698 ONTARIO, PROVINCE OF. 



OREGON. 



contracts or leases, no cattle or live stock should 

 hereafter be brought upon said strip, and that 

 all cattle or other live stock should be removed 

 not later than Oct. 1, or as much sooner as the 

 lands might be lawfully opened to settlement. 

 The proclamation was construed by many per- 

 sons to mean the immediate opening of the strip 

 to settlement, and the President found it neces- 

 sary to issue another proclamation, dated March 

 15, warning the people that the entrance of set- 

 tlers upon the strip was unlawful, and that they 

 would be at once removed. These proclamations 

 were enforced without difficulty. 



The Cherokee Commission, whose members 

 were appointed early in the year, was authorized 

 by the act of Congress creating it to treat with 

 these tribes and purchase as much of their lands 

 as possible, as well as to secure from the Chero- 

 kees the cession of nearly 7,000,000 acres known 

 as the Cherokee Outlet. 



ONTARIO, PROVINCE OF. The Legisla- 

 ture opened on Jan. 30, this being the last ses- 

 sion of the Sixth Parliament. In the speech from 

 the throne, the Speaker referred to the imperial 

 act that had been passed fixing the northern and 

 western boundaries of the province, a question 

 long in dispute. He regretted that the ques- 

 tion of the Land-improvement fund, which had 

 been in dispute with the Quebec Government 

 had not been amicably settled, and it would be 

 necessary to submit the matter to the courts for 

 arbitration. A bill would be introduced provid- 

 ing for English to be taught in all French 

 schools throughout the province. Bills would 

 also be introduced dealing with the questions of 

 liquor license and education in public schools. 



Elections. On June 2, Premier Mowatt ad- 

 dressed a circular letter to his constituents in 

 the North Riding of Oxford, dealing mainly with 

 the questions of separate schools and Roman 

 Catholic influence in Ontario. In this he de- 

 nies that the Roman Catholic hierarchy exercise 

 any controlling influence in Ontario, and main- 

 tains that the Protestant reformers hold complete 

 sway and will continue to sustain the present 

 Government. The attempts by the Opposition 

 to excite Protestants in Ontario through the 

 agitation against the Jesuit Estates act of Que- 

 bec, had altogether failed, in proof of which 

 was the fact that Protestants and Catholics were 

 found voting together in support of the Gov- 

 ernment. Referring to the Separate-Schools bal- 

 lot, which Mr. Meredith wanted to make com- 

 pulsory, the Protestants of Ontario would always 

 oppose it ; although as a Protestant, he (Mr. 

 Mowatt) was opposed to separate schools, yet as 

 they had been granted to the Roman Catholics 

 and guaranteed by the British North America 

 act, there was no power in the provincial Legis- 

 lature to abolish them. 



The elections for the Legislative Assembly 

 took place on June 5, with the following results : 

 Conservative losses : West Victoria, North Perth, 

 South Grey, North Grey, North Bruce, South 

 Norfolk, East Durham, East Hastings, West 

 Hastings, East Victoria 10. Liberal losses : 

 East Simcoe, Hamilton, Lincoln, Welland, 

 Prince Edward, North Ontario, East Elgin, 

 North Renfrew 8. 



The following are the Government (Liberal) 

 majorities since 1883: 1883, 15 ; 1886, 24; 1890, 27. 



Legislative. Among other bills introduced 

 during the session beginning Jan. 30 were the 

 following : 



To amend the Ballot act and provide for the 

 secrecy of the ballot at elections for members of 

 the Legislative Assembly, by Mr. Wood (Conserva- 

 tive), of Hastings. The bill was defeated. 



To amend the Public and Separate Schools 

 act, by Hon. Mr. Ross (Liberal), of Middles- 

 sex. The bill was opposed by Mr. Gibson, whose 

 amendment was carried. 



Mr. Creighton (Conservative), on March 18, 

 moved a vote of want of confidence in the Gov- 

 ernment, which was defeated by a large majority. 



On March 20, the Assembly passed a bill grant- 

 ing aid to the Toronto University, which was de- 

 stroyed by fire on Feb. 14, when damage to the 

 extent of $500,000 was sustained. 



Mr. Craig brought in a bill for the granting 

 of aid to poor schools in the province, which 

 was passed without opposition. 



OREGON, a Pacific Coast State, admitted to 

 the Union Feb. 14, 1859 ; area, 96,030 square miles. 

 The population, according to each decennial 

 census since admission, was 52,465 in 1860 ; 90,- 

 923 in 1870 ; 174 ; 768 in 1880 ; and 313,767 in 1890. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, Sylvester 

 Pennoyer, Democrat ; Secretary of State, Audi- 

 tor, and Insurance Commissioner, George W. 

 McBride, Republican; Treasurer, George W.Webb, 

 Democrat ; Superintendent of Public Instruction, 

 E. B. McElroy, Republican : Railroad Commis- 

 sioners, J. H. Faull, George W. Colvig, and Rob- 

 ert Clow ; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 

 William W. Thayer ; Associate Justices, Reuben 

 S. Strahan and William P. Lord. 



Population. The following table shows the 

 population of the State by counties, as deter- 

 mined by the national census of 1890, compared 

 with the population for 1880 : 





* Decrease. 



