The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-17
NEW TERRITORY OF COLUMBIA

The following memorial has been sent t
Congress from Convention held at Mont
cello, in Northern Oregon, on the 25th of No
yembcr last asking for division of the Terri
tory of Oregon, giving the northern part a
separate organization, under the name Of Co
lumbia
MEMORIAL.
To the Honorable the Senate and House OF
Representatives of the United States in Con.
gress assembled The memorial of the dele
gates of the citizens of Northern Oregon, in
Convention assembled, respectfully represents
to your honorable bodies that it is the earnest de-
sire of your petitioners, and of said citizens that
all that portion Of Oregon Territory lying
north Of Columbia river, and west of the great
branch thereof should be organized as a sepa-
rate Territory. under the name and style of the
Territory of Columbia"
In support of the prayer of this memorial,
your petitioners would respectfully urge the
following among many other reasons
/. The present Territory Of Oregon, con-
tanning an area of BAL 900 square miles is en-
tirely too large an extent of territory to be EN-.
braced within the limits lbne State
2. The said territory possesses a sea coast Of
$50 miles in extent; the country east of the
Cascade mountains IL bound to that on the
coast by the strongest ties of interest--and, in
asmrch as your petitioners believe that the
Territory must inevitably be divided at no very
distant day, they are of opinion that it would
be nm ust that one State should possess 80 large
seaboard, to the exclusion Of that in the in
terror.
g. The territory embraced within the said
boundaries of the proposed Territory of Co.
lumbia' containing an area of about $4,000
square miles, is in the opinion If your petition.
ers, about a fair and just medium Of territorial
extent to form one State.
a. The proposed Territory Of Columbia y
presents natural resources capable Of support
ing population at least a. large as that Of
any State in the Union possessing an equal OK
tent Of territory.
5. Those portions Of Oregon Territory lying
respectively north and south Of the Columbia
river, must from their geographical position,
always rival each other In commercial advan-
ta2 es, and their respective citizens must, az they
now are and always have been, be actuated by
a spirit Of opposition.
6. The Southern part Of Oregon Territory,
having u majority Of voters, have controlled
the Territorial Legislature, and Northern Ore
gon has never received any benefit from the
appropriations made by Congress for said Ter
ritory which were subject TO the disposition Of
said Legislature.
7. The seat Of the Territorial Legislature is
now situated, by the nearest practicable route,
at a distance Of Ave hundred miles from a
large portion Of the citizens Of Northern Ore
gon.
8. A great part Of the Legislation suitable to
the south is, for local reasons opposed TO the
interests Of the north and inasnuch as the
south has majority OF voters, and represents.
tives are always bound to reflect the will Of
their constituents, your petitioners can enter
tain no reasonable hopes that their legislative
wants will ever be properly regarded under
the present organization
g. Experience has Ia the opinion Of your Pc
titione-s well established the principle that in
States having q moderate sized territory, the
wants Of tho people arc more easily made
known to their representatives, there Is less
danger Of conflict between sectional interests
and more prompt and adequate legislation can
always be obtained
In conclusion, your petitioners would respect
fully represent that Northern Oregon with It's
great natural resources, presenting such unpar-
alleled inducements 10 emigrsnts and with Its
present large population, constantly and rapid
iy increasing by immigration, is Of sufficient
in national point OF view, to merit