Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/203

 RK-. >I.I.K< TIONS OF AN OLD PIONEER. 193 leadin-.r mm of the immi'_rration of 1843 denounced the or- u r ani/atiou as a missionary arrangement to secure the best farmini. r lands in the country." They had much apparent reason for their opposition, and that reason was found in the lavs of 1S4.'{, especially in the proviso allowing each mission six miles square, and net in the lain) law of 1S44, which re- pealed this objectionable proviso. Whatever else may be said airainst the laws of Is44, they were plain, simple, and con- sistent, as a whole, and could not have produced the con- fusion mentioned. The first time I was in Oregon City, to the best of my recollect ien. was when I went there to take my seat in the legislative committee in June, 1844. Previous to that time I do not remember to have seen the laws of 1843. After all the examinatien I could pive them, I saw that no regular and efficient government could he sustained without a revenue; that no certain and reliable revenue could be had without taxation; that no system of taxation could be enforced unless the irreat and overwhelming majority of the people were sat- isfied with the government, and that such majority would not support the oriranixation unless they believed they were receivim: an equivalent in the form of protection for the money they paid in the shape of taxes. Many irood men doubted our le<_ral riirht to orirani/e any irovermncnt. Our object was to train the consent of < ,| l;ivs. Of course, the bad would oppose <lll L'ovcriiment. In consiiltinir upon our then condition, we were for a time much perplexed to know what peaceabl mrse to pursue, in order to secure the consent ef ;ill _ r oo 1 ,,,,.,, to our on_';ini/- tion. We knew that Americans were devotedly attached to to thiiiL-s: Land and the privilege of voting. Our com- mittee, there ft re. passed ;m ;ict to provide by taxation the means BMeMffy to support the _'overnment. the ft-urth tion of which was as follows: "Sec. 4. That any per refusinir t< pay tax, as in this act required, shall have no