Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-03-20

favor of education good beginning has been made il
favor of common schools but teachers do not command
yet the superior remuneration to which their services
entitled state of things not peculiar to new countries
The building Of churches in number exceeds schoohouses
court-houses and ails There several in this place
and at Oregon City of credtable appearance 1t plea
reflect that those who from home where
they enjoy the high privileges of social and religious in
tercours will not be altogether deprived of them here
The press constitutes important feature of every
country. Here the number Of journals to supply
the of the population, in funess and variety equal
any country Four weekly newspapers and one month
y magazine is pretty well for country with less
than twenty thousand inhabitants In political they
stand one Whig two Locofoco, neutral Of the ma
gazine but one number has appeared.
1t difficult to understand the merits Of the contests
now agating the public mind here At the hazard Of
mistakes, will detail what seems the prominent
features Of the quarrel.
II seems there are two seats Of government if not in
fact two Governments minority Of the Assembly and
the Supreme Court composed Of Chief Justice NELSON
and Judge SrnoSe, met at Oregon city The Court
question made decided that certain law fixing the seat
of government at Salem is null and void majority Of
the Assembly met at Salem and remained there disre-
gardng the decision of the Court, until the adj
ournment after session of near months The other
Judge and the Assembly deny that any court properly
constituted has been held They maintain that the SUI
preme Court could only sit at Saiem and hence the sit
ting and acting such at Oregon City at
all. good deal of bitterness and strife has arisen in
consequence of these conflicting views. The Assembly
party which is composed principally of Democrats seek
to make head against the Government officers Wings,
and to attribute them and their acts oil the difficulty
that has ensued The officers and judges denounced
tyrants oppressors usurpers, public robbers, and
epthetspe that school
seems hatGov GAINES last winter when the law passed.
and before the session closed declined recognising the
law as valid, for reasons then assigned by him. Those
have been since considered conclusive against the
law by the Attorney General of the United States and
the Supreme Court here Judge PRATT dissenting,
has decided it to be null The court also decided that
Oregon City is the legal seat Of government.
The Assembly the right to determine this mat
ter their way They claim the power to meet where
they please to enact laws They claim the right to de-
termne whether law of theirs violates the organic
of Congress not and deny the the power of
reviewing their for such The dispute takes
wide range through constitutional law and pariamen-
tary power in Territories. only refer you to the
published decisions of the Court and the opinions of the
Hon. o. c. PRATT for the positions taken both sides
The Assembly has memoralized Congress pretty
present Territorial Government be dissolved as
patibe with the peoples rights and hope for better
conduct the part of any appontees of the Federal Co
vernment they pray for the right to elect their
Governor Secretary and Judges they have provided
Convention of the people to form State constitution
in the that Congress shall fail grant their
rial at the present session
Among the aggressive of warfare they redstrictec
the Territory, taking about oil the settlements in it
adding to Judge Prats already large and dis
trct the whole of Judge Nelson's except one county
the judicial districts being thus To Chief Justice Nelson
county Clackamus Judge Strong all north of the
Columbia river, and Catsop county; to Judge Pratt all
the rest of Oregon To make confusion worse con-
founded the times for holding courts have been changed
in Judge Pratt's district Thus not only have the
legislation of the session hung up doubt
its validity but its acts cannot be approved by Congress
without sanctonng this outrage upon oil the decences
parliamentary fairness; and the entire Territory, with
slight exception is surrendered to the judicial keeping Of
Judge publicly ayowing his appreciation of these acts
and his readiness to enforce them and the people will be
deprived for indefinite period Of the benefit of courts
in his district held under laws of undoubted validity
From such specimens Of Difference to law and order
augur favoraby of the immediate future Do not
however, imagine for moment that Oregon has been
is likely be Mormonzed Our Latter Day Saints are
they have out here Of striking into leads and bet
ter diggngs They prospecting The gtterng prizes Of
the future already in mental vision earned by glorious
sacrifices in this raid against conservative court and
unostentatious, quiet harmless Government If the
crusade fall nothing is lost
The question recurs What ought Congress to dc
in the matter? answer, disapproye the net Of the
Assembly about which the whole controversy Tha
decision, imagine, would be respected although that
the court is not Should that be done the session
Of the Assembly would 60 far towards repairing the
lamtes Of the past If that be not done, there is ey
IDENTIFY alternative in prospect for Oregon but con
tinuance Of the present disorder and anarchy
must conclude first episte in reasonable space, o
hazard welcome for second The weather is alternat,
rain and sunshine; the temperature that Of May a
Washington the vegetation green in summer; and ye
Oregon is not the verable Hesperides That place. how
ever is undoubtedly somewhere the PACIFIC
Since closing my communication Of the 5th instant thu
apprehensons then entertained for the fate of the steam
propeller General Warren have since been painfully con
frmed After going out of the river Thursday, tn,
Goth utmo with about fifty persons aboard she returned
on Saturday following, signaIed for pilot, and wa
boarded by Capt FLxvEL found to be leaking badly
and was with difficulty brought inside the bar owing Il
thick weather. The captain, (THosrsoS,) on consulta
on concluded to beach her. and the ploboat left her
bringing off nine persons The steamer last
Clatsop spit broken to pieces the surf driving her
On the return Of the pot-boat, in about four hours
noa If he n ccc