Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/462



passed it. But when looked at in its work, for passing immigrants, and its effect on the fortunes of the Oregon country, the case is altogether dift'erent.

By common consent the culmination of Whitman 's exertions for the American interests in Oregon is considered to have come in the year 1842-43, and to have centered particularly in his journey to Washington and Boston, and his return with the immigrants of that year. Various views of the objects of this celebrated journey have been expressed by historians. That Whitman had several objects in view is now well ascertained. What they were may be gathered partly from considering the main objective points of the journey, partly from official docu- ments, and parti j^ from his and Mrs. Whitman's private correspondence. The main objective points of Whitman's visit were Washington and Boston. These he visited, and beyond reasonable doubt in this order.

The main object of this visit to Washington may be gathered from the bill he drew up at the request of the Secretary of War, and from the letter with which he accompanied it. To the Secretary he wrote :

"In compliance with the request which you did me the honor to make last winter while at Washington, I herewith transmit to you the synopsis of a bill, which, if it could be adopted, would, according to my experience and observation, prove highly condiicive to the best interests of the United States, generally, and to Oregon where I have resided more than seven years as a missionary, and to the Indian tribes that inhabit the intermediate coiTutry. ' '

The bill itself exhibits the object here stated in an extended form. It is re- markable for the thorough grasp it shows of the situation, of the needs of every interest involved and of the means best suited to meet each one. No document of that time exhibits a more full and clear grasp of the Oregon problem, and of the condition of its ultimate solution. A reasonable hope on his part of his being able by any representations that he might make of securing the adoption of such a measure by the government, was itself a justification of his perilous journey.

To a member of the board of missions at Boston after his return to Oregon, he writes touching the objects of his visit :

' ' It was to open a practical route and a safe passage and to secure a favorable report of the journey from emigrants, which, in connection with other objects, caused me to leave my family and brave the toils and dangers of the journey, which carried me on, notwithstanding I was forced out of my direct track and notwithstanding the unusual severity of the winter and the great depth of the snow. ' '

In the same letter we have frankly stated the other great object of his visit, that which took him to Boston as the other had taken him to Washington. In 3lose connection with that quoted above he writes :

' ' The other great object for which I went was to save the mission from being broken up just then, which it must have been, as you will see by reference to the doings of the committee which confirmed the recall of Mr. Spalding only two weeks before my arrival in Boston."

These were two of the main objects of his journey, the one leading him to Washington, and the other to Boston, both clearly stated in his own words.

The third object of this journey had to do particularly with the immigration of that year. His ob'ject in connection with this immigration was not in induc- ing men to join it, or in organizing the company when together. It was already^