George Henry Williams

“ The Whig convention adopted as a platform, "General Gaines against the world." The democratic platform was made up of the usual platitudes of a party platform. The canvass was somewhat exciting and the candidates indulged in some unpleasant personalities, but the Oregon Statesman, the organ of the democrats, and The Oregonian, the organ of the whigs, exhausted the vocabulary of invective and abuse in speaking of their opponents. The chief speakers for the democrats in this campaign were General Lane, Delazon Smith and Judge O. C. Pratt. ”

“ In June, 1855, an election was held for delegate to congress and members of the legislative assembly. Gen. Joseph Lane was the candidate of the democrats, Gov. John P. Gaines of the whig party. General Lane had the advantage of General Gaines in several respects. The democratic party was in the ascendant in the territory, and General Lane was a thorough-going party man. He was a born politician. He knew how to flatter and please the people. General Gaines had been Governor of Oregon under the Fillmore administration, and had more dignity than affability in his manners. ”

“ War was in the hearts of our people as much as it was elsewhere, but we fought it out with ballots and not with armed forces and bloodshed. ExGovernor Curry conducted a paper in Portland called the Advertiser, which vehemently opposed the war and the administration of Lincoln, and W. L. Adams conducted a red-hot republican paper at Oregon City called the Oregon Argus, in which he hammered his political opponents with merciless severity. The Statesman and the Oregonian were on the same side in this fight. The whole union ticket was elected by an average majority of three thousand. ”

“ Several counties had decided that the state democratic convention had not given them the number of delegates to which they were entitled, and as the convention decided to adhere to the apportionment made by the committee, several delegates withdrew from the convention, after which George K. Shiel was nominated for congress, and Joseph Lane, M. P. Deady and Lansing Stout were chosen delegates to the national democratic convention, and instructed to vote for General Lane as the democratic candidate for president. Shiel was elected with seventy-six majority over Logan. ”

“ Bush, Nesmith, Harding, and many others who had been identified with the union party, supported McClellan. Mr. Lincoln carried the state by about one thousand four hundred majority. On the fourth of March, 1865, I took my seat in the Senate of the United States.
My task ends here. Many, and indeed a large majority, of those I have named in this paper have finished their earthly career, and the evening shadows are rapidly closing around those who survive. I trust those who come forward to take our places will think kindly of what we have done, and strive to improve upon our work. ”

“ He stood nobly by the administration of Mr. Lincoln in the prosecution of the war, and of the democrats in the senate voted alone for the constitutional amendment to abolish slavery, for which he deserves to be remembered with praise by the people of Oregon.
When the democratic national convention assembled at Charleston, on account of the resolutions adopted by the convention, the delegates from the slave-holding states withdrew and organized a convention of their own. Oregon and California went with them. They nominated John C. Breckinridge for President, and Joseph Lane for Vice-President. ”

“ Time has effaced from my memory many of the interesting incidents of those early days, and all I can hope to do is to state some facts of our early political history not easily accessible, and make a brief record of the names and some of the doings of the men most prominent in that history, which may revive the recollections of the old and be useful to those who have come upon the active stage of life since the above-named period. ”

“ The power of the legislative assembly extended to all rightful subjects of legislation not inconsistent with the constitution and laws of the United States, so that as to local matters the power of the territorial was more unlimited than that of the state legislature. June 3, 1854, an election was held for members of the legislative assembly, which met at Salem December 4, and consisted of the following persons: Council—Dr. ”

“ The resolutions were against slavery in the territory, favored a Pacific 'railroad, internal improvements and a protective tariff. Stout was elected over Logan by a majority of sixteen. Logan and Stout were both young men of fine abilities and good lawyers, but their unfortunate habits blasted their bright prospects for future usefulness and distinction. ”

“ L. F. Grover was nominated for Representative in Congress, John Whiteaker for Governor, L. Heath for Secretary of State, John D. Boon for Treasurer, Asahel Bush for State Printer, M. P. Deady for judge of the first district, R. E. Stratton for judge of the second district, R. P. Boise for judge of the third district, A. E. Wait for judge of the fourth district, A. C. Gibbs prosecuting attorney for the first district, J. N. Smith for the second, H. Jackson for the third, C. R. Meigs for the fourth. ”

“ Education and school lands—Peebles, chairman, Boise, Lockhart, Shattuck, Starkweather, Kinney, Robbins. Seat of government and public buildings—Boise, chairman, Campbell of Lane, Prim, Lewis, Olney, Chadwick, Shannon. Corporations and internal improvements—Meigs, chairman, Williams, Elkins, Hendershott, Campbell of Clackamas, Bristow, Miller. State boundaries—Lovejoy, chairman, Meigs, Olney, Newcomb, Applegate, Anderson, Watts. Suffrage and elections—Smith, chairman, Babcock, Brattain of Linn, Cox of Marion, Dryer, Olds, White. ”

“ I was unsound on the slavery question. On the third Monday of August, 1857, the constitutional convention assembled at Salem. Matthew P. Deady was elected president, Chester N. Terry secretary, John Baker, sergeant-at-arms, and Asahel Bush printer. The standing committees were as follows: Legislative department—Boise, chairman, Lovejoy, Babcock, Chadwick, Watkins, Elkins. Executive department—Kelly, chairman, Farrar, Reed, Kelsey, Brattain of Lane, Dryer, McBride . Judicial department—Williams, chairman, Olney, Boise, Kelly, Grover, Logan, Prim. ”