HISTORY OF STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 323 and John H. Hackleman secretary. Hon. Delazon Smith* was called upon to state the objects of the meeting, after which upon his motion, John H. Lines, Joel Ketchum, Anderson Cox, James Johnson and Thomas K. McCoy were appointed a com- mittee to frame a constitution and by-laws for the government of the society. On motion of Mr. Smith a resolution was adopted declaring that it was the sense of the meeting that it was expedient to form an agricultural society in Linn County. After instructing the secretary to send notices of the meeting to all the papers of the territory for publication, the meeting adjourned to June 21. At the meeting in June the committee appointed for that purpose reported a constitution, which was adopted after a number of amendments ; after which permanent officers were elected as follows: President, Delazon Smith; vice-president, J. D. Haley; secretary, D. H. Bodine; treasurer, John H. Lines. The admission fee was fixed at $2.00, with an annual due of $1.00. The executive committee were authorized by the constitution to offer premiums not to exceed ten dollars for any one article "for the best horses, cattle, sheep, swine, and poultry; for the best fields of wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley, and potatoes; for the best meadows; for the best se- lections of grains, fruits, and vegetables ; for the best articles of domestic manufactures, and for the best farming imple- ments made in Linn County; and for any other matter or thing that may be of use or interest to the farmers of Linn County." The meeting then adjourned until July 12, at which time Joel Ketchum, Anderson Cox, Zillic Donnell, H.
- Delazon Smith, one of the first U. S. Senators from Oregon, was born
in New Berlin, Chenango County, New York, October 15, 1816. He was graduated at the Oberlin College Institute, Ohio, in 1837, studied law, and later became editor of the True Jeffersonian, Rochester, N. Y., and the Western Empire, Dayton, Ohio. He removed to Iowa in 1846, and crossed the plains to Oregon in 1852. In 1854 he was elected a member of the leg- islature, and re-elected twice afterwards. In 1857 he was chosen a member of the Constitutional Convention, and U. S. Senator in July, 1858, taking his seat on February 14, 1859, for the short term. In 1860 he was presidential elector on the Breckinridge and Lane ticket. He died in Portland Novem- ber 18, 1860. At that time he was editor of the Albany Democrat.
