Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/419

 Speech of Senator J. Semple. 391 It is well known to every Senator present, that the occupation of the Oregon Territory has, for some time past, engaged the at- tention of the people of the United States generally, but more particularly the people of the Western States. The people of the State which I have the honor, in part, to represent on this floor, has taken a very decided stand in favor of the immediate occupa- tion of the Oregon. If I am not mistaken, the first public meeting of the people held to express a formal opinion on this subject, was held in the city of Alton, in that State.* This was followed by several others, in Illinois and the adjoining States. During the last winter, a meeting of more than fifteen hundred persons was held in the State-House at Springfield, composed of members of the Legislature, and others, from every part of the State of Illinois, when this question was most fully discussed, and strong resolutions, expressive of the wish of the people of that State,, were passed." At several of these meetings I had the honor of addressing my fellow-citizens, and giving my views of the propriety of the organization of a Territorial Government west of the moun- tains, and of taking such steps as would effectually exclude all other Governments from exercising any jurisdiction over the soil admitted by all to be the undoubted property of the United States. During the past summer, the people of the Western States were invited to meet in convention at Cincinnati, in the State of Ohio, for the purpose of taking this subject into consideration, and to adopt such measures as would appear best calculated to secure the rights of this country, and expedite the settlement of the Oregon. A very large portion of the whole Western country was represented in this convention; a much larger portion than could have been induced to send delegates to a convention on any common or ordi- nary occasion. The convention was composed of men of the very first political standing in the West, without regard to party divisions of any kind; all of both political parties joining most zealously in their endeavors to promote the object for which the convention was called — the immediate occupation of the Oregon, The convention de- clared, in the most unequivocal terms, that they would "protest and continue to protest against any act or negotiations, past, in progress, or hereafter to be perfected, which shall yield possession of any portion of the said Territory to any foreign power," but more particularly against the possession by Great Britain. °See Note B.
 * See Note A.