Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/137

OREGON PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT 129 presented to Congress and ordered printed. ( Brown's Political History of Oregon, pages 160-162). This Legislative Committee of 1845 proceeded to draft a new Organic Law and submit it to the people, i. e., the people of the Willamette Valley. It was adopted by vote of the people July 26, 1845, and Oregon then had a true provisional government. Its new Organic Law was practically a constitu- tion, and it had a Governor instead of an Executive Committee. The effect of the adoption by the people of this Organic Law was later said by Jesse Applegate to be that "both the Metho- dist Mission and the Hudson's Bay Company ceased to be political powers either to be courted or feared in the colony, and to the close of its existence the Provisional Government of Oregon attained all the ends of good Government." (Ban- croft's History of Oregon, Vol. 1, page 479). The Preamble and Enacting Clauses of the Organic Law of the Provisional Government of Oregon, adopted by vote of the people July 26, 1845, are as follows : "We, the people of Oregon territory, for purposes of mutual protection, and to secure peace and prosperity among ourselves, agree to adopt the following laws and regulations, until such time as the United States of America extend their jurisdiction over us : "BE IT ENACTED, THEREFORE, BY THE FREE CITIZENS OF OREGON TERRITORY, That the said ter- ritory, for the purposes of temporary government, be divided into not less than three nor more than five districts, subject to be extended to a greater number when an increase of popula- tion shall require. "For the purpose of fixing the principles of civil and re- ligious liberty, as the basis of all laws and constitutions of government, that may hereafter be adopted, "BE IT ENACTED That the following articles be con- sidered articles of compact among the free citizens of this territory." In the Organic Laws of 1843, the boundaries of Oregon were not set forth. Four districts or counties were created. The two northern districts were Twality and Clackamas. Twality District was declared to comprise: