The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-06-13
SOME EARLY LAW MAKING
HOW GOVERNMENT WAS EsTAB-
LIsHED IN THE NORTHWEST.
Formation of Spokane County, and
Its Extensive Area-The Coun-
try's Development.

between the days when this country was
the home of the wild beasts and hunts
men and each man was a law unto him.
self, down to it's present condition of
statehood and advanced civilization, the
process of internal Improvement, the
perfecting of civil institutions and the
machinery of government generally kept
even pace with the influx of population.
The law respecting classes were always
in the majority among the early settlers
of this country, and, though we had our
days of lynch law and vigilance COM
mittees, when the best and COOLEST cit
izense concurred in just though lawless
dealing with offenders, yet it was only
day of brief expedient, when as in early
California, the spirit of the law regned
without the letter. In spite of the Brit
ish taunt, THE Americans can never
settle Oregon" the ubiquitous Yankee
who came, in steadily increasing num-
bers, brought his institutions and his art
of self-government with him. and he and
they are solid yet.
In one of the books pertaining % the
time when Oregon" comprised not cniy
Oregon, but Washington, Idaho and
small part of Montana and of Wyoming,
and the whole territory was about as
likely to revert to England as TO the
United States, we are told that I'm 1888
there were not enough Americans in the
country even to wish to form a govern
ment. Previous to the arrival of the
missionary reinforcement of 1898 there
were, as nearly as can now be ascer-
tanned, only fifty-one Americans in Ore
gon, thirty of whom were connected
with the Methodist Missionary Society
and the American board, and hence OK
pected to govern themselves, leaving en-
ly twenty-one who needed further gov
eminent. Neither California. Ne
vada, Utah. New Mexico, Arizona, Tex
as, nor Alaska belonged to the United
States; all the people over whom our
country had direct control in the region
now covered by all these states and ter
ritories being comprised in the aoove
mentioned fifty-one Americans. This was
even then so much of a foreign country
that it was necessary for the missionaries
to procure passports from the secretary
of war. Oregon was held by
learned men in congress to be a mere
off-scouring of creaton-a Botany Bay
for rogues and scoundrels if ever the
United States should need such a place.
while the idea of a railroad across the
continent was ridiculed in congress like
the lamp of Aladdin"
Buckskin, sewed with sinews, formed
clothing, shoes, flour sacks and valises in
those days, being cheaper than cloth or
leather and always available
Goods of all kinds had to come from
England, and had to be ordered year
before delivered
Horse meat and boiled grain were the
principal articles of diet in this country
which now furnishes beef to the mil
Inns and broad n the world
From another early chronicle we learn
that by the fall of 1910 there We're about
two hundred colonists, exclusive of the
Hudson Bay Company in the country
"These two hundred colonists. nearly
one-third of them opposed to the organi-
cation of any form of provisional govern
ment, and favoring the sway of the for
eign corporation that had ruled so long
in trade and in civil and social life. were
a weak company to form a government
and hold the country under peaceful AND
efficient law But with a heroic courage
this they essayed TO do, in face of al
foes and hindrances. The first and see
ond attempts having failed. the object
was finally, after two years won by
means of what was styled the Wolf
meeting, called to protect their persons
and their stock from wild beasts, and
eminent for the protection of themselves
and their families. Thus began the pro
visional government Of Oregon on May
2, 1884,
George Abernethy was elected provis
ional governor and served for two terms
of two years each, without salary.
The story of Whtman's ride across the
continent, the immigration to this coun
try which followed his return, the Ions
years of stagnation all over the country
on account of Indian hosti'lties, ana "a
tedious settlement of English and Amer
lean disputes are familiar to all.
1.-THE boundary controversy was finally
adjusted by a provision in our treaty will
Great Britain of May 6, 1871 submitting
the question to the arbitration Of til,
German emperor, who, on October /, 1872
made his award sustaining the ,onten
ton of the United States; and thus, afte
a period of nearly eighty years datins
from the discovery of the Columbia b,
Captain Gray. the whole question as t,
the ownership of the Oregon territor,
was finally determined"
The little village of log huts erected
at Marcus for the accommodation of tn
boundary commission are standing yet
Meanwhile the feeble organization be
gun at the "Wolf meeting had grown
like Jonah's gourd, divided and subdyid
ed and quickly became a power instea,
of a butt in the council of the nation
The consequences of the Whitman rras
sacre were the organization of Oregon
Washington and Idaho into a territory
in 1S4S, with General Joseph Lane a
governor, a defensive war against til
hostile Indians, and the final punish
ment of the guilty tribes and execution
of the murderers.