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Show 476 , WESTERN WILDS. portrayed. I am here chiefly concerned with the genesis and evolu-tion of civil government. There was no constitutional authority in the country, and neither judge nor officer within five hundred miles. The invaders were remitted to the primal law of nature, with, per-haps, the inherent rights of American citizenship. Every gulch was filling with red- hot treasure hunters ; every bar was pock- marked with " prospect holes;" timber, water- rights, and town- lots were soon to be valuable, and government was an imperative necessity. Here was a fine field for theorists to test their views as to the origin of civil law. Poet and political romancer have described in captivating lines, the descent of civil government as a heaven- born genius, full- grown and perfect from the mind of Deity. But to the historian of events is left a far less pleasing task. He can not but see that government is the most awkward and imperfect of all human inventions. Here, as else-where, it was a creature of slow, irregular growth, evolved by reason and experience from the hopes and fears of men, originating in the instinct of self- preservation, and developed by necessity and concession. Four different governments sprang up with concurrent jurisdiction. The favorite theory of Senator Douglas, that local self- government was inherent in American citizenship every- where in our territory, seems to have been adopted by a majority of the first comers ; and they straightway proceeded to organize the " Territory of Jefferson." On the 6th of November, 1858, an election was held at Denver, and H. J. Graham chosen without opposition as delegate to Congress. He went to Washington, and had the pleasure of paying his own expenses there all winter ; ' for " Jefferson " was not admitted. Nevertheless, delegates from thirteen precincts assembled the next April, took the preliminary steps, and called an organizing convention to meet in August, 1859. One hundred and sixty- seven delegates came together, tried to construct a State, and failed; but a little later " Jefferson" was regularly organized. An elected legislature assembled in Novem-ber, listened to an admirable inaugural from Governor R. W. Stecle, organized nine counties, granted charters for the new towns, and passed a very good criminal code and body of mining laws. Mean-while, Kansas had organized this country into Arapahoe County, and to make a sure thing of it, a full set of county officers were elected, who exercised a sort of hop- skip- and- jump jurisdiction, bobbing around in the mountains, foot- hills, or in Denver, wherever they could get a foothold. But these might be called governments by am-bition, rather than by necessity; the latter kind were meanwhile being organized in the mountains and ranches. |