The record-union., 1899-12-20


tionists were temporarily arranged
Theiadjustment, however left misunder-
standings rife between the two highest
in the Department Of Cal
ifornia. The civil and military could
not agree, and each complained OF the
other to the Central Government. who
secretly dispatched General Michel
torena to assume the two-fold power
Of Civil and Military Governor in place
Of Governor Alvarado and General
Vallejo, the then Military Governor
Seeing the turn that affairs were TAX
ing, these two officials agreed to lay
aside their differences and form a. COM
pact against Micheltorena, finally driv-
ing him out of the country.
COMING OF FREMONT.
In March, 1S45, Brevet Captain John
c. Fremont departed from Washington
for the purpose of organizing an expe-
dition for the Typographical survey OF
Oregon and California. arriving at Sui
ter's Fort on December 10TH Fremonts
party proceeded to explore the country,
visiting Yerba Buena (now San Fran
CISCO, Santa Clara Valley and other
contiguous country, and on the morn
ing of January 26th, reached Mon
terey, where in company with the Unit
e6 States Consul, Thomas 0. Larkin, he
called upon General Castro, stated The
purpose of his journey and requested
that his party might pass unmolested
through the country. The request was
granted verbally, but not in writing
and a short time afterward Fremont
W. IN a r hafnTQ
Alcalde of San Jose on a trivial
charge. Captain Fremont sent letter
of defiance to the Alcalde, and here
began the trouble between the Mexican
Government and the United States, the
long series of contentious finally cul-
minating in the Mexican war.
THE BEAR REPUBLIC.
In the meantime General Castro was
kept moving. Americans, finding them
selves numerically too weak to con-
tend against the bitter feelings aroused
against them, but relying upon certain
accesSionS to their strength which
would arrive in the spring with more
emigrants, determined to declare Cali
fornia independent and free. Accord
ingly on June IA, 1916, the Mexican flag
was pulled down at the Mission in So
noma, the famous Bear flag" was
raised in its place, and the command
ante, General Vallejo, taken prisoner
The news spread like wildfire, and FIRE.
mont, who had held communication
with the Bear flag faction, now con-
cluded to take a personal part in the
revolution which he had fostered, ar
irving at Sonoma on the morning Of
IN lfh wi 10
in woodcraft and Indian fighting and
full of energy and daring.
UNITED STATES RULE.
During this time great events had
been occurring without. War had been
declared by the United States against
Mexico, and Commodore John Drake
Sloat on July T. 1916. hoisted the Amer
lean ensign in Monterey and issued an
address to the people of California de-
claring that "henceforth California will
be part of the United States" The
California republic under the Bear flag
was therefore of short duration
AS soon as General Castro heard Of
Commodore Sloat's arrival at Monterey
he at once turned his face toward Mex
leo, and Captain Thomas Fallon, who
afterward became a resident of San
Jose, and who was then commanding
a small force encamped in the Santa
Cruz mountains, marched into the town
of San Jose where he raised the Amer
lean flag. Soon after this Bennett Riley
was named as Military Governor, under
United States rule.
The first constitutional convention of
California met in Cotton Hall, Monte
reg, September l, 1919 and on the 26th
the question of the location of the seat
OF State government came up on the
consideration of the report of the Com
mittee of Miscellaneous Provisions of
the Constitution. That committee re-
ported the following as the first section
of Article XII:
THE first session of the Legislature
shall be held in the Pueblo de San Jose.
which shall be the permanent seat of
government until removed by law; pro-
Vded, however. that two-thirds of all
the members elected to each house of
the Legislature shall concur in the
passage of such law"
Henry Halleck, then Secretary of
State under General Riley, and mem
per OF the convention from Monterey,
offered the following substitute:
The first session of the Legislature
under this Constitution shall be held
at Monterey, and the subsequent ses-
slons at the permanent seat of govern
ment. which shall be the Pueblo de
San Jose, unless otherwise directed by
majority of all members elected to
each house Of the Legislature"
A lengthy debate followed, the dele
gates from Monterey representing that
they, were willing that the seat of gov
eminent should be changed to San Jose
after the adjournment of the first Leg
isiature. A delegate from San Fran
cisco moved to amend the substitute nv
striking out the word Monterey and
inserting San Francisco" This mo-
ton was lost, as was also a motion
TO strike out all after San Jose" in the
substitute. The substitute was then
rejected by a vote of fifteen to TWENTY
three. and the section providing for
the first session of the Legislature IN
be held at San Jose was adopted he.
coming a part of the State Constitution
The vote on this was twentv-three RI
fourteen. Thus San Jose became the
first State Capital
Inc original Constitution, adopted in
Io49, provided that at the election No
vember 18th of that year there sbould
be elected Governor, Lieutenant Gov
ernor, members of the Legislature and
Two members of Congress. All the
state officers except members of the
Legislature were to take office Decem-
Der 10th following. or as soon thereaf-
ter as practicable, and their term was
nxed at two years. Peter H. Burnett
the first Governor, was elected as an
indAnandaxaf