Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 October 1902 — A Letter From Oregon. [ARTICLE]

A Letter From Oregon.

Editor Republican: I enjoyed very much, reading Sour excellent report of the seson ©f my old Conference, which was recently held in your city, By the appearance of some —yes many new names, and the absence of many, I was forcibly reminded that a dozen years had passed since we left Indiana for our futute home in Oregon- Conference that year was held in Grant’s Pass in this wonderful Southern Oregon country The session which closed last week was also held there. We are returned to Ashland for the 4th year. Our pastorate in Ashland has been successful thus far; the past year was the most successful of the three. The missionary offering of our church the past year, including the contributions of the Woman’s Home and Woman’s Foreign Missionary Societies, a mounted to $527. Ashland is a rapidly growing town. There are not houses enough to shelter the people who are coming here, and not carpenters enough to do the building demanded. The fruit crop has been immense this year. The quality was fine and the prices good, hence Ashland has been a very lively town during the summer. Besides the fruit shipped from here, immense quantities are canned. We have a large Cannery which runs at full blast during the fruit season, canning fruits of all kinds, corn, peas, beans and tomatoes. The death on the 2nd inst, at bis home in Eugene, of a somenoted Hoosier, brings to my mind an article which I wrote a year ago for The Republican on “Hoosiers in Oregon.” John Whiteaket, the first Governor of the State of Oregon, I miseed at that time. While we lived in Eugene, I was near neighbor to Gov. Whiteaker, and became personally acquainted with him. His career was quite remarkable. He was born in Dearborn county, Ind. I in the year 1820. He came to 1 Oregon in 1853; was elected Probate Judge in 1856; elected a member of the territorial legislature in 1857; elected Governor in 1858; elected to the State legislature in 1866 and re-elected in 1868. He was Speaker of the House in 1870 and President of the Senate in 1876 He was elected to Congress in 1878, and was made Collector of Internal Revenue in 1885. As Governor of Oregon, he issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation ever issued in the Pacific Northwest. Gov. Whiteaker was always an ardent Democrat in politics. The most noted incident in his life, and that which brought him most prominently before the Country, was his famous ride to Washington, by special train, when a member of the 46th Congress. This ride gave opportunity for much newspaper satire. A poem on Whiteaker’s famous ride from Oregon to Washington D. C. was written by “T. Bruiser Reed,” and was widely circulated at the time. The circumstances of that famous ride were as foltows: In March 1879 the Democratic members of Cdfigreks discovered that to effect an organization and elect a Speaker they must have one more vote. Whiteaker was in Oregon four thousand miles away.” He was notified of the situation ana urged to make all possible speed' for the National Capitol. He sailed from Portland for San Francisco ©n the steamer Elder. When landed he was met by an agent of the Central Pacific R. R. who informed him that the National Committee of his fellow democratic members of Congress, has a special train in waiting at Oakland, across the bay, to take him with all possible dispatch '■ to Washington. He left the shi

with bis hand baggage and crossed over the bay, andln lees thau an hour was speeding eastward in an attempt to overtake the overland train which had 25 hours the start of him. He made the fastest trip across the Continent, up to that time, and arrived in Washington in time to cast the decisive vote for Speaker of the House, on the 18th day of The cost of this special train was over $1,500. but the democrats in Congress thought it money |Well spent. ‘ I am pleased to note in The Republican, the continued progress of old Jasper Co., and her beautiful capitol. With kindly greetings to all friends I am Very truly, • J. T. Abbett, Ashland; Or. Oct. 4, 1902.