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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (March 26, 1905)
V THE -SUNDAY OREGON I&S, POXCTLASI), M AgCH ,26, 1905 r A NEW CHAPTER IN THE WHITMAN LEGEND DESTROYED THE HUDSON'S BAY CO.S ARCHIVES FURNISH NO SUPPORT TO THE "WHITMAN SAVED OREGON' STORY By IMacIpal TTOUam I JtsrsIl. of Chicago. Copyright, 1005, by William I. HarsbalL All Bights Reserved. THE very latest attempt to manufac ture evidence to support the Whit man legend, and the boldest and most foolish, considering the ease "with which Its total falsity can be proved be yond any possibility of dispute. Is the fol lowing; WHether the responsibility for It rests entirely on Rev. Newell D. Hillls. or should be dh'lded between him and Hev. S. P. Penrose, president of Whitman Col lege, the reader must decide for himself- November 3. 1501, the Walla Walla Dally Union (which Is in 'very close relation with Whitman College), published an in terview with President Penrose; stating, among other things, that he had attended the ten days' meeting of the Triennial Council of the Congregational Churches of the United States, at Des Moines, la.. In October. 1904, and continued, "Whitman saved Oregon.' "One of the greatest sensations at the Des Moines council was brought out In an address by Dr. Hillls. In speaking of the work of Marcus Whitman. Dr. Hillls placed hira among the foremost of home missionaries. In regard to the Whitman controversy, he presented evidence that has never "before been brought to light. While in Canada be had had an interview with a Canadian historian, who is presi dent of the Presbyterian College at Win nipeg. This man has had access to the letters of the Hudson's Bay Company, which have hitherto been held in strict secrecy, and which' give positive -evidence that Marcus Whitman saved Oregon to the Union. The Hudson's Bay Company was Whitman's bitterest enemy and sought in every way to forestall his plans. The extracts from the letters and jour nals of Whitman and his associates in tne Oregon mission (most of them hereto fore unpublished), -in the chapter on "The Truth About the Relation of the Hudson's Bay Comtiany to the American Explora tion, Occupation and Settlement of the Oregon Territory, in my book (Just fin ished), on "The History of the Acquisition of Orecon. and the Long suppressea jsvi' dence About Marcus Whitman," demon strates beyond any possibility of doubt the total falsity of the above statement that "The Hudson's Bay Company was Whitman's bitterest enemy, and sought In every way to forestall bis plans.' Could Not Have Been Inimical. The simple facts are that the missions of the American Board to the Oregon In dlans could not have been established, or maintained after they were established. If the Hudson's Bay Company had been inimical to them, and that Whltnym and all his associates received xrom .tne ora cers of the Hudson's Bay Company at Forts Hall and Boise on the way out. and at Forts" Vancouver,' Walla Walla and Colvlll after they arrived at them, the Kindest possiDio treatment, ana -were, as sisted not only in founding their mission stations, by gifts of seeds, and provisions and otmrr necessaries, but were neipea during the whole continuance of the mis sion in various ways, and were on the friendliest terms with the various officers of the company McLeod. McKay. McKln lay. McLoughlin. Ermatinger, McDonald, DouKlass. and John Lee Lewes, and oth ers, during the whole existence of the mission. All thi3 nonsense About antagonism. be tween Whitman and the Hudson's Bay Company is a part of the Whltman-saved-Oregon story, and is squarely contradic tory to everything in their letters and Journals while the mission existed. Dr. Hillls Remains Silent. Not being able lor some weeks after reading this article to get hold of Dr. Htllis sermon, and not wishing to be in the least degree unjust to him. I promptly wrote him a courteous letter, stating that the Walla Walla Union had stated that be had said in an address at the Des Moines Council that he had met a distin guished Canadian hlstorlon, who. in gath ering material for a history of the Hud son s Bay "Company, had found among the archives of the "Hudson's. Bay Com pany proof positive that Whitman had caved Oregon to the United States, and asking him if the Union had correctly re- jorted