Charles Henry Carey

“ Thus, the people of Oregon that had just adopted a free-state constitution elected violent advocates of slavery for the first state officers and chose a pro slavery congressman, and they now proceeded to select proslavery senators to represent them in the senate at Washington. ”

“ The transition from a territorial existence to that of a state sovereignty is always attended with more or less disorder and delay; but when we consider the change that Oregon has passed through, the people when but a handful organized and success
fully maintained a provisional government, which government was superseded by an organic act, and General Lane sent here as our first governor, the people readily accommodated themselves to the governor and his authority, and' now they declare they are ready for another change and assume state sovereignty. ”

“ Hill, a member of the house, said in the debate that there were some slaves held in the territory and the house should not refuse to listen to the calls of their masters for protection of their property. Mr. Mack said: "It makes no difference whether the constitution prohibits slavery or not, the fact is there are men here who own property in slaves." ”

“ Notwithstanding the accumulation of doubt which has settled upon the question, we indulge the hope that at the present session of congress Oregon will be admitted as a state in the Union. If its population is numerically insufficient to entitle it to a representative in congress and if after all it is to be excluded on that account, we shall be obliged to hold the general government itself in a great measure responsible for the circumstances. The message principally discussed states' rights and the slavery question. ”

“ When the convention assembled in 1857 to form a state constitution the same timidity as to saying or doing anything adverse to slavery characterized a majority of the members of that body, and in order to avoid any personal responsibility upon the subject the convention decided to submit to the people at the time the vote was taken upon the constitution the question as to whether or not slavery should exist in the state. One of the arguments of the advocates of slavery was that if slavery was not adopted our state would be overrun with free negroes ”

“ Those who favored slavery talked loud and made a good deal of noise, and many of the leading democrats, with General Joseph Lane at their head (a man of great personal influence in the territory) , were open and pronounced advocates of slavery; and under an apprehension that they might succeed I wrote the letter which was published in the Oregon Statesman, then conducted by Asahel Bush. As it turned out a majority of the people favored a free state. ”

“ Another question was raised in the debate as to the unjust discrimination against Chinamen by the terms of the proposed constitution. But the real discussion was upon the attitude of the new state toward people of color, and the stringent prohibition of free negroes was the ground for negative arguments and negative votes by those objecting to this discrimination and opposing slavery. A strong support, however, came from Seward, who, although opposed to slave holding and favoring justice to free persons of color, thought the ad mission of Oregon was necessary to the completion of the republic. ”

“ On the other extreme, it was the program of the republican minority to oppose the bill for the several reasons that democrats had already been elected as senators from the new state, and the past had sufficiently demonstrated that Oregon was and would continue in the control of democrats, and finally that the anti-slavery provision annexed to the constitution was not sincere and was a mere temporary make-believe to enable the state to get in. ”

“ Just as foretold, however, Applegate offered a resolution, reciting in its preamble that the delegates had been chosen with the understanding that the question of slavery would be submitted to the voters, and declaring that debate on the subject would be out of place, and that the committee on rules should be instructed to declare all debate upon the subject of slavery, either as an abstract proposition or as a mere matter of policy, out of order. ”

“ The Statesman containing the "census returns" is used and constantly stuck in our faces by our black republican and know nothing opponents!! Whilst our friend Bush is arraying assumed facts and arguments to convict General Lane of infidelity to the interests of Oregon, by neglecting, or failing, to secure our admission at the last session of congress, may he not be suspected of designedly adopting a course which is calculated and intended to produce the very result this session, which he charges to have been brought about by the negligence or design of General Lane at the last session? ”

“ It requires more labor here in Washington to counteract the influence of the Oregon press than it does to meet and vanquish all its other enemies! If we talk about the admission of Oregon, the payment of our war debt, etc., we are told to look at the declarations contained in the Oregon newspapers. The position, tone and influence of even the Statesman is with Dryer & O'Meara against the admission of Oregon! ”

“ Since the organization of the present territorial government, the population of said territory has been largely increased by immigration, so that its present numbers exceed those of a large majority of the states of the Union at the time of their admission.
On the first Monday of June, 1857 , by act of the legislative assembly of said territory, the question of holding a convention to frame a constitution and state government for Oregon was submitted to a vote of the people. ”

“ The Oregon delegation to the convention of 1860 was instructed to vote for him for the presidential nomination, and he was nominated as vice-president on the Breckenridge ticket.
fundamental principle that a people in framing a state constitution have the unconditional right to form and adopt the government which they may think best calculated to secure their liberty, without imposition by congress of any condition as to slavery. ”

“ The debate on limiting liability of stockholders of corporations developed a difference of opinion, but the convention finally decided that the individual liability of stockholders for the indebtedness of a corporation should be no more than the amount of their subscribed and unpaid stock obligation. Some of the members, including Williams, wanted to make them individually liable for indebtedness to labor. President Deady took an active part in the debate, opposing this discrimination, but he confessed to a deep prejudice against corporations as agencies of modern business. ”

