that these charges made in Oregon were untrue, or unfounded, or not justified. Exonerating Jason Lee was, in effect, condemning those persons who made the charges, and finding that their charges were false. In this report Rev. Jason Lee also said: "When the Board sent out its last large reinforcement, its object in my view and I believe in theirs was that Methodism should spread throughout Oregon; for what purpose else, I ask, did so large a number of laymen go out? If it was only to form one or two stations, it appears to me that both the Board and myself as their agent must have taken leave of our senses. If my associates had stood firm to their post, and persevered willinglyin the work consigned them, I have not a doubt but far more favorable accounts would have reached you from that distant country. The plans I assert were well formed and had I been sustained the object would have been accomplished. A great mistake was made in selecting some of those who were sent out. I allude not to the number but the qualifications of certain individuals. I forewarned the Oregon Committee that if the persons who applied for situations were not examined by a proper committee the plan would fail. Such proved to be the case. As proof I aver that we had not reached our first stopping place in South America, before some desired to return to the United States, and even after touching at the S. [Sandwich] Islands before we had reached Oregon one wanted to return and secure the Chaplaincy at the Islands. I have had much to contend with, and I regret that men of more steadfast minds had not been chosen. Such persons do more injury to a distant Mission than they do good, and no one knows the difficulties I have had to pass through."
In this report Rev. Jason Lee said further: "He [Dr. McLoughlin] is a Catholic. Previous to the Priests going there, I was his intimate friend,—his confidant. Such was my influence with the Canadian part of the settlement, that they would have been pleased to give me their church and have no Priest come. Since my return I have not time to instruct their children as we used to do, and the Priests have taken them."
DOCUMENT F
Excerpts from Narrative of Commodore Charles Wilkes, U. S. N., published in Philadelphia in 1845.
Commander Charles Wilkes of the United States Navy, (afterwards Commodore) had charge of an exploring expedition during the years 1838-1842, which came to the Oregon Country in 1841. His squadron consisted of six vessels, which arrived at Puget Sound in 1841. He left his ships at Puget Sound and came overland to Vancouver in May, 1841. In his narrative of his exploring expedition, published in 1845, Wilkes says, (vol. IV, p. 327): "He [Dr. McLoughlin] is a tall fine-looking person, of a very robust frame, with a frank, manly, open countenance, and a florid complexion; his hair is perfectly white. He gave us that kind reception we had been led to expect from his well known hospitality. He is of Scotch parentage, but by birth, a Canadian, enthusiastic in disposition, possessing great energy of character, and extremely well suited for the situation he occupies, which requires great talent and industry. He at once ordered dinner for us, and we soon felt ourselves at home, having comfortable rooms assigned us, and being treated as part of the establishment." And on page 331 he says: "The liberality and freedom from sectarian principles of Dr. M'Loughlin may be estimated from his being thus hospitable to missionaries of so many Protestant denominations, although he is a professed Catholic,and has a priest of the same faith officiating daily at the chapel. Religious toleration is allowed in its fullest extent. The dining-hall is given up on Sunday to the use of the ritual of the Anglican Church, and Mr. Douglass or a missionary reads the service.... Messrs. Griffith and Clarke were entirely disappointed in finding self-support here, and had it not been for the kindness of Dr. M'Loughlin, who took them in, they would have suffered much. They were advised to settle themselves on the Faulitz Plains, where I have understood they have since taken land, and succeeded in acquiring quite respectable farms."
June 3, 1841, Wilkes left Vancouver to make an exploring trip up the Willamette Valley. In his account of this trip he says in his narrative, (vol.IV, pp. 343-344): "We reached the falls about noon, where we found the missionary station under the charge of the Rev. Mr. Waller.... There was a petty dispute between Mr. Waller and the [Hudson's Bay] Company, and he complained of them. It seems that the Company refuse to buy any beaver-skins, except from the hunters and trappers; and he accuses them of monopoly in consequence. The Company, on the other hand, say that they have no idea of selling goods out of their own stores, for the purpose of enabling others to enter into competition with them; and that they will spare no expense to keep the trade, as long as they can, in their own hands. This is certainly not unfair. I cannot help feeling it is quite unsuited to the life of a missionary, to be entering into trade of any kind. To embark in traffic must, I think,tend to destroy the usefulness of a missionary, or divert his attention from the great cause in which he is engaged. I am very far from attaching any blame on this account to the missionaries, whose avowed object is to teach the arts of civilization, as well as the Word of God, and I have no doubt that they are doing all in their power to promote the latter object; but I am disposed to think, that any complaints against the Hudson Bay Company for endeavouring to keep the trade in their own hands, comes with an ill grace from the members of a Mission who are daily receiving the kindest attentions and hospitality from its officers." In vol.IV, p. 351, he says: "The lands of the Methodist Mission are situated on the banks of the Willamette river, on a rich plain adjacent to fine forests of oak and pine. They are about eight miles beyond the Catholic Mission, consequently eighteen miles from Champooing, in a southern direction.... We had the expectation of getting a sight of the Indians on whom they were inculcating good habits and teaching the word of God; but with the exception of four Indian servants, we saw none since leaving the Catholic Mission. On inquiring, I was informed that they had a school of twenty pupils, some ten miles distant, at the mill; that there were but few adult Indians in the neighborhood; and that their intention and principal hope was to establish a colony, and by their example to induce the white settlers to locate near those over whom they trusted to exercise a moral and religious influence."