THE QUARTERLY
OF THE
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
The Genesis of Political Authority and of a Commonwealth Government in Oregon.
[Printed by the author for private distribution, August, 1899.]
At the present time, when interest is becoming more generally centered upon the Pacific Coast and the future which seems to be lying before it during the next century of our national life, any contribution to a knowledge of its history can hardly be out of place. It is quite clear that from now on through the future it must more and more pass out from the sphere of purely local interest and assume a larger place in the current of our national history. Although the southern half of the coast may be more familiar to the greater number of people, yet the northern half has a history which is fully as rich and well repays most careful study. Of the many interesting phases which have presented themselves, none has had so great an attraction for the writer as the
