SOME RECOLLECTIONS OF GENERAL E. L. APPLEGATE By GEORGE STOWELL of Sitka, Alaska "Lish" Applegate is a familiar name to the pioneers of the "Emerald State." At one time his fame was as extended as its borders. He was by all odds the most picturesque figure that has appeared on the stage of Oregon history. His personal appearance was of a sort immediately to attract attention. His physique was lithe and willowy-tall and somewhat gaunt, his manner of speech unique and his mental traits peculiar indeed, he was "Lish" Applegate and has had no double. I became acquainted with him during the winter of 1859-60. I was then living with my parents in Eugene, and he came there that winter to edit the PEOPLE'S PRESS, a Republican journal which had been recently established in that thriving young town by B. J. Pengra and some other "free soilers." "Lish" was in the springtime of life then, and surcharged with the abounding vigor which characterized the young men of pioneer days. His avocation, coupled with the fact of his being a scion of a prominent and influential family, gave him immediate access to all the homes in the town and he was soon a conspicuous figure at nearly every social gathering. He was gifted with a remarkable memory, had a vivid imagination, a keen sense of humor and was master of a picturesque style of speech. Although his vocabulary was extensive, his pronunciation was not hampered by the rules of lexicographers. These gifts and oddities made him a very interesting raconteur and he never permitted a strict adherence to verities to mar a narrative. He had seen a good deal of pioneer life in its various phases, and his experiences among those early settlers formed the texture of his stories. The droll and graphic manner in which those experiences were related, together with the drawling tone, startling pronunciation of familiar words, and the subtle tinge of the ludicrous imparted to them by a semigrotesque imagination made him the central figure of all the social gatherings he attended. In those days Eugene was a Methodist stronghold, consequently it was necessary at our social gatheings to devise other means of entertainment than dancing and card playing, as these amusements were then under the ban of that church. Singing was found to be the best substitute for these inhibited frivolities, and therefore became quite a feature of those social parties. In order to meet this condition a few of the young people made it a point to practice singing together sufficiently to enable them to reach the end of a tune simultaneously. Applegate, although unable to sing even a note, was fond of music, and our singing, the writer of this being one of those warblers, pleased him so well that he would intermit his rehearsals occasionally for the purpose of listening to it. Notwithstanding his inability to sing he had some music in his soul, and considerable poetry in his nature. One day just after one of those social gatherings he met me on the street, and after the usual greeting asked if I knew he was a poet. Upon receiving a negative reply, he remarked, that although not a special favorite of the muse, it visited him occasionally. He said that when attending his father's toll road in southern Oregon, he lived alone in a rude cabin in the depths of a forest, and that at one time the divine afflatus so influenced him that he was moved to compose a lyric poem, which he proceeded to draw from his coat pocket and read without further ceremony. The production was not without merit, but it has all passed from my memory excepting the first four lines, which were as follows: "Whilst reposing one night in my cabin alone I thought on the sadness of a bachelor's life- That slumbers all silent of children and wife." He said the meter fitted the tune of "Family Bible," which was somewhat in vogue then, and requested me to sing it at our next sociable, and that favorable mention of it would appear in the following issue of his paper; but as I was not seeking fame along that line the request was not favorably considered. As an editorial writer he was a success. Some of his leaders written that winter were powerful, their texture being a combination of logic, wit, sarcasm and eloquence. It was a golden era for political writers. The country was stirred to its depths over fundamental principles of government, involving, as they did, social and moral problems. "Lish" was a champion of the Republican party. That party was young then and stood for great principles. The purpose of its organization was to withstand the aggressive policy of the slave holders. Although believing slavery was morally wrong and an industrial mistake, still it did not propose to interfere with it in the States where it existed, but was strenuously opposed to its extension. Its principles were of a kind to enlist the young and generous, and in its formative period was largely a young men's party. He did his work so well as an editor that upon the opening of the Presidential campaign of 1860 he was employed by the Republican Central Committee to canvass the State for Abraham Lincoln. In this role he was also a success. Indeed, he was the peer of any of the speakers of that campaign, in Oregon, with the exception of that renowned