Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/117

OREGON PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT 109 and employes, and those who advocated its interests, includ- ing the French-Canadians, who then were or had been in its employ, the Catholic Missionaries, and some of the Methodist Missionaries. But such opposition did not deter the hardy and determined settlers who owed nothing to the company or to the missions. W. H. Gray was actively in favor of such a government. He was always against "the existing order." But in this case he had other and better reasons, which prevailed. He was not opposed to the "order" which he established or assisted in establishing himself. THE WOLF MEETING. The fact that predatory animals had become destructive of domestic animals in the Willamette Valley, afforded a good excuse to call a meeting, ostensibly for the purpose of con- sidering means to lessen the evil. It has been sometimes as- serted that its originators feared to announce its main purpose. It was not fear it was a discreet political move, if the reasons given were not exactly the real ones. But they were effective. After consulting together, a meeting was held by several American settlers, pursuant to notice, February 2, 1843, at the Oregon Institute, to take into consideration the propriety of adopting measures for the protection of domestic animals from wild ones. A committee of six was appointed to give notice of a meeting to be held the first Monday of March, 1843. This meeting of February 2, has ever since been called "The Wolf Meeting." MEETING ON FIRST MONDAY OF MARCH, 1843. On the first Monday in March, 1843, the meeting was held. James A. O'Neil, who was fully aware of the real, the main object of the meeting, was chosen chairman. The committee made its report and resolutions were adopted relative to paying bounties for the destruction of wolves and other dangerous wild animals. But the most important action was the last, immediately prior to adjournment, being the adoption of the following resolution: