New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-14
tempt for the rights of nations In dark-skiDned
n cns Than we did In the INQUEST of California;

cas than we aid IN the c,nquest of California;
indeed Commodore Stockton and the Bear FLAG NIL
busters can be considered true representative
the great American people: Stockton, however. ~
once began to buster and to threaten and In this
policy he supported by Fremont. me r resnte
as that some of the CalifOrnians Organlzeu ress
ance TO American rule and General Kearney, who
had marched into Southern Caiifornia oVeIIahu,
arrived with a small and weary commsnI JUS. ~. III
time to sustain the only at all serious defeat tho
| American arms underwent during the conquest,
Then folio we'd the quarrel between keaTney. fre
mont aud Stockton. eliminating IN tne court
artial of Fremont. his conviction, and finally his
I pardon by the President. The controversy was
petty, but il had certain effect in prolGngng Tue
disorders OF she peros s seba rsVo in the ed
| All the military operations, however were insig
niGcant. No real lighting had to bo done, Ihe
| Call.ornans were always short of ammunition Tor
their smal arms Their tactics were those OF lght
horse They made frequent dashes. then Withdrew
in the hope OF entcag the enemy 70 upt thep
pursuers were well scattered and then suddenly
turn on them with sabre and lance. IL was IN this
way that all the combats occurred and save at san
pascual when the Americans were caught with
empty rifles, there was little loss OF life III these
msecs. The political government OF California; when
he fore the outbreak of hostllitieS had been so
crippled and feeble as scarcely to be sel-sustanlng
NAV be said have melted way when the Americans
came. Poor old Pico as in duty bound, issued some
norid pr0nunc,dmcntOs and then he and Castro con
cuded that the best thing to be done was Tor them
to leave the cOuNtry. PicO went after time, but
Castro fingered and made war in a desultory way
until il beclme evident that resistance was USE
less. Considering the many plumbers committed
by the American commanders and Governors oil the
minimum of friction, though 10 Is easy to see how
much more smoothly less selfish and narrow
minded men could have conducted the operation.
An interesting episode is the history Of the Nor
mon battalion. Precisely what were the motive
of the Mormon Church in giving that battalion to
| the Government does not appear LOT IN estimating
the secret Intentions of that close corporation MT
Bancroft has no special documents TO guide MN.
IL seems. however. quite probable that California
was thought OF as tine future home OF the SAINTS,
and that the battalion was meant to serve oou oe
purpose; first, to pacats public sentiment then
| strongly hostile to Mormonsin anu sTconl, 10
act as pioneers in case California shOuld pe CHOSEN
as the terminus of the migration from NauNoo'
The Mormon battalion. IN any case, behaved SO rs
| IN win golden opinions from all sorts of people.
Tho men oI had trades. and on reaching san Diego.
| where they were CHARTERED. they made themselves
so useful that the people were 10Th TO part WIN
them when their term of service expired. ne ma
ioritv of them then went - Utah III obedience TO
orders from Br CHAM Young. while many renamed
| iii California. and several apOslatiIeu anu grew
nm with the state The history OF the Stevenson
regiment also given in this volume. IS OF enduring
interest to a considerable number of pioneers and
| THAR Eastern connections Inc promise OF the
| expedition at first was small lts origin beng
! tainted with what NOWADAYS would be called
" saloon politics; but 1t embodied good material,
and Il considerable number OF Its members have
contributed in prominent ways to the DullAhg MP
of the new state. The concluding chapters deal
with local affairs Of no special moment, ana with
the final portion of the valuable pioneer register
The next volume will contain the history of the
! cold discovery AMI its mouentOus consequences,
| and the current of events v Ill become swfter ana
mofs exciting. Here, however, are recorded the
most important incidents IN the early hls@0ry OF
the state and here Tor the first time is presented an
| authentic and complete account OF the manner
! IN which California changed owners. Mr.. bancroft
has performed his task with characteristic courage
| imnlrtiality and thOroughncSs lie never shrnks
! from the logical implications of the facts before
| him. nor can he be accused of allowing national
bias to interfere " It'll his treatment OF questions
involving disigee@hle admissions. he does us
| tee to the native CafOrnlaHs, and IN truth they
have had scant Justice IN the past. the general tone
| IN regard to them having been apparently based
upon the contemptuous view of the WHO'S race az
| "lrcasers" taken by the rough trOutleIsinen ana
| hunters who were first to come i'm contact with
| Them No doubt there Is among the Latin peoples
a tendency to LyperbOe IN oihcial language ana 10
| melodrama in action, calculated 70 tempt and
! excite the strong American sense Of humor. This.
| however is but trile, and should not interfere
! with the recognition OF the many good qualities
onI nclehbOTs possess. Mr.. Bancroft has held the
! scales even, and while giving due weight to all
EMPLOYING the most strict and candid methDds Of
! inuulry. produced a narrative which changes IN
many important respects the popular aspect OF THIS
pliase of National history. The hnality of the YER
diet, moreover. IS un!iheiy 10 he disputed since the
authority for every taken Is exhibited. and
in most the reader IS enabled 10 use ms
own Judgment on the essential facts. Those WhO
have read this and the preceding volumes OF the
History OF California VIII await with lively cXpec-
tatiOn Mr. BancrOfts account of the stirring nci-
dents to which Marshalfs discovery led, aud they
VIII be from their experience with bis eXtaHt
writings, that in regard to the much-cOntI reverted
ey ents of that period he will give them what every
! witness is supposed to be willing and able to fur
nish though 50 few attain to it, namely, " the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing bnt the truth'