Ed. C. Ross

“ Fourth—Again she says: "Admitting that he (Dr. Whitman) feared the treaty of boundary (supposed to include Oregon) would draw the line at the Columbia river, leaving him in British territory, could he hope to reach Washington before it was concluded." I can not conceive how a careful writer in the interests of truth should make this blunder—for Mrs. Victor has visited the Whitman Mission station, which is in the Walla Walla Valley, and which is east, not west, of the Columbia. It would have remained in American territory had the lines been drawn down the Columbia. ”

“ Simpson, in his "Journey around the World," (American edition, 1847) , devotes a part of chapter six to a discussion of this political question, and says (page 151) : "The United States will never possess more than a nominal jurisdiction, nor long possess even that, on the western side of the Rocky mountains, and supposing the country to be divided to-morrow to the entire satisfaction of the most unscrupulous patriot of the Union, I challenge conquest to bring my prediction and its power to the test by imposing the Atlantic tariff on the ports of the Pacific." ”

“ Whitman of "deception, self-conceit, ignorance and falsifying," a man of whom his cotemporaries, both missionary and anti-missionary, speak very highly, and whom they never have accused of such things; or Secretary Webster of ing dust and lying, even when, according to the N. Y. Independent of January, 1870, he said to a personal friend that "it is safe to assert that our country owes it to Dr. Whitman and his associate missionaries that all the territory west of the Rocky Mountains and south as far as the Columbia river, is not now owned by England and held by the Hudson's Bay Company." ”

“ Evans argues that because he did not find Dr. Whitman's name mentioned in some chronicle Congressional Globe, or the debates in congress, therefore the doctor could not have been there. Would Mr. Evans have us believe that a private citizen cannot visit Washington without having his name so appear? I will venture to assert that there is not one private citizen out of a hundred who visits Washington, and leaves any printed or written record of his visit, other than by ornamenting some hotel register with his sign manual. ”

“ To the missionaries, he said he was going East to prevent Oregon from falling into the hands of the British. To the Board, he said he had come to try to induce a few Christian families to return with him and settle about the mission. To the Secretary of War and his family friends, he confided a plan for keeping the Indians quiet by giving them sheep for their lands."
Mrs. Victor does not seem to comprehend the fact that Dr. Whitman could have more than one motive in going East, and that if he had told one person one thing and another person another, he might not have intended to deceive them. ”

“ Now, however, you may stand at the old fort, and behold thousands of acres of land that produce such crops as would make even Daniel Webster, were he still alive, admit that he had, a long time ago, underrated this country, and its importance as related to the United States. ”

“ These Indians did not murder their missionaries, but protected them, and to this day may be seen springing up some of the good seed sown by the missionaries among them forty years ago. It is not a month since I talked with a lady who is one of the children who survived the Whitman massacre. She had just returned from the old Lapwai Mission—her birthplace. She there found many of the old mission Indians who still held to the teachings of the mis sionaries. ”

“ I am always glad to do what I can to set Dr. Whitman right before the people. His only critics, it seems, are those who did not come here till long after his death; and the only persons who have the temerity to question his character or throw aspersions upon his motives, are those who never saw or heard of him while in the flesh. Briefly stated, the facts are as follows:—
In 1838 my father decided to send me to Scotland to be educated, the intention being for me to cioss the continent by the Manitoba route in company with the regular Montreal Express. ”

“ Whitman at the Waiilatpu Mission, as the Doctor and my father were very warm friends. Here we were to separate, I to return to Fort Walla Walla (now Wallula) to join the express, and father to continue across the Blue Mountains to Fort Hall. When Dr. Whitman learned what the plans were for my future, he protested, and urgently urged father to send me to the United States and "make an American "of me. He said this country would certainly belong to the United States in a few years, and I would succeed better here if I was educated in the States and be come an American in thought and feeling. ”

“ About the time of the Doctor's departure for Washington, a report was circulated among the Indians that the whites from the Willamette valley intended to come up next spring and kill off all the Indians. A French and Indian half-breed— Dorion —interpreter to the Hudson's Bay Company, was busy with this story, and to those who know how much more readily an Indian will believe a lie than the truth, it will not be a matter of surprise that this story was credited by them. ”

“ This being the thirty-seventh anniversary of the Whitman massacre, it seems not an inappropriate time in which to answer some of the aspersions cast upon the dead missionary by Mrs. F. F. Victor, through the columns of the Oregonian, in its issue of November 7th.
She therein accuses Dr. Whitman with falsehood, deception, office-seeking, trying to deprive the Indians of their lands, trying to enrich himself at their expense, and at the expense of the emigrants, yet has not one word of commendation for any act of his life. ”

“ Whitman in Washington. There are few men who could, under the circumstances, after the lapse of thirty-nine years, speak more positively as to the identity of a comparative stranger. Mr. Ramsey has left yet better marks by which to identify the missionary whom he met in Washington, when he says he recollects lamenting the death of the man whom he met there, when he heard of the massacre. The mascre occurred less than five years after the time that Dr. Whitman is claimed to have been in Washington, and Mr. Ramsey recollects, at that time, of having commented on his recollection of the doctor. ”

“ He determined to impose the task on himself. The hardships, dangers and suffering that he underwent on that journey are certainly greater than are usually borne by the ordinary man of to-day, who makes the pilgrimage to see the president and ask for some of the "loaves and fishes."
But before Dr. Whitman arrived in Washington the pending negotiations had been cut short, by cutting the boundary line in two. The eastern portion had been settled by the Ashburton treaty—the western portion, and the portion that related to Oregon, remained to be settled. ”

