Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/180



168 SAMUEL ROYAL THURSTON

I next called on the Comptroller. I found he had not, as promised, made the order on Gen'l Adair to pay out of money in his hands, belonging to the Gov't, the expenses of the late Oregon legislature. He promised faithfully that he would do it on this day. At noon I went to the session, during which time I hunted up Senate documents concerning Oregon. I next directed my Patent reports, wrote several letters, and sent several papers home to Oregon. Went to Democratic caucus in the evening, came home and went to bed at 12 o'clock M.

December 20, 1849 Attended the session this day as usual. No speaker chosen. The balance of the day I was completing my reply to the slanderous article which appeared in the Boston Courier. This day I received a letter from Troy from a gentle- man who wished to go to Oregon to print some paper. He was a Whig in politics. I replied to him that I was a Democrat, gave him what information he wanted, and told him I had no objections to his starting a Whig paper, as I nor any democrat had no views we were afraid to have discussed. I also copied some of the Journals of the House relative to Oregon.

December 21, 1849 Immediately after breakfast, I went to Gov. Games' room, from whence he and I went to see Collamer, Postmaster Gen'l, to get him to appoint a mail agent in Oregon. He requested us to put in writing what we wanted. We went home, and I wrote a letter recommending the appointment of an Oregon man. But finding out that the Department would have none appointed but a Whig, and that that was the in- clination of Gov. Gaines, I recommended Mr. Lownsdale. 1 I also recommended O'Neil, Avery, Skinner, E. F., Haun, Spaulding, Burkhart, Kellogg, and Simmons for Postmasters &c. Here Gaines wished me to tell him who was Post Master at Oregon City. I did so. He asked what kind of a man he was, politics &c. I told him that I did not like the man, but that I should not recommend his removal. He asked me for the name of a man who was a Whig. I told him J. D. Holman. 1

i Daniel H. Lownsdale, an Oregon pioneer of 1845.

i Father of Frederick V. Holman > president of the Oregon Historical Society.