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 LESTER BURRELL SHIPPEE

366

the land of Indians.

It

did not take long for the struggle to

become one of extermination on both

sides.

The Federal

offi-

cials, in attempting to protect the innocent Indians, aroused

some of the settlers, and further animosity was produced by the lack of harmony between the United States officer in command of the Federal troops, General John E. Wool, and the territorial officials of Oregon and Washington. the ire of

The

territorial

governments raised volunteer forces to fight

the Indians and issued script to pay them. The whole affair came before Congress in

the

form of

requests for appropriations to cover these expenses. The discussion brought out the lack of cooperation between the local

and Federal authorities, and Congress was inclined to allow some weight to the statements of General Wool that the whole thing was nothing less than a crusade on the part of the whites to rid the country of the Indians: wrote, in one dispatch, "say that

war

is

"Oregonians," he a God-send to the

37 country." Congress did, however, pass a measure authorizing a commission to investigate the whole affair. At the next

session

(1856-7) the Committee on Military Affairs of the to be discharged from further consideration of

House asked

which was framed to pay the award of the commisIn spite of the efforts of Lane the sum recommended by the commission was cut down materially. Two years later, after the report of a special commissioner who had been sent to Oregon, the claim was allowed, and Oregon claimants rethe

bill

sion.

ceived $424,000 while those in Washington got $229,000. 38 This amount was not considered by Oregonians as sufficient

and the desire

to secure

of the factors which

an additional appropriation was one

made them work

for statehood.

The

great distance between the Mississippi valley and the Pacific Coast and the dangers attending the journey to Oregon

continued to come up in Congress in one form or another. of mounted riflemen, which had been authorized

The regiment

37 Globe, XXXIII, 1135. Part of the troubles had been 38 H. Ex. Doc. No. 37, 34th Cong., 36! Ses. to ,a failure of the Senate to ratify the treaties negotiated by the Indian See Fillmore's message, 6 Dec., 1852, Richardson, Messages, Superintendent.

due

V, 178,