Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/347

ADDRESS 339 literary men are too rare and have too much to do in a country so new. 6th. That we want rather the system of senate, or Council, to decide quarrels, punish crimes, except capital punishment, and to make suitable regulations for the people. 7th. That the Council might be elected and composed of members from all parts of the country, after the manner of civilized countries, to act in a body, or to be represented par- ticularly by the president, for example, and by a justice of the peace for each part of the country, except the right of appeal to the entire body of the Senate. 8th. That those members be asked to devote their attention to their own and the public's welfare, through the love of right rather than through hope of gain, so as to remove from the mind of the people all suspicion of personal interest on the part of their representatives and honorable legislators. 9th. That every law burdensome and oppressive to the peo- ple especially to the newcomers must be avoided. Such are imposts, useless taxes, all kinds of registration. (This prob- ably means things that had to be registered to make them legal, and possibly requiring a stamp of the government, P. J. F.) We will have none of them. 10th. That the militia is useless at this time and rather a source of danger because the tribes of savages may take umbrage at them ; they are also the cause of delay in the neces- sary (public P. J. F.) works and at the same time they are a financial burden. We will have none of them either, for the present. 1 1th. That we consider this country as free, today and until it has been decided by the two governments; free for every- body to establish themselves in it without any distinction of origin, and without any right to fine them so that they may be- come pretended citizens of English, Spanish or American al- legiance. 12th. That, thus, we intend to be free, we, the subjects of England, as well as those of France, of Ireland, of California, or of the United States, or even the native Indians ; and we desire