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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW ODOT adds six new road cameras to Southern Oregon network ... Grants Pass police say man threatened to detonate a bomb during arrest ... Bill could gut GMO ordinance, group says ... ODOT adds six new road cameras to Southern Oregon network ... Grants Pass police say man threatened to detonate a bomb during arrest ... Bill could gut GMO ordinance, group says ... OUR VIEW Our View: Updating Oregon's presence in the U.S. Capitol Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Jan. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News In the nation's capitol in Washington, D.C., the statues of two prominent pioneers represent Oregon in Statuary Hall. A state commission has recommended both statues be returned to Oregon and replaced with likenesses of other prominent figures from state history. A good case can be made for the move, although choosing the new honorees won't be easy. The two statues there now are of missionary and pioneer Jason Lee, who founded an academy that became Willamette University, the first college in the Oregon Territory; and Dr. John McLoughlin, head of the Hudson's Bay Co., known as the "father of Oregon." Admirers of Mark Hatfield, who served as a state legislator, secretary of state, governor and later a U.S. Senator for 30 years, have long argued for returning the Lee statue and replacing it with one of Hatfield, who died in 2011. Bills to that effect failed to pass in 2013 and 2014. Last year, Gov. John Kitzhaber appointed the Statuary Hall  Study Commission to take a closer look at the matter, and the commission has recommended that both the Lee and McLoughlin statues be replaced. The commission has named four finalists: Hatfield, former Gov. Tom McCall, suffragette  Abigail Scott Duniway and Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe. Any two of the four would be fine choices. Duniway is probably the least well-known of the nominees, if only because she was a women's rights activist in the 19th century. Her outspoken advocacy in the Northwest region helped women win the right to vote in Idaho in 1896, Washington state in 1910 and Oregon in 1912. Hatfield is arguably the most prominent Oregon politician in the state's history, as well as its longest-serving U.S. senator. McCall, however, was a truly groundbreaking governor. Under his tenure, the state enacted the beach bill, preventing private development of the coastline; the nation's first bottle-deposit law; and Senate Bill 100, the state's land-use planning law. Chief Joseph is the most famous tribal leader in Oregon history, and deserving of commemoration for his courageous resistance to the exile of his people from their ancestral lands. He never gave up hope that this country's promise of freedom might one day apply to Native Americans, too. The commission will take public testimony in Salem on March 4 and recommend two of the names to the Legislature, which will decide the matter along with the governor. We could live with any two of the four, but our votes go to McCall and Chief Joseph.         MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501