Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 12.djvu/363

AN ECHO OF CAMPAIGN OF SIXTY 355 damental facts about the times and circumstances of Con- gressional elections. Moreover, he who looks will probably find, for, early in July, I0 we learn that "the sentiment for an election of Congressman in November is more general than we supposed. In every part of the State the people appear to be in favor of it. Even some members of the Lane society admit that there was no authority for an election in June, and that a Representative ought to be elected in November by virtue of law." Mr. Bush had not voted, 11 as some evil minded men had stated, for there was no election in June. New light appears on the subject and it seems that the republicans made a blun- der. The "Lane wire-pullers" counted and correctly on the usual lack of judgment on the part of the Republican leaders; they gave a color of legality to the election by putting a candi- date in the field. 12 Besides, the main reason was not to secure a Congressman, but to gain strength to pull through the re- quisite number of legislators to secure the return to the Senate of Lane and Smith. Already one of the chief hopes of the "Salem Clique" was fading, and right must win without the assistance of law. It had been expected that the State Legislature, controlled as it was by Republicans and Bush men, would enact a statute fixing the legal date for the election in November, at the time of the Presidential election. While a measure to this effect passed the lower House, in the September session of the legislature, it failed in the senate. 1 ^ In spite of the fact that the desired law was not in existence after the adjournment of the June session of the legislature, and hoping for better results at the September session, what purported to be the Democratic State Central Committee met in the Statesman office and nominated Mr. A. J. Thayer 1 * as candidate for Member of Congress from Oregon. This occurred in October just after the legislature had adjourned sine die without having made the desired pro- 10 Statesman, 3 July, 1860. 11 Statesman, 10 July, 860. 12 Ibid., 14 Aug., 860. 13 Ibid., 15 Oct., 1860. 14 Ibid., 22 Oct., 1860.