Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/476

458 allowed to rest there. A committee being appointed to examine the evidence, Stark was finally impeached, but was not expelled, his term ending with the meeting of the Oregon legislative assembly in September.

A similar leniency was exercised by congress towards Sheil, who contested the election of Thayer. The latter was admitted to his seat, and occupied it during most of the special term of 1861, but upon the right to it being contested, Thaddeus Stevens maintained that since there was at the time no authority for a congressional election in Oregon, the seat was really vacant. The contestants being thus placed upon an equality as to legal rights, a preponderance was left of such right as might be in favor of the first man elected. The republicans in the house could have kept out Sheil by insisting upon the illegality of his election, had not congress taken every occasion to show such magnanimity as could be ventured upon toward men of disunion predilections in the hope of conciliating the south.

With a change of administration there was a change in the official list. William L. Adams of the Argus was appointed collector of customs at Astoria. W. W. Parker became his deputy. B. J. Pengra supplanted W. W. Chapman as surveyor-general; T. J. Dryer was appointed commissioner to the Hawaiian Islands; Simeon Francis, paymaster in the army, with the rank of major; W. T. Matlock, receiver of the land office at Oregon City; and W. K. Starkweather,