Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/380

350 W. C. Woodward the Columbia, Vancouver and Lewis, the Independent strong- hold, Abernethy received in votes and Love joy but n. The latter was defeated by 16 votes only, in the whole Territory, which shows what a factor the British or Independent vote was in the result. 1 While the population of Oregon was grouped into parties as above outlined, there was practically no political or party organization and little or no unity of action. Under the cap- tion, "On the Stump," the Spectator of May 14th, 1846, makes the announcement: "On Monday next (18th) the several candidates of Clackamas county will address their fellow citi- zens from the stump in Oregon City. This will be something new in Oregon." A report of the innovation is found in the issue of May 28th, from which the reluctance of the political aspirants to appear in the role set for them is apparent. The only strictly party significance found in their informal remarks as reported was the frequent assertion or clever implication of their Americanism as opposed to the interests of the British party. Their remarks were mostly addressed to the local needs in legislation to which little political significance can be at- tached. This lack of political organization is further indicated in an editorial in the same issue on the immediately forthcom- ing annual election. "We were never really less able even to guess at the probable result," says the editor, H. A. G. Lee. "Although we have a numerous array of candidates in this county * * * still in the absence of positive party, no legular or territorial ticket having been formed, but each relying on his friends, to succeed the best he may, or in other words 'on his own hook/ the most shrewd conjectures must at best be vague." The political inertia and apathy which seem to exist in the other counties is greatly deplored and a tacit argument is made for political organization as a means of arousing a sense of civic responsibility. An event of great import in the growth of the new state was the starting of the first newspaper on the Pacific Coast. 1 Election returns found in Spectator, July 22, 1847.