Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 20.pdf/379

 FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON active part in framing the details

361

and pushing the land

bill,

ex-

consideration, he had placed in it certain apparently innocuous clauses which would practically have prevented every British subject in Oregon from obtaining a donation

cept to urge

its

grant as well as have deprived Dr. McLoughlin of his claim. To accomplish the first purpose the bill contained the words "all

white American citizens" to designate those eligible to the Committee on Public Lands had considered

secure land



this a little too

strong and had changed

it

to "all

male

citizens

of the United States, or persons emigrating from the United States, and who shall have made a declaration of intention to

become citizens." This amendment the House adopted, but it meant that every British subject in Oregon, including those who had long since established their homesteads along the Willamette, would have to go into some one of the United States and "emigrate" from there in order to qualify for a

The Senate

struck this out, leaving it necesmake a declaration of intention. should sary only that aliens the process of naturalizauntil Aliens still would have to wait

donation claim.

tion should

would be

have been completed before a patent for their lands

issued.

Dr. McLoughlin, however, was dealt with in a section by This was the more easily done since Thurston had itself. played upon the ignorance of the members of Congress; he had described McLoughlin as the enemy of Americans in

Oregon and Oregon City

as

a menace to American interests

still.

The

claim, except for the lots sold or given away by the Doctor before the fourth of March, 1849, was to become

property of the territory. Abernethy's Island in the Willamette, on which the mills had been erected, was granted to the Willamette Milling and Trading Company which had bought up the claims of the Methodists. No provision was

the

made

to reserve to

McLoughlin any of

had declared formally of the United States, he had as he

When

his original claim, and,

his intention to lost his

become a

citizen

standing under the

the text of the proposed act

was received

in

treaty.

Oregon