latter party did not differ, except in its native Americanism, from the republicans. As time passed, however, the republican sentiment grew, and on the 11th of October a meeting was held at Silverton in Marion county, when all opposed to slavery in free territory were invited to forget past differences and make common cause against that influence, to escape which many through toil and suffering had crossed a continent to make a home on the shores of the Pacific.[1] Other assemblages soon followed in almost every county.
When the legislature met in December, it was as it had always been a democratic body, but there were enough opposition members to indicate life in the new movement.[2] Few bills of a general nature were passed, but the drift of the discussions on bills introduced to allow half-breeds to vote, to exclude free negroes from the territory,[3] to repeal the viva voce bill, and kindred subjects plainly indicated a contest before the state constitution could be formed. An act was once
- ↑ Paul Crandall, O. Jacobs, T. W. Davenport, Rice Dunbar, and E. N. Cooke were the movers in this first attempt at organization in the Willamette Valley. The last three were appointed to correspond with other republicans for the furtherance of the principles of free government.
- ↑ Members of the council: John E. Ross, of Jackson county; Hugh D. O'Bryant, Umpqua, Douglas, and Coos; A. A. Smith, Lane and Benton; Charles Drain, Linn; Nathaniel Ford, Polk and Tillamook; J. B. Bayley, Yamhill and Clatsop; J. C. Peebles, Marion; J. K. Kelly, Clackamas and Wasco; Thos R. Cornelius, Washington, Columbia, and Mnltnomah. House: John S. Miller, Thomas Smith, Jackson; A. M. Berry, W. J. Matthews, Josephine; Aaron Rose, Douglas; A. E. Rogers, Coos and Curry; D. C. Underwood, Umpqua; James Monroe, R. B. Cochran, Lane; J. C. Avery, J. A. Bennett, Benton; Delazon Smith, H. L. Brown, William Roy, Linn; Wm M. Walker, Polk and Tillamook; A. J. Welch, Polk; L. F. Grover, William Harpole, Jacob Couser, Marion; William Allen, A. J. Shuck, Yamhill; A. L. Lovejoy, W. A. Starkweather, F. A. Collard, Clackamas; G. W. Brown, Multnomah; T. J. Dryer, Multnomah and Washington; H. V. V. Johnson, Washington; Barr, Columbia; J. W. Moffit, Clatsop; N. H. Gates, Wasco. Or. Laws, 1856–7, p. 8. James K. Kelly, prest council; L. F. Grover, speaker of the house, Clerks of the council, A. S. Watt, John Costello, and T. F. McF. Patton; sergeant-at-arms, G. W. Holmes; door-keeper, J. McClain. Clerks of the lower house, D. C. Dade, E. M. Bowman, J. Looney; sergeant-at-arms, J. S. Risley; door-keeper, J. Henry Brown. Or. Statesman, Dec. 9, 1856.
- ↑ When the commissioner in 1853–4 made a list of the former laws of Oregon which were to be adopted into the code, that one which related to the exclusion of free negroes was inadvertently left out, and was thus unintenally repealed. It was not revived at this session, owing to the opposition of the republican and some other members.
