Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/368

 338 W. C. Woodward (except capital penalties), and make the regulations suitable for the people. . . The more laws there are, the more opportunities for roguery for those who make a practice of it." Here we have a direct expression of the lack of confidence in the people to govern themselves wisely and of a preference for the autocratic, arbitrary rule to which they were accustomed under the Hudson's Bay regime. The all-absorbing question was finally brought to a direct issue at the historic Champoeg meeting of May 2, 1843, when by a vote of 52 to 50, organization was decided upon, which resulted in the withdrawal of the Canadians from the meeting. The Oregon Provisional Government then, was distinctly American in inception, in spirit and in form. This is openly avowed in the first section of the Organic Law : "We, the peo- ple of Oregon Territory, for purposes of mutual protection and to secure peace and prosperity among ourselves, agree to adopt the following laws and regulations, until such time as the United States of America extend their jurisdiction over us." The momentous decision reached, the work of organiza- tion was taken up with ability and dispatch. Officers, judicial, executive and military, were elected. A legislative committee of nine was appointed to draw up a form of government for the new commonwealth and report the same to another public meeting to be held July 5th. The committee, to which was entrusted this important work, was truly representative of the citizenship for which it acted. The members were typical pio- neers, plain men, somewhat rough and unassuming in exterior, unlettered in constitutional law but with much good common sense and equal to a situation. The Mountain men, the inde- dependent settlers and the Missionaries were all represented among them. Dividing themselves into sub-committees on judiciary, ways and means, military affairs, land claims and division of country into districts, the work was performed with system and promptness. Their report was accepted at the above mentioned meeting, the officers elected in May were sworn in, an executive committee chosen and the new govern-