The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 18, July 1914 - April, 1915 Page: 147
438 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Early Bentiment for Annexation of California
the debates in Congress. As late as March, 1846, in a discussion
of the Oregon question, Senator Evans of Maine declared the
union of that territory and California, separated as they were from
the United States by an almost impassable barrier of mountains,
would promote the interests of this country much more as an in-
dependent nation than as a territorial possession." On the other
hand, an opponent of Evans assured the senate that unless some
action was speedily taken to settle the status of the region around
the Columbia, the settlers there would place themselves under
French or English protection, be joined by the Californians, and
eventually control the coast from the Isthmus of Darien to the
southern boundaries of Alaska."4
As a local affair, the proposed union with Oregon aroused con-
siderable speculation in California. Lansford W. Hastings had
come to the province in 1842 with the express purpose, as we have
seen, of bringing about its separation from Mexico and uniting it
either with Texas or with Oregon, in the latter event making him-
self president of the new Republic.5
In the intervening years his time had been occupied in efforts
to encourage emigration throughout the United States, and with
the conducting of parties, thus organized, into California."6 By
1845 the idea of independence and union with Oregon was fre-
quently mentioned in the correspondence of American residents,
some of whom favored it above annexation to the United States.57
Dr. John Marsh, one of the older settlers, communicated his views
at some length to Larkin, but took the ground that California
must first become part of the American Union and not attempt a
separate existence with Oregon until immigration should render
such a step advisable.", Continuing, Marsh said that the settlers
O8Cong. Globe, 29 Cong., 1 sess., p. 478.
"4Ibid.. 350.
"Bidwell, Life in Oalifornia, 110-112; 116; Calhoun Correspondence,
940 et seq.; Bancroft, XXI, 578.
"OHartnell to Wyllie, March 17, 1844. Vallejo Docurmentos, XXXII,
No. 14.
"Stephen Reynolds (Oahu) to Larkin, April 19, 1845-Believes if Cali-
fornia unites with the United States the nation will be too unwieldly to
last (Lnrkin MSS., III, No. 116); Atherton to Larkin, Feb. 11, 1845.
Tbid., No. 25.
"?Marsh to Larkin. Larkin MSS., III, No. 247. Marsh included the
territory north of the Columbia in his scheme, perhaps as far as the 54th147
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 18, July 1914 - April, 1915, periodical, 1915; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101064/m1/153/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.