Book Quashes General Belief
Of Oregon Trail Pioneer Story
Berkeley OP) The general
American belief that the Ore
gon Trail Pioneers won the
Northwest Pacific Area for
the United States is mostly
romance, according to a book
published by the University
of California Press.
The territory today might
be either Russian or British
controlled but for European
diplomacy and the ramifica
tions of the fur trade, accord
ing to historian John S. Gal
braith in his definitive volume
on "The Hudson's Bay Com
pany." "In that wider setting of
diplomacy," Galbraith writes,
"it is correct to describe the
boundary dispute in North
jyest American as a conflict
between the ambitions of two
great fur-trading companies,
each eager to seize a maxi
mum area for its present and
future operations, and each
convinced, with sound Justifi
cation, that the other contem
plated monopoly of the trade
of the entire coast from Cal
ifornia to the Arctic Ocean."
Visualized Empire
In 1799, when the United
States was in its infancy, Al
exander Baranoff, manager
of the Russian American
Company, planted a settle
ment at Sitka. This settle
ment was destroyed by Ind
ians, but rebuilt in 1804 as
New Archangel, the most
southerly permanent occupa-.
tion of the Russians on North
American shores.
Baranoff visualized an em
pire embracing a large part
of the Pacific Coast and
established Fort Ross on
Bodega Bay, Calif., in 1812.
This was to be a Russian mili-
oenter and a source of food
supplies for the northern col
onies. At the same time, the Hud
son's Bay Company, a Brit
ish fur monopoly with 200
years experience and a gov
ernment behind it, had enter
ed the rich Columbia river
country. The Russians dealt
mostly in sea otters and seals;
the British company in river
beaver and furs of land
animals.
Both companies operated
under government charters
and both were monopolies.
The Hudson's Bay Company,
however, was almost autocra
tic in its control and served
its own purposes first, its gov
ernment second. The Russian
company was intimately con
nected with its government,
being under the jurisdiction
of the Russian Department of
interior and administered by
navel officers.
American Annoyance
Americans, in 1818, were
merely a source of petty an
noyance to the business of
both monopolies. Russia com
plained loudly to the U. S.
government that American
sea captains traded rifles and
ammunition to the Indians,
plying them with liquor
which they dispensed whole
sale. The Hudson's Bay Com
pany deplored such traffic,
but because of competition,
used the same methods, when
necessary.
Take Course Bruce Grieb
ler, 2 2 0 4 South Stage rd.,
Medford, and R. H. Wedlock,
Grants Pass, both of Littrell
Parts, Medford, recently re
turned from Santa Monica,
tary outpost, a fur traiding Calif., where they took a
week-long course of training
in advances in welding mater
ials and techniques. The
course was given by the Paci
fic Coast regional office of
Linde company, division of
Union Carbide corporation
I.
Holiday Night
Prices Effective 6 to 9 Tonight Only!
FOUNTAIN SPECIAL!
Homemade Cake Ice Cream
Fresh! Tasty! Homemade cak
and ice cream in choice of
flavors. 6 to 9 P.M.
Monday flight Only
YARDAGE SPECIAL!
POPLIfl and SAILCLOTH .
First quality material in 36 to 40 inch widths. San
forized. Make spring and summer sportswear out of
these high quality fabrics. Reg. 69c yd.
Russia excluded Americans
from trading with Russian
colonies during the Napol
eonic wars, but the Americans
persisted in smuggling, and
the embargo was ineffective
The Hudson's Bay Company
now was determined first to
put the Americans out of busi
ness, if possible with the as
sistance of the Russians, and
then oust the Russians. The
British succeeded in both
aims. - '
The American traders had
two weaknesses. Their capital
was small and they were de
pendent for profit on trade
with the Russians.
The British company re
duced prices on goods to the
coastal Indians below the
American's cost of supply and
wooed the Russians with of
fers of supplies at lower prices
than the Americans were able
to match.
Fur Desert
The British company creat
ed a "fur desert" as far as
Americans were . concerned
and the Americans withdrew
The foundation for the
downfall of the Russian mo
nopoly already had been laid
by a treaty signed with Brit
ain in 1825 which granted the
British the right of free navi
gation of the coastal rivers
forever.
"With sound basis did the
directors of the Russian
American Company complain
in later years that their gov
ernment had sacrificed their
interests," the author writes,
for it had opened the coast
al trade to the legalized at
tacks of their competitors.
Russia thus became a harm
less competitor by 1840.
Meanwhile, the Americans
were moving into this empire
overland. The fur trade and
settlers mixed like water and
oil. Each settler became a po
tential trapper or trader and
monopoly was broken.
