Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 12.djvu/152

 144 W. C. WOODWARD nomah had an "anti-Salem" or independent ticket which won generally over the Democrats. 1 Yamhill had two Democratic tickets and a partial Republican one. The latter was successful where it offered candidates. In other cases the "softs" or "National Democrats" won heavily over the "hards." Linn presented an independent, free state ticket, which proved no match for organized Democracy. Columbia added to the va- riety by putting out a Whig ticket, the "last of the Mohicans," which, however, manifested sufficient vitality to defeat the Democracy. Benton had two Democratic tickets the "Na- tional" and the "Bush federal," the former being generally suc- cessful. The Clackamas opposition was denominated "Repub- lican and Independent" but lost heavily. In Marion, Polk, Douglas and Wasco, the Democrats won easily over the opposi- tion, variously denominated. In the general results of the election, Lane defeated Lawson by a vote of 5662 to 3471. The vote for the constitutional con- vention was 7617, opposed by a vote of only 1679. In the legis- lature, the Democrats secured but a majority of one in the coun- cil, while the opposition placed ten members in the house. Fully one-third of the delegates-elect to the Constitutional Conven- tion were anti-Democratic. 2 The opposition, though unorgan- ized, had profited by the defection in the Democratic ranks. The people of Oregon had now committed themselves un- equivocally for state government. Their delegates had been chosen to the constitutional convention which was to meet in August. The question of Oregon free or Oregon slave, must soon be settled. The realization of this fact now began to stir the Territory, and whereas there had been little discussion of the slavery question before the June election, from that time on until the vote upon the Constitution in November, and even after- ward, the question was prominently before the people. The Argus of August 1, said: "The Oregon papers that come to hand this week are pretty much filled up with the great ques- iThus Dryer, who ran for joint-representative for Washington and Mult- nomah, was elected as a Know Nothing in one and an Independent in the other. ^Official returns in Statesman, July 7.