“ Evans denies that the trip to Washington was made; denies that the doctor ever set up any such claim during "his practical and useful life." From all testimony, I conclude that the statement of Rev. Crushing Eells is true in every respect; that the special meeting of September, 1842, was called, and did, by its vote, approve of Doctor Whitman's proposed journey, for the purposes mentioned in what Mr. Evans calls the "immense afterthought." ”

“ This was the easy part of the route at that place. Captain Grant attempted to prevent all wagons from coming to Oregon in 1843. Dr. Whitman assured the immigrants that they could bring their wagons to the Columbia, and Dr. Whitman won. After leaving Fort Hall, through the difficult and unknown part, Dr. Whitman was with the first immigrant wagon, the pilot to Grand Ronde, from which place he engaged some of those Indians whom he had "never conciliated "to find the route over the Blue Mountains. Thus he did pilot the immigration over the most difficult part of the route. ”

“ What the evidence is that any member of the Hudson's Bay Company suggested a safe and easy passage for wagons to the Columbia river is what I can not see. Mr. Farnham has been styled an ardent American. He had no connection with the company. Neither in this quotation from him or in my edition of Farnham can I find any evidence that any member of that company told him of this easy passage. Mr. Farnham revised, finished and published his work after he visited Dr. Whitman. ”

“ Victor seems to have an idea that Dr. Whitman was selfish and hypocritical, although she never saw the man. It would be well before attempting to defame the character of a man, now dead for thirty-seven years, to have proof of it which she can give. ”

“ Whitman's journey publicly." Here we have the testimony of a woman who, at a time before I was born, left home, friends, early associations, and civilization behind her, and came here to teach and civilize. If such as she are not to be believed, then to whom can we look for the truth? The statements of Mr. Gray and the Rev. C. Eells, are to the same effect. Mr. Spalding, before he died, left the same substantially on record. Every member of the mission alive at the time that these matters came into controversy, have agreed as to the main and material facts. ”

“ Evans does say nay. It seems from the answer of some of these emigrants, that Dr. Whitman had been writing newspaper articles and had published a pamphlet descriptive of Oregon, all of which, coming from a man who actually lived here, must have had influence with those men who were so anxious to leave Missouri, Illinois, and other Western States and Territories. He was helping men to buy teams and giving them counsel ”

“ Webster's statement that the United States "had never offered nny line south of forty-nine degrees, and she never will." I know that Dr. Whitman could not affect the Ashburton treaty, which was signed six months before he reached Washington, and that other parties besides Mr. Webster made the Oregon treaty in 1846. I acknowledge that there are some difficulties in the way of accepting and reconciling all the statements of all parties. I am waiting for more light. ”

“ Jesse Applegate, in his "Day with the Cow Column of 1843": "To no other individual are the emigrants of 1843 so much indebted for the successful conclusion of their journey as to Dr. Marcus Whitman."
Fourteenth—"According to Mr. Applegate," says Mrs. Victor, "Mr. Remeau, of the Hudson's Bay Company, furnished a complete way-bill of the route, with camping places." But Mr. Applegate was in the "cow column," or latter part of the immigration, and what good did this way-bill do when Dr. Whitman's ad vice in reference to taking wagons to the Columbia had prevailed over Captain Grant's doubts ”

“ Still fhe world will always believe that Napoleon did live and perform many of the improbable things attributed to him. And it is no evidence that Dr. Whitman did not do some things attributed to him because they are improbable, when good witnesses testify that he did. It does not seem probable that Mrs. Victor should make the Columbia run east and south of the Whitman mission, but she has done so. Dr. Whitman's improbables are no more improbable.
Eighteenth—Further, she says that "if Dr. Geiger sent provisions to Dr. Whitman at Fort Hall, he must have sold them ”

“ Elwood Evans, of New Tacoma, Washington Territory, that both went, in a day or two, to Washington, but in this I may be mistaken as to my father. I know that Dr. Whitman went either the next day or a day or two after he came to see my father." Dr. Parker was then 24 years old. He says he has forgotten as to one thing, but has not as to the other. Mrs. Victor concludes that he has forgotten as to both, because he has forgotten as to one. According to that reasoning neither Mrs. Victor, nor myself, or any body else, remembers any thing. We all forget some things ”

“ John? We have heard a vast deal lately of the value and importance of the river Columbia and its navigation, but I will undertake to say for all purposes of human use the St. John is worth a hundred times as much as the Columbia is or ever will be." (Webster's Speeches, Vol. V., p. 102) .
Mrs. Victor tries to get around this by saying that she admits "that Webster was conservative and diplomatic. He knew as well how to throw dust as another. But it was when he came to act you could rely upon his securing American rights," which means, I suppose, that Mr. Webster said one thing and did another ”

“ As many seeming difficulties in the Bible, where that book and secular history have seemed to conflict, have been reconciled by the discoveries of the last fifty years, so I am waiting for more light on the subject under discussion. ”

“ Whitman will bring back with him to settle in the Nez Perce country." Dr. Eells' statement about Captain Grant's attempting to turn back Dr. Whitman from Fort Hall tallies with this statement—thus I fail to find evidence that Dr. Whitman deceived Mr. McKinlay.
From Dr. Eells' statement in my pamphlet it is plain that Dr. Whitman told the missionaries that he wished to go East for national purposes and for the good of the mission, as already stated. ”

“ Mr. Evans denies that Dr. Whitman did, even in the most re mote degree, stimulate the great immigration of 1843; says the doctor's connection with the immigration commenced with the crossing of the North Platte river in June, where he overtook the train; "was escorted by the train to Oregon." When it comes to making a broad superstructure of assertion, on a narrow or no foundation of truth, the gentleman from New Tacoma is the "boss." When he wrote this, Mr. Evans knew that Rev. ”