The British Company, for a
time, tried to forestall this
new form of competition by
formation of the Pugets
Sound Agricultural Company.
This subsidiary offered set
tlers land, stock and habita
tion at extremely reasonable
terms.
A Hooker in It
But the hooker was that the
settlers could only lease the
land, never own it outright.
Besides they were compelled
by agreement to assign half
of the land's products to the
company.
"The history of the agricul
tural company," the author
writes, 'graphically illustrates
the defects of a chartered
trading monopoly as an in
strument for the attainment
of political ends."
Yet, the; American settlers
who came "unassisted" really
did not win the disputed terri
tory of "54-40 or fight" fame,
Galbraith says. "Oregon fev
er" of 1846 was a manifesta
tion responsible for the Amer
ican diplomatic victory in the
final boundary dispute.
The fact was that the Hud
son's Bay Company had to
retreat because the settlers
ruined the fur business.
Lowry To Head
Group To Study
Education Plans
Salem IP) State Sen.
Walter J. Pearson, chairman i
of the Interim Tax Commit-'
tee, has appointed a subcom
mittee to study his controver
sial "education tax" proposal.
Pearson said he had "stir
red up a hornet's nest" with
the plan and that it deserved
some study.
The tax would take the:
form of a sales tax to finance
education and would provide
some offset for state income !
or property taxes.
Lowry Heads Group
Sen. Phil Lowry, Medford,
will head the education tax
subcommittee. Members will
be Pearson, Sen. Rudie Wil-
helm, Portland; Rep. Clar
ence Barton, Coquille; Rep.
John Kerbow, Klamath Falls,
and Rep. R. E. Schedeen,
Gresham.
Peaf son said the tax would
save money through closer
state supervision . of schools
and might enable the state, to
set up uniform pay scales for
teachers.
Hfc said study would be
needed to determine just
what kind of a sales tax would
be needed to pay for educa
tion, what credits would be
given on state income tax and
other problems. .
Tax Structures Studied
Sen. Wilhelm told the tax
committee that his subcom
mittee on gift and inheritance
taxes, should be able to pre
sent its recommendations by
May or June. The subcom
mittee is currently analyzing
inheritance tax structures of
Oregon, Washington and Cali
fornia.
Rep. Barton's subcommit
tee on the forest fee and yield
tax will devote at least an
other session to study of that
tax.
Some industry representa
tives advocated giving ad
ministration of the4ax back
to the State Forestry Depart
ment, but Barton , said he
thought the State Tax Com-
misison was doing a good job
of administering the tax now.
The tax committee s next
meeting will be in Astoria at
a date to be announced.
Monday, February 24, 1958
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVE
Five-Cent Stamp
Predicted Likely
Washington (IP) Senate
Republican Leader William
Knowland said Saturday
there is "a pretty good
chance" the Senate will ap
prove a temporary five-cent
starrm on non-local letters
next week.
The California!! also told
reporters he thinks the pro
posed 7V& per cent pay in
crease for some 500,000 post
al workers will be approved,
Probably the hottest floor
fight of the session is expect
ed to develop Tuesday when
the Senate takes up the 750-
million-dollar postal rate in
crease bill.
The main issue, simply stat
ed, is whether the old lady
in Dubuque should have to
pay a nicKie to sena a letter
to her cousin Minnie in Chicago.
Granite was once a ret hot
mass below the earth's surface.
3S1
yJJ Yd$. U
41!
Monday
Night Only
NYLON OR SUEDE CLOTH
LADIES GLOVES
Your choice of nylon or cot
ton suede cloth spring gloves.
All white. Sizes. 6 to 8.
Reg. $1.00 pr. Special
BOY'S RIBBED NECK
POLO SHIRTS
Full cut, washable, fast color.
100 fine combed cotton.
Sizes 4-16. Reg. $1.00. Mon
day night only '
j.Ifbmlhnm co.
Medford's Bargain Corner
Truman Says He Can't
Sing The Missouri Waltz
single soldier in tne army
could sing. ' '
"I always stand at atten
tion, for both songs and al
ways with regret that I can
not appreciate the music of
either of them."
New York (W Don't get
former President Harry S,
Truman wrong. It isn't that
he doesn't like "The Star
SDaneled Banner" or "The
Missouri Waltz." It's just that
he can't sing them.
At least, that's what Tru
man told Band Leader Guy
Lombardo in a letter replying
to a Lombardo complaint.
In an appearance on a
television show Feb. 2, Tru
man said that "The Missouri
Waltz" was as bad -as "The
Star Spangled Banner" musically.
jjomDarao wrote a letter to
Truman, and he received one
in return, in which Truman
said:
"I cannot disagree with
you that the Missouri Waltz
may be a good piece of pop
ular music, but in my opinion
it is not a proper state song.
