170 NELLIE B. PIPES
1844, the shareholders assembled at the schoolhouse, Oregon City, only to adjourn till the next evening.
On October 2, J. W. Nesmith was chairman. The treasurer reported that he had forwarded to the states the sum of $800 to purchase a printing press, paper and ink. J. W. Nesmith and Peter H. Hatch were named committeemen in place of S. P . Rogers, deceased, and A. F. Waller, absent. Joseph L. Meek was appointed collector for the association with compensation fixed at two and one half percent of the collections. On a list of subscriptions amounting to $775, a total of $365 is marked paid.
Meetings were held on June 3 and July 9, 1845, but the minutes do not record anything beyond routine business.
There is no record in the documents of the arrival of the press, but it must have come late in 1845, as in the minutes of January 3, 1846, it was reported that "$60 had been borrowed from Mr. Ermatinger with which the freight due Mr. Stark had been paid." At this time the name of Oregon Spectator was chosen for the paper. At this meeting, too, the choice of editor was considered. William G. T'Vault had addressed an offer December 27, 1845, to undertake the duty for $300 for one year beginning January 1, 1846. His letter is endorsed, "W. G. T'Vault's proposal accepted." H. A. G. Lee was also a candidate for the position and had offered his services for $600 a year. The board of directors had asked each of the applicants to submit a prospectus of his qualifications and terms for consideration at the meeting of January 3, 1846. Lee's reply shows some indignation at the method pursued by the board in making a choice:
Oregon City, Jany 3 1846
Doct. Long
Dear Sir
Having previously submitted through you a proposition to serve the Board of Directors of the Oregon printing association, as editor, and subsequently learned from you that they had received a proposal from another, to serve them, and also that the board had not determined on the choice of the two, but had defered settleing the point until this evening, requesting the Candidates in the mean time to draft and submit to them a Prospectus; I beg leave to inform the board, through you, that at the time of making the proposal, I had no knowledge of any
other individual's wishing the office, if I had I should not have
