The quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 1, No. 3, September, 1900Oregon Historical Society
History
The quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 1, No. 3, September, 1900
Oregon Historical Society
Oregon -- History -- Periodicals
respect of either the man’s people or the woman’s, and would fail in
conferring happiness. She was clean enough and good enough to secure the
personal friendship and advice of Mrs. J. L. Parrish, which proved her a
rare exception to her class. Such marriages soon ceased after the
American home-builder assumed dominion over Oregon, the white mother
thus arriving being strongly against inter-racial contracts. Doubtless
the hopelessness of the struggle against race prejudice has borne
heavily on the heart of many a man and woman on both sides of the race
question, but the fight is over now and many a heart broken in the
struggle (as I think was that of my friend Joseph Hudson, last Chief of
the Calipooyas) is at rest. The responsibility for the red race is now
the white man’s burden. He carries it well, while already the light of a
brighter day than the red man of fifty years ago could forecast is
piercing the prejudices and hates of that time. The white man brought
the surveying compass, the book in which to record titles to land,
another for the record of marriages, still another to record the rights
of property to the results of wedlock. Schools are open to the native
race and every generous mind wishes it well. But, while our sympathies
may go out toward the ignorant or incompetent race in a conflict of
power, we should not fail to note the services to all races rendered by
the victor.
A glance at the changed conditions of life within the bounds of old
Oregon: Instead of forty thousand persons ill-fed, ill-clad, living from
hand to mouth, often bordering on famine, unable to support forty
interesting visitors passing through their country, we have now,
perhaps, fully one million, and the surplus of foodstuffs and clothing
material they send out to the markets of the world, would feed well four
millions. And, it is not extravagant to say that the territory to which
the Oregon trail was made fifty-eight years ago will some day be made to
support forty millions in comfort.
This paper, it will be observed, has dealt entirely with the native race
in Northwestern Oregon, because this was the field of the race contest.
The point to which the guiding minds of the white race looked as most
desirable. Jefferson said, and Benton repeated: “Plant thirty thousand
rifles at the mouth of the Columbia.” The first exploring party sent out
by the former selected as the most interesting region in which to make
excursions, the district now containing the first and second chosen
commercial centers,—Vancouver and Portland.
The native race amid whom these were planted were described in their
average manhood as mean, cowardly and thievish. Forty years later,
to this description might be added ignorant, superstitious, and
utterly without public spirit. The tribes east and south from this
district were, excepting those located at the great fishing centers
on the Columbia, less thievish, and much more bold and spirited in
self-defense.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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