Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 12.djvu/53

 POLITICAL PARTIES IN OREGON 45 The line of division, however, was not wholly or perfectly made in accordance with past political associations. In some cases the controversy caused a transference of party fealty which had an important influence in the history of the state; notably in the case of Dr. James McBride. 1 He had been a Democrat in Tennessee and Missouri, but took the Oregon City side of the fight, became a leading Whig and one of the founders of the Republican party in Oregon. His son, J. R. McBride, was the first Republican Congressman to represent the state and another son, Geo. W. ' McBride, in more recent years, was sent to the United States Senate by the same party. No family has, perhaps, been more prominent in the political annals of the state. This is but an example of the far-reach- ing political influence of this early capital location issue. In other cases sides were taken regardless of party. Jesse Apple- gate, most irreconcilable of Whigs, took the Salem side of the question. 2 Some, also, who had property interests to con- sider, took sides irrespective of party. Democrats of Oregon City and Clackamas county entered a vigorous protest against making a party issue of the controversy, which would place them with their political opponents or array them against their own personal interests. These Democrats and the Whigs joined in an attempt to stem the tide which had set in towards party organization. At a mass meeting held on April 15th, 1852, at Milwaukie, the vote was unanimous against the pro- priety of drawing party lines in Oregon. 3 Resolutions were adopted which deprecated the attempts "of most of our public journals" to base party movements on personalities and local, sectional strife. They also concurred in the call for a mass meeting to be held at Oregon City, April 6th, to nominate can- didates for the approaching election, without distinction of party. At this Oregon City meeting Judge W. W. Buck an- nounced that as a Democrat he was opposed to the attempt made to organize the Democratic party upon the basis of local i Ibid. aPrivate corespondence, Applegate to Deady, January 26, 1852. 3Oregonian, May 8, 1852.