358 GOVERNMENT AND GENERAL DEVELOPMENT.

principles upon the alleged participation in the Whit man massacre of the catholic priesthood. 24

Anything like cant entering into American politics has always proven a failure; and the democratic party were not too refined to give utterance to an honest disgust of the bigotry which attempted it in Oregon. The election resulted in the complete triumph of democracy, Lane s majority being twenty-one hun dred and forty-nine. 25 There were but four whigs elected to the assembly, two in each house. A dem ocratic prosecuting attorney was elected in each judi cial district. 26 The party had indeed secured every thing it aimed at, excepting the vote for a state con stitution, and that measure promised to be soon se cured, as the majority against it had lessened more than half since the last election.

In spite of and perhaps on account of the dom inance of democratic influence in Oregon, there was a conviction growing in the minds of thinking people not governed by partisan feeling, which w r as in time to revolutionize politics, and bring confusion upon the men who lorded it so valiantly in these times. This

was, that the struggle for the extension of slave ter-

ii ritory which the southern states were making, aided

and abetted by the national democratic party, would be renewed when the state constitution came to be formed, and that they must be ready to meet the emergency.

In view of the danger that by some political jug glery the door would be left open for the admission of slavery, a convention of free-soilers was called to meet at Albany on the 27th of June, 1855. Little more was done at this time than to pass resolutions

24 Or. Am. Evang. Unionist, Aug. 2, 1848.

"Official, in Or. Statesman, June 30, 1855. The Tribune Almanac for 1856 gives Lane s majority as 2,235. The entire vote cast was 10,121. There were believed to be about 11,100 voters in the territory.

26 George K. Sheil in the 1st district; Thomas S. Brandon in the 2d; R. PI Stratton in the 3d; and W. G. T Vault in Jackson county, which was al lowed to constitute a district.