“ As directed in the schedule of the new constitution, the state legislature met at Salem, July 5, 1858, in a preliminary first session, notwithstanding the fact that no word had been received from congress, and although there was as yet no state of Oregon. William G. T'Vault was elected speaker and Chester N. Terry clerk of the house, while Luther Elkins was elected president and George Carpenter chief clerk of the senate. Practically nothing was done, however, at this session excepting to elect Joseph Lane and Delazon Smith as United States senators. ”

“ The bill was amended to prohibit slavery, and as so amended passed the house, but it did not pass the senate for lack of time. Thereupon, another bill at the next session passed the house with an amendment to prohibit slavery on the express ground that Oregon was territory north of 36 degrees, 30 minutes, which was the line of the Missouri compromise. This bill also failed in the senate. In 1848 Douglas was a member of the senate, and, as chairman of the committee on territories, he introduced a bill of similar import and again an amendment was offered prohibiting slavery. ”

“ Your memorialists, the legislative assembly of the "territory of Oregon," most respectfully represent that the people of Oregon, during the joint occupancy of said territory by Great Britain and the United States, established and maintained for themselves a government, re publican in form, and American in character. ”

“ Representative Zollicoffer, from the committee of territories, submitted a lengthy minority report opposing admission on the ground that the population was insufficient, and also because of the provision of the proposed constitution which permitted unnaturalized citizens to vote for members of the legislature, which he deemed violative of the fundamental principle of the constitution of the United States. ”

“ We have had a time and trial on the Oregon question. I have felt myself in no danger from my former infirmity until I became excited on this question. Bingham's speech, and Clark B. Cochran's, will show you the ground of our resistance. We should have succeeded except for the fact that Seward had advocated its admission while the bill was before that body (the senate) . It was hard to rally our friends after he approved the bill. But we showed a good vote. 114 ayes to 103 noes. You will see the names of those who voted with the democrats. Colfax had the Indiana delegation. ”

“ L. F. Grover was nominated for congress by this group, and an advocate of slavery, John Whiteaker, was nominated as governor. On the other hand, members of the national democrat party in the legislative assembly, charging that the state group of democrats (the Salem clique) had juggled with the apportionment of delegates to the convention, "for the election of officers in view of the admission as a state into the federal Union," favored a convention of their own variety of democracy, which was held at Eugene, April 8, 1858, and which nominated James K. Kelly for congress, and E. M . ”

“ They were generally holders of donation land claims consisting of 640 acres, and they not only wanted slaves for household servants and to cultivate their lands but they wanted as far as was possible to create and preserve an equilibrium between the slave-holding and the non-slave holding states. ”

“ This message, which had left Washington before the president had signed the bill, was confirmed on the arrival at Portland, March 22, 1859, of the steamship Northerner, Captain W. L . Dall, which brought the news that the Oregon bill was approved February 14, 1859. Governor Whiteaker called a special session of the state legislature, which was the third attempt of that body to assemble and transact legislative business, al though it is officially designated as the "first extra session." It convened at Salem May 16, and remained at work until June 4, 1859. ”

“ Louis, delivered at the state capitol at Salem, Feb. 15, 1909, on the "Admission of Oregon," is printed in the Oregonian of Feb. 21, 1909. It is a curious fact that this provision of the Oregon constitution against free negroes is still a part of that instrument. Although supposed to be nullified by the fourteenth amendment it has never been repealed. The legislature submitted a repeal amendment in 1916, but it failed to receive a sufficient numbr of votes to carry. The vote was 100,027 for, and 100,701 against, repeal. ”

“ If he can not have everything his own way he will make a fuss, get mad, and leave, just as he has announced that he will do"4
2 In passing the act for the admission of Oregon, congress modified the northern boundary described in the constitution, so that the district south of Snake River in the southeastern corner of the present state of Wash ington, comprising the present counties of Walla Walla, Columbia, Gar field and Asotin, was excluded from Oregon. ”

“ The following letter from Judge Williams was written many years later, but it clearly depicts the slavery issue as it stood at the time of the convention:
5 Statesman, March 31, 1857. It is obvious from the popular vote on the adoption of the constitution,^ by which slavery was prohibited, but by which also free negroes were excluded, that the economic argument had a great weight in deciding the questions. ”

“ Allen, Bayard, Benjamin, Bigler, Bright, Broderick, Brown, Cameron, Chandler, Clingman, Colla mer, Dixon, Doolittle, Douglas, Foot, Foster, Green, Gwin, Harlan, Hous ton, Johnston of Arkansas, Johnson of Tennessee, Jones, King, Polk, Pugh, Sebastian, Shields, Simmons, Slidell, Stuart, Toombs, Wiight and Yulee? ”

“ Texas: Yeas, Reagan; nays, Bryan. Vermont: Nays, Morrill, Royce, Walton. Virginia: Yeas, Bocock, Caskie, Edmundson, Hopkins, Jenkins, Letcher, Powell; nays, Millson, Smith (Wm.) . Wisconsin: Yeas, Billinghurst; nays, Potter, Washburn (C. ?.) . Total vote, 217; yeas 114, nays 103, majority, 11; yeas, democrats 100, republicans 14, total, 114; nays, democrats 21, republicans 76, American or know nothing, 6, total 103.
The credentials of Senator Lane were presented by Senator Pugh to the senate on the day the president signed the Oregon bill, while Senator Grow presented those of Senator Smith. ”