S. Bill 324—1 sess. 30 Cong.
amdts to printed bill
amdts to printed bill
Page 1 line 12 make undistinguished read unxtinguished
Page 7 line 4 after which insert shall
Page 12 at end of line 5 insert “the constitution and”
Page 12 line 6 after act insert “for three months after the first meeting of the legislature in said territory.”
Page 12 line 8 before “laws” insert “constitution and”
Page 20 at end of line 38 insert “except only &c &c
Page 21 line 48 strike “such”
Page 22 at the end of line 10 insert “the prohibition or establishment of African
Page 28 line 37 after “united States” insert “except only &c &c
<Page 2>
BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of
America in Congress assembled, THAT from and after the passage of this act, all that part of the territory of the United
States which lies west of the summit of the Rocky Mountains, and north of the forty-second
parallel of latitude, shall be organized into, and constitute, a temporary government
by the name of the Territory of Oregon: Provided, That nothing in this act contained
shall be construed to impair the rights of person or property now pertaining to the
Indians in said territory, so long as such rights shall remain unextinguished by treaty
between the United States and such Indians, or to affect the authority of the government
of the United States, to make any regulation respecting such Indians, their lands,
property, or other rights, by treaty, law, or otherwise, which it would have been
competent to the government to make if this act had never passed. And provided, further,
That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to inhibit the government of
the United States from dividing said territory into two or more territories, in such
manner, and at such times, as Congress shall deem convenient and proper; or from attaching
any portion of said territory to any other State or Territory of the United States.
<Page 3>
Sec. 2 And be it further enacted, That the Executive power and authority in and over
said territory of Oregon shall be vested in a governor, who shall hold his office
for four years, and until his successor shall be appointed and qualified, unless sooner
removed by the President of the United States. The Governor shall reside within said
territory, shall be commander-in-chief of the militia thereof, shall perform the duties
and receive the emoluments of superintendent of Indian affairs; he may grant pardons for offences against the laws of said territory, and reprieves
for offences against the laws of the United States until the decision of the President
can be made known thereon; he shall commission all officers who shall be appointed
to office under the laws of the said territory, and shall take care that the laws
be faithfully executed.
Sec. 3 And be it further enacted, That there shall be a Secretary of said Territory,
who shall reside therein, and hold his office for four years, unless
<Page 4>
sooner removed by the President of the United States; he shall record and preserve
all the laws and proceedings of the legislative assembly hereinafter constituted,
and all the acts and proceedings of the governor in his executive department; he shall
transmit one copy of the laws and one copy of the executive proceedings, on or before
the first day of December in each year, to the President of the United States, and,
at the same time, two copies of the laws to the Speaker of the House of Representatives
and the President of the Senate, for the use of Congress. And, in case of the death,
removal, resignation, or other necessary absence of the governor from the territory,
the Secretary shall have, and he is hereby authorized and required to execute and
perform, all the powers and duties of the governor, during such vacancy or necessary
absence, or until another governor shall be duly appointed to fill such vacancy.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the legislative power and authority of said
territory shall be vested in theLegislative assembly. The Legislative assembly shall consist of a council and House
of Representatives. The council shall consist of thirteen members,
<Page 5>
having the qualifications of voters as hereinafter prescribed, whose term of service
shall continue two years. The House of Representatives shall, at its first session,
consist of twenty six members, possessing the same qualifications as prescribed for
members of the council, and whose term of service shall continue one year. The number
of representatives may be increased by the legislative assembly from time to time,
in proportion to the increase of population. Provided, That the whole number shall
never exceed thirty-nine. An apportionment shall be made, as nearly equal as practicable,
among the several counties or districts, for the election of the Council and Representatives,
giving to each section of the territory representation in the ratio of its population,
Indians excepted, as nearly as may be. And the members of the council and of the
House of Representatives shall reside in and be inhabitants of the district for which
they may be elected respectively. Previous to the first election, the Governor shall
cause the census or enumeration of the inhabitants of the several counties and districts
of the territory to be taken, and the first election shall be held at such time and
places, and be conducted in such manner,
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as the Governor shall appoint and direct; and he shall, at the same time, declare
the number of members of the council and House of Representatives to which each of
the counties or districts shall be entitled under this act. The number of persons
authorized to be elected having the highest number of votes in each of said council
districts for members of the council shall be declared by the Governor to be duly
elected to the council; and the person or persons authorized to be elected having
the greatest number of votes for the House of Representatives, equal to the number
to which each county or district shall be entitled, shall be declared by the Governor
to be duly elected members of the House of Representatives: Provided, That, in case
of a tie between two or more persons voted for, the Governor shall order a new election
to supply the vacancy made by such tie. And the persons thus elected to the Legislative
assembly shall meet at such place, and on such day, as the Governor shall appoint;
but, thereafter, the time, place, and manner of holding and conducting all elections
by the people, and the apportioning the representation, in the several counties or
districts, to the council and House of
<Page 7>
Representatives, according to the population, shall be pres-cribed by law, as well
as the day of the commencement of the regular sessions of the Legislative Assembly:
Provided, That no one session shall exceed the term of sixty days.
