Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/145

Rh the original occupant. That since the date mentioned, the occupant of the claim had donated for county, educational, charitable, and religious purposes more than two hundred lots, which, if the bill pending should pass, would be lost to the public, as well as a great loss sustained by private individuals who had purchased property in good faith. They therefore prayed that the bill might not pass in its present form, believing that it would work a "severe, inequitable, unnecessary, and irremediable injustice." The memorial was signed by fifty-six persons, and a resolution declaring the selection of the Oregon City claim for reservation uncalled for by any considerable portion of the citizens of the territory, and as invidious and unjust to McLoughlin, was offered by Wait and adopted, followed by another by Thornton declaring that the gratitude of multitudes of people in Oregon was due to John McLoughlin for assistance rendered them. In some preliminary remarks, Thornton referred to the ingratitude shown their benefactor, by certain persons who had not paid their debts to McLoughlin, but who had secretly signed a petition to take away his property. McLoughlin also refers to this petition in his newspaper defence; but if there was such a petition circulated or sent it does not appear in any of the public documents, and must have been carefully suppressed by Thurston himself, and only used in the committee rooms of members of congress.