Page:History of Oregon volume 1.djvu/441

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OREGON BEFORE CONGRESS.

ances under which they labored, in terms very different from those heretofore employed in the memorials from Oregon.

A bill from the house committee on territories, of which Douglas of Illinois was chairman, "to protect the rights of American settlers in the territory of Oregon," was passed on the 18th of April, 1846, but after frequent postponements failed in the senate. At length, on the 6th of August, congress received official notification of the settlement of the Oregon boundary at the 49th parallel, together with a strong recommendation by the president that liberal land grants should be made to the Oregon settlers without delay. It might have been believed that the defining of a boundary was the only thing lacking to forward the establishment of a territory on the Columbia River, instead of which, however, it was made the excuse to avoid it by those senators who were dissatisfied with the relinquishment of the territory between latitudes 49° and 54° 40'.^[1] Hence little that should have been done for Oregon at this session was done; and here I leave congress, and return to the affairs of the country.

↑ Hannigan of Indiana said: 'If measures were to be passed relating to Oregon, as a matter of course they must expect a debate upon that convention [treaty of 1846], which he would take this occasion to say was neither more nor less than a convention for the joint occupation of Oregon south of the 49th degree of latitude—a convention which had ceded to the Hudson's Bay Company in perpetuity the navigation of the Columbia River. It was a convention for the joint occupation of Oregon south of 49°, while before we held as far north as 54° 40'. He repeated that those who were opposed to the convention desired to be heard in reference to it, in an appeal to their constituents and to the country.' Allen of Ohio trusted the law of Oregon Territory would be 'so framed as to prevent any man who held allegiance to the British crown from holding an acre of land in fee-simple in that territory. He wanted no British subject to possess any rights within our territory there. He wanted to legislate the Hudson's Bay Company out of the territory, and that as speedily as possible.' Cong. Globe, 1845-6, 1198-9.

[1] Hannigan of Indiana said: 'If measures were to be passed relating to Oregon, as a matter of course they must expect a debate upon that convention [treaty of 1846], which he would take this occasion to say was neither more nor less than a convention for the joint occupation of Oregon south of the 49th degree of latitude—a convention which had ceded to the Hudson's Bay Company in perpetuity the navigation of the Columbia River. It was a convention for the joint occupation of Oregon south of 49°, while before we held as far north as 54° 40'. He repeated that those who were opposed to the convention desired to be heard in reference to it, in an appeal to their constituents and to the country.' Allen of Ohio trusted the law of Oregon Territory would be 'so framed as to prevent any man who held allegiance to the British crown from holding an acre of land in fee-simple in that territory. He wanted no British subject to possess any rights within our territory there. He wanted to legislate the Hudson's Bay Company out of the territory, and that as speedily as possible.' Cong. Globe, 1845-6, 1198-9.

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