Sec. 5 And be it further enacted, That every free white male inhabitant above the
age of twenty one years, who shall have been a resident of said territory at the time
of the passage of this act, shall be entitled to vote at the first election, and shall
be eligible to any office within the said territory; but the qualifications of voters
and of holding office, at all subsequent elections, shall be such as shall be prescribed
by the Legislative Assembly: Provided, That the right of suffrage and of holding office
shall be exercised only by citizens of the United States and those who shall have
declared, on oath, 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.
Sec 6. And be it further enacted, That the Legislative power of the Territory shall
extend to all rightful subjects of legislation consistent with the constitution of
the United States, and the provisions
<Page 8>
of this act; but no law shall be passed interfering with the primary disposal of the
soil; no tax shall be imposed upon the property of the United States; nor shall the
lands or other property of non-residents be taxed higher than the lands or other property
of residents. All the laws passed by the legislative assembly shall be submitted
to the congress of the United States, and if dis-approved, shall be null and of no
effect.
Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That all township, district and county officers,
not herein otherwise provided for, shall be appointed or elected, as the case may
be, in such manner as shall be provided by the legislative assembly of the territory
of Oregon. The governor shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of
the legislative council, appoint all officers not herein otherwise provided for; and
in the first instance the governor alone may appoint all said officers, who shall
hold their offices until the end of the next session of the legislative assembly.
Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That no member of the legislative assembly shall
hold or be appointed to any office which shall have been created, or the salary or
<Page 9>
emoluments of which shall have been increased, while he was a member, during the
term for which he was elected, and for one year after the expiration of such term;
and no person holding a commission or appointment under the United States, except
postmasters, shall be a member of the legislative assembly, or shall hold any office
under the government of said territory.
Sec. 9 And be it further enacted, That the judicial power of said territory shall
be vested in a Supreme court, District courts, Probate courts, and in Justices of
the peace. The Supreme court shall consist of a chief Justice and two associate Justices,
any two of whom shall constitute a quorum, and who shall hold a term at the seat of
government of said territory annually, and they shall hold their offices during the
period of four years. The said territory shall be divided into three judicial districts,
and a district court shall be held in each of said districts by one of the justices
of the Supreme court, at such times and places as may be prescribed by law; and the
said judges shall, after their appointments, respectively, reside in the districts
which shall be assigned them. The juris-diction of the several courts herein
<Page 10>
provided for, both appellate and original, and that of the probate courts, and of
justices of the peace, shall be as limited by law: Provided, That justices of the
peace shall not have juris-diction of any matter in controversy when the title or
boundaries of land may be in dispute, or where the debt or sum claimed shall exceed
one hundred dollars; and the said Supreme and District courts, respectively, shall
possess a chancery as well as common law juris-diction. Each District court, or the
judge thereof, shall appoint its clerk, who shall also be the register in chancery,
and shall keep his office at the place where the court may be held. Writs of error,
bills of exception, and appeals, shall be allowed in all cases from the final decisions
of said District courts to the Supreme court, under such regulations as may be pres-cribed
by law; but in no case removed to the Supreme courts shall trial by jury allowed in
said court. The Supreme court or the justices thereof, shall appoint its own clerk,
and every clerk shall
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hold his office at the pleasure of the court for which he shall have been appointed.
