Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-12

lIhe following condensed history of
the state division question has been pre-
pared by Mr.. B. A. Stephens. the secre-
tary of the Historical society of this
city.]
Away back in Spanish times the con-
troversy began. By 1910 the Catholic
missionaries had established themselves
from San Diego to San Francisco. I'm
able to get sufficient number Of mis-
sionaries, the friars OF the college of San
Fernando offered to cede one-half of the
missions of Alta California to the
college of Orizaba, and designated the
missions south of what is now San Luis
Obispo. To this the friars of the south
ern missions entered a vigorous and
successful protest, on the ground that
"the southern establishments are the
richest and most desirable in respect to
climate. soil and products, which is as
clear as the MONDAY sum-" Thus the
very first difficulty between the two
great sections of California grew out of
their physical differences.
In 1922 Mexico became independent
of Spain, and California was thereupon
a Mexican territory. With the first
session of the territorial legislature, the
struggle began between the two great
sections. In 1926 Governor Echeandia
fixed the capital at San Diego, on ac-
count OF its having "better climate
than Monterey" Against this action
OF Governor Echeandia the Northern
Californians revolted in 1929, under Don
Joaquin Soils, but were defeated at
Santa Barbara.
In 1881 the tyrannical rule of Governor
Victoria began. The Southern Califor-
mans overthrew him before the close of
the year, and established the capital at
Los Angeles, and elected Don Pho Pico as
his successor, but the latter resigned on
Echeandia's protest. The Northern Cal
ifornians would not consent to Southern
rule, and for while they had separate
government, with A. V. Zamorano as
governor. while Echeandia ruled the
south. The twin government of Zamo-
rano and Echeandia yielded to the ap-
pointment of Governor Jose Figueroa in
1888.
Through the efforts of Don Jose An
tonic Carrillo, the California deputy to
the Mexican congress, an official de-
cree was issued May %, 1885, erecting
Los Angeles into a city and making it
the capital of California. Monterey
promptly conference.-the as an Outrageous
measure" and claimed to have ''as mild
climate and as fertile soil as Los An
geles." Again, it is plain that the phys
ical differences of the two sections were
the cause of their controversy.
Governor Figueroa died in 1884. His
two successors, Chico and Gutierrez,
were quickly deposed by revolutions,
and in 1886 the Montereyans declared
that california; is free and independent
of Mexico, sovereign state, with a con-
gress, establishing the Roman Catholic
religion, M. G. Vallejo to be commanding
general, and Juan Bautista Alvarado gov
ernor, and Monterey the capital" +.
In 1887 the Southern Californians were
reioiced by the appointment of Don
Carlos Carrillo, of Santa Barbara. as
governor. They hastened to bring him
to Los Angeles, and illuminated the city
in his, honor. But Alvarado refused to
recognize his appointment, and march
ing south again with his armed gringos,
besieged Carrillo at Los Flores, where
Carrillo surrendered, and the Mexican
government soon confirmed Alvarado in
power.
In 1910 the fight was renewed in the
departmental assembly over the ques-
ton of the capital, whether it should be
at Monterey or Los Angeles, and was
decided in favor of the former by the
presiding officer exercising his parlia-
mentary right of voting twice on tie.
In 1912 General Manuel Micheltorena
was appointed governor. He brought
an army of ex-convicts, whose unre-
formed habits soon caused revolution
in the north. Micheltorena called the
gringos to his aid, but the people rallied
at Los Angeles, and raised an opposition
company of gringos to offset those of
Micheltorena's. At last, in their hour
of trouble, the Northern Californians
acceded to the demands of the south,
and Don Pho Pico was selected governor,
and the long-neglected rights of Los An
geles, as the constitutional capital, were
recognized.
When the Southern California dele
gates attended the first state constitu
tional convention at Monterey in 1S49
they went instructed to secure, if possi-
BILE, separate territorial government
for their section. This was refused by
the convention, which would consider
nothing but plan for state government
for the whole territory from San Diego
to the Crescent City.
NOU QlSCOuTdScu db luclI uclcdI III tllc
constitutional convention, the Southern
Californians held a convention at Los
Angeles in February, 1850, in which they
drew up formal protest to congress
against Southern California being incor-
porated in the state of California and
asked to be set off as separate terri
tory. The protest was forwarded by
Agostin Harazthy to Hon. II. S. Foote,
who presented it to the United States
senate, but objection being made by
Hon. H. L. Turney of Tennessee it was
not received.
Defeated in '49 and 80, the Southern
Californians held convention at Santa
Barbara in 1851, and formulated plan
for state division, but it served no pur-
pose further than to keep the question
alive.
In 1856 John D. Cosby introduced
bill in the state senate to divide Califor-
mia into three states, running the divi-
sion lines easterly from the Navarro and
Pajaro rivers, but it failed to become
law.
To Andres Pico belongs the honor OF
having introduced the famous act of
1859, which probably would have di-
vided the state if "Duke" Gwin, who
had opposed the movement from the
beginning, had not again been in the
United States senate from California