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

little more than half a century and lock
AZ the very inception 81 civil government
In ftfu Northwest Is - especially Inter
sstlnr 20 yield 10 such retrospect when
e. Is remembered that civil government
o. the Pacific coast vas began ~ that
,sazs Wilderness known then as Oregon,
ard out OF this wilderness has since
sxrune ali these Pacific Northwestern
ssatse Zest Is also added TO such a study
or the renaembcFance that the civil gov
eminent begun ln oregon VA dominated
By Americans. ard that II was the nFSt
Tf.al planting OF the American republic
upon ne Pacific coast o. America.
VOYAGES OF discovery By sea and ex-
petitions rs Iand hsd produced number
OF claimants OF the land. Including the
nataons Of Spain. Great Britain. Russia,
France and America Through wars.
treaties and purchases these disappeared
"a claimants with the exception OF Great
Britain and the United States In lsis
these two uations decided by the famous
treaty Of joint occupancy. that the utic
10 the lands west OF the Rocky noun
tatuH" should be settled by immigration.
This treaty was renewed in IS-s. The
Yankee became too HUMOROUS, and TIE
treaty OF fs9s gave Oregon 70 the United
States with tae northern boundary
placed AT the &sth parallel % north iati-
tude. One little dreg of this dispute re-
william. OF Germany. IS arbitrator. decid-
cd the case. giving the disputed San Juan
Islands TO the United STATES.
.ow. while thess high contracting par
ties were cryststiiZing the results ~ dis
appearing controversies into firm and en-
during international laws or treaties the
real work % banisaiaE the controversies
was done b bands of the braxest kind
or men. who were fur hunters. mission
L. e. IA
their efforts at making for themselves
Laws. aud giving them supremacy that Is
the real subject OF his paper.
The hTet giimmer of a desire for civil
government IN tire OLD OREGON YVES in ISIS.
when the missionaries and the settlers
clustered around ;he Oregon miason."
on the Willamette river. framed and sent
10 congress the strongest kind OF a petit
tion praying that territorial government
be established for Oregon. Rev. Jason
Lee. the pioneer oregon missionary. took
this memorial with him from the VIII
iamette valley. over the Rocky mountains,
and cent ~ 10 congress.
Caleb Cushing. Of Massachusetts,. then
wrote 10 Lee asking for further partlcu-
lars, and the missionary gave. as a sort
of census Of the people. this summary:
There are Ia Oregon belonging To the
Methodist mission . persons OF all ages
iBforced by a. more. making 20. There
are IL persons belonging to the missions
Of the American board and about - set
tiers. missionaries and others going out
from the Western states In the spring.
Ia addition 10 these there are about -
men settled in the country who have IN
dian wives and half-breed children"
II cannot be denied that that was "A very
scant population with which 10 start a
territorial government. but these brave
men rightly believed that they formed
the nucleus OF an American state. and
they were determined that the opportu-
nifty for governmental action should not
be overlooked.
This memorial was followed by other
pstitious. but congress did not act and
finally there occurred Ia Oregon something
that compelled the settlers themselves TO
act in the capacity OF lawmakers. This
was the death OF Ewing Young settler
who left considerable property. with no
one 10 claim t. The death or Young oc-
CURED ia the winter OF lS40-sl, and Rev
Gustavus Hines. In his history OF Oregon
says that at YouuEs funeral a commit
tee OF arrangements was appointed 10 call
"a mass meeting Of the settlers To formu-
late laws that would suffice for this ease
"a probate and TO serve them IN other
cases. This committee called the mass
meeting for the 18th and 18th OF February
ISL. On the first day Jason Lee was
chosen chairman and Gustavus Hines
secretary. The work was commenced
commilAres were appointed and instruc-
iions adopted providing FOR the offices %
governor. supreme judge with probate
powers. three Justices OF the peace. three
constahles. three road commissioners. an
attorney general clerk OF the courts
and public recorder. treasurer and two
overseers of the poor.
Though the colony then in Oregon was
small. the members We're bsE In opinions.
and they were torn With jealousy aud sus-
pfclous. They could not agree upon "a gov
ernor. and deferred the election OF one.
]. l.. Bahcock was elected supreme Judge
with probate power. and pending the r.
port 81 the committee appointed to draft
"a eode OK laws resolution was adopted
directing the Judge TO act according 10
the laws Of the state az New York" W.
~. Gray, one az the men who participated
I'm those early struggles. has written "A
book called History OF Oregon" ON
page 81 is found this paragraph: Il
query whether there was q single copy 90
the laws Of that state tNcw York lu the
country for ton years after the last res
oluUon vas passed. know thcre WAS
none az the time, and only single copy
~ the laws ~ Iowa two years after.
hence Ira l. Babcock was lawmaker.
judge and executive 60 the settlement.
tllst as much SO hs John NcT.aughltn vas
20 she tudsou's Ray Company"
The committee So draft q code dis not
ac& anti about this time ghe EXPLORING rN-
petition 81 Commodore Wilkes visited
the Columbia river country, Fie wss con.
settled about the advisthllity 81 organizing,
q provisional government ard aiscntinte-
nancea Il. 80 That fer year the matter
was allowed % sleep
The arrival ~ Suh-Gndiau Axent Elfah
White tn i>G again attrrr4 the Question
OF organising a government The SETTLERS
we're told thaf congress W4s Eotrr Co asst
Tor oregon, bat thsy Wore always dis.9-
pointed n the outeoEne 90 these 1srafufsts
a debating society Was orxsnisr,t AZ ore
Eun City sud the most sfuh5orulv .frbtts~l
question WAS whether or nnt are settlers
should Organize u government aaa pass
laws for thc protection og the3r llvea and
property.
". n. Gray tcI,a in Chapter NNNfu of
his History 90 Oregon ~ another srari
60 bring thc setSlcTa together in a serti-
governmental way. l4e was certainly ir :
position - record tie facts fo- the FIRST
etus0ttation WAS bell as hIs owu borne
Two ideas werv advanced FIRST. thes
Wouh s,aFt 2 public library. surely al
Would lie shlc 20 uHtte "a s1rh vqorS
and tacy need fear no dissent fruna ths
settlers. the missionaries ar even FROM
she Hutson Nay EoraRsnY rhfs Y,fse
worket bes attfaily aSG the Maliaaras y
CiTrUlsfieg library was = fast Then ths
SECOND AstS MAS suggested Thelr rattts
was being destroyed by wolves. bears
ana either animals Why not take
steps So protect Themselves anatrs,
cheese losses 1hc founders ~ tes tnrae ~