Theodore H. Hittell

“ In January, 1838, Jose Antonio Carrillo, having reached Alta California and found that his scheme of making his brother governor had not succeeded any better than his previous scheme of making Los Angeles the capital, thought of trying the effect of diplomacy, and invited Alvarado to a conference, with a view to an accommodation and compromise. At the same time, he made advances to Alvarado's principal friends and supporters, Castro and Vallejo. But strategy and intrigue were of no more avail than cajolery and threats. ”

“ The solidity of a building consists in the union of its parts. A single stone displaced from one of its arches causes the columns to topple, and precipitates into ruin a fabric, which, if the materials composing it remained united, might mark the age of time. ”

“ As soon as it had done so, Alvarado, to comply promptly with the duty devolved upon him of nominating prefects, named Jose Castro for the first district, Cosme Pefia for the second, and Luis Castillo Negrete for the third, and sent the nominations to Mexico with those for governor. It does not appear that Alvarado indulged in any remarks upon his nomination. Though he had managed public affairs with skill and success, guided the revolution to a safe issue, not only disarmed but reconciled his enemies, and brought discordant elements into harmony, he had nothing to say. ”

“ In the third place, the apostolic Roman Catholic religion was the only religion recognized at Los Angeles, and justice demanded that, as hitherto, no opinions contrary to it should be tolerated. In the fourth place, no individual or authority should be questioned as to political doctrines entertained previous to any arrangement that might be made; and, finally, any arrangement to be made was to be understood to be merely provisional, subject to the future action of the supreme government of Mexico, and intended on the part of Los Angeles merely to prevent the shedding of blood. ”

“ Osio, who was not disposed to be over laudatory, summed up his merits in this respect by saying that, in point of activity and sedulous attention to the duties of his office, criticism itself could never justly find fault. To give complete effect to the orders received by the hands of Castillero from Mexico, and, by a strict compliance with all their provisions, to restore California to its old position as an integral and loyal part of the Mexican republic, Alvarado, as soon as circumstances would allow, called an extraordinary session of the old territorial deputation. ”

“ The nomination of Cosine Pefila, who had been named prefect of the second, was not approved. This, however, may have been because of Pefia's bad health, on which account he had, soon after his nomination, transferred the office to Jose Tiburcio Tapia, first alcalde of Los Angeles, who exercised it in his place. Among the functions of the office of prefect, one of the most important was the supervision over alcaldes and justices of the peace, who exercised in substance all the judicial power of the country, and some of whom acted as judges of first instance. ”

“ A revolution had taken place in his own mind, and he made it a revolution in the country by a stroke of his pen. A fitting opportunity had presented itself in the arrival of news from Mexico, that, on December 30, 1836, the Mexican congress, in dividing the national territory, had made a single department of the two Californias, and that on April I7, 1837, General Anastasio Bustamante, after the capture of Santa Anna by the Texans, had become constitutional president of the republic. ”

“ Alvarado, who was as quick in recognizing talents as Castillero had been, immediately closed with the proposition, and on the first opportunity Castillero was sent off, duly accredited. At Mexico it seemed to make very little difference who was governor of California, so long as the country retained its allegiance to the republic. The President had the power to name anyone; but on June, 1838, he announced that he was willing to appoint whomsoever the people desired, and suggested that some expression of preference should be made by the junta, or deputation of the department. ”

“ Vallejo, the first offender, immediately changed his tone. Though he complained that his services as comandante, on account of the want of forces, were useless to California, he protested that he was ready with his single sword to augment the ranks of the country's defenders, and that the junta and the government could always count upon him to defend their honor and integrity. Pico, the next offender, was, at the suggestion of the Governor, summoned before the junta in such a manner that he did not deem it safe to resist ”

“ JUAN BAUTISTA ALVARADO, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA. JUAN BAUTISTA ALVARADO was born at Monterey on February 4th, 1809. He was the son of Jose Francisco Alvarado, a young official of Spanish blood who came to the country about the time of Diego de Borica, and Josefa, his wife, a sister of Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. Before he was a year old he lost his father, but was carefully reared by his mother, who, after a widowhood of some years, married Jose Ramon Estrada. As the boy grew up, he displayed unusual thirst for learning. ”

“ The subject being referred to a committee, consisting of Casarin and Arguello, they reported that Vallejo was evilly disposed but afraid of taking responsibilities; that Carrillo, when appointed minister of justice, was supposed to be an adherent of the government, as he had publicly professed, but if he were unwilling to perform his duties as a good citizen, he ought to be punished as a bad one; and that as to Pico's contemptuous conduct, it should be left to the discretion of the Governor to apply such fine and other correction as he thought proper. ”

“ Alvarado had already opened communication with the central government, by transmitting the proceedings of the congress at Santa Barbara; and he now seized the opportunity of wheeling California again into line under the Mexican flag and sovereignty, by quietly dropping the name of " Free and Sovereign State," and adopting that of " Department." It is rare to find, among the proclamations and pronunciamientos either of Mexico or California, anything worth preservation on its own account ”

“ He was, however, not a man to abuse his authority or render its exercise offensive; nor is it likely that there would have been any opposition to his rise, if it had not beef for the old jealousy entertained by Los Angeles against Monterey, in reference to the question of the capital. The whole country from Sonoma to Santa Barbara cheerfully acquiesced in the action at Monterey, and accepted Alvarado as governor. ”

“ It was for this reason that when Alvarado received his appointment of Governor from the supreme government, he became Governor not of Alta California alone, but also of Baja California, or in other words, of the Department of the Californias. The proclamation of January I7, 1839, ordered the election, in March following, of an electoral college, to meet at Monterey in May; and directed that San Francisco, San Jose, Branciforte, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego, each should elect one member. ”

“ Alvarado, as soon as he was informed of the stand taken by Los Angeles, sent word that the new government was under the absolute necessity of requiring its obedience, and possessed the necessary resources for waging war, if it should unfortunately be compelled to resort to force. There was some interchange of correspondence, until finally, on January 17, 1837, the Los Angeles municipality, by its ayuntamiento, appointed Jose Sepulveda and Antonio Maria Osio commissioners to carry on further negotiations upon its part ”

“ There were to be ayuntamientos in the capital of the department, in every place where there had been such in 1808; in seaports having a population of four thousand, and in every pueblo having a population of eight thousand inhabitants. These ayuntamientos were to consist of alcaldes, or magistrates, regidores, or councilmen, and sindicos, or collectors, elected by the people; the number to be determined by the departmental junta, but not to exceed six alcaldes, twelve councilmen and two collectors, for any one ayuntamiento. ”

“ These persons Castro sent under a guard to Santa Inez, where they were placed at the disposition of Alvarado, who arrived the same night from the north. He, on his part, ordered them to be conducted to Sonoma, thus removing them out of his way, and at the same time avoiding exciting the desperate feeling of opposition among their friends, which would have been the sure result of any extreme measures. Meanwhile Castro, after the rout of San Buenaventura, marched to and established his camp at San Fernando. ”

“ In the foregoing plan, Alvarado had fixed upon the "Establishment of Dolores" as the capital of the most northerly of the sub-districts.
This " Establishment " was the ex-mission of Dolores, sometimes called the "Pueblo of Dolores," and sometimes the "Pueblo of San Francisco." ”

“ The next day he called attention to the urgent-necessity of proceeding at once to the division of the department into districts and sub-districts, and the appointment of prefects and subprefects over them; and at the same time he presented a plan of division which was immediately referred to a committee, and the next day reported back with approval and adopted. The department was thereby divided into three districts ”