Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 6.djvu/373

367 THE WINNING OF THE OREGON COUNTRY. 367 fact thai-Congress had passed an act creating a territorial government. It is also stated that the expenses for serv- ices of private soldiers and noncommissioned officers in the Indian war, which had been concluded, was $109,311.50, allowing $1.50 per day per man, as authorized by the act of December .28, 1847. Medorum Crawford on Thursday, February 15, 1849, introduced his written protest, saying that he voted "no" on the passage of an act to provide for the weighing and assaying of gold, melting and stamp- ing, the same, because the act authorized the coining of money and was therefore contrary to the Constitution of the United States, because he believed an officer of the United States would soon arrive, whose duty it would be to prohibit the operation of a mint, and because he believed the act inexpedient. William J. Martin also protested, giving as reasons the same as those given by Captain Crawford, but added: "Because it is making this Terri- tory a shaving machine by allowing sixteen dollars and fifty cents per ounce." On December 12, 1846, the Governor approved an act of the legislative committee by which a territorial road was authorized, "commencing at the town of Portland on the Willamette River, proceeding thence the nearest and. best way to where the present road crosses Tuality River near the residence of David Hill, at what is commonly called the ' new bridge,' thence the nearest and best way to the falls below the forks of Yamhill River, thence the nearest and best way to the mouth of Mary's River in Polk County." Joseph Avery of Polk, Sylvanus Moon of Yam- hiH, and Joseph Gale of Tuality were named as commis- sioners to locate this road, and they were to be governed by an act of the Territory of Iowa, approved December 29, 1838. The north boundary line of Yamhill County was fixed by an act December 11, 1846, as commencing at a point opposite the mouth of Pudding River, thence