William Daniels, his wife Sarah, and their four sons migrated to Yamhill County in what was then the Oregon Territory in 1854.
They were some of the earliest American settlers in the Territory, crossing the plains of the Oregon Trail in a covered wagon.
In his inaugural address, Governor Daniels said in part:[3] Shall Idaho, the largest of the territories, take her stand in sympathy with a cause (slavery) so vile, and cloud the morning of her existence with the darkness of treason?
No, let her, as her name indicates, sit among the mountains, a gem of the brightest luster, radiant with unconditional loyalty, attracting by her glorious light the gaze and admiration of mankind.Political sentiment quickly shifted from Republican to Democratic Party support, and as the Territory soon became overwhelmingly-Democratic, due to a large immigration to the mining camps from Missouri and other Southern States.
The paper began a heavy attack on Daniels, and the acting governor retaliated by pulling all the printing contracts from the newspaper.