Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/245



and Mexican  governments  were  exceedingly  jealous  of foreigners  of  every  nationality,  and  particularly  of esos  malos  americaiios. The Hispano- American,  how- ever, when he  found  himself  fairly  under  the  laws  and government of  the  United  States,  was  solicitous  to sustain  himself  and  his  rights,  while  the  Anglo- American, with  his  shrewder  