Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/366

 government, especially because the Memorials to Congress asking aid on account of the various needs of the people of the Territory were of little avail and there was need of a strong representation in congress. One of the arguments advanced by the Statesman was based upon a low estimate of salaries for state officers, and upon the proposal to have biennial sessions of the state legislature instead of the annual sessions. The successive issues of the paper vigorously upheld its side of the argument, and for the first time the negro question, always in the background, appeared in answer to a suggestion of the Oregonian regarding the voting of free negroes, who were admitted as voters in other states, and the proposal to extend the time of probation of foreigners wishing to be naturalized.

The Oregon Argus left the discussion of state government to its correspondents, several of whom, including Orange Jacobs and A. G. Hovey, wrote long articles pro and con, that were published in its columns. But in the number of April 5, 1856, immediately before the election, the editor confessed that the reason for his silence was that he had not been able to make up his mind. The editorial was a model of the art of using words without saying anything.

The vote taken at the special election in April, 1856, was 4186 for, and 4435 against a constitutional convention, the measure being thus lost by 249 votes.

Meantime, Lane introduced his bill again in the House of Representatives at Washington February 18, 1856. On June 23, 1856, a debate arose and, after a slight amendment, a motion was made by Grow in committee of the whole, that it be reported favorably for passage. This was opposed by Jones, of Tennessee, who moved an amendment to insert words making it conditional upon having a population equal to the ratio of one representa-