Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/158

 150 ROBERT CARLTON CLARK erty. 28 For all practical purposes, then, the settlers of the Wil- lamette were little bettered by adopting this constitution in 1843. There, was as yet little need of a better organized gov- ernment than that furnished by election of officers in 1841. The government was entirely American. The British and Cana- dians considered it a purely "American compact," protested against it, 29 and on withdrawing from the meeting in May, 1843, "delivered to the Americans a declaration of their reasons for remaining separate." 30 Nor did the Hudson's Bay Com- pany in any way recognize the authority of the provisional gov- ernment. With these important elements completely beyond its jurisdiction and control the, most important need of a govern- ment, an organization obeyed by all inhabitants, reconciling all conflicting interests, empowered to settle without resort to arms but through peaceful judicial procedure all conflicts that might arise, such an organization was not secured. This government, too distinctly partisan in character, could not be permanent. Until the arrival at the Willamette in the fall of 1843 of some 800 prospective settlers the question of governmental status seems not to have troubled the colony. For a time it seemed doubtful if the new arrivals, so greatly outnumbering those settlers already in the territory, would acknowledge a government of so questionable origin as that of July, 1843. Some of them favored the establishment of an independent state on the ground "that if the country becomes a territory of the United States it will be so remote from the seat of gov- ernment that it will be, very difficult for them to get the laws made that they require." 31 While the majority were, opposed to independence they doubted the success of a movement that failed to take in all the inhabitants, British as well as Ameri- can. The Canadians, too, impressed by so large an addition to the American element, now realized that it would be no longer "possible to maintain peace and order" without a gov- 28 Oregon territory was made to include all the region south of the northern boundary of the United States. As this boundary west of Rocky Mountains had not yet been determined the language is no doubt intentionally vague. 29 Warre and Vavasour documents, Quart. Oreg. Hist. Society, X., 51. 30 McLoughlin letter to Captain Gordon, September 15, 1845, F. O. Amer., 459. 31 McLoughlin letter July 4, 1844; Accompaniment to Mitchell's Map of Texas, Oregon and Calif., 17; Burnett letter in Niles Register, LXV1II., 393.