hira. and, if.so, what is too name and nostoflire address of the said Cana dian historian. I have sent him during the past ten weeks no less than four cop ies of this letter, and inclosing in each of them ?i stamped directed envelope for reply, registering one of tne letters to make certain that the address was cor rect, and that he received it, but he has made no reply, though he might have answered mv two Questions in ten words. H has also declined to answer similar letters of Inquiry from iroiessor a. n. Holder, of the University of Kansas, who. is a well-known member of the Amer ican Historical Association. Dr. Hlllis address at Des Moines was printed- in the "Homo Missionary" for December. 1304. (pp. 275-S3) ana on pp. 280-S1 it roads as follows: "But now open to the pages of the Hudson's Bay Com pany those splendid volumes pub lished by LonKmans and Green. Call that distinguished historian, their au thor. into the stand. He will tell you that the Hudson's Bay Company ruled Canada, once called Prince Rupert's Land; that they had the power of life and death, as well as of making laws. and that they controlled Western Can ada, by their factors, like old Dr. Mc Loughlin, who was their great man on the Columbia River, and -who watched Whitman and his moves and sent In OLian runners with messages to Mon treal. Last Summer this distinguished historian said to me at a dinner: Tour President did not understand the im porianco of Oregon and "Washington, your Daniel Webster did not know about tho country. My people thought they had it. and we would have the richest section of the Pacific Slope but for that missionary of yours, Marcus Whitman, who crossed the continent In Winter, endured the pitiless rains and snows, swam his horso through stream and river midst floating Ice, and startled Webster and tho President by the story of the resources of the land we cov eted."' This with what President Penrose said about the Canadian historian being the president of tho Presbyterian Cob legf. at Winnipeg, positively identified him as Rev. George Bryce, D. D..X.L. D. Kote huw adroitly Dr. Hillls conveys the Impression without making the pos itlve assertion, that this historian had obtained from his examination of the Hudson's Bay Company's archives, cer tain proof that Wnitraan saved Oregon, though when he conres to state what that historian actually said Jo him, it Is noining xrom tne iiuasons nay vjom pany's archives, but merely an echo of what that historian or anybody else would acquire from' readintr and be lleving Spalding's pamphlet, or Barrow's "Oregon." or Nixon's "How Marcus Whitman Saved Oregon," or any one of the many othcr.equally fictitious books. pamphlets, or magazine, or newspapej articles advocating the Whitman le geud. Dr. Brvce. Admits Knowing Nethlng. I once wrote o Dr. Bryce, calling bis attention to the fact that Dr. Hillls and President Penrose stated that he had discovered in tho archives of the Hud eon's Boy Company proof that Dr. Mar cus wnitraan nan savea urtgon to toe United Stutcj..and asking him Jf he had found any such mailer In the archives of the Hudson's Bay Comprtny, and -.If so, requesting him to send me a trans cript of the documents with bill for the same, and I would Immediately re mit. Dr. Bryce promptly replied, under date of Winnipeg, January 30. 130a, as follows: "I have received several let ters about the 'Whitman Controversy T am not sure whether Dr. Hillls refers to me or not. X dined with him at the house of a friend in Winnipeg, but can remember no definite statement made by me In conversation. - . . How ever, I know nothing of the Whitman matter." So instead of "positive proof havinc been found in the archives cf the Hud son's Bay Company that Whitman savad Oregon to the United States." the dis tinguished Canadian Historian who has searched those Archive most extensively for the materials of nls "The Remark able History of the Hudson' Bay Com pany." not only did not inthat book even mention the name of Marcus Whitman, but; on being questioned di Tectly as to whether or not he had found any evidence in those archives about Whitman navlng saved Oregon to the United Slates, declared point blank: "I know nothing of the Whitman mat ter," nnd any farther comment on it is certainly unnecessary; while Rev. Dr. Hlllis and Rev. S. B. Penrose may be left to crawl out