THE OREGON PRINTING ASSOCIATION
By Nellie B. Pipes
With the increase in the American population of Oregon after the immigration of 1843 a sentiment arose for a means of intelligence regarding the affairs of the community. The leaders who had been active in forming the Multnomah Circulating Library now took active steps to promote an association to raise funds for securing a press and printing a newspaper.[1] This was the beginning of the Oregon Printing Association. In its first issue the Oregon Spectator printed the constitution of the association, but in the Oregon Historical Society are a number of documents, minutes of meetings and correspondence, which tell something of the story of the formation and early plans of the organization.
The earliest document (though undated it must be early in 1844) sets forth that
Whereas there is at present no press or public paper in this territory therefore we the undersigned in order to promote science, temperance, morality and general intelligence, to secure a press and to establish a monthly, semi monthly or weekly paper, do hereby severally promise and bind ourselves to pay the sum set to our respective names to the treasurer who shall be duly appointed by the subscribers hereunto annexed at some regular meeting as hereinafter provided and further binding ourselves to form an association to be governed by such rules and articles of compact and agreement as shall be adopted at some regular meeting of said subscribers by a majority present, notice having been given to that effect.
Article 1. The style of this association shall be the Oregon Lyceum.
Article 2. The stock of this association shall consist of shares of $10 each and shall entitle the holder to a certificate for each share and the holder thereof for every certificate, signed by the President and Secy, one vote in all business pertaining in any way to said association.
Article 3. There shall be a board of the officers chosen by ballot annually to conduct the press and attend to all the business pertaining to the association consisting of a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and a committee of three who shall constitute a board of directors.
Article 4. When there shall have been taken up upon the several subscription papers the amount of $500 in stock George Abernethy, Harvey Clark, W. H. Gray, the committee, whose
duty it shall be to obtain subscribers and [will] call a meeting of
- ↑ Gray, History of Oregon, 454.
