Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/323



. THE CENTENNIAL IIISTOUY OF OREGON I'.Hl

introdiu/tioii, inaiiuraetui'r, or .sale, of ardent spirits. In tlie L'liited Slates, some of the .states prohibit the granting of licenses. The supreme court says the states have the right to reguhite the licensing of the sale of ardent spirits, and, under the right to regulate, the states j)rohiI)it and the court upholds thcin in it.

The question, shall the license system be continued, or shall the introduction, manufacture, and sale of ardent spirits, be prohibited? is in your hands; anil. I hope, in deciding upon it, you will take the happiness and future prosperity of the territory into your consideration. You are well aware of our situation, with regard to the Indian population, and have seen the effect liquor has upon them. You may have heard them say, if the "Boston people would not furnisli us liquor, we would not become such fools!" I leave the question with you, sincerely hoping that, should we come under the jurisdiction of the United States, the coming year, we may be found with a law on our statute books prohibiting the sale of ardent spirits in' this territory.

'"Our relations with the Indians become every year more embarrassing. They see the white man occupying their land, rapidly filling up the country, and they put in a claim for pay. They have been told that a chief would come out from the United States and treat with them for their lands ; they have been told this so often that they begin to doubt the truth of it ; at all events, they saj' he will not come till we are all dead, and then what good will blankets do us? We want something now. This leads to trouble between the settler and the In- dians about him. Some plan should be devised by which a fund can be raised and presents made to the Indians of suiBcient value to keep them quiet until an agent arrives from the United States. A number of robberies have been com- mitted by the Indians in the upper country upon the emigi'ants, as they were passing through their territory. This should not be allowed to pass. An ap- propriation should be made by you sufficient to enable the superintendent of Indian affairs to take a small party in the spring, and demand restitution of the property or its equivalent in horses. Without an appropriation a sufficient party could not be induced to go up there, as the trip is an expensive one.

"The emigration the past season has been much larger than any preceding one, amounting to between four and five thousand souls. They have all arrived in the settlements, unless a few families should still be at the Dalles and Cas- cades, and scattered themselves over the territory. The most of them are farm- ers and nid'hanics: they will add much to the future welfare and prosperity of Oregon.

"During the past year we have been visited by a number of vessels, some of them drawing more water than the vessels which have usually visited us. I am happy to say they received full cargoes on board and crossed the bar in safety. The provisions of the pilot law have been carried out. and its good effects are al- ready visible. The able pilot at the mouth of the river has made himself thor- oughly acquainted with the channels and currents, thus diminishing the dangen formerly attending vessels coming into the river. The time is not far distant when our river will be entered with more ease and facility than many of the ports in the United States on the Atlantic coast, and captains will wonder why the entrance was so much dreaded, forgetting that they are reaping the benefits of experience.