of the awkward posi tion In which they have placed them selves as best they can. I am reliably Informed that President Penrose has taken great pains to have this purely bogus "evidence" given very wide cir culation. . Dr. Hlllis' Igntrance. As showing the amazing density of Dr Hlllis ignorance on -this subject, about; which he spoke so glibly, and with such an air of authority at TJes Moines it is proper to remark. First That Longmans and Green have not published any volumes "splendid' or. otherwise relating to the Hudson's Bay Company, as they informed me by letter dated February S3, 1SC5. Two Canadian historians have writ ten histories of the Hudson's Bay Company, namely: Beckles Wilson. "The Great Company," published by the Clark-Copp Company, of Toronto, Canada. 1823. and Rov. George Bryce. "The Re markable History of the Hudson's Bay Company." published by Sampson Low. Marston & Co.. London. ISM. Though both are valuable and Interesting book? neither one is, in any proper sense of the term. J a "splendid votume." and neither one so much as mentions the name of Dr. Whit man. . Second The Hucsons Bay Company never "ruled Canada." cor any, even the smallest fraction, of Canada, Third Canada, was never "called Prlnco Rupert's ' Land." Where Canada ended Prince Rupert's Land begani Fourth The Hudson's Bay Company did not "have power of life and death" even in Prlnco Rupert's Land, being expressly forbidden by act of Parliament even to try any offender, upon any charge or indictment for any felony to which the. penalty of capital punishment was at tached, or to try any civil' suit or action in which the cause of such, suit or ac tion exceeded two hundred pounds In value. All such offenders and civil suits they were compelled to send to Upper Can ada, (now the Province -of Ontario), for trial: and in any of the cases they were allowed to try, the right of appeal was expressly reserved. ' It must also be remembered about this raatler. that under the barbarous laws of England at that time no less than 150 offences were felorites to which the penalty of capital punishment was at tached, which left the Hudson's Bay Com pany no authority (to try and punish for any offences graver than what we now should call mere misdemeanors, in stead of "having tho power of life and death." This act of Parliament was printed in In full by our Government more than once. In connection with. Congressional discussions and diplomatic negotiations .about the Oregon question, and is also California," edition of 1S13. "pages Ffth They mjver for one moment con trolled Western Canada." nor Eastern Canada, nor any part of -Canada; bat they controlled the region west of Can ada, which la a very different thing from "Western Canada." Elxth "Whltmna made no "moves" which Dr. McLoughlin "watched," or needed to watch. Seventh McLoughlin sent no "Indian FATHER T. DOMINIC S. Mt, Ansel Abbey. , iwk . l . -t i Tft il4 4l - "mi-Li. Hi tiff. ' Mr.? flit - ij i.f- mfcm (bit ffoMrt hi ftwl nL ; i .... ' 1 a- - -1 -. . . : H .Wl new rttvy nm-i TkfX ctiwp- Hint Trh twi, M- jwrr, thitf4k-aaaA '"' 1 ; - ! 1 1:' ' - 1 D " 1 - . ; $ 3 1m ton of and by runners to Montreal" from Oregon. Annuany in tne Spring, as soon as navigation was open,, the express for Montreal left Pnrt- v-mmnvM. nr. v.m Columbia, going by boats and portages mi up ujb nver as possioie anu tnen on horseback across the Rockies to. the head ooat navigation on the Saskatchewan, men oy ooais with many portages Lake WlnnkC- T7)t!nv TiiV T.ir- Superior, Georgian Bay, and the Ottawa River, and many smaller lak.es and rivers aim yurmges. arriving at its destination generally in October. Vagaries Only. AH of tMeso things to which Dr. Hillls said Dr. Bryce if "called Into tha stand" would "testify" are thus proven to be merely the vagaries of the Ill-regulated imagination of an emotional rhetorician concerning himself not with advancing tha cause of. truth, but only with, turning fine periods and creating a sensation in. a missionary meeting address, and It Is absolutely certain that neither "that distinguished Canadian historian," nor any one else even moderately acquainted with the history of the Hudson's Bay Company would, "testify" to' a single ono of thcrn. In what Dr. Hlllis says about Professor Bourne's very scholarly, temperate and just essay on "The Whitman Legend." he