A BIT OF OREGON HISTORY
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Here in the territory one of
the early incentives to the effort
for statehood was the desire
that Oregon should be govern
ed by officials chosen at home
and from among home residents.
There was a feeling among our
people, who had enjoyed home
rule under the provisional gov
ernment that they should be al
lowed to select their own terri
torial officers. There was a me
M jnorial to congress to that effect
on one ocassion.
General Joseph Lane, the'first
territorial governor, who was
sent on from Indiana, seemed
to fit himself rather readily in
to affairs here and was popular,
but with the change in national
administration which came soon
he was succeeded by Governor
Gaines, and Gaines was unpop
ular from the start. Right there
party politics reared its head for
the first time in Oregon. It has
been with us ever since. The
democrats organized a party and
sent a stern and rockribbed re
buke to the whig president Tay
lor, for having substituted
Gaines for Lane. There came
quickly another demonstration
of the popularity of the offici il
pie counter. Under democratic
administration the democrats
^ere all for continuance of the
territorial status and the whigs
wanted statehood. Under whig
administration and a whig gov
ernor the whigs wanted Oregon
to lemain a territory and the de
mocrats demanded statehood at
once. Human nature was human
nature and pie was pie, in Ore
gon as elsewhere.
Four times the question of
statehood was submitted to the
voters of Oregon and three times
they voted it down before state
hood was finally approved by
the majority. In 1854 it was vot
ed down by a majority of 859.
In 1855 the hostile majority was
415. In 1856 it was 249. In 1857
the proposal carried by the
handsome majority of 5938.
Then followed the constitutional
convention and the election of
state officers in 1858, who took
their seats in the following year
after congress had acted.—Ore
gonian.
COLORADO SENATOR
PROVIDES CASH FOR
STUDENT LOAN FUND
Anxious to be identified with
the building of the “Farthest
North” college. Senator Law
rence C. Phipps of Colorado has
loaned to the board of trustees
of the college for a period of ten
years without interest the sum
of $5,000 to be used by the board
as a student loan fund, says the
Farthest North Collegian.
In his letter of transmittal to
President Bunnel, Senator
Phipps says: “It is my hope and
belief that judicious use of this
fund will materially aid in the
education of deserving students
who attend your college.”—An
chorage Times.
THE ALASKA FISHERMAN
Louis F. Paul, Editor
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