Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/264

 240 T. W. Davenport. who enlivens his daily toil by "crooning o'er some old Scotch sonnet," believes that "a man is a man for a' that and a' that, ' ' whose chief delight is in working on the social environ- ment and who is satisfied with an equitable share of the usufruct? Well, John Minto, though at that time not a public character, as he afterwards became, did not speak his mind with "bated breath and whispering humbleness." Returning to the year 1856, I notice that a "Free State" meeting was held at Lebanon, Linn County, which I attended, and though the numbers were few, the exercises were high- class 9nd encouraging to those who have faith in the ultimate triumph of truth. John Connor, J. B. Condon and Hugh N. George were the principal speakers, and Mr. George delivered a prepared speech of an hour's length, which showed him to be capable of much excellence as a public speaker. This was the begmning of my acquaintance with those good men, and of more intimate and confidential relations with Mr. Connor (usually called Squire Connor), which continued until his demise half a century later. He was a man of positive and reliable character, of strong convictions, great firmness of purpose, sagacious and so much above wavering in moral and social conduct that he had a sort of unobtrusive contempt for.' the policy men who are ever trying to follow the line of least resist nee. He was bold to declare and defend his opinions, and even this early was impatient to nail the Republican flag to the mast and sail under no false colors. To a later meeting, held at Albany in the fall, he gave the cue in a trenchant fifteen-minute speech in which he said: "We unfurl our banner to the breeze inscribed, free speech, free labor, a free press, p. free state, and Fremont." Of course such a magnetic declaration could not be other than the voice of the conven- tion. Tf all the W^higs who later joined the Republican ranks had been of Mr. Connor 's ardent spirit, the party would have had an earlier and more strenuous nativity. Mr. Condon and Hugh N. George I seldom met, but I knew of them as unswerv- ing in their support of correct principles, and the latter I considered the ablest man in the county, and second to but