The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1869-11-20
The Capital Convention.


The Capital Convention which assem-
bled at St. Louis MOI, on the 2Uth of
last month, was very fairly attended,
and harmonious and pleasant time was
had. Oregon was fully represented in
Convention. Appended are the resolu-
tions adopted:
Capital was selected as the most central point,
when the people of this republic, only a few mil
lion in numbers, inhabited only narrow strip of
country along the Atlantic coast and,
WHEREAS, The population of this republic has
increased thirteen fold then, and spread
over vast continent. of which the States in
istence when the seat of government was located,
form only the eastern edge, and,
WHEREAS, The present location of the national
capital is notoriously inconvenient in times of
peace, as the darkest pages of our national his
tory demonstrate, in times of war domestic
turbulence is SO dangerously exposed rs to require
vast armaments and untold millions of money
for it's special defense, and
WHEREAS, All the which caused the
location of the seat of government where it now
is, have, by the enormous development of the
country, and corresponding change in the wants
of the people, become utterly obsolete; there
fore,
Resolved That it is absurd to suppose that the
handful of inhabitants of 1879, just emerging
ways, telegraphs, or power presses were dreamed
of, mile of turnpike canal constructed,
possessed the authority desired to exercise the
power of fixing the site of the capital forever, on
the banks of the Potomac, against the will and
interests of the hundreds of millions who might
come after them.
2. Resolred, That the people have endured
the present illy,ocated capital for three-quarters
of . century, patiently waiting for the Western
territory of the Union to be peopled and organized
into States, and until the center of population,
and wealth could be determined, when a
permanent place of residence for the government
could be selected That time has come. All
sectional issues are now settled; all dangerous
domestic yariances disposed of; new has
been entered upon, and new departure taken.
3. Resoired, That in the language of james
Madison, in the Congress of 17S6. "an equal
attention to the rights of the community is the
basis of republics. If consider the effects of
legislative power on the aggregate community, We
must feel equal inducement to look to the center
in order to find the proper seat of government
This equal attention has not been and cannot be
given to the interests and rights of tae people
long the capital is located in inconyenient
section of the Union.
4. Resoiced, That the vast and fertile region
known the Mississippi Valley, must for all
time be the seat of empire of this continent, and
exert the controlling influence in the nation, be-
cause it is homogeneous in its interests and too
powerful even to permit the out-laying states to
sever their connection with the Union This
vast plain will always be the surplus food and
great market for the fine fabrics and tropical pro-
ductions of the other sections of the republic.
This immense basin must have numerous outlets
and channels of cheap and swift communication
by water and rail with the seabOard for the egress
of its products and the ingress of its exchanges.
Therefore, whatever policy the government may
pursue that tends to multiply, improve or enlarge
those arteries of commerce., must result IN COM
mon advantage to the whole union-to the sea-
board States equally with those of the center.
5. Resoired, That the natural, convenient,
and inevitable place for the capital of the republic
is in the heart of this valley, where the center of
population, wealth and power is irresistiby grav-
itating where the government, surrounded by
numerous millions of brave and Unon-Iovins
citizens, would be forever safe against foreign
foes or sectional seditions, and where it would
need neither armamentshor standing armies for
its protection.
novel of the seat OF government to the Mississip
pi Valley, we do not mean to serve the interests
of any particular locality, but that urge Con-
gress to appoint q commission for the purpose of
selecting a convenient site for the national capital
in this great valley of the Mississippi pledging
ourselves to be satisfied with and abide by the
decision to be arrived at by the national legsla-
turs.
7. Resoired, That in urging the removal of
the national capital from its present lnconyenient
out-of-the-way and exposed location in the far
East, are in earnest, and that shall not
cease in efforts until that end is accomplish
ed, firmly believing that the absolute necessity
for the removal will become more apparent every
day, and the majority of the American people will
not long permit their interests and convenience
to be disregarded.
s. Resotred, That the removal of the national
capital being only question of time, we en-
phatically oppose and condemn all expenditures
of money for enlargement of government build
ings, and the erection of new ones at the present
seat of the national government, useless and
wanton waste Of the property of the people.