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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1916)
Pf Fiflwn The Last Steps in the Formation of First Oregon Government A Narrative of the Pre-Territorial Day by Robert Carlton Clark; Published in the Oregon Historical Quarterly. Iiy Itobert Carlton Clark. In a letter dated August 30, 1846,' written by Dr. John McLoughlln, chief fuctoi- of Hudson'B Hay Company at Vancouver, he aa'n: "We have yielded to the wishes and requeues of the respectable part of the people In this country of British and American origin by uniting with them In the formation of a provisional and tem- porary government having for Its ob ject the protection of life and prop erty." The act here described constitutes the last step In the formation of a pro- vlHlonal government for Oregon. It will be the purpose of this paper to give an account of the motives leading to thin step. In a former paper by this writer appearing the Quarterly the move ment leading to the formation of a government for Oregon wan describ ed so far an it had taken place down to the election' of officers in May, 1844. It was there known that the first of the steps In this movement had been taken in 1S3S when the Am erican element elected magistrates for themselves; the second In 1841 by the election of a lurger body of offi cers; the third in 1843 with the plac ing of the government on a more de f.nite constitutional basis. It was not however, until 1844 that the Hrltish and Canadian citizens, r'-sident In the Willamette Valley were brought into the union, fly this fourth step a gov ernment embracing all the Inhabi tants and comprising all the territory south of the Columbia River was es tablished. It was not. however, until the next year and by means of a spe cial agreement with the Hudson's Pay Company officials and by form ing a new constitution that the region People are Looking for This Sign LOWE BROTHERS -H. S PAINT Bold In Pendleton bjr H&le 6 McAtee They Know What it Stands for ECONOMY, SERVICE AND BEAUTY IN PAINTS, VARNISHES, ENAMELS AND STAINS "Clean Up, Paint Up and KeepIt up" It meana better health and happiness In a community and make It permanent. Ixwe Ilroth "H. 8." signifies that nothing has been left out that would make a better paint. ESTIMATES CIIEEIttTIJ.Y GIVE. Let us figure Lowe Brothers "II. 8." Paint on y our next Job. HALE & McATEE Wall Paper, Palnta, Glass, Picture Framing. Painting and Paper Hanging. Ill 5 Main Kirn. HrodlnUm. Telephone 158 north of the Columbia and Its resi dents were brought into the bounds of the infant state. The story of this lust movement will be related here. At the time of the organization in 1S43 of the Provisional Government for Oregon Territory by the settlers o,' the Willamette Valley, most of whom were of Amerlcun extraction no attempt was made to give a defi nite northern boundary to the terri tory over which its Jurisdiction wan to extend. Oregon territory was to Include all the region south of the northern boundary of the I'nittd Ktalih. The obvious Intention was to J avoid giving offense to the Hudson a Pay Comnany which had .extensive land-holdings, around Vancouver and elsewhere along the north bank of the Columbia River. The following year 184 4, after an understanding had been reached with the French-Canadian and other British subjects by means of which they were brought into the Provisional Government, a new legis lative committee meeting In June passed a law definitely ' fixing the Columbia River as the northermost limit of the territory. Though a sec ond session of the same body meet ing In December of the same year, after new men had arrived from across the Rocktes with a report of the political campaign In the United States and the democratic party's championship of the claim to Ore gon with Ita slogan "Fifty-four, forty or fight,", parsed another act making the northern boundary line the paral lei of fifty-four degreei and forty minutes north latitude, no attempt was then made to organlie the region north of the Columbia or In any way to extend a definite Jurisdiction. The bolder aplrlta among the- Americana might be Inclined to lay claim to con trol over the whole of the Oregon re gion, yet until the Hudson'a Bay Company through Its officials recog nized the authority of the Provisional Government over themselves and the territory under their control such as sertions were without practical effect. Indeed, until the British citizens within the Willamette Valley had given allegiance to the new govern ment It was without authority over them. There were men among the Americans, cooler headed and more moderate, who realized the desira bility of securing the consent! of those whom they would govern.. The gov ernment of 1843 had proven Ineffec tive so long as the French-Canadians, I constituting as they did. a compact body of aettlement on the lower Wil lamette prairie, and other Britishers held aloof. In. 1844 these had. by peaceful means, persuaded that their own best Interests would be served, been brought Into the union. Now to complete this union territorially the region north of the Columbia needed to be included, and to secure what was more Important a political union of the people settled north and south of that river. The settlers north of the Columbia- constituted, for the most part, those directly connected with the Hudson's Bay Company and In its employ about two hundred In number and those who had been brought into the country under the direction of the Company and who recognized a certain measure of au thority and control by Its officials. The Provisional Government could scarcely hope to compel from these people obedience to its laws. It was the better part of valor and wisdom to secure from them also by peaceful persuasion a recognition of Its au thority, to form with them a definite union. This last act In the making of the Provisional Government of Oregon was accomplished In August. 