A History of Oregon, 1792-1849: Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic InformationGray, W. H. (William Henry)
History
A History of Oregon, 1792-1849: Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic Information
Gray, W. H. (William Henry)
Frontier and pioneer life -- Oregon; Oregon Territory -- History
Mr. Secretary Hines does not give us the names of the nominating
committee and the officers they first reported.
The meeting held at or near the Roman Catholic church on the 11th of
June was adjourned to meet at the Methodist Mission at eleven o'clock on
the first Thursday in October following. Duly signed, David Leslie,
chairman; Gustavus Hines, Sydney Smith, secretaries. The whole humbug
had been completed; the Methodist Mission party was safe; the Hudson's
Bay Company and Jesuits only wanted time to carry out their arrangements
and drive the whole concern from the country, or make a grand sacrifice
for the benefit of the Hudson's Bay Company's trade and mother church.
The idea of resisting the American influence was no new one; it was
announced as early as 1838. The combinations were ready to be made that,
at the proper time, every Hudson's Bay Company's man felt certain, would
accomplish the object they desired. They were ready and did invest their
money upon the issue. It is true other parties came in and formed
combinations that they supposed themselves capable of destroying by a
single word. They failed; and in 1865 we find them, the petitioners,
with a host of those they sought to rob, crying against their injustice.
They ask for compensation for attempting to prevent the rightful owners
of the country from occupying it. This is in keeping with their whole
course. Their impudence may carry them through and win their case, which
justice and truth should deny them.
Mr. Hines says, page 240: "I have previously stated that the origin of
the attempt to form a kind of provisional government was the removal by
death of the late Ewing Young, leaving, as he did, a large and unsettled
estate, with no one to administer it, and no law to control its
administration. The exigency of this case having been met by the
appointment of a judge with probate powers, who entered immediately upon
his duties" (giving no bonds to any body), "and disposed of the estate
of Ewing Young to the entire satisfaction of the community, and the fact
that some of the _most influential citizens_ of the country, and
especially some of the _Legislative Committee_, were adverse to the idea
of establishing a permanent organization so long as the peace and
harmony of the community could possibly be preserved without it, the
subject was permitted to die away and the committee for drafting a
constitution and code of laws did not meet according to their
instructions, nor did the meeting at which they were expected to report
ever take place."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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