The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-18

Grimes whereof the party shall have
been duly convicted
section III. has eighteen articles prcFi1-
ing for the manner Of government ana
referring often 10 the laws o. Iowa. as enc
ronw Of the statutes OF Iowa territory was
th4 only Law book in the colony al fhslt
tine. IN fact the following resolution VIII
show how completely the settlers relied
on the Iowa laws
Resolved. That the laws Of Iowa. as
laid Gown in the Statute Laws OF tue
Territory OF Iowa enacted at the nrst
session OF the legislative assembly OF SAID
territory. held at Burlington A D.. is.ss-S''
published by authority In Deouque. Rus
sell 4 Reeves printers. fSEs.' certified 70 oe
= .oo-re~+ roysy' by William p. Conway,
secretary Of Iowa territory-ee adopted
as the laws Of this territory
The territory was divided into ieZiSla-
tive districts. arrangements were made 20
maintain the government oy puohc SUD
serfptions, militia and land laws were
adopted the new officers sworn IN anu the
meeting adjourned
Gray tells on page Ss9 OF the hrst cree
ton Of the first American capitol buiialhs
on the Pacific coast as follows: A prlnai-
tive state house was built with posts sci
upright. one end In the ground. grooFed
on two sides. and filled In with poles ana
split timber. such as would De suitable TOT
fence rails with plates and poles across
the TOE. Rafters and horizontal poles held
the cedar bark, which was used instead
OF shingles for covering. u was twenty
By forty feet. At one end. some puhcheohs
we're put up for platform for the presi-
dent. some poles and slabs were placed
around for seats: three planks one foot
wide and about twelve feet long, placed
upon a sort OF stake platform for table.
for the use OF the legislative committee
and the clerks"
The second session of this provisional
legislative committee did little TO record
in history They passed bill ostsnslDiy
for preventing slavery In the territory, put
IN reality II provided that IL any slave
should escape from his master in this ter
ritory the sheriff was TO catch him and
give him forty lashes at a time until he
left the country This miserable law and
a few others brought ignominy upon the
1874 session. The negro-whiprnig law was
never enforced and the executive commit
tee recommended its amendment az the
next session. This same 1874 session passed
a law prohibiting the manufacture and
sale OF ardent spirits, and also revenue
or tax law. Provision was also made for
the election of a governor 10 dispiace the
executive committee of three. and for a
legislature of at least thirteen members. A
convention was called at thampoeg In
fS45 and A. l.. Lovejoy, who had accom-
panied DR. Marcus Whitman in his famous
winter ride across the Rockies. was nom
mated for the position of first governor OF
Oregon fprovisionaD Some were dissatis-
fed and these, with the friends OF George
Abernethy succeeded in electing the latter
TO that position though he was absent at
the time on a trip TO the Sandwich
islands.
As is we'll known. the treaty with Great
Britain, fixing our boundary at the 4sth
parallel of north latitude was not made
until 1916 so all these acts of provisional
government attached to the territory from
the 42d parallel the northern boundary of
California TO the most northern claim OF
the United States. which. under the ls24
treaty with Russia. was fixed al a degrees
and a. minutes. The western boundary
was the Pacific ocean and the eastern
boundary the Rocky mountains. glance
at the map will show how vast was the
realm presided over by Gov. George Aber-
nethy.
The legislature of 1916 sitting in the
quaint state house described above. en-
acted a new organic law or compact.
This law was adopted by the legislature
on July s. 1915. and on the 18th OF the
same month IL was submitted to the
people and by them adopted. ! find the
fun text of this Law in a volume entitled
General Laws of Oregon, 1S45-lS64. Com
piled and Annotated by NJ. +. Deadly"
which is now before me- 1t is more elabor-
ate than the organic law of 1873 but the
preamble IS i'm almost the exact language
of the first law. The same patriotic
American sentiment pervades it through
out Religious and personal freedom is
guaranteed. slavery is prohibited, schools
shall forever be encouraged good faith
toward the Indians shall be maintained
and the three branches of government
legislative. executive and judicial-are
provided for.
George Abernethy was the governor. and
| this organic law was the constitution Of
| the old original Oregon. when the 1916
| treaty with Great Britain was made and
until 1919. when Gen. Joseph Lane arrived
| IS the first territorial governor appointed
| by the president Of the United States II
| is interesting TO note while passing that
| this first govarnOrship of Oregon territory
was offered 10 Abraham Lincoln and de-
| clined by him. Lincoln had served one
| term in congress. from 1916 TO isiS. and
| then became a candidate for the only
| time in life for an appointive office. He
| wanted TO become commissioner OF the
| general land office. tho position now held
| by ex-Congressman Ringer Hermann. Of
| Oregon. The office was given to another
| and Zachary Tayiors administration tried
l
| ernorship OF Oregon. Lincoln was urged
| 20 accept by his friends. who pointed out
| 60 him that soon oregon would be admit
| ted as a state and he could return rs
! United States senator from the FAR North
| west. He declined and that particular
| programme was carried out by Joe
| Lane who served in the United States
! congress. was candidate for the vice-presi-
/ dcncy on tho Breckenridge ticket IN 1850.
| when the immortal Lincoln was victor
| ious. This same historic year Oregon
! was represented in the Chicago conven-
! ton that nominated Lincoln by Horace
/ Greeley. who represented Oregon on a
| proxy from Leauder Holmes. who was m
! able 10 attend the convention. It Is thus
| seen that in ar indirect way the name Of
f! oregon was associated with the begin
| ningS Of the great epoch in cur national
| history.
All these heroic struggles Of the Ore
! gOn pioneers FOR an American government
| IN the far Northwest will forever remain
| an interesting chapter IN the story u the
| American republic.
EDMOND STEPHEN MEANY.
Germ Theory of Disease.
/ f~----t NF,Hf-t-e