Writs of error and appeals from the final decisions of said Supreme court shall be
allowed, and may be taken to the Supreme court of the United States, in the same manner
and under the same regulations as from the circuit court of the United States, and
each of the said district courts shall have and exercise the same juris-diction in
all cases arising under the constitution and laws of the United States as is vested
in the circuit and district courts of the United States; and the first six days of
every term of said courts, or so much thereof as shall be necessary, shall be appropriated
to the trial of causes arising under the said constitution and laws; and writs of
error and appeals, in all such cases, shall be made to the Supreme court of said territory,
the same as in other cases. The said clerk shall receive, in all such cases the same
fees which the clerks of the district courts of Wisconsin Territory heretofore received
for similar services.
<Page 12>
Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That there shall be appointed an attorney for
said territory, who shall continue in office for four years, unless sooner removed
by the President, and who shall receive the same fees and salary as were received
by the attorney of the United States for the Territory of Wisconsin. There shall
also be a marshal for the territory appointed, who shall hold his office for four
years, unless sooner removed by the President, and who shall execute all processesses
issuing from the said courts when exercising their jurisdiction as circuit and district
courts of the United States; he shall perform the duties, be subject to the same regulation
and penalties, and be entitled to the same fees, as were received by the marshal of
the district court of the United States for the Territory of Wisconsin; and shall,
in addition be paid two hundred dollars annually as a compensation for extra services.
Sec 11. And be it further enacted, That the governor, secretary, chief justice and
associate justices, attorney and marshal shall be nominated, and by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate appointed, by the President of the United States. The governor
and secretary to be appointed as aforesaid shall, before they act as such, respectively
take an oath or affirmation, before the district Judge or some justice of the peace
in the limits of said territory, duly authorized to administer oaths and affirmations
by the laws now in force therein, or before the chief justice or some associate justice
of the Supreme Court of the United States, to support the constitution of the United
States, and faithfully to discharge the duties of their respective offices; which
said oaths, when so taken, shall be certified by the person by whom
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the same shall have been taken, and such certificates shall be received and recorded
by the said secretary among the executive proceedings. And the chief justice and
associate justices, and all other civil officers in said territory, before they act
as such, shall take a like oath or affirmation before the said governor or secretary,
or some judge or justice of the peace of the territory, who may be duly commissioned
and qualified, which said oath or affirmation shall be certified and transmitted,
by the person taking the same, to the secretary, to be by him recorded as aforesaid;
and, afterwards, the like oath or affirmation shall be taken, certified and recorded,
in such manner and form as may be prescribed by law. The governor shall receive an
annual salary of fifteen hundred dollars as governor and fifteen hundred dollars as
superintendent of Indian affairs. The chief justice and associate justices shall
each receive an annual salary of eighteen hundred dollars. The secretary shall receive
an annual salary of eighteen hundred dollars. The said salaries shall be paid quarter
yearly, at the treasury of the United States. The members of the legislative assembly
shall be entitled to receive three dollars each per day during their attendance at
the sessions thereof, and three dollars each for every twenty miles travel in going
to and returning from the said sessions, estimated according to the nearest usually
travelled route. There shall be appropriated, annually, the sum of one thousand dollars
to be expended by the governor to defray the contingent expenses of the territory;
and there shall also be appropriated, annually, a sufficient sum, to be expended by
the secretary of the territory, and upon an estimate to be made by the Secretary of
the Treasury of the United States, to defray the
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expenses of the legislative assembly, the printing of the laws, and other incidental
expenses; and the secretary of the territory shall annually account to the Secretary
of the Treasury of the United States for the manner in which the aforesaid sum shall
have been expended.
Sec. 12. And be it further enacted, That the existing laws now in force in the territory
of Oregon, under the authority of the provisional government established by the people
thereof, shall continue to be valid and operative therein, so far as the same be not
incompatible with the Constitution and the provisions of this act, for three months
after the first meeting of the legislature in said territory; subject, nevertheless,
to be altered, modified,, or repealed, by the legislative assembly of the said territory of Oregon; and the
Constitution and laws of the United States hereby extended over and declared to be
in force in said territory, so far as the same, or any provision thereof, may be applicable.
Sec. 13. And be it further enacted, That the legislative assembly of the territory
of Oregon shall hold its first session at such time and place in said territory as
the governor thereof shall appoint and direct; and at said first session, or as soon
thereafter as they shall deem expedient, the legislative assembly shall proceed to
locate and establish the seat of government for said territory at such place as they
may deem eligible; which place, however, shall thereafter be subject to be changed
by the legislative assembly. And the sum of twenty thousand dollars, out of any money
in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, is hereby appropriated and granted to
said territory of Oregon, to be applied by the governor and legislative assembly thereof
to the erection of suitable public buildings at the seat of government.
