Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/140

132 FREDERICK V. HOLM AN north of the Columbia River, brought matters to a condition that was liable to create friction, if not serious trouble, between the Provisional Government and the Hudson's Bay Company. If the Provisional Government should attempt to control the Hudson's Bay Company and to collect taxes on its prop- erty, without its consent, a very serious condition would have ensued which might have resulted in a conflict of arms. The Act of the Provisional Government of December, 1844, de- claring the, northern boundary line of Oregon to be latitude 54 degrees and 40 minutes, was an echo of the popular cry of "54-40 or fight" which had elected James K. Polk as President of the United States in 1844. As I have said, the immigration of 1843 comprised about 875 persons. The immigration of 1844, which arrived in the fall of that year, had about 1400 persons. It was known in Oregon in the summer of 1845, that the immigration of 1845 which would arrive in the fall of that year would be a large one. It was made up of about 3000 persons. Joseph L. Meek, as Sheriff, in the spring of 1845 took a census. Practically it was of the residents of the Willamette Valley at the end of the year 1844. It showed a population of 2110 of whom 1259 were males and 851 females. (Vol. 1 ? page 267, Elwood Evans' "History of the Pacific Northwest"). It was at this critical time and shortly after the adoption of the new Organic Law by vote of the people July 26, 1845, that Jesse Applegate privately interviewed Dr. John Mc- Loughlin as to the desirability, if not the necessity, of the Hud- son's Bay Company and its officers and employes uniting with the American citizens in the Provisional Government. Dr. McLoughlin at first objected. Applegate then urged on Dr. McLoughlin the security it would be to his company, and how it would be for the maintenance of peace and order if British subjects and American citizens were united in Oregon in a provisional government, which would not conflict with their duties and rights to their respective governments. The result was that Dr. McLoughlin consented, but on the condition that his company should not be compelled to pay taxes on its goods