4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL April 1, 2015
O PINION
Offbeat Oregon History
Civil War plotters hoped to get
West Coast to secede
BY FINN J.D. JOHN
For the Sentinel
(Note: This article quotes
sources who use archaic terms
for black, Asian, and Ameri-
can Indian people which have
become offensive in modern
speech.)
S
ometime around early
1860, as the United States
of America teetered on the brink
of what would become the Civil
War, a small group of legisla-
tors from Oregon and California
came together secretly to make
plans.
They were all Southern Dem-
ocrats, members of the pro-slav-
ery wing of the Democratic Par-
ty. In the previous year or two,
they’d broken with the moderate
Democrats so sharply that the
two sides were barely on speak-
ing terms. Indeed, later that year
one of their number — Oregon
Senator Joseph Lane — would
be joining John Breckenridge to
form a third-party ticket for the
1860 Presidential election. That
would split the Democratic vot-
ers, so it seemed at least a good
possibility that the next Presi-
dent, to be elected later that year,
would be an anti-slavery Repub-
lican — probably Lincoln.
The conspirators all knew
what would probably happen if
Lincoln were elected.
Senator William Gwin and
Governor-Elect Milton Latham
of California had an idea that
they wanted to propose. The idea
was that when the South seced-
ed, so would the West. The coun-
try west of the Rockies would
declare itself as an independent
nation, calling itself “Pacifi c Re-
public.”
“The Pacifi c Republic was to
be an aristocracy after the model
of the ancient republic of Ven-
ice, all power being vested in a
hereditary nobility, the chief ex-
ecutive being elected on a very
limited suffrage,” historian Dor-
othy Hull writes.
There was, alas, a subtle prob-
lem with the scheme: Very few
Californians, Oregonians and
residents of the Washington Ter-
ritory had slaves. And you can’t
found a pro-slavery nation when
your population of slaves is
numbered in the dozens. So, to
properly outfi t the new land with
the “livestock” it would need,
the conspirators envisioned an
international swindle of breath-
taking audacity and moral repul-
siveness:
“Slaves,” Hull continues,
“were to be procured by inviting
coolies, South Sea islanders and
negroes to immigrate to Califor-
nia, and then reducing them to
slavery.”
Although this proposal was
by far the most audacious sug-
gestion of West Coast indepen-
dence, it wasn’t a new idea. The
fi rst stirrings of a secessionist
movement came in 1848.
That was the year the federal
government fi nally granted Or-
egon territorial status, after a
two-year delay while Congress-
critters duked it out over whether
slavery would be legal there or
not. During this time, the federal
government was in the hands of
the Democrats, and most Orego-
nians were Democrats too.
Then came the elections of late
1848, in which the Whig party
was voted into power behind
Millard Fillmore. The Whigs im-
mediately gave all the appointed
Democratic offi ce-holders their
walking papers and started re-
placing them with their friends
and political cronies. And be-
cause these decisions were be-
ing made back east, the replace-
ment civil servants were almost
all newcomers from the Eastern
Seaboard.
These offi cials soon found
themselves up against Oregon’s
new but powerful Democratic
Party machine, headed up by
the charismatic and pugnacious
editor of the Oregon Statesman,
Asahel Bush. Tensions mounted
to unbearable and business-halt-
ing levels. Something, everyone
knew, had to be done.
By 1851, things were so in-
tolerable that Democrats were
whispering of secession. Whig
newspaper The “Weekly Orego-
nian” openly accused the Demo-
crats of “design(ing) at no distant
day to throw off their allegiance
to the United States Government
and attempt to set up an indepen-
dent republic.”
But then, in 1852, Democrat
Franklin Pierce won the national
election; the Whig offi ce-holders
were sent packing; and Asahel
Bush and his cronies simmered
down and got back to work.
Eight years later, though, Bush
was on the other side of this fi ght.
Please see OFFBEAT, Page 5A
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
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5501. www.cottagegrove.org/
Lane County
Commissioners:
Cottage Grove Mayor Tom
Munroe: 942-5501.
Mike Fleck, At Large:
942-7302
Faye Stewart, East Lane Com-
missioner
Lane County Public Service
Building
125 East 8th Street
Eugene, OR 97401
Phone: (541) 682-4203
Fax: (541) 682-4616
Heather Murphy, At Large:
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Representatives:
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District: 007
900 Court Street NE
Suite H-379
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: (503) 986-1407
Fax: (503) 986-1130
Email: rep.cedrichayden@
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Councilors:
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337-3702
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Oregon State Senate:
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District: 004
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Suite S-319
Salem, OR 97301-0001
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Governor:
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Salem, Oregon 97301-4047
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Representatives:
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District: 004
United States House of Repre-
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gov/contact/
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United States Senate
404 Russell Senate Offi ce
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Email: http://jmerkley.senate.
gov/webform.htm
Bunnies for Easter: Understand the commitment
(courtesy of the Humane Society of
Cottage Grove Spring 2015 newsletter)
E
aster time brings thoughts of fuzzy
fl uffy rabbits; but sadly, many Eas-
ter bunnies end up abandoned once the
novelty wears off.
