Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/454

436 founders of the provisional government had tenaciously clung, and a contradiction of the spirit of all the petitions and memorials of their legislatures from the beginning to the then present time. He lost sight of the fact that the states were not such in the old-world sense of the term, but parts of a compound state or national confederacy; and as such subject to some general regulations which they were bound to obey. The doctrine that a body of the people could go out and seize upon any portion of the territory belonging to the whole union, and establish such a government as pleased them without the consent of the nation, was not in accordance with any known system of national polity. The object of introducing this subject in an executive message under the existing peculiar political condition of Oregon, and at a time when his connection with territorial affairs was merely incidental, must ever remain open to suspicion. It was fortunate, with leading officials capable of such reasoning, that the people had already voted upon and decided for themselves the question which lay at the bottom of the matter, not upon constitutional grounds, but upon the ground of expediency.

Little was done at this session of the legislative assembly beyond amending a few previous acts, and passing a number of special laws incorporating mining improvements in the southern counties, and other companies for various purposes in all parts of Oregon. Less than the usual number of memorials were addressed to congress. An appropriation of $30,000 was asked to build a military road from some point of intersection on the Scottsburg road, to Fort Boisé; it being represented that such a highway would be of great value in moving troops between forts Umpqua and Boisé, and of great importance to the whole southern and western portion of Oregon. A tri-weekly mail, by stages between Portland and Yreka, was petitioned