1845, by a formal agreement entered Into between the legislative body act ing on behalf of the people of the Willamette Valley and the officials of the Hudson's Bay Company speaking for the people to the north of the Co lumbia. On the side of the Inhabitant of the Willamette Valley, beyond which the authority of the existing govern ment could not be thought really to extend, there was a strong desire for an understanding with the Hudson's Kay Company that would secure ita support. Those that thought of them selves aa subject of Great Britain were for the most part retired serv ants of the company and accustomed to look to it for direction. . Thia is shown by the fact that they had Joined the new organisation at th be hest of Dr. John McLoughlln. ita chief official at Vancouver. This element could not Immediately divorce itself from a long habit of obedience and subservience. To secure Itself from possible attack or submergence and from encroachment on its land by the ever-swelling tide of restless Am ericans It had been persuaded to Join with them In aupportlng a govern ment, but by this act they were not won away from allegiance to the com pany and would consider a union that Included that powerful organization a better guarantee of their own security. The second factor that made for union from the side of the Provision al government Itself was the econo mic union that really existed between the Hudson's Bay Company and the Willamette Valley. The settlers of this region were very largely depend ent upon the company for the mer chandise thev needed and as pur chasers of such surplus agricultural products as they had for sale. Dur ing this year 1845 the Willamette Valley was expected to have 50,000 bushels of wheat to market. Many of the Americans had re ceived assistance from the company, which had furnished means of trans portation from the Columbia to their new homes, or had been given credit for food to tide them over the win ter months and for seed to plant the first crops. M:iny of these perhaps owed their very lives to the generosity of Dr. Mclaughlin. Not all of them were grateful for such help, and therr was complaint against the company that It was a monopoly and waa not always fair in its dealings. Tet fac ing a real situation they were com pelled to recognize themselves eco nomically dependent upon It and were not Inclined to refuse the facilities It offered. Indeed the presence of the Hudson'B Hay Company with its thor ough organization for keeping In com munication with the outside world was a great blessing to the early colo nist, however grudgingly they may have recognized Its value. By means of It they sent and received letters from their friends In the east. It served as a clearing house for com mercial paper, its stores of manufac tured goods were always complete, and It was ready to accept their aur plus grain. Its mills ground the flour needed by the various , settlements. There was a manifest advantage to these settlers to hnve the company In. corporated with them in a common government. It would not seem such an alien and hostile body attempting to crush out their very existence. A third object of union would be found in the Influence and control maintained by the Hudson's Buy Com pany over the hostue Indians thnt were to some extent a menace to th Willamette settlement. The rompanv traded widely with the Indians and had secured a certain measure of In fluence over them It had fhown no disposition to turn these Indians against the Americans, hut It waa manifestly to their Interest to have a positive Influence exerted upon these Indians to keep the peace. This de sirable object waa more certain to be secured If the company became a de finite part of the organization respon sible for maintaining order in the Ore gon territory. A fourth and perhaps the strongest of all the motives leading the Provis ional Government to seek a union with the Hudson's Bay Company waa that (Continued on Page ! ooboi iodoi loaoi 30301 Tills STOQi o o G'ves You Service Gives You trie Price Gives You Your Goods Gives You Your Quality ALL THE TIME D Kodaks and Supplies Rexall Distributors the mm 1UG CO. Phone 20 AND YOU GET IT QUICKLY D 9 O D e o B o ocaoi IODOI xonoi 20O0I 30D0O o)fl RFK 8 YEARS OF UNPARALLELED SUCCESS IN THE FIELD. " - . -; " . -f ' .. t " jJfTf : '- - " .T. . -."... i . . . -vUL T " ' "." 190 MACHINES IN SUCCESS- 'i-T i;.. ,J : f4 vX V? 1 " " FUL OPERATION IN ORE- .:Jy X.'4 5 t K V1 4 CON, WASHINGTON, IDA- - - T K Vf" 4, ; . HO, MONTANA AND UTAH. . V: .NU--U ' ' . , I:. ; ...";.. . 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