Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 17.djvu/204



196 DOROTHY HULL

Oregon delegation to withdraw with the ultras. 1 At the Seceder's convention which met in Baltimore, Breckinridge was nominated for President and Lane for Vice-President. Lane's nomination was undoubtedly due to the fact that it was under- stood that he would be able to swing the vote of the Pacific States. It was soon to appear that this was a vain hope.

The news of Lane's instructions to the Oregon delegation and the report of the doings of the Seceder's convention aroused a storm of indignation among the Douglas Democrats of Oregon. Speculation was rife as to the plans of the Breckin- ridge party, and news of their disunion plans was not slow to filter through the press. Again was revived the rumor of a projected Pacific Republic.

The Statesman of July 17, 1860, under the head of "The Lane and Gwin Conspiracy" said: 2

"It is openly charged by Washington correspondents that Gwin (Senator from California) and Lane have entered into a conspiracy with Southern Congressmen to break up the Democratic organization as a preliminary step to breaking up the Union, out of which three republics are to be formed. The states east to be divided on the line of the free and slave states, forming two governments, and the Pacific Slope to constitute the third. But the dream of these political gamesters will not be accomplished, in their lifetime, at least. Even in the event that a secession movement should take place in the cotton states, California and Oregon when the test comes will re- main true to the Union."

During the following year the Republican and Douglas- Democratic Press offered from time to time more detailed in- formation as to the great conspiracy. It was shown^ that the Senators and Representatives from California, the Senator and Representatives from Oregon and the delegation from Wash- ington Territory, representing altogether a little more than a million of people, had held a caucus and resolved to favor

1 Statesman, July 3, 1860.

2 Statesman, July 17, 1860.

3 Statesman, July 24.