Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/171



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He said he would help us all he could and promised to go with me and see the P. M. Genl. next day, in the forenoon.

I then went to see Horace Greeley,* Editor of the N. Y. Tribune. Oregon has nothing to expect from him. He will oppose Govt's giving us a section of land, and in fine will be both small, mean, and stinted in all his views towards Oregon. After this I went home, and wrote a letter to the Pacific News, San Francisco, for the purpose of getting the people there petitioning Congress for the mail once in two weeks from New York. After attending to various other business, I went to bed at 12 o'clock.

December 5, 1849 In the morning, after breakfast, I called on the 2nd Assistant P. M. Genl. to learn what I could relative to the mail service in Oregon. I found that there had been reported to the Department one post-office at Astoria, John Adair, P. M., one at Portland, Thos. Smith, P. M., and one at Oregon City, Geo. L. Curry, P. M. I found the fol- lowing mail routes had been established: 1 from Ft. Van- couver to Oregon City, 1 from same place to Astoria, 1 from Independence (Mo.) to Ft. Vancouver, and 1 from Oregon City up the Willamette Valley to Klamet River. Bids had been received for carrying the mail on these routes. There was also another route omitted above, from Ft. Vancouver by Ft. Nesqually to mouth of Admiralty Inlet. To carry the mail on this last route once a month there was a bid of $3000 ; to carry it from Independence to Vancouver once in six months, 24,000 dollars ; from Vancouver to Oregon City, 1 per month, $429; from Ft. Vancouver to Astoria once a month, $1500; and from Oregon City to Klamet Valley, once in 3 months, $6000. After I had ascertained the above facts, I attended the session of the House until supper time. In the evening I visited Genl. Cass and found him, as usual, all the

correct. He opposed the admission of Oregon to the Union in 1858 and 1859; and yet as the holder of the proxy of Leander Holmes, of Clackamas county, who was one of the three delegates elected at the Republican State Convention held in Salem, April 21, 1859 the other two being Dr. W. Warren, of Marion county, and A. G. Hovey, of Benton county to represent Oregon in the Republican National Convention of 1860 he was an important factor in aiding to nominate Abraham Lincoln as the Republican candidate for President.
 * Mr. Thurston's estimate of Greeley's attitude towards Oregon proved to be