Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 12.djvu/63

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POLITICAL PARTIES IN OREGON 55 partyism. 1 The Jackson County Democratic convention de- clared that the cry of "people's party" and "people's candidate" was but a new subterfuge behind which Whiggery sought to make a successful inroad into the ranks of Democracy "to steal the livery of heaven to serve the devil in." 2 . The victory for the Democrats was decisive. Lane was elected by a vote of 4,529 to 2,959. 3 All the new members of the council were Democrats. Four Whigs or "People's Party" men were elect- ed to the lower house one each from Lane, Umpqua, Wash- ington and Jackson counties. It was a victory for party or- ganization. The Oregon Democracy was now thoroughly in- trenched in the Territory political parties had come to stay. Through it all the fine hand of Asahel Bush was discernible and his dictatorship in Oregon was clearly foreshadowed if indeed it had not already come to pass. iStatesman, May 21, 1853. aStatesman, May 8, 1853. 3lbid., June 23, 1857.