Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/374

 344 W. C. Woodward journed to a future date, awaiting the vote of the people on the same at a special election for which it had arranged. The fact was thus emphasized that the new government was to be government by the people. It was also tacitly declared by those provisions in the Organic Law making all the official positions elective and providing for annual elections. In a similar manner it was made known by the citizens of this self-sufficient commonwealth that they would have real representative government. When in September, 1846, the news came that Congress had passed a bill giving notice of an intention to discontinue the policy of joint occupancy of the Oregon Territory and that a bill providing for an extension of the government of the United States over the citizens of Oregon was up before that body, discussion at once arose over the propriety or necessity of sending a delegate to Washing- ton to see that the Provisional Government land law was recognized, to work for a Pacific-Atlantic railroad and to look after various interests of the Oregon country. 1 On September 26th a "meeting of the citizens of Oregon" 2 was held at Oregon City to discuss the general welfare of the country in the light of the recent action of Congress. It was decided to hold a convention in Oregon City on the first Monday in November for the purpose of drafting petitions or memorials to be cir- culated for the people to sign and to derive ways and means of forwarding the same, "whether by delegate or otherwise." The Spectator of November 26th gives the proceedings of the convention at which resolutions were passed denying the necessity of memorializing Congress or of sending a delegate. A year rolled round with no action on the part of the National Government. The people memorialized Congress in behalf of their needs, but the question of delegate was apparently avoided as liable to give rise to class or sectional differences. But in October, 1847, Governor Abernethy took upon himself the responsibility of secretly appointing and dispatching J. Quinn Thornton to Washington to represent the Territory, iOregon Spectator, September 17, 1846. 2lbid., October 1.