Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-04-24
OUR EARLY HISTORY.
HOW OUR TERRITORY BECAME
A STATE.
Was Set Off From Oregon Through fractional
Strife in That State - The Location of the
Capital Had Something to Do With II.

kane, was member OF the Oregon Leg
islature so years ago, which memorial.
lied Congress to set off the Territory
OF Washington, and was member OF
the committee which drafted the me.
mortal, says the Spokesman-Repiew
"The committee" said Governor
Cole, consisted Of three members OF
the House, the other two members
being Colonel l. N. Ebey, of Island
county and Judge F. A. Chenoweth OF
Clark county. These two were the
only members of the Oregon House
from territory north of the Columbia. !"
Gov. Cole was from Corvallis, Benton
county.
"Why did the Oregon Legislature
consent so readily to separation?"
"The two members from north of
the Columbia and the five members
from southern Oregon, including my
self. were the only members of the
Legislature who were really in favor of
the movement. A majority of the
Legislature were induced to vote for
the measure from two considerations:
One was that these members who were
for the measure made such combina-
tions that measures greatly desired by
the majority could not be passed with.
out the support of the division forces.
The other reason was a general belief
that the memorial amounted to moth
ing, and would never have weight with
Congress.
Most of the members who voted
for the memorial Immediately wrote
to General Joe Lane, then Delegate to
Congress, protesting against their own
memorial. They assured him that if
he expt c;ed to be reelected Delegate
it would be necessary for him to kill
the memorial.
"The real friends OF division, learn
ing Of the action taken by their op.
ponents, wrote assuring Lane that the
people north of the Columbia and
those of southern Oregon were over
whelmingly for division. General
Lane worked hard and earnestly for
the passage OF the bill creating the
new territory"
"What reason prompted the people
of southern Oregon to favor divisionT'
"a desire for the State capital.
The original capitaliwas placed at Ore
gon City, 16 miles from Portland. At
the session of 1S50-51 it was moved to
Salem, 50 miles south OF Portland.
The people of southern Oregon wanted
to take it further south, and reason Q
that if the country north OF the Co.
lumbia were cut off from Oregon there
would be greater demand for south
ern location. Corvallis, in Benton
county, and Eugene City in Lane
county, were aspirants, and the capital
was afterwards, by act of the Legisla-
ture, removed to Corvallis from Salem.
The capitol building had already been
erected in Salem, and the authorities
in Washington held that the Legisla.
ture had exhausted its power in locat-
ing it at Salem, and no appropriation
would be made for building capitol
at Corvallis. Consequently the follow
ing Legislature, which met at Cor
wallis, moved the capital back to
Salem.
"Those earnestly opposed to division
tried to bring out Judge Deadly, a,
that time President of the Council, in
opposition to Lane for Delegate. I'm.
mediately on the Inauguration oi
franklin Pierce as President of the
United States. he appointed Lane as
Governor of Oregon. Lane had pre-
viously been Governor of Oregon un-
der appointment by President James
K. Polk.
"Lane came back to Oregon with
this commission in his pocket, which
was known only to few of his friends.
He also secured the appointment oi
his opponent, Judge M. P. Deadly, as
one of the Judges of Oregon Territory
but about the time of his arrival (his
appointment as Governor being still a
secret) he was renominated by the
Democratic Convention for Delegate
to Congress. Lane was reelected Del
egate, beating Judge A. A. Skinner,
the Wing candidate, by large ma
jority.
"John w. Davis, prominent citi-
zen of Indiana, who had been Speaker
Of the National House Of Representa-
tives, was appointed Governor OF Ore
gon, Lane having failed to qualify un'
der his commission, and l. l. Steven:
OF Massachusetts, was appointed Cover
nor of the new Territory of Washing
ton.
"Our memorial was granted with
only one change. We had asked thai
the new Territory be named Columbia
Congress named it Washington. The
southern line OF the new Territory wa!
the Colu umbia river, to the 46th paral
lei, and thence following that parable
to the summit of the Rocky noun
tains. Subsequently, when the Walls