Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/195

Rh unless it should receive a majority of all the votes cast. In accordance with this act, the question was submitted to the people at the June election, and the vote was as follows: Salem, 2,049; Portland, 1,154; Corvallis, 1,998; Eugene, 2,316. Thus there was no election. The law which provided for this election further provided that if no place should receive a majority of all votes cast, those receiving the two highest number of votes should be voted upon at a special election. At this special election, the people refused to vote on the question, being tired of the matter, according to the Salem Statesman. No records of the returns of the election can be found either in newspaper reports or on public record. It is believed that, and some authority can be found for the statement, from the memory of the early pioneers who are still living, this is the time that Eola, then Cincinnati, came nearly being chosen for the seat of government.

Thus, after so much trouble and expense, the question as to where the seat of government should be permanently located was still an open question. Temporarily Salem had won.

During the eighth session of the legislature, a bill was introduced in the house by Mr. Allen, to remove the seat of government from Salem to Portland, but this bill was lost. In the council, Mr. Bagley introduced a bill to resubmit the question to the people; this met the fate of the house bill. During the ninth session nothing was done regarding the matter, but the tenth session w^as almost taken up by discussion on relocation bills. The house passed a bill to relocate from Salem to Portland, and to submit the relocation to the people. While the bill was pending before the house, an amendment was offered, proposing to strike out Portland and insert in lieu thereof Eugene. The amendment was lost. When the measure came before the council, an amendment was proposed to change the time of the election from the regular election to the first Monday in October, following. This amendment, along with some others, was passed, and the bill, as amended, was passed in the council. When these amendments came up before the house for consideration a fight ensued, and a joint committee was appointed to bring the two