FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON
263
after the election qualifications both for voting and for office holding were to be fixed by the Legislative Assembly. W. W. Campbell, a Native American of York, moved to insert
New
in the proper place the words "who States." After some discussion an
is
a citizen of the United
amendment suggested by up the difficulty: to the
Douglas was adopted as clearing original provision was added the proviso, "that the right of suffrage shall be exercised only by citizens of the United States and those who shall have declared on oath, before some court of record, their intention to become such, and shall have taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the provisions of this act."
The slavery issue was not so easily disposed of. It was well understood that the war with Mexico would not leave the territorial situation of the United States as
before the outbreak of hostilities
tween the Rockies and the
first
it
had been
furthermore, the region bebelt of States west of the
was already offering attractions to pioneer spirits who would carry with them their accustomed institutions and ideas. That particular portion of the slavery discussion and resultant legislation which ended with the Compromise Mississippi
measures of 1850
may
be said to have started with the debate in the winter of 1846-7. As the bill
on the Oregon Territory
for Oregon's organization was being read to the House James Thompson, a Pennsylvania Democrat, desired to know whether an amendment suggested by him relative to slavery had been included. Douglas read the 12th section which he thought would satisfy the query "The inhabitants of said territory shall be entitled to enjoy all and singular the rights, privileges and advantages granted and secured to the people of the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio river, by the articles of compact contained in the ordinance for the government of said territory, on the 13th day of July, 1787; and shall be subject to all the conditions, and restrictions, and prohibitions in said articles of compact imposed on the people of
said territory."