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Sec. 14. And be it further enacted That a delegate to the House of Representatives
of the United States, to serve for the term of two years, may be elected by the voters
qualified to elect members of the legislative assembly who shall be entitled to the
same rights and privileges as are exercised and enjoyed by the delegates from the
several other Territories of the United States to the said House of Representatives.
The first election shall be held at such time and places, and be conducted in such
manner, as the governor shall appoint and direct; and at all subsequent elections,
the time, places, and manner of holding elections shall be prescribed by law. The
person having the greatest number of votes shall be declared by the governor to be
duly elected, and a certificate thereof shall be given accordingly.
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Sec. 15. And be it further enacted, That all suits, process and proceedings, civil
and criminal, at law and in chancery, and all indictments and informations, which
shall be pending and undetermined in the courts established by authority of the provisional
government of Oregon, within the limits of said territory, when this act shall take
effect, shall be transferred to be heard, tried, prosecuted and determined in the
district courts hereby established, which may include the counties or districts where
any such proceedings may be pending. All bonds, recognizances, and obligations of
every kind whatsoever, valid under the existing laws within the limits of said territory,
shall be valid under this act; and all crimes and misdemeanors against the laws in
force within said limits, may be prosecuted, tried, and punished in the courts established
by this act; and all penalties, forfeitures, actions, and causes of action, may be
recovered, under this act, the same as they would have been under the laws in force
within the limits composing said territory, at the time this act shall go into operation.
Sec. 16. And be it further enacted, That all justices of the peace, constables, sheriffs,
and all other judicial and ministerial officers, who shall be in office within the
limits of said territory, when this act shall take effect, shall be, and they are
hereby, authorized and required to continue to exercise and perform the duties of
their respective offices as officers of the territory of Oregon temporarily, and
until they, or others, shall be duly appointed and qualified to fill their places
in the manner herein directed, or until their offices shall be abolished.
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Sec. 17. And be it further enacted, That the sum of five thousand dollars be, and
the same is hereby, appropriated, out of any moneys in the treasury not otherwise
appropriated, to be expended, by and under the direction of the said governor of the
territory of Oregon, in the purchase of a library, to be kept at the seat of government
for the use of the governor, legislative assembly, judges of the supreme court, secretary,
marshal and attorney of said territory, and such other persons, and under such regulations,
as shall be prescribed by law.
Sec. 18. And be it further enacted, That when the lands in the said territory shall
be surveyed, under the direction of the government of the United States, preparatory
to bringing the same into market, sections numbered sixteen and thirty in each township
in said territory shall be, and the same are hereby, reserved for the purpose of being
applied to schools in said territory, and in the States and Territories hereafter
to be erected out of the same.
Sec. 19. And be it further enacted, That, temporarily, and until otherwise provided
by law, the governor of said territory may define the judicial districts of said territory,
and assign the judges who may be appointed for said territory to the several districts,
and also appoint the times and places for holding courts in the several counties or
sub-divisions in each of said judicial districts, by proclamation to be issued by
him; but the legislative assembly, at their first or any subsequent session, may organize,
alter, or modify such judicial districts, and assign the judges, and alter the time
and places of holding the courts, as to them shall seem proper and convenient.
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Sec. 20. And be it further enacted, That the sum of ten thousand dollars be, and
is hereby, appropriated, to be expended under the direction of the President of the
United States, in payment for the services and expenses of such persons as have been
engaged in conveying communications to and from the “provisional government of Oregon”
to the authorities of the United States, and the purchase of presents for such of
the Indian tribes as the peace and quietude of the country requires.
Sec. 21. And be it further enacted, That from and after the passage of this act,
all that part of the territories of the United States called Upper California, acquired
by the treaty of peace, friendship, limits and settlement between the United States
of America and the Mexican republic, concluded at Guadalupe Hidalgo, on the second
day of February, eighteen hundred and forty-eight, shall be organized into, and constitute
a temporary government by the name of California: Provided, That nothing in this act
contained shall be construed to impair the rights of person or property now pertaining
to the Indians in said territory, so long as such rights shall remain unextinguished
by treaty between the United States and such Indians; or to affect the authority of
the government of the United States to make any regulation respecting such Indians,
their lands, property, or other rights, by treaty, law, or otherwise, which it would
have been competent to the government to make if this act had never passed. And provided,
further, That nothing in this act contained shall
<Page 19>
be construed to inhibit the government of the United States from dividing said territory
into two or more territories, in such manner, and at such times, as Congress shall
deem convenient and proper; or from attaching any portion of said territory to any
other State or Territory of the United States.
