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Willamette valley. Permit me to call attention to Hon. Elwood Evans' statements, to correct what he claims to be Hon. Mr. Rossignorance or error. After excusing himself, like Mrs. Victor, he then says: "First—Dr. Whitman's winter journey, in 1842-3, had no political intent nor significance whatever." As to the "political intent," W. H. Gray says, being present when he and A. L. Lovejoy started from his station, that it was the prime cause of both going as they did. I do not wish to say that Mr. Evans' statement is absolutely false, but I know it is not true. What could be the object of Dr. Whitman to take Mr. Lovejoy to go only to Boston to get an order of the A. B. C. F. M. rescinded?
The second position—" That no feeling as to the Oregon boundary controversy, or desire or wish to defeat British claim to the territory, or any part of it, had any influence in attracting such journey." This we know not to be true.
The third—" That his exclusive purpose was to secure a rescission by the order of the A. B. C. F. M. of the order of 1841, to abandon the southern stations." Of this third object I have no personal knowledge, nor of its being talked about at the time.
Fourth— Mr. Evans says: "There is no evidence that he visited Washington city during the spring of 1843." I was introduced to Hon. Governor Ramsey when he was in Oregon by Ex-Gov, Gibbs. His reply to me was, he was quite confident he met Dr. Whitman in Washington in 1843, but ^e might be mistaken, as it was so long since.
Mr. Evans claims that Rev. Mr. Lee was in Washington that winter. But we know that Rev. Jason Lee was not at Washington that year, and that he took an active part in the building of the Oregon Institute, and was at the meeting on July 5th, when the Provisional government was established, and was one of the committee to administer the oath of office to the executive committee, and hence he was not in Washington in any part of 1843.
Mr. Evans' fifth statement is proven false by John Hobson, and several others, who have given testimony that he was active in getting up the immigration of 1843.
As to his sixth, seventh and eighth, we have Mr. Webster's statements, and his estimate of Oregon. Can Mr. Evans produce by one of his (Webster's) many speeches, that he had a high value of the Oregon country? Can he prove that W. H. Gray has ever been in Washington, except by his own statement, and that of his wife when alive, (if any one ever heard her say she was there,
