From A First Hande Historie of Columbia
Written by Roger F. McCullen
1854, Mr. J.F. Pierce, Oregon City
"Ande on that day of July 2, 1841, Mr.McLoughlin did porpoise to the Lyceum that Columbia shoud bea independant. This porposition was met with greate and magnificantie celebratons from the Canadan and Brietish, but was met with stern and sullene silence from the Americans. After it had diede doon, Mr.Abernathy the Minister did stand op, and porpoised that independance should weigt four years, if America did note annex theam. Mr.McLoughlin stood op thare, and delievered a speach of great magnificance and weigt, on howe America would styfle the Northwast Spyrit. And the majoritie agreed with Mr.McLoughlin. The Lyceum was ajorned for the next weaks meetin."
(If you could not see the POD, Mr. McLoughlin went to the Lyceum meeting in Oregon City that decided independance instead of his laywer, and was thus able to convince the assembly to shout down Mr. Abernathy's proposal)
From Our Government
Written by Dr. Joseph Gregor
1923, Columbia City Press, Columbia City
"Picture, if you can, the first Lyceum meeting the week after the McLoughlin proposition was approved. The meeting was frought with many ideas for how the nation should be built. The first ten minutes of the meeting was boring, with the various introductions and small talk that made up Lyceum life. Men that day were described as "nervous, their hands shaking without their knowledge". After these social club obligations, the men dived into the meat of the meeting- forming the independant government they had voted on the week before."
"They ran into a problem first hand. They could not agree on a name. The Americans, under Mr. Abernathy, wanted to call the nation Oregon, the American name for the region. The British and Canadians wished to call it Columbia, after their own name for the region. These debate went on for thirty minutes, until a vote called by Mr. Abernathy gave the British and Candians the victory- the nation would be called Columbia, by a margin of 23 to 18."
"After this name was achieved, before the scribe could even write it down at the head of the document the Lyceum was suppossed to draft, there was another issue of the government make up. The Americans wanted a republic- the British and Canadians wanted to make it a parlimentary system with the Queen of England as their sovreign. The Americans made an especial uproar on this issue, saying that "The Lyceum had voted for independance. Independance means independance from both America and England." Needless to say, it looked like a fight was brewing on this issue. But then a compromise was reached- the Americans would get their Republic, if they allowed the Hudson's Bay Company to still maintain their forts in the region."
"This was proposed by Mr. McLoughlin, who worked for the Hudson's Bay Company. He knew that the Americans oppossed the Comapny's economical practices in the region, as they blocked the activites of the American mountain men. But, Mr. Abernathy was a clearheaded man, and saw that they would just lose out on another vote. He convinced his fellow Americans to agree to Mr. McLoughlins compromise."
"Thus the issue of the name and the basic structure of the government were completed. It would take another two weeks to hammer out the Columbia Charter, and by that time, word spread accross Columbia Department that a meeting was being held that would decide their futures. Men from the settlements around the Department rode post-haste to reach Oregon City to make sure their regions interests were being accounted for in the future of the nation. Unfortunatly, word of this meeting also got out to the United States and Rupert's Land..."