Page:History of Oregon volume 1.djvu/653

602 purpose of draughting memorials, which should be circulated for the people to sign, and to devise means of forwarding the same, whether by delegate or otherwise; the inhabitants of the several counties being requested to hold meetings therein for that purpose. They then adjourned to the 10th of October.

At the appointed time it was apparent why a delegate to congress was so much desired by certain persons, and what certain other persons would require him to do in their interest. After resolving that Clackamas County should have five delegates in the convention, D. Stewart broached the subject that congress should be asked to make reservations, first of the falls of the Willamette, with the land one mile in extent on every side of this water power; together with Fort Vancouver, Fort Nisqually, Cape Disappointment, and the Cascade Falls of the Columbia; thereby preventing British subjects who held land at these places under the colonial land law, which congress would be asked to approve, from deriving any benefit from their claims. The resolution was so modified, however, as to partially obscure their intention, and congress was requested to reserve all waterfalls, capes, and town sites, the proceeds to be applied to the improvement of the bays, rivers, and roads in the territory; thus making a benefit apparently accrue from it to the country. In this form the resolution was adopted by the meeting; and after discussing the proposal of a delegate, the meeting again adjourned to the 15th.

The subject of this resolution coming up at the meeting of the 15th, it was so amended as to make the proceeds of each town site produce a fund for the benefit of public schools and local improvements, when P. G. Stewart proposed to insert "so far as they can do the same without interfering with private rights," which excited warm discussion. The