FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON 291 south, west, and the east; which, though so far without success, can hardly fail to end in some decisive legisla- tion on the subject by the next congress." The prophesy of Messrs. Gales and Seaton was not fulfilled. Not only did the Maine boundary controversy caution reserve, but other matters of great weight demanded time and atten- tion. The preliminaries leading to the presidential campaign of 1840 took first place in the minds of all politicians, and political agitation was at white heat all through the first ses- sion of the next congress, causing an early adjournment on that account. 16 Nevertheless Dr. Linn, so far as his more cautious colleagues would allow, kept the issue alive not only by the introduction of petitions but by resolutions and at least one bill. 17 The first move showed that Linn had decided to change his plan of campaign; instead of a bill for organizing a territorial government he introduced a set of resolutions consisting of five propositions : ( 1 ) that the title of the United States to Oregon was indisputable and would never be aban- doned; (2) that the President should give notice to the British government that the provisions of the conventions of 1818 and 1827 should cease to obtain after twelve months; (3) that it was expedient to extend such portions of the laws of the United States over Oregon as should be necessary to secure the lives and property of citizens there ; (4) that it was expedi- ent to raise a new regiment of riflemen for use in the territory and on the route to it; and (5) that 640 acres of land should be granted any male white inhabitant of the Territory who would cultivate the same for five consecutive years. This last proposition was the origin of what later became the Donation Land Act. The resolutions were referred to a. select committee with Linn as chairman, and from this time until 1846 there was a special Oregon Committee in the Senate. Although they were made the special order of the day for late in the session they i6Benton protested against an early adjournment on account of the importance of the issues with Great Britain, including the Oregon Question. i7There were resolutions from Oregon itself, from Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois legislatures; there were petitions by individuals and groups urg- ing Congress to take action in settling the boundary, and many of them also re- quested grants of land.
