Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-13

J. nave JuSC Deeu nanueu ny oeuaJOT
Don Pablo [de la Guerra Of Santa Ba-
CHA [Barbarafl series OF resolutions
adopted at mass meeting lately held at
Los Angeles, as we'll as a memorial to
congress drawn up. at said meeting, in
which the petitioners pray to be set off
from the state into territorial govern
ment; and for fear said demonstration
upon the part of the ancient residents
OF this new state may have some inhu-
ence in retarding her entrance into the
confederacy, will explain to you, as
far as | have been able to obtain facts,
the extent OF this disaffection. The
meeting was accidentally III got up.
l am credibly informed by the old
American Spaniards, such as Don Juan
Sumple Temple p, and was attended
solely ri by Californians; not a
single new resident or emigrant
participated. simultaneously with
this meeting an attempt was
made at San Diego to get up a like
one, which, ] am informed by our
friend, Mr.. Rust, postmaster of that
place, was perfect failure, there not
being more than half a dozen persons
present, and those being heavy land
holders, whose sole ri objection to a
state government is the fear of taxation.
The people of Santa Bachia barbara p
as we'll as OF San Luis Obispo, am in
formed by the delegates from those
counties are also opposed to the mem
orial and had SO expressed themselves
through their deputies here"
"Mr. Hopkins L. Turner, of Tennes-
see, objected, and SO it was not re-
ceived."
The foregoing correspondence iscloses
the fact that Mr.. Gwin then opposed
state division, although he had previ-
ously spoken favorably on the subject in
the constitutional convention. Mr..
Gwin, afterwards famous as the "Duke
of Sonora" was native OF Tennessee,
and he naturally would go to the sena-
tor from his native state to get favor.
The suspicion that he did 30 is further
confirmed by his subsequent acts in con-
gres in opposition to the movement of
1869 for state division, which will be
noticed later.
A MISUNDERSTANDING REPRESENTATIVE.
E. K. Chamberlain, who wrote the
letter to Gwin, from which the forego-
ing extract is quoted, was not evidently
good representative of the Los Angeles
district in the California state senate,
for he could not state accurately either
the names of the localities or promi-
nent citizens of his district. John Tenn
pie, whom he calls Juan Sumple, was
Yankee. The Los Angeles convention
was purposely called, and that as much
by Americans as by Mexicans. The
memorial itself was signed by Thomas
Thorn, Henry Dalton and William w.
Stevenson.
Chamberlain likewise misrepresents
the San Diego convention. In fact, the
foregoing quoted paragraph of his letter
is tissue of falsehoods from beginning
to end. Its purpose was to defeat state
division. 1t has purely ex parte, and
there were then no transcontinental tel
egraph lines by which its misrepresen-
tations could be killed.
The majority of the United States SEN
ate then thought that there was no
country of any importance west of the
Allegheny mountains. Southern Cali
fornia, a stranger just arrived within
the gates of the union, had no friends in
that august body.
STARTLING ANNOUNCEMENT.
To force was added fraud, and South
ern California was again defeated. That
this was true is further clear from the
following startling announce ment in the
San Diego Herald of June 8, 1854, after
the "smoke of battle" had cleared
awaya
"Mr. Henry Clay, as chairman of the
committee on compromise measures,
said in his report in regard to the bound
airy of the state of California, that her
front on the ocean was isl too large, and
that the committee was opposed TO so
large an extent OF seaboard, but that
they were not sufficiently informed in
regard to the capabilities OF the interior
portion I''back country" of the south
ern part to form state, and therefore
were compelled to adopt the boundary
as designated in the constitution OF Cal
iiornia.'
"Reliable information received since
that event shows very clearly that If 1t
had been before congress, she would
have rejected the boundary of the pres
ent state OF California, and formed ter
ritorial government for the southern
part"
The editor OF the San Diego Herald,
when writing the foregoing, either did
not know or else had forgotten the pro-
test of 1850, which had been formulated
by the Los Angeles convention, and
which, if it had not been suppressed by
Northern Californians in the United
States senate, would have given Mr..
Clay the very information to which he
had alluded. Thus the state of Cali.
fornia, which displays in its heraldry the
bear OF filibusterism. obtained it's south
ern portion through fraud.
Although the move ment OF 1850 failed
of the object which its promoters had, il
developed the great fraud which was
practiced upon the south in order to in
sure its defeat. In the light OF the pro
test of 1850, and its strangulation in the
United States senate, the language o
Henry Clay attains q burning signih'
canoe.
THE SLAVERY CHARGE COMPUTED.
There is one more point to be noticed
before the history OF this movement il
closed, and that is the charge that its
real object was to establish slavery
territory on the Pacific coast. quote
from Wilson's history of Los Angeles
county, page 80, as follows:
"Stephen @. Foster, project of Lo
Angeles district, in his report OF Marcf
u, 1850, said:
"'A movement has been made t.
cure a separation OF the southern section
of California for the north, and its Oh
ganization as territory. A petition tt
congress to that effect, signed by som
200 persons, has been forwarded t.