Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/129



TIIK (.'KNTIONNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON (il

river and ils tiiarsh until they rounded the south eud of Abort lake. Thence pro- ceeding north along the east side of Abert lake for about one-half its length, the party ascended the ridge and passed over the divide between Abert lake and the Warner lake valley, and then turned south and followed the Warner lake valley lakes and marshes down into what is now the state of Nevada. That is substan- tially the whole of Fremont's expedition to Oregon. It was of no value to the immigrants, to the future state, or to the United States. And yet Fremont's al- leged discoveries in Oregon were more talked about than that of all the other ex- plorers who did in fact render great service to the country. And as Senator Nesmith forcibly states the fact, for this trifling service Fremont achieved the fame of "The Path Finder," and was rewarded thereafter with the nonnnation for president of the United States.

It has always been claimed by his partisans that Fremont was entitled to great credit in wresting California from the Mexicans in 1846. But a careful examination of the history of that Mexican province will not support that claim. The California Mexicans themselves had been prior to Fremont's advent, in a state of chronic rebellion against the Mexican Republic on account of the deport- ment of Mexican convicts to that province. Micheltorena, Castro and Pio Pico had been competing rivals for supremacy, until the California settlers, mostly American adventurers and hangers-on of the Swiss leader, John A. Sutter, were incited and emboldened into an attempt to set up an independent government under the name of "The California Republic." At that time Mexico was in- debted to England and English bondholders to the amount of fifty millions of dollars, and IMexico was apparently willing to pay the debt by a transfer of Cali- fornia to the English, and England was ready to .lump at the oi¥er. The Ameri- can government was fully informed of the scheme, and on June 24, 1844, George Bancroft, secretary of the navy, wrote Commodore Slnat, in command of the American squadron in the Pacific, as follows:

"The ^lexican ports on the Pacific are said to be open and defenceless. If you ascertain with certainty that Mexico has declared war against the United States, you will at once possess yourself of the poi-t of San Francisco, and block- ade or occupy such other ports as your force may permit."

In pursuance of that order, on July 7, 1846, Commodore Sloat with his war ships then in San Francisco bay, landed 250 marines, and issued the following proclamation :

"We are about to land on the territory of Mexico with whom the United States are at war. To strike her flag and to hoist our own in place of it is our duty. It is not only our duty to take California, but to preserve it afterward as a part of the United States at all hazards. To accomplish this, it is of the first importance to cultivate the good opinion of the inhabitants, whom we must rec- oncile. '"

Prior to this, on June l-"), 1846. twenty-four American settlers, disgusted with the anarchy and misrule of the IMexican population and their rival governors, had gathered at Sonoma and seized the Mexican post at that point, issued a proc- lamation of independence as stated above for a republic, and had made and raised the celebrated ' ' Bear Flag, ' ' with a lone star upon it, with William B. Ide as their coiiiniander-in-chief. These twenty-four rebels had endeavored to get Fremont and his party of explorers to join them ; but Fremont held aloof fr