Page:History of California, Volume 3 (Bancroft).djvu/524

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ALVARADO'S RULE — TROUBLES IN THE SOUTH.

The election provided for in the plan of Los Angeles took place at Santa Bárbara either February 25th or at least before March 5th, on which date the deputies elected were summoned to meet, also at Santa Bárbara, March 25th.^[1] The four new members elected seem to have been Pio Pico, Antonio M. Osio, Manuel Jimeno Casarin, and José R. Estrada, one of the last-named two being perhaps a suplente in place of José Castro.^[2] The governor's summons, much to his disappointment, was not promptly obeyed, and the diputacion could not be organized in March. Pico and Osio refused to attend at all, a policy that may safely be termed disgraceful in view of their speeches in the Los Angeles meeting of January 26th. Six members assembled April 10th, however, at Santa Bárbara, Juan A. Alvarado, Guerra, Buelna, Jimeno, Estrada, and Francisco J. Alvarado of San Diego as a suplente for Pio Pico, with Victor Prudon as secretary.

On the first day of the session the governor presented a manifiesto on the condition and needs of the country. April 11th this document was submitted to a committee consisting of Jimeno, Buelna, and Estrada, all Monterey men it will be noted, who reported favorably on the views therein expressed, and submitted a series of eight propositions for the approval

Cal., MS., iii. 261-2, connect Castro's visit to S. Diego with a revolutionary movement at that place.

↑ There are no records of the election that I have been able to find. Feb. 19th, Francisco Sanchez at S. F. writes that he has been summoned to Sta B. as an elector. Vallejo, Doc., MS. iv. 38. March 5th, the pres. and sec. of the electoral junta announced the result, which was communicated officially to Pio Pico on March 9th. Original summons in Pico, Doc., MS., ii. 155. This doc. is also notable as bearing a seal of the 'Gobierno Supremo del Estado Libre y Soberano de la Alta California,' neatly and elaborately executed with a pen, the only sample existing, for it was never engraved.
↑ It will be remembered that there had been much mystery about the composition of the diputacion since May 1836, and it is not yet cleared up. It would seem that now the 4 who had acted in Nov. 1836 were regarded as holding over, Castro being prevented from acting by other duties, because Alvarado had said several times before the election that he had four votes secure when the new dip. should meet. March 25th, Alvarado informed the ayunt. of his inability to assemble the members elect, and his intention to summon the suplentes. Los Angeles, Arch., MS., iv. 287-8.

[1] There are no records of the election that I have been able to find. Feb. 19th, Francisco Sanchez at S. F. writes that he has been summoned to Sta B. as an elector. Vallejo, Doc., MS. iv. 38. March 5th, the pres. and sec. of the electoral junta announced the result, which was communicated officially to Pio Pico on March 9th. Original summons in Pico, Doc., MS., ii. 155. This doc. is also notable as bearing a seal of the 'Gobierno Supremo del Estado Libre y Soberano de la Alta California,' neatly and elaborately executed with a pen, the only sample existing, for it was never engraved.

[2] It will be remembered that there had been much mystery about the composition of the diputacion since May 1836, and it is not yet cleared up. It would seem that now the 4 who had acted in Nov. 1836 were regarded as holding over, Castro being prevented from acting by other duties, because Alvarado had said several times before the election that he had four votes secure when the new dip. should meet. March 25th, Alvarado informed the ayunt. of his inability to assemble the members elect, and his intention to summon the suplentes. Los Angeles, Arch., MS., iv. 287-8.

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