Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/164

 156 ROBERT CARLTON CLARK ionality,* and any government that shall be formed should be respectful of the rights of all the inhabitants.* 1 They criticise the American plan of government as providing too many offices "filled with too many useless titles for our state of poverty," as they express it. "In a new country, the more men employed and paid by the public, the fewer remain for industry." So in their plan of organization they would have a single council, its members elected from different dis- tricts, perform all the necessary governing functions. A mag- istrate from whose decisions appeals may be taken to the cen- tral council, would be elected for each district to act as a jus- tice of the peace. Further they would secure the right of the individual citizen to be heard in affairs of general public in- terest in the meetings of the council when assembled to discuss and regulate the needs of the colony.* 2 At the outset in a new colony they would have as few laws as possible "as the more laws there are the more opportunity for trickery for those who make the law a profession." They would also guard against technicalities in the law that "would substitute cunning for trickery." They would have such laws as may be adopted require of the community as little expense as possible. Especially should they not be made burdensome to new comers. For this reason taxes should be light as pos- sible; the land law should not provide unnecessarily trouble- some requirements as to fixing exact boundaries to a claim and registering it.*3 A militia law would not be necessary because a militia is not needed and when created would be an object of suspicion to the natives and besides a hindrance to the necessary work of the community. The Canadians also made request in this address for some measure of local autonomy for themselves. They fear being completely submerged by the Americans and seek some guar- antee that their customs will be respected and that they may 40 Clauses n and 12. "Whether subjects of England, France, Ireland or California." 41 Clause n. "Free to every individual to establish himself here without distinction of origin and without right to make him pay for becoming a citizen. 42 Clause 1 6. Curiously omitted from the English versions. 43 "We are opposed to any registrations whatever." (Clauses 4 and 9).