Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/125

 OREGON PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT 117 with the Hunt party, arriving in Oregon in 1812. When Duncan McDougal sold out Astor's Fur Company, i. e. The Pacific Fur Company, to the Northwest Company, Lucier, with nearly all of the Pacific Fur Company's employes, entered the service of the Northwest Company. He was with the latter company when it coalesced with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821. He was in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company when Dr. McLoughlin took charge in Oregon in 1824. Until 1827 or 1828 he continued in that employ. He was the first settler in the Willamette Valley, and settled on French Prairie in 1827 (as stated by Willard H. Rees in his address before the Oregon Pioneer Association in 1879). He was induced to settle there by Dr. McLoughlin and his name kept on the company's books. Dr. McLoughlin bought Lucier's wheat, furnished him with supplies at a low cost, and protected him. He regarded Dr. McLoughlin with great veneration and af- fection, and wished to do whatever the latter asked of him. He knew that he was expected to vote with the other French- Canadians against the formation of a government. His priest also expected the same of Lucier. In voting with the Ameri- cans he was opposing his old neighbors, his friends, who were of the same country, race, and religion. It required great moral courage and fortitude to vote as he did. He has not always been given the credit he deserves in this matter. All honor to him for doing as he did, and yet, it is questionable whether he would have so voted had Matthieu not led the way. THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF 1843. The Provisional Government, as formed July 5, 1843, was very crude and unsatisfactory. There was no power to levy taxes, so it had to be supported by individual subscriptions. There was no provision for the amendment of its organic act or laws. It was impossible to distinguish between what was constitution and what were laws. Through jealousy, there was no governor selected. The head of the government was an executive committee of three, a kind of commission form of executive. The government was lacking in many respects, but