orator, Col. E. D. Baker. His success was so marked that his friends predicted a brilliant future for him. Indeed, the outlook was bright, but coming years developed that in that campaign he reached the zenith of success and ceased to grow in intellectual power. It is true he continued to be an important factor in Oregon politics for many years thereafter, but he never attained the prominence in the councils of his party or in the affairs of state that his friends predicted he would. The cause of this arrest of development was lack of application and over-indulgence in intellectual whimsies. The science of political economy and the true principles of statesmanship do not come by intuition even to the most acute and luminous minds. The old maxim "there is no excellence without great labor" applies to everyone, no matter how great his intellect may be. Furthermore, an ever increasing tendency to grotesqueness and buffoonery in the discussion of all sorts of subjects seemed gradually to sap his power for that close and lucid thinking which characterized his earlier efforts, until his mind became the habitat of divers sorts of sophisms and vagaries. Soon after Lincoln's inauguration, B. J. Pengra was appointed Surveyor General of Oregon, and Applegate accepted a position as transcribing clerk in his office, at a salary of twelve hundred a year. That a man who had gained such plaudits by his tongue and pen in the field of political debate should accept such a subordinate position is almost unthinkable by the men of this generation, but it was different then. Such positions were considered posts of honor in those days. Some prominent men accepted clerkships at that period. Indeed, one such-Hon. J. H. D. Henderson-vaulted directly from a transcribing clerk's desk, in the same office, to a seat in Congress. It is quite probable that the character of the work performed by the subject of this sketch would not have met with the hearty approbation of a modern civil service expert. Nevertheless he retained the place for a year or two, that is, until lack of appropriations necessitated a heavy reduction in the clerical force of the office. After leaving the office he moved. to Southern Oregon and remained there until the spring of 1865, when he was appointed Surveyor General, taking the place of Pengra, who declined to be a candidate for reappointment. He held the position almost six years-nearly two years after his appointment expired. His administration of the affairs of the office was creditable. Although almost entirely devoid of executive ability himself he had the sagacity to select for his chief clerk, Mr. Joel Ware, a remarkably clear headed man, who possessed fine clerical, executive and administrative ability. At one period of his incumbency he seemed in imminent danger of losing his official head. It was when Andrew Johnson turned turtle and was engaged in a mortal political combat with the United States Senate. It was a period that tried officeholders' souls. They did, indeed, seem to be "between the devil and the deep sea." As the contest between the executive and legislative branches of the Government thickened, the silence of the average office-holder deepened. Not so with Applegate. He believed Johnson was wrong and perversely so, and he had the courage of his convictions. He believed the policy of Johnson was pernicious, and he was unsparing of his criticisms of it. He was instant in season and out of season in his denunciations. A street corner, a store or public square served for a forum, and one or two persons were considered a sufficient nucleus for an audience. In that he was not mistaken, for in those days, whenever he began to talk on political subjects, quite a number would gather around him. On one occasion when he had been more than ordinarily severe in his criticisms of the President, some one asked him if he were not afraid of losing his official head in consequence of such intemperate arraignment of the administration. With a look and tone of intense scorn he replied, "Afraid of losing my official head; afraid of losing my official head! Does any one have such a mean opinion of me as that? Does any one believe that I have sunk so low that I would barter my intellectual freedom and my prerogative as an American citizen for a little official pap? Perish the thought! When I reach that stage of degeneration may a thunderbolt from heaven, red with uncommon wrath, smite me, and leave no trace or memory of me on the earth." "That is all well enough, General," remarked a bystander, "but what would you do for a living if you should lose your position?" "What would I do to make a living?" he exclaimed, his eyes again ablaze with supreme scorn, and then answered, "I would dig potatoes for Smith, cut cordwood for Jones, haul manure for Davidson; and if the worst descended to a profounder worst, I might consent to accept a clerkship in Mr. -'s dry goods store." The tenure of office act which came into effect shortly after this incident probably prevented his political cranium from rolling into the headman's basket. It was during his term of office that I entered the service. Although spasmodic in the conduct of business and at times unduly exacting, taking it altogether he was not a hard task |