Congress and immediately aroused great interest. One of the points which Slocum insisted upon was that the United States must never accept a northern boundary for Oregon that would give to the British government the great harbour of Puget Sound. In other words, his idea was that we should hold out sturdily for the 49th parallel, already thrice offered, and refuse utterly to take Great Britain's offer of the Columbia boundary. This doubtless strengthened the determination of a few leaders in Congress to secure a law for the military occupation of the Columbia, similar to that which Mr. Floyd tried to obtain fifteen years earlier. The Oregon question now came up once more and remained before Congress, in some form, during the succeeding ten years, till Oregon was effectively settled by the pioneers, a favourable treaty obtained from Great Britain, and an American territory created on the Pacific coast.
Linn's bill and report, January and June, 1838. Of the many men who took part in the Oregon discussions, between the years 1837 and 1843, none was more active or determined than Dr. Lewis F. Linn, senator from Missouri. He believed thoroughly in American rights on the Pacific, was inclined to belittle the British claims, and insisted on the urgent necessity of taking military possession of the Columbia River. He proposed also to establish a territorial government for Oregon. His first bill for these purposes was presented to the Senate in January, 1838, and in June Dr. Linn brought in a report on the Oregon question. This was a lengthy document, containing a history of