Sec. 22. And be it further enacted, That the executive power and authority in and
over said territory of California shall be vested in a governor, who shall hold his
office for four years, and until his successor shall be appointed and qualified, unless
sooner removed by the President of the United States. The governor shall reside within
said territory, shall be Commander-in-chief of the militia thereof, shall perform
the duties and receive the emoluments of superintendent of Indian Affairs; he may
grant pardons for offences against the laws of said territory, and reprieve for offences
against the laws of the United States until the decision of the President can be made
known thereon; he shall commission all officers who shall be appointed to office under
the laws of the said territory, and shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.
<Page 20>
Sec. 23. And be it further enacted That there shall be a secretary of said territory,
who shall reside therein, and hold his office for four years, unless sooner removed
by the President of the United States; he shall record and preserve all the laws and
proceedings of the legislative assembly hereinafter constituted, and all the acts
and proceedings of the governor in his executive department; he shall transmit one
copy of the laws and one copy of the executive proceedings, on or before the first
day of December in each year, to the President of the United States, and, at the same
time, two copies of the laws to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the
President of the Senate, for the use of Congress. And, in case of the death, removal,
resignation, or other necessary absence of the governor from the territory, the secretary
shall have, and he is hereby authorized and required to execute and perform, all the
powers and duties of the governor, during such vacancy or necessary absence, or until
another governor shall be duly appointed to fill such vacancy.
Sec. 24. And be it further enacted That the judicial power of said territory shall
be vested in a supreme court, district courts, probate courts, and in justices of
the peace. The supreme court shall consist of a chief justice and two associate justices,
any two of whom shall constitute a quorum, and who shall hold a term at the seat of
government of said territory annually, and they shall hold their offices during the
period of four years. The said territory shall be divided into three judicial districts,
and a district court shall be held in each of said districts by one of the justices
of the supreme court, at such times and places as
<Page 21>
may be prescribed by law; and the said judges shall, after their appointments, respectively,
reside in the districts which shall be assigned them. The jurisdiction of the several
courts herein provided for, both appellate and original, and that of the probate courts,
and of justices of the peace, shall be as limited by law: Provided, That justices
of the peace shall not have jurisdiction of any matter in controversy when the title
or boundaries of land may be in dispute, or where the debt or sum claimed shall exceed
one hundred dollars; and the said supreme and district courts, respectively, shall
possess a chancery as well as common law jurisdiction. Each district court, or the
judge thereof, shall appoint its clerk, who shall also be the register in chancery,
and shall keep his office at the place where the court may be held. Writs of error,
bills of exception, and appeals, shall be allowed in all cases from the final decision
of said district courts to the supreme court, under such regulations as may be prescribed
by law; but in no case, removed to the supreme court, shall trial by jury be allowed
in said court. The supreme court, or the justices thereof, shall appoint its own
clerk, and every clerk shall hold his office at the pleasure of the court for which
he shall have been appointed. Writs of error and appeals from the final decisions
of said supreme court shall be allowed, and may be taken to the supreme Court of the
United States, in the same manner and under the same regulations as from the circuit
courts of the United States except only that in all cases involving title to slaves,
thesaid writs of error or appeals shall be allowed and decided by the said Supreme court
without regard to the value of the matter, property or title in controversy; and except
also, That a writ of error or appeal shall also be allowed to the Supreme Court of
the United States from the decision of the said Supreme Court created by this act,
or any judge thereof, or of the district courts created by this act, or of any judge
thereof, upon any writ of habeas Corpus involving the question of personal freedom;
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and each of the said district courts shall have and exercise the same jurisdiction
in all cases arising under the constitution and laws of the United States as is vested
in the circuit and district courts of the United States; and the first six days of every term of said courts, or so much thereof as shall be necessary,
shall be appropriated to the trial of causes arising under the said constitution and
laws; and writs of error and appeals in all such cases shall be made to the supreme
court of said territory, the same as in other cases. The said clerk shall receive
in all cases, the same fees which the clerks of the district courts of Wisconsin Territory
heretofore received for similar services.
