Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/327

 tion, sooner than the money should be returned. I executed the bond to Thomas Justins for $216.35. All bonds issued by us bear interest at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum, and all signed by the governor and countersigned by the secretary of this territory. All the books and papers belonging are hereby transmitted for your examination.

"Owing to the resignation of Gen. A. L. Lovejoy as one of the commissioners, and the absence of Dr. W. H. Willson, this document will appear with but one signature.

"(Signed) Hugh Burns, Commissioner.

"Oregon City, February 8, 1849.

On February 10, 1849, some enterprising real estate agent applied to the legislature for a "charter" to enable him to get into the real estate business in  the great northwest "on the ground floor. "' The legislature turned him down in the following resolution:

"Resolved, That it is not in the power of this house to grant a charter to any individual or company for treating for wild lands in this territory, or for holding treaties with the Indian tribes for the purchasing of lands."

On February 14, 1849. the legislature amended the oath of office of the provisional government from the form set out on a preceding page to the following:

"I do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States and the organic laws of the provisional government of Oregon, and faithfully demean myself in office, so help me God." Thus after recognizing the citizenship of the British subjects in the government for six years, they shut the doors to any further courtesies in that direction. It is probable that that action was taken through the influence of Samuel R. Thurston.

The last acts of the legislature and of officials of the provisional government are dated February 16, 1849. On that day the legislature divorced John P. Brooks from his wife. Mary Ann ; passed an act for the relief of Jason Wheeler : an act providing for weighing, assaying, melting and stamping gold coin: against which last act Representative W. J. Martin filed a protest "because the act was a violation of the constitution of the United States," and made this territory a shaving machine by only allowing $16.50 for an ounce of gold dust.

The legislature then ad.iourned sine die, and passed into history as the first and only state forming and successfully carrying on a provisional government on the American continent. And having during its existence of six years, two months and twenty-eight days, established courts, administered justice, punished crime, coined money, raised military forces and made war on the Indians, granted titles to land and made laws which all obeyed, provided for common schools, education, religion and the public welfare, and all other things that any American state could do.

That the Americans long and earnestly sought to have the Canadians unite with them in organizing a provisional government is proved by the statements of John McLoughlin. In a statement prepared by McLoughlin, evidently to make clear his record, but not published in his lifetime, a copy of which was published by Mrs. F. F. Victor in the Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, June, 1900, Dr, McLoughlin says:

"In the spring of 1842 the Americans invited the Canadians to unite with