Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/358

292 760 against, which defeats the Constitution, the only reason of opposition being a desire for a division of the Territory."

The allusion of the Statesman was to a measure known as H. J. R. 32, introduced in the territorial legislature of 1853, by Representative Martin of Douglas County, which was:

"Resolved by the House, the Council concurring, That our delegate in congress be and hereby is requested to use his best endeavors, and to act in concert with the senators of California, to procure the passage of a law creating and organizing a new territory to be known by the name of Jackson Territory, including all that part of Oregon Territory lying south of the latitude of 43 degrees and 45 minutes, and all that portion of California lying north of the Trinity Mountains."

At the expense of some digression from the main topic, it may serve to recall an almost forgotten episode in local history to give some further details of the proposal to create Jackson Territory. The Territory of Washington, north of the Columbia River had been created by act of Congress March 3, 1853, with the consent of the legislature of the Territory of Oregon, and with the active aid of General Lane in congress. In the Statesman of January 24, 1854, appeared the usual legislative summary, in which there was a statement that a convention would be held at Jacksonville January 25, 1854, for the furtherance of the object of creating another territory out of Oregon, and this seems to be the first public reference to the project to form a pro-slave state from the southern counties. The meeting was held at Jacksonville, January 26, 1854, and was organized by electing H. G. Ferris, of Siskiyou, California, as president, and E. Steele, of Siski-