Sec. 25. And be it further enacted, That there shall be appointed an attorney for
said territory, who shall continue in office for four years, unless sooner removed
by the President, and who shall receive the same fees and salary as were received
by the attorney of the United States for the Territory of Wisconsin. There shall
also be a marshal for the territory appointed, who shall hold his office for four
years, unless sooner removed by the President, and who shall execute all processes
issuing from the said courts, when exercising their jurisdiction as circuit and district
courts of the United States; he shall perform the duties, be subject to the same regulations
and penalties, and be entitled to the same fees, as were received by the marshal of
the district court of the United States for the Territory of Wisconsin; and shall,
in addition, be paid two hundred dollars annually as a compensation for extra services.
Sec. 26. And be it further enacted, That the legislative power of said territory
shall, until Congress shall otherwise provide, be vested in the governor, secretary,
and judges of the supreme court, who, or a majority of them, shall have power to pass
any law for the administration
<Page 23>
of justice in said territory, which shall not be repugnant to this act, or inconsistent
with the laws and constitution of the United States. But no law shall be passed interfering
with the primary disposal of the soil, respecting an establishment of religion, or
respecting the prohibition or establishment of African Slavery; and no tax shall be
imposed upon the property of the United States, nor shall the lands or other property
of non-residents be taxed higher than the lands or other property of residents. All
the laws shall be submitted to the Congress of the United States, and, if disapproved,
shall be null and void.
Sec. 27. And be it further enacted, That the governor, secretary, chief justice and
associate justices, attorney and marshal, shall be nominated, and, by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate, appointed by the President of the United States.
The governor and secretary to be appointed as aforesaid shall, before they act as
such, respectively take an oath or affirmation, before the district judge, or some
justice of the peace in the limits of said territory, duly authorized to administer
oaths and affirmations by the laws now in force therein, or before the chief justice
or some associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, to support the
constitution of the United States, and faithfully to discharge the duties of their
respective offices; which said oaths when so taken, shall be certified by the person
by whom the same shall have been taken, and such certificates shall be received and
recorded by the said secretary among the executive proceedings. And the chief justice
and associate justices, and all other civil officers in said territory, before they
act as such, shall take a like oath or affirmation before the said governor or secretary,
or some
<Page 24>
judge or justice of the peace of the territory, who may be duly commissioned and
qualified, which said oath or affirmation shall be certified and transmitted by the
person taking the same, to the Secretary, to be by him recorded as aforesaid; and,
afterwards, the like oath or affirmation shall be taken, certified, and recorded in
such manner and form as may be prescribed by law. The governor shall receive an annual
salary of fifteen hundred dollars as governor, and fifteen hundred dollars as superintendent
of Indians Affairs. The chief justice and associate justices shall each receive an
annual salary of eighteen hundred dollars. The secretary shall received an annual
salary of eighteen hundred dollars. The said salaries shall be paid quarter-yearly
at the treasury of the United States. There shall be appropriated, annually, the
sum of one thousand dollars, to be expended by the governor, to defray the contingent
expenses of the territory; and there shall also be appropriated, annually, a sufficient
sum, to be expended by the Secretary of the territory, and upon an estimate to be
made by the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, to defray the expenses
of the printing of the laws, and other incidental expenses; and the secretary of the
territory shall annually account to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States
for the manner in which the aforesaid sum shall have been expended.
Sec. 28. And be it further enacted, That, from and after the passage of this act,
all that part of the territories of the United States called New Mexico, acquired
by the treaty of peace, friendship, limits, and settlement between the United States
of America and the Mexican republic, concluded at
<Page 25>
Guadalupe Hidalgo, on the second day of February, eighteen hundred and forty-eight,
shall be organized into, and constitute, a temporary government, by the name of the
Territory of New Mexico: Provided, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed
to impair the rights of person or property now pertaining to the Indians in said territory,
so long as such rights shall remain unextinguished by treaty between the United States
and such Indians; or to effect the authority of the government of the United States,
to make any regulation respecting such Indians, their lands, property, or other rights,
by treaty, law, or otherwise, which it would have been competent to the government
to make if this act had never passed. And provided further, That nothing in this
act contained shall be construed to inhibit the government of the United States from
dividing said territory into two or more territories, in such manner, and at such
times, as Congress shall deem convenient and proper; or from attaching any portion
of said territory to any other State or Territory of the United States.
