336 W. C. Woodward A steadily growing population made established government necessary. The situation of the colonists is clearly expressed officially in the message of the Executive Committee to the Legislative Committee, dated June 18, 1844 1 1 "The United States held out inducements to their citizens and indirectly encouraged the settlement of this country by them. Conse- quently we are now improving the country by their consent but without their protection. And it is self-evident that every community have a right to make laws for their mutual benefit and protection where no law exists . . . Although this colony is small and its resources feeble, yet the life, rights and liberties of an individual here are of equal value to him as to one in the city of Washington or London." The tenure of the land upon which the settlers were building homes was uncer- tain and anxiety to secure permanent titles to claims taken up and improved was a strong factor in the demand for a gov- ernment. The need of protection from the Indians, from pos- sible aggression on the part of the British, from the lawlessness of the floating element which is always found to some degree in a new community, the need of regulations to govern the grow- ing business relations, the inherited love of democratic institu- tions, the very sense of nationality itself, despite the lack of its encouragement — all combined to make established forms of government imperative. 2 If the United States declined to in- augurate these, fearing international complications which might result, there was but one course to be pursued. As often in the past in the advance of the frontier, the frontiersmen insti- tuted their own government, so now must those directly con- cerned rely upon themselves. But American pioneering had presented no problem with the peculiar complications and diffi- iUnpublished Documents, Oregon Archives, p. 17. 2"We found ourselves placed in a new and very embarrassing position. The right of sovereignty over the country was in dispute between the United States and Great Britain and neither country could establish any government over us. Our community was composed of American citizens and British subjects, occupy- ing the same country as neighbors with all their respective national prejudices and attachments, and so distant from the mother countries as to be of a great extent beyond the reach of home influences. We had, therefore, a difficult popu- lation to govern; but this fact only rendered government the more necessary." — Burnett, Peter H., "Recollections of the Past," Ms., Vol. 1, p. 144-
