The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-09-10


tunityr The growing friction between
these Americans and the Mexican author
titles had resulted In the '.b~ar
flag episode, 20 which Fremont
lent his name as Q United States officer
IN unworthy violation Of the laws OF neu-
traIlfy. The conquest Of California Was
accomplished with little Sighting. the so
called battles rising little abose skir-
mIshes. and the United States sathorisy
was acknowledged by treaty January u.
Isf7- Gold was discovered January 10,
ISIS. and the adventurous because irnpe-
cunious, az well ~ ths irnpecunioDs be-
cause adventurous. began 20 rush 70 Cali
fornia from every quarter Of ths globe.
5000 gold hunters arriving In the nrst
twelve months that followed the discovery
The territory Of Oregon. which then In
cluded Washington. had been fairly well
settled i'm spots. and IL contributed TO the
new emigration OF California band of
gold-hunting settlers who in fs4e de-
manded that the people Of the territory
should elect their own officers. congress
having neglected 20 provide territorial
officer. These emigrants from Oregon
territory we're preceded by Peter H. Bar
nett. . Tennessee lawyer, who had helped
draft q good constitution and establish
efficient government for Oregon, to which
he came ss early as 1913. Burnett became
the leader Of the party IN California,
which upheld the right OF the people 20
form q constitution and make laws for the
state as was done in Oregon. without au-
shorty from congress, the territorial gov
ernor, Gen. Riley. holding on the other hand
that the law of Mexico prevailed in Cali
fornia. as. under the holding of the United
States supreme court, the French Law did
In Louisiana after the cession, until FORM
ally set aside and superseded by the action
Of congress. In the second session of the
congress which met in December, 1913, the
committee of the whole adopted the sense
less motion 10 ceds back to Mexico sli Of
California except the port of San Fran
cisco. and congress adjourned in March,
is49, without making any provision for
the government OF California.
At the settlers convention" held at
Monterey, September 8. is49, William NJ.
Gwin. afterwards United States senator
from California, proposed a division of the
state. hoping 10 secure half OF California
TO slavery. His proposition was supported
by Henry w. Halieck. afterwards Maj
Gen. Halieck, u. s. A.. but the scheme
was beaten by the efforts Of virginian.
Charles +. Bolts. and the boundary was
fred a. il stands today. The constitution
adopted by this convention did good SER
vice for thirty years. when IL was swept
away by the Kearney craze Of 1879 Bur
nett. the leader Of the Oregon territory
smigrants. was elected governor, and the
first legislature met al San Jose December
Is. Isa9. Gwin and Fremont were slected
United States senator's. and among their
competitors were Halleck and John w.
Gesry, afterwards Democratic governor of
Kansas under Buchanan. major general of
volunteers during the war and governor of
Pennsylvania. Fremont was the heat
lightning" candidate OF the Republican
party in 1855. and ''hsat lightning" and
stage thunder major general in ls6i-62.
Gwin tried to organize Pacific coast con-
federacy and secede from the United
States In ls6061, but failed miserably In
the attempt.
In January, 1850. when Henry Clay in
troduced bill for the admission of Cali
fornia without slavery. JEFF Davis opposed
the bill, arguing that the Missouri CON-
promise line should be recognized and
slavery held valid below that line, and
John G. Calhoun spent his dying hours
preparing q speech against the admission
Of California, which was read in the SEN
ate by Mason of Virginia. Henry Clay
held that the people should decide for
themselves whether they wished to estab-
Iish slavery, and he was supported by
Tom Benton, by Daniel Webster and Will
lam ii. Seward. August 10. 1850, the bill
for the admission OF California passed the
senate by vote of 81 TO Is, Stephen A.
Douglass and Gen. Cass voting for it,
while JEFF Davis, Mason 4 Co. issued a
protest denouncing this national sanction
OF the free constitution OF Cali fornia. The
house passed the bill by $50 to S.
This admission of California was an
event fraught with most momentous conse.
quenees. The adoption by California of a
constitution prohibiting slavery was only
secured after a severe struggle. and TO the
efforts and influence OF the Oregon Terri
tory contingent led by Burnett, was
chiefly due this great result, This Oregon
contingent thai helped to give California q
free constitution stood by United States
Senator Broderick in his fight with
Douglass against the Buchanan ad-
minisirstion. and 'Okanogan" Smith. a
leading Democrat of this state. was one of
Brodsriek's par,isans in his fight against
the administration, which ended in
Broderaek's death by the pistol of the in
famous Judge Terry, the most conspicuous
representative Of the opposition TO the
final victory of the peaceful. industrious.
lawahidipg, propeFty-protecting ciyilixa-
ton of the East over the ruffianIy spir,t
bred aud led by the pro-slavery immigrants
from the South. The rank and file
OF the rnffian party In California
were not all or nearly all O,
Southern origin, bat the ruffians from the
Democratic cities of the North instinc,ivelv
accepted the leadership OF Southern pro-
slavery men in California politics, and /.
was not until California became a Repub-
lican state in iS60 that the better class Of
her people broke the grip Of social and