Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/241

 FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON 229 This committee presented a form of organization which had as its basis a legislative committee of nine, while executive powers were to be vested in a committee of three, for the mis- sionary party apparently would have prevented organization if they insisted upon having a governor as they had at the outset. 20 The judicial power was vested in a supreme court composed of a supreme judge and two justices of the peace; the laws of the Territory of Iowa were adopted for all "civil, military, and criminal cases, where not otherwise provided for, and where no statute of Iowa Territory applies, the principles of common law and equity shall govern." The right to vote was given to every "free male descendant of a white man of the age of 21 years and upwards, who shall have been an inhab- itant of this territory at the time of its organization" and all new comers after a residence of six months. The fourth article of the "constitution" provided that there should be no slavery or involuntary servitude except for the punishment of crime whereof the party should have been duly convicted. Opposi- tion to all formal taxing prevented the grant of any taxing power to the officers of this government, and all necessary expenses were to be met by voluntary contributions. One of the most important of the subjects dealt with in the body of laws was that relating to title to the soil. No individual could hold more than a square mile, in square or oblong form, nor more than one claim at a time. Furthermore all persons were forbidden holding claims upon city or town sites, extensive water privileges, or in places necessary for the transaction of mercantile or manufacturing operations. Dr. McLoughlin considered that this was direct evidence of the animosity of the Methodists who disputed with him a claim at the falls of the Willamette, where both had made the begin- ning of development of the water power; the title of the Methodists, however, was safeguarded by a proviso which read, "that nothing in these laws shall be so construed as to affect any claim of any mission of a religious character, made 20 The original code is given in Bancroft, Oregon, I, 306-9 note.