Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/477

Rh registrar of the same; W. H. Rector received the appointment of superintendent of Indian affairs, and A. L. Lovejoy the office of pension agent.

When Nesmith first took his seat in the senate he had some feeling in favor of the south, and spoke accordingly; but in due time his utterances became more moderate, and when he returned to Oregon in the autumn of 1861 he was well received. Stout represented Oregon with fidelity, industry, and ability. At his first session he introduced a bill to remove the obstructions in the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, with a view to opening a line of travel across the continent. He urged the protection of immigrants, and the restoration of the military department of Oregon, which was depleted by the call for troops, and labored for the payment of the Indian war bonds, the issuance of which was delayed by Secretary Chase until the loans necessary for the civil war had been negotiated.

After issue, they sold at about ninety cents on the dollar, when the bond amounted to five hundred dollars, without a market for the smaller bonds. Some of the scrip exchanged for these bonds had been purchased at thirty, forty, and even as low as thirteen cents on the dollar.