Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 16.djvu/234



214 HARRISON C. DALE

of the whole, with the excessive individualism and abhorrence of restraint savoring of militarism, which frontier democracy had bred deep in these pioneers. The second was the question of keeping the emigrants together in a sufficiently compact body through all the trials and vexations of the tedious journey. The tendency to disintegrate invariably appeared in all the great migrations, save one, and usually resulted in schism.

The first problem was sensed even before actual emigration began. It was Hall J. Kelley, who, in his circular to emi- grants, announced that the government of the body he pro- posed to send out would be military, but he added that it would be "deprived of much of its asperity and arbitrary disci- pline by the mild reform which virtue, refinement, and female presence conspire to produce." 41 Kelley well knew the innate American hatred of militarism and all that it implied.

Not everyone, however, had so clear a perception of this problem as Kelley. The first company of actual colonizers in Oregon, the Peoria party of 1839, was organized at first on a communistic basis and with an utter disregard of the needs of discipline. "They had not travelled far before the usual effects of liberty, equality, and fraternity began to de- velop themselves, so that they arrived at Independence, Mis- souri, in a rather disorganized condition." At this point a reorganization was effected which went to the other extreme by burdening the company (less than a score in number) with an absurdly military regimen. The company was divided "into platoons of four men each, sixteen men and two officers, all told." On the morning following the adoption of this arrange- ment, the company was called by sound of trumpet "to hear the following general order : 'Oregon platoons, Attention ! The order of march is : The first platoon will march" in front, the second platoon in rear of the first, the third platoon in rear of the second, which will take charge of the public mules, and the fourth platoon in the rear. Take your places. (Trumpet

40 Kelley, General Circular, p. 24.