Sec. 29. And be it further enacted, That the executive power and authority in and
over said territory of New Mexico shall be vested in a governor, who shall hold his
office for four years, and until his successor shall be appointed and qualified, unless
sooner removed by the President of the United States. The governor shall reside within
said territory, shall be commander-in-chief of the militia thereof, shall perform
the duties and receive the emoluments of superintendent of Indians affairs; he may
grant pardons for offences
<Page 26>
against the laws of said territory, and reprieves for offences against the laws of
the United States, until the decision of the President can be made known thereon;
he shall commission all officers who shall be appointed to office under the laws of
the said territory and shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.
Sec. 30 And be it further enacted, That there shall be a secretary of said territory,
who shall reside therein, and hold his office for four years, unless sooner removed
by the President of the United States; he shall record and preserve all the laws and
proceedings of the legislative assembly hereinafter constituted, and all the acts
and proceedings of the governor in his executive department; he shall transmit one
copy of the laws and one copy of the executive proceedings, on or before the first
day of December in each year, to the President of the United States, and, at the same
time, two copies of the laws to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the
President of the Senate, for the use of Congress. And, in case of the death, removal,
resignation or other necessary absence of the governor from the territory, the secretary
shall have, and he is hereby authorized and required to execute and perform, all the
powers and duties of the governor, during such vacancy or necessary absence, or until
another governor shall be duly appointed to fill such vacancy.
Sec 31 And be it further enacted That the judicial power of said territory shall be
vested in a supreme court, district courts, probate courts, and in justices of the peace. The
supreme court shall consist of a chief justice, and one associate justice, who
<Page 27>
shall hold a term at the seat of government of said territory annually, and they shall
hold their offices during the period of four years. The said territory shall be divided
into two judicial districts, and a district court shall be held in each of said districts
by one of the justices of the supreme court, at such times and places as may be prescribed
by law; and the said judges shall, after their appointments, respectively, reside
in the districts which shall be assigned them. The jurisdiction of the several courts
herein provided for, both appellate and original, and that of the probate courts,
and of justices of the peace, shall be as limited by law: Provided, That justices
of the peace shall not have jurisdiction of any matter in controversy when the title
or boundaries of land may be in dispute, or where the debt or sum claimed shall exceed
one hundred dollars; and the said supreme and district courts, respectively, shall
possess a chancery as well as common law jurisdiction. Each district court, or the
judge thereof, shall appoint its clerk, who shall also be the register in chancery,
and shall keep his office at the place where the court may be held. Writs of error,
bills of exception, and appeals, shall be allowed in all cases from the final decisions
of said district courts to the supreme court, under such regulations as may be prescribed
by law; but in no case removed to the supreme court shall trial by jury be allowed
in said court. The supreme court, or the justices thereof, shall appoint its own
clerk, and every clerk shall hold its office at the pleasure of the court for which
he shall have been appointed. Writs of error and appeals from the final decisions
of said Supreme Court shall be allowed and may be taken to the Supreme Court of the
United States in the same manner and under the
<Page 28>
same regulations as from the circuit courts of the United States; except only that
in all cases involving title to slaves, the said writs of error or appeals shall be
allowed and decided by the said Supreme Court without regard to the value of the matter,
property or title in controversy; and except, also, that a writ of error or appeal
shall also be allowed to the Supreme Court of the United States, from the decision
of the said Supreme court created by this act, or any judge thereof, or of the district
courts created by this act, or of any judge thereof, upon any writ of habeas Corpus
involving the question of personal freedom; and each of the said district courts shall have and exercise the same jurisdiction
in all cases arising under the constitution and laws of the United States as is vested
in the circuit and district courts of the United States; and the first six days of
every term of said courts, or so much thereof as shall be necessary, shall be appropriated
to the trial of causes arising under the said constitution and laws; and writs of
error and appeals, in all such cases, shall be made to the supreme court of said territory,
the same as in other cases. The said clerk shall receive, in all such cases, the
same fees which the clerks of the district courts of Wisconsin Territory heretofore
received for similar services.
