Memorial on civil/military authority in the LA district (English version paralleling docs 257/321; rich district description): 'The appointment as Alcalde of the Dist. of Los Angeles dates Nov 1847, given by Col. R.B. Mason as Civil and military Governor of California… another Alcalde who should proceed to do so in accordance with Col. Mason's Proclamation of Congress of 1848… the polls were kept open the usual time, but no voters appeared; then refused to act until the urgent request of Alf. Graham who arrived in Jan last, I agreed to continue in office until the Governor's pleasure could be known'; the district embraces a territory of about 6-hundred miles square containing about Five Thousand inhabitants of Spanish-American origin, some six thousand Indians, and forty or fifty foreign residents mostly American; the property in the District consisting mostly in lands cattle & vineyards amount at low valuation $1,500,000; with exception of two local Alcaldes of little importance he is the only authority exercising civil functions; 'the Mexican population is solemnly well disposed, but too ignorant and too unenterprising to attempt to remedy the evils under which they labor, from the want of local authorities; the foreign residents are too few in number although representing large interests'; nothing can be done except by order from Supreme Authority; this town by Mexican law entitled to a town council of 7 members but has had none since 1847; no grants or sales of town lands made since that year. Queries: Has the Military Commandant of this Post or Dist. the controlling power over the civil authorities that he had previous to the Declaration of Peace? Does the Commission under which I act render me or no independent of the Military Commandant in all cases in which Citizens are concerned, even if the U.S. is plaintiff? Is an enlisted soldier in the service of the U.S. in the existing state of affairs amenable to the Alcalde's Court or to his officers for criminal offences?
| Date | 1849-04-16 (exact) |
|---|---|
| From | Stephen C. Foster (1º Alcalde) |
| To | Gen. Persifor F. Smith (Comg Pacific Division) |
| Place | Los Angeles |
| Series | Miscellaneous / Unbound Documents |
| Tomo | Unbound |
| Original tomo page | — |
| Savage copy page | 218 |
| Scan leaf | n219–221 |
| Document type | abstract |
| Source | Savage abstract |
Read this leaf on the Internet Archive ↗ · leaf n219–221
Stephen C. Foster (1º Alcalde) to Gen. Persifor F. Smith (Comg Pacific Division), Los Angeles, 1849-04-16, Miscellaneous / Unbound Documents, Unbound, —, Archives of California, C-A 63, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.Cite the document by series, tomo and original tomo page, as the literature does; the C-A number locates it in the repository. To cite this catalogue entry itself, use https://archivesofcalifornia.com/record/ca63/ca63-d323.html