is as Indifferent to the truth as in his statements about the Hudson's Bay Company and Canada and Prince Ru pert's Land, and the only charitable view of the matter is that he ha3 never .thought it any more needful to read Professor Bourne's essay carefully before denounc ing It than he did to read Dr. Bryce's History of tho Hudson's Bay Company" before substituting for Its accurate in formation his own sensational fancies. If Dr. Hlllis will canvass all the pro fessors ot American history in all tha universities ot our country and in all tha colleges, fexcpt the distinctively Congre gational and Presbyterian colleges), ho will find that fully nine-tenths ot them (and also as large a proportion of the authors of American historical tvorka that have a national or international rep utation who are not professors of history la universities and colleges). Indorse Pro fessor Bourne's "Legend ot Marcus Whit man" as presenting absolutely irresistible evidence in support of every Important conclusion It states against tho theory that Marcus Whitman saved all, or any, even the smallest part, of the .old Ore gon Territory to the United States. - 1 D 1 : : Little Sermons by Elbert Hubbard Aphorism by the Editor of Tfie PhllUUHe, AHthor ml "Little JrrnrneyH," etc. A LITTLE more patience, a little more charity for all, a little mora devotion, z. little more love; with less bowing down to the past, and a rilent ignoring of pretended-authority r a brave looking forward to the future "with more confidence In ourselves, and more faith In our fellows, and the race will ho ripe for a great burst of light and life. HATE hurts tho man who nurses it; all selfishness robs the mind. -of its divine Insight and cheats the' soul that would know. GAMBLING robs a man of rest; and tha keen edge of his life is lost in shuf fling pasteboards. All he gives to his em ployer or the world Is the discard. Outside of his play he is a weakinefficlent per son, and hla weakness la very apt to mani fest Itself In burdening his friends. The curse pf gambling does not fall pn the gambler alone, any more than the drunk ard alone suffers for his fault. Suffering falls upon every one within the radius of the gambler. WOULD hold my friend only by tho virtua that is In me by the attraction of the worth that is in my soul. 5 T taking thought you can add cubits' to your stature. MAN does what he does because ha . thinks for the moment it is the best thing to do. M EN are ever forsaking fortune when she is about to smile. THE Insane man is apt to be a supreme egotist, and a good way to punish him is to pay no attention to him. MAN. wise as he Is, and pluming him self on his ability to defeat his fel lows, cannot with lmp'unity play hla tricksy games with God. SAT to you that man has not sufficient imagination to exaggerate the import ance of Love. It is as high as the 'heav ens, as deep as hell, as sublime as tha'. stars and great as the galaxy of ,worids that fade in our feeble vision" into mere milky ways. LQVE holds within her ample t.c4 r all wrecks, all ruins, all grief, ails ears; and all the smiles, and tfunahlna and beauty that mortals know, are each and all her priceless gifts, and. her; alone. - 7T S THE second commandment was tha t death ot art for a thousand years, no has tho forded servility of wonfkn field civilisation in thrall to a degree that no man can compute. THE only way you can get into tha Kingdom of" Heaven is to carry,, tha . Kingdom, of Heaven In your lieart. ENTERPRISE means ability to piair, -overiee, supervise and direct, it. Is . Initiative, and wise initiative Is the finest gift of God to man. ,Man Is tho' instru ment of Deify. , - OUR actions and thoughts are build ing brain-cells, and tho garaMr building cells of folly. His face ' le air astute as the face ot David Harm.- it gives nothing away. In tim$ th .feaMt of tha man. becomes fixed fee Is a livisc 110 He lies to friends, family, mytoyer and business associates. Ha forevar yfeys a. part. Life to' him is s, gasae of biujr. OU help me and Til help you. W - 1 will not bo hera forever, anyway; -soon Death, the kind old. nurse; will caa, and rock us all to sleep and we had bat ter help one another while we Ky; w are going the same way let's go aaad la hand. rtSOPLE who profec to !av tMr Mr mies are as to hoH atera '- by hating their fries. "' (Copyright, 1K.)