Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/208

198 States, settled the question of sovereignty over Oregon in favor of our country; and the act of Congress creating a Territorial Government was passed August 14, 1848. The treaty was delayed beyond our reasonable expectations; and the creation of a Territorial organization was postponed by the Mexican War, which was not foreseen by our committee in December, 1844.

We did increase the number of representatives from 9 to 13, and we really thought we were moderate in this respect. According to Mr. Gray's estimate, the immigration of 1843 amounted to 875 persons; and the whole population at the end of the year to about twelve hundred people. (Page 360-61.) If, then, some three hundred and twenty-five persons were entitled, under the laws of 1843, to nine members in the legislative committee, how many representatives should 1200 have under the law of 1844? We only increased the number from 9 to 13, when the same ratio of representation to population would have given us 27. We did call the law-making body of Oregon a legislature, and left off the word "committee" for reasons already stated.