L. Holmes secretary. All those who attended this convention were republicans. Whether Oregon should be a free or slave state, had now become the paramount issue in our local politics. A paper had been started at Corvallis, called The Messenger, to advocate the establishment of slavery in Oregon. I was a democrat, but in early life imbibed prejudices against slavery that to some extent diluted my democracy. Many of the most influential democrats, with General Lane at their head, were active for slavery, and there was little or nothing said or done among the democrats on the other side of the question. I prepared and published in the Oregon Statesman an address to the people, filling one page of that paper, in which I enforced, with all the arguments at my command, the inexpediency of establishing slavery in Oregon. I am not aware that any public speech or address was made on that question by any other democrat in the territory. Many democrats in private conversation expressed their opposition to slavery, but they spoke with "bated breath and whispering humbleness," for the dominating spirit in the democratic party was favorable to slavery. I flattered myself, vainly perhaps, that I had a fair chance to be one of the first United States senators from Oregon, but with this address that chance vanished like the pictures of a morning dream. 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,
