Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-08-11


do them harm. That they have no
means Of protecting their own AMI
the lives of then families, other than
self constituted tribunals, oliginat-
/ lug and sustained by the power Of
an ili,instructel pubic opinion, and
/ the resort to force and arms. That
their mems of safety are au INSULT
cient safeguard Of life and properly;
that they are able to "rreSt til
! pro Ires, of crime without the al OF
! law and tribunals 10 administer it .
\ lofty Amrrlc IN sentiment pervades
| the document; 1t urges the lmmnd-
| late establish uent of Territorial
Government; the value OF the Ter
| ri ory to the nation Is demonstrated;
| the Government is warned of the
| effort IS Great Britain 10 secure is
| IcqulSl:iJn; II refers to tie contln
ne p e,,nce If u Br sh lri cate upon
the coast: the survey in 1879 by
Bclcllers expe dition of the Column
bia river and the IA lja:ant Lavs aud
harbors as meaning III ure Occupan-
cv, ami charges the Hud on's Bay
Company WITH seiZiny valuable points
| and portions Of the territory to fore
stall and defeat American settlement.
| Congress Was almoni,hel that the
officers of the Company were persist
| ent,v asserting that tie Bri lSh Crown
! hal granted to the Hud,on's Bay
{ pmpinv the territory north of the
Columbia river. Tie various acts of
do,uInion over the soil eX .rclsed by
the Company are detailed; the mem
oliahsts earnestly protest against the
scheme of .l"yiicisiny the region by
the net works of s1-called trading
posts, establishments designed rath-
er to secure ultimate ownership of
the territory, than for purposes of
Indian trade.
Soil, chimlte and general features
are faithfully portrayed. The capaci
to the territory for support of large
population IS conclusively illustrated.
The magnificent numbering resonr-
ses, tue fisheries, tue large bodies of
agricultural land, are heralded.
Having invoked Congress to do its
dury to the nation by asserting Fed
eral jurisdiction over Oregon:
Your Petitioners would beg leave
especially to call the attention of
Congress to their own condition As
an infant colony, without military
force or civil institutions to protect
.neir lives and property and children,
sanctuaries and tolnbs, from the band
of unciviized and merciless savages
around them. We respectfully ask
for the civil institutions Of the Ameri
can Republic. We pray for the high
privileges of American citizenship;
the peaceful enjoyment of life; the
right of acquiring, possessing and
using property, and the unrestrained
persuit OF rational happiness"
" At the close of this year" Judge
Deudy says, the population of the
county, exclusive OF the c ompany
and Indians, was about 200. OF these
one sixth were Canadians. Nine
tenths of them were located west of
the Cascade mountains, aud almost
all of them in the Wallamet valley.
But the power and prestige resulting
from wealth, organization aud
priority of settlement, were still on
the side of those. who represented
Great Britain. 1t was a common
opinion among all cl- sses that in the
final settlement of boundaries be.
tween the two countries, the terri.
tory north of She Columbia might
be conceded to Great Britain, and
the principal settlements and stations
Of the British and Americans were
located with reference to this pos.
sibilitv. So stood tue matter thirty
five years after the American ex-
ploration of the Columbia river by
Lewis and Clarke. A casual obser-
yer might have concluded that the
country was doomed to remain a
mere trapping and trading ground
for the Company, for generations to
come. But new force was now
about 10 appear on the scene and
settle the long-pro'racted controversy
in favor of the United States. 1t
was the Oregon arSonauts, moving
across the continent in dusty columns
with their wives and children, focks,
and herds, in search of the Golden
Fleece that was to be found in the
groves and prairies of tue coveted
lands of the Wallamet. The actual
occupation of Oregon for the pur-
pose of claiming and holding the
country as against Great Britain,
and forming therein an American
State, did not commence until after
1910. Very naturally the movement
begun in the west, and had its creat.