only objection offered was the lack of population to entitle the state to the representation asked for in the bill. Its failure, together with the failure of the Indian war debt bill, was injurious to the popularity of the delegate with his party. But during the following session a bill authorizing the people of Oregon to form a constitution and state government passed the lower house, and was taken up and amended in the senate, but not passed. It remained where it offered a substantial motive for the reelection of the same delegate to complete his work.
Such was the position of affairs in the spring of 1857. The territory was half admitted as a state, a constitutional convention was to be held, a delegate to be elected, and a new political party was organizing which would contend for a share in the management of the public interests. It was not expected by the most enthusiastic republicans that they could elect a delegate to congress, their aim being different. The democrats for the first time were divided on nominations;[1] but after a little agitation the convention settled down to a solid vote for Lane, who thus became for the fourth time the congressional nominee of his party. This done, the convention proceeded to pass a resolution binding their county delegates to execute the will of the party "according to democratic usages," repudiating the idea that a delegate could, in pursuance of the interests or wishes of his district, refuse to support the nominations of his party, and still maintain a standing in that party.[2] Then came the announcement, "That we deny the right of any state to interfere with such domestic institutions of other
- ↑ Other possible candidates were Deady, Nesmith, Grover, Boisé, Delazon Smith, George H. Williams, and James K. Kelly. Clackamas and Clatsop nominated Kelly, but he declined, knowing that he could not be elected because he was not a democrat of that vigorous practice which the Statesman required; that journal afterward reproaching him with losing this opportunity through too much independence of party government. See letter of Kelly, in Or. Statesman, Feb. 17, 1857.
- ↑ So well whipped in were the delegates to the convention that only the Clackamas members and J. L. Meek of Washington county voted against the resolution.