! "It is likely that I am Dre-
judiced, but we both know
that it takes a tenor, a bari
tone and a bass to sing the
( i f 1 1 T1 T 1
i star opangieu onuuer. x nave
never understood why it was
not set to music that every
Sixth & Central
IT
FORMER JUSTICE DIES
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. IIP)
Former New York State Su
preme Court Justice John R.
Mack, 83, died at his home
here last Saturday. Mack
made the nominating speeches
for Franklin D. Roosevelt at
the Democratic National Con
ventions of 1932 and 1936.
The Society of Medical Of
ficers of Health of Great Brit
ain has celebrated its 100th
anniversary.
Kennedy Suitor
Now Seeks Job
Havana (IB Dominic
Elwes, who flew across the
ocean from Britain in a
search of a plane to wed pret
ty Tessa Kennedy says he is
looking for a job to support
the young runaway heiress.
Elwes said he and Tessa,
19, had moved into a small
furnished apartment here and
that he hoped to settle down
soon with a job.
He said he was ."going dot
ty" over, attempts to get
some ot his money out of
England.
Elwes, 26, said he had no
particular training for any
specific job but that he
would take almost anything
that would allow him to re
main in Cuba with his bride.
Elwes said he and Tessa
have been spending their
time with friends, particular
ly with wealthy Jorge Suar
ez Rivas, stepson of the cur
rent Cuban ambassador to
Great Britain and an old
friend of Tessa's.
The couple, who were pre
vented from marrying in Brit
ain because of the objections
of Tessa's parents, flew to
Cuba to wed. .
Starts
Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.
HURRY for these tremendous savings now on at
PICK'S APPAREL . . . We've gone all out to make this
DOLLAR DAY EVENT the most spectacular ever!
If Your Credit Is Good . . It's Good at Pick's
FUR BLEND
ANKLETS
Lots of colors ... all sizes 9 to 11.
Regular $1.00 Pr.
SCOOTS
46 ONLY! Mostly all wool skirts in
straight styles ... a few corduroy
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Values
to 12.95
$2 oo
COATS
7 ONLY!
COATS
JUST 29 4-Season coats left!
Treated to be water repellent.
Good range of sizes and styles.
ft
VALUES
TO 49.95
$0OO
IT" - W
SLACKS
Famous brand slacks, rayon, twills,
gabardines and flannels.
Values to 10.95
$00 $700
CORDUROY
Pedal Pushers
Bermuda Shorts
Values
to 5.95
$n) 00
pair
Sweaters
Group Odds 'N Ends pullovers and
Cardigans.
$00
Values
to 10.95
KORELL PLUS-SIZE
MESSES
Just 60 for Dollar Days. Good
range of sizes, styles and colors.
Values to 17.95
$700 S(Ol00
Sweaters
Mostly short sleeve pull-overs. Lots
of colors and sizes.
7.95
Values
$100
(DRESSES
Just 79 in this group. Consists of cottons.
rayon crept, wool in flannel and jersey
tweeds. Most any style or fabric you d want
Values to 26.95
$300 . $500
$700 . SOO
TAPERED LEG
SLACKS or
CAPRI PANTS
Good selection ... All sizes 1 0-1 8.
Values
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$7), 00
1ST QUALITY NYLON
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New Spring shades. 1 5-60 Denier.
$1100
' u
pair
BLOUSES
Short and V sleeve cotton blouses,
also a group of V sleeve washable
Thalspun Jersey and wool jersey.
Values to 8.95
$noo $3)00
JACKETS
Corduroy, washable woolen and
car coats.
VALUES SfilOO
TO 17.95
$koo sgoo
17 ONLY LEFT!
uiwotms
Not all sizes, but if we have your
size . . . it's a gift!
8.95 to $
10.95
Values
WHILE THEY LAST! !
2o
FLANNEL
GOWNS AND
SLEEP COATS
Good range of sizes and colors.
Values
to 6.95
$2o
MESS FLATS
Black suede and. black. calf.
Originally
5.95 - 6.95 - 7.95
NOW ONLY
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. DOLLAR PAYS!
Don't miss these terrific values during Dollar Days. LOOK at the
SAVINGS!
100 PAIR
MESS SHADES
Black calf, suede. Pumps and sandals. Hi heels and illusion heels.
All sizes, but not in all styles.
HURRY!
Originally
10.95-12.95-13.95
IMUW UIMLI Vypair
pair
L
ST .
112 EAST MAIN ST.
Next Door to Robinson Bros.
PLENTY OF FREE PARKING
1