Sec. 32. And be it further enacted, That there shall be appointed an attorney for
said territory who shall continue in office for four years, unless sooner removed
by the President, and who shall receive the same fees and salary as were received
by the attorney of the United States for the Territory of Wisconsin. There shall
also be a marshal for the territory appointed, who shall hold his office for four
years, unless sooner removed by the President, and who shall execute all processes
issuing from the said courts, when exercising their jurisdiction as circuit and district
courts of the United States; he shall perform the duties, be subject to the same regulation
and penalties, and be entitled to the same fees, as were received by the
<Page 29>
marshal of the district court of the United States for the Territory of Wisconsin;
and shall, in addition, be paid two hundred dollars annually as a compensation for
extra services.
Sec. 33. And be it further enacted, That the legislative power of said Territory
shall, until Congress shall otherwise provide, be vested in the governor, secretary,
and judges of the Supreme Court, who, or a majority of them, shall have power to pass
any law for the administration of justice in said territory, which shall not be repugnant
to this act or inconsistent with the laws and constitution of the United States.
But no law shall passed respecting an establishment of religion or respecting the
prohibition or establishment of African slavery, or interfering with the primary disposal of the soil, and no tax shall be imposed upon the property of the United
States, nor shall the lands or other property of non-residents be taxed higher than
the lands or other property of residents. All the laws shall be submitted to the
Congress of the United States and if disapproved shall be null and void.
Sec. 34. And be it further enacted, That the governor, secretary, chief justice and
associate justice, attorney, and marshal, shall be nominated, and by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate appointed by the President of the United States.
The governor and secretary to be appointed as aforesaid, shall, before they act as
such, respectively take an oath or affirmation, before the district judge or some
justice of the peace in the limits of said territory duly authorized to administer
oaths and affirmations by the laws and
<Page 30>
1. . . in force therein, or before the chief justice or some associate justice of the Supreme
Court of the United States, to support the constitution of the United States, and
faithfully to discharge the duties of their respective offices; which said oaths when
so taken, shall be certified by the person by whom the same shall have been taken,
and such certificates shall be received and recorded by the said secretary among the
executive proceedings. And the chief justice and associate justice, and all other
civil officers in said territory, before they act as such, shall take a like oath
or affirmation before the said governor or secretary, or some judge or justice of
the peace of the territory, who may be duly commissioned and qualified, which said
oath or affirmation shall be certified and transmitted, by the person taking the same,
to the secretary, to be by him recorded as aforesaid; and, afterwards the like oath
or affirmation shall be taken, certified and recorded in such manner and form as may
be prescribed by law. The governor shall receive an annual salary of fifteen hundred
dollars as governor, and fifteen hundred dollars as superintendent of Indian affairs.
The chief justice and associate justice shall each receive an annual salary of eighteen
hundred dollars. The secretary shall receive an annual salary of eighteen hundred
dollars. The said salaries shall be paid quarter-yearly, at the treasury of the United
States. There shall be appropriated; annually, the sum of one thousand dollars, to
be expended by the governor to defray the contingent expenses of the territory; and
there shall also be appropriated, annually, a sufficient sum, to be expended by the
secretary of the territory, and upon an estimate to be made by the
<Page 31>
Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, to defray the expenses of printing
the laws, and other incidental expenses; and the secretary of the territory shall
annually account to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States for the manner
in which the aforesaid sum shall have been expended.
Sec. 35. And be it further enacted, That the constitution and laws of the United
States are hereby extended over and declared to be in force in said territories of
California and New Mexico, so far as the same, or any provision thereof, may be applicable.
Sec. 36. And be it further enacted, That the President of the United States, by and
with the advice and consent of the Senate, may, at his discretion, appoint for and
within the territories any number of Indian agents, not to exceed six; said agents
to receive the same pay, discharge the same duties, and be subject to the same restrictions
and liabilities as Indian agents now are by law; and that the laws regulating intercourse
with the Indian tribes now in force, shall be extended and be in force in said territories.
[ certification
]
07/26/1848
Secretary.–
07/26/1848
Passed the Senate
July 26th 1848
Attest
Asbury Dickins–July 26th 1848
Attest
Secretary.–
<Page 32>
[ docketing
]
S. 324.
An act to establish the territorial governments of Oregon, California, and New Mexico.
An act to establish the territorial governments of Oregon, California, and New Mexico.
[ docketing
]
6
Partially Printed Document, 32 page(s), Volume 469, RG 46, Entry 427: Records of the United States Senate, Thirtieth Congress, 1847-1849, Records of Legislative Proceedings, Bills and Resolutions Originating in the Senate, Senate Bills and Resolutions Upon Which Further Action Was Taken, 1847-1849, NAB