McCarver, Isaac W. Smith, David Hill; from Yamhill County, Jesse Applegate, Abijab Hendricks; from Clatsop County, John McClure. They met at Oregon City June 24th, and organized at the house of John E. Long; but were offered the use of the room of the Multnomah circulating library for the session, which they accepted. The oath which was administered to the members was framed by Jesse Applegate as follows: "I do solemnly swear that I will support the organic laws of the provisional government of Oregon, so far as they are consistent with my duties as a citizen of the United States or a subject of Great Britain, and faithfully demean myself in office; so help me God;" the clause "or a subject of Great Britain" being introduced to enable the Canadians and others to join in supporting the laws.[1] This clause gave offence to some Americans, who, now that their countrymen outnumbered the British so greatly in Oregon, would have preferred excluding the latter; but there were wiser heads than theirs among the more recent colonists.[2]
McCarver being elected speaker, the message of P. G. Stewart of the executive committee was read, Abernethy being still absent. It contained little besides assurances of the favorable condition of agriculture, the peaceful condition of the country, the inadequacy of the revenue, the need of a revision of the organic and land law in favor of mechanics, and an expression of "regret that sectional and national prejudices should exist to such an extent as to endanger our unanimity;" with the hope that there was sufficient virtue and intelligence in the colony to secure
- ↑ This form of oath, Gray says, shows that Newell, Foisy, McCarver, Garrison, Smith, and Hendricks, who supported it, were 'favorable to a union with the company, or the English party in the country;' though he must have known it was intended to open the door to the fusion of the British subjects with the Americans, and to avert the troubles that threatened. See Gray's Hist. Or., 422.
- ↑ McLoughlin remarks: ' The originator of the clause is the very man who, as I am informed, proposed to the immigrants, on their way here in 1843, to take Vancouver; which is a proof how much his prejudices had died away.' Private Papers, MS., 3d ser.