Rabbits can make wonderful additions
to your family, but like dogs and cats, they
are not a toy; they are living, breathing 10-
year (maybe longer) commitments. They
should not be considered simply a good
“starter” pet for a child. If you would like
to have a rabbit as a pet, please consider:
Rabbits should be spayed or neutered
to avoid health and behavior problems.
Rabbits need daily exercise, playtime and
companionship. Rabbits have a very spe-
cifi c diet, including hay, fruit, vegetables
and fresh water.
An outdoor hutch is not adequate hous-
ing. Rabbits must be kept indoors for their
safety. Outdoors, they are susceptible to
extreme temperatures, predators, fl eas and
disease. Your indoor space should be bun-
ny-proofed, as some rabbits love to chew
on electric cords, rugs, furniture, etc. Also,
consider whether your other companion
animals will get along with a rabbit.
If you think you are ready for a rabbit,
please adopt. Greenhill Humane Society
has many rabbits and small animals (in ad-
dition to dogs and cats) looking for their
forever homes.
High salt intake linked to headaches
BY JOEL FUHRMAN, MD
For the Sentinel
H
eadaches (including mi-
graines) are a common
health issue, affecting approxi-
mately one-fi fth of Americans.
Several dietary factors are
known to trigger headaches,
including alcohol, caffeine,
chocolate, cheese, nuts, citrus
fruits, processed meats, artifi -
cial sweet-
eners and
fatty foods.
H o w e v e r,
salt is rarely
mentioned
as a poten-
tial trigger,
and there
has
been
little or no research on sodium
intake and headaches published
$ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM
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until recently.
Salt intake in our modern food
environment is unnaturally high;
the average daily sodium intake
worldwide is 3,950 mg (3,600
mg in the U.S.), far above the
American Heart Association’s
guideline of 1,500 mg/day and
the World Health Organization
guideline of 2,000 mg/day. It has
been estimated that 15 percent
of all deaths from cardiovas-
cular disease are due to excess
salt intake. Processed foods,
fast foods and restaurant foods
are notoriously high in salt,
and increasingly, these sources
are where people’s meals come
from. In addition to cardiovas-
cular disease, high-salt diets are
implicated in bone loss, stom-
ach cancer, autoimmune disease
and possibly headaches, too.
Researchers analyzed data
on headaches from the DASH-
Sodium trial, which tested the
effects of two different dietary
patterns, each with three levels
of sodium, on blood pressure.
The control diet was a typical
American diet, and the experi-
mental diet was the DASH (Di-
etary Approaches to Stop Hy-
pertension) diet. The DASH diet
limits fats, red meat, and sweets,
is focused on vegetables, fruits
and low-fat dairy, and also in-
cludes whole grains, poultry,
fi sh and nuts. Within each diet,
there were three different levels
of sodium: 1150 mg/day (low),
2300 mg/day (intermediate),
3450 mg/day (high).
Overall, the risk of headache
in participants assigned to the
DASH diet was not any lower
than that of those on the control
diet. However, when low, inter-
mediate, and high sodium in-
take within each diet were com-
pared, low sodium intake was
associated with a reduced risk
of headaches. Compared to the
control diet with high sodium,
the DASH diet with low sodium
was associated with a 36 percent
reduction in headaches.
Is it because a high-salt diet
could elevate blood pressure?
The researchers aren’t sure. It is
unclear whether elevated blood
pressure provokes headaches;
reports on the relationship be-
tween blood pressure and head-
aches are inconsistent. Regard-
less, this study suggests that
reducing dietary salt is an im-
portant part of a dietary plan to
fend off headaches and provides
another reason to limit added
salt in the diet.
Whether or not you have fre-
quent headaches, sodium in ex-
cess is harmful. By primarily
relying on the sodium present
in natural foods and preparing
most meals in the home, we can
avoid most sources of added
salt and take in adequate but
not dangerously high levels of
sodium. Increased levels of cel-
lular toxins and heightened cel-
lular infl ammation are the chief
causes of headache syndromes
in general. A diet rich in phyto-
nutrients and antioxidants is the
key to resolution. I have utilized
an eating plan for headache suf-
ferers with remarkable success;
described in my book “Eat For
Health.” For people who have
frequent headaches, the solution
is almost always dietary. This
anti-headache diet starts with my
basic Nutritarian dietary princi-
ples and additionally eliminates
some healthful, yet potential
trigger foods, such as nuts and
avocados, which may be added
back in at a later time. A huge
nutritional improvement over
the DASH diet, a Nutritarian
diet is naturally low in sodium,
and rich in green vegetables and
other plant foods that enhance
the body’s natural detoxifi ca-
tion mechanisms and promote
superior health. It is not merely
elimination of trigger foods that
is effective, it is that the person
becomes healthier and improves
their detoxifi cation capabilities
and remove cellular waste as
they follow such a healthful diet.
If you have regular headaches,
you can banish them forever and
earn back great health that will
also offer you protection against
later life stroke, heart disease
and cancer simultaneously.
Dr. Fuhrman is a #1 New York
Times best-selling author and a
family physician specializing in
lifestyle and nutritional medi-
cine. Visit his informative web-
site at DrFuhrman.com. Submit
your questions and comments
about this column directly to
newsquestions@drfuhrman.
com.
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