Article XVIII, sections 1 to 5 of the Oregon State Constitution

In this post we look at Article XVIII, sections 1 through 5 of the Oregon State Constitution.  Article XVIII is entitled "Schedule" and has some administrative items relating to the original proposal of the Constitution of the State of Oregon.  It has 11 sections and in this post we look at the first 5.

Section 1

This section calls for an election to be held in November of 1857 to adopt this constitution by the people.

Section 2

This section defines the questions to be asked in the very first referendum for the establishment of the State.  It is historically important to note that there were 2 questions, one on the Constitution and one on the question of Slavery.

Section 3

This section defines that only a simple majority of votes cast are required in order to approve the constitution.

Section 4

This section defines the outcomes of the vote on slavery.  As it was, there were 2 sections that had been written into the constitution, those being Article I, section 34 and 35.  By the vote on the question of slavery, the framers of the Oregon Constitution were to have one of two clauses included in the constitution.  But as it appeared there was too much disagreement on whether to allow slavery, it was put to a popular vote and rejected.  But that's not to say that African Americans were welcomed with open arms in Oregon.  It appears that Oregon does have one of the lower ratios of African Americans to Caucasians in the population in the US.

Section 5

This section defines what counties have senators and how many representatives each will have.  Since this time, the number of senators and representatives have risen to their maximums.