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Political Beginnings in Oregon. 53 reside upon the land within a year after recording. No in- dividual could hold a claim for more than one square mile or six hundred and forty acres in square or oblong form. Article IV forbade holding claims on town sites, or ex- tensive water privileges, and other situations necessary for the transaction of mercantile or manufacturing opera- tions. That article was largely the work of Shortess, who was in sympathy with the Methodist missions. It was aimed also to deprive McLoughlin of his claim at Oregon City.^^ The Mission also held land at Oregon City, but it was pro- tected by the last clause, which provided that, Nothing in these laws shall be so construed as to affect any claim of any mission of a religious character, made previous to this time, of an extent not more than six miles square." The report of the committee having been adopted, the next step was the choice of an executive. Some were in favor of a single executive, others of an executive committee of three. The committee faction won, and the committee was immedi- ately elected. Another problem was the division of the country into dis- tricts for executive purposes. It was finally divided into four districts as follows : 1. Tualiiy, including all territory south of the boundary line of the United States, west of the Willamette, north of Yamhill and east of the Pacific. 2. Yamhill, all west of the Willamette, and line from said river south, lying south of the Yamhill river, to the parallel of 42 deg. north latitude. 3. Clackamas district, to include all territory not included in the other districts. 4. Champoeg (or Champoick), bounded on the north by a supposed line drawn from the mouth of the Anchiyoke River, 13 In an address delivered at the Lewis and Clark Exposition on McLoughlin Day, Mr. Frederick V. Holman deals at length with the mean intrigues of the Mission party to deprive McLoughlin of his land. Pub- lished in the Portland Morning Oregonian, October 8, 15, 22, 1905. 14 Grover, Oregon Archives, p. 26.