202 LESLIE M. SCOTT
Oregon, and the disfavor of his constituents in this matter defeated him for Congress in the next election.
Before proceeding with details of the convention it may be in place to narrate briefly the matters that led up to the bestowal of an Oregon proxy on Greeley.
The Republican party in Oregon was active and resolute, but was a minority. It carried the State afterwards in 1860 for Lincoln by a small plurality over the Breckinridge and Douglas factions of the Democratic party. The antislavery leaders were determined to be represented in the Chicago convention.
But Oregon was four or five weeks distant from the Eastern centers. There was no transcontinental telegraph until Octo- ber 24, 1861, to San Francisco, and until March 5, 1864, to Portland (through line). News was transmitted by mail to and from the Eastern States, either by the pony express, via Salt Lake and Sacramento, or by the Isthmus of Panama. Oregon Republicans could not follow Eastern politics closely enough to participate in the preliminary movements. Its dele- gates, therefore, had to be free to exercise their own judg- ments as to the fittest course to pursue.
The Republican State convention met at Salem, April 21, 1859 more than a year ahead of the National convention. The State convention did not know what the apportionment of delegates for Oregon would be, but could not wait for the apportionment notice to arrive, probably nine months later, because the next State convention would not meet early enough to choose the delegates. So the State convention of 1859, taking for granted that Oregon would have at least three dele- gates that being its electoral vote for President chose that number of delegates A. G. Hovey, Dr. W. Warren and Lean- der Holmes. It instructed them to support William H. Seward, of New York, for President, "but, in case they cannot secure his nomination, their further proceedings are left to their dis- cretion."
