Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/328

 310 LESTER BURRELL SHIPPEE United States over Oregon. He further stated that "under our free system of government" new republics were destined to arise on the shores of the Pacific at no distant day, thus linking in the thoughts of men Oregon and California. Numerous petitions and memorials, among them one from Wilkes and members of his expedition for remuneration for losses, gave further occasion to make the Oregon Question prominent. In the Senate Dr. Linn was no longer in his place to lead the Oregon forces; he had died the previous summer after the adjournment of Congress, and after he had been re-elected to the Senate. 2 Another Missourian, David R. Atchison, took his place as a leader among those urging the occupation of Oregon. Senator Atchison opened his campaign by introduc- ing a bill which was practically the same as that which had passed the Senate at the last session, although the land grant clause was not included. Neither was there a clause extend- ing the laws of the United States over its citizens in the Ore- gon Territory which was defined to "comprise all the country lying west of the Rocky mountains to the Pacific ocean and between the parallels of 42 degrees and 54 degrees and 40 minutes of north latitude." Soon after the remainder of the proposed Oregon measures were introduced in the form of a bill for territorial organization. It was neither of these messages, however, which became the immediate occasion of the Oregon discussions which took place in the Senate early in January. Senator William Allen, of Ohio, from, this time one of the most ardent Oregon sup- porters, introduced a resolution calling upon the President for copies of any instructions given to the American minister in London on the subject of the title to and the occupation of Oregon since March 4th, 1841. Replying to an objection to the resolution Allen inquired what was the use of waiting for the information until the whole matter was settled ; the Senate would recall the treaty of 1842 which had been accepted since 2 See Benton's eulogy, Globe, XIII, 28-9; and j'Bowlin's; Ibid., 31-2. In N iles' Register, 28 Oct., 1843, there is a sketch taken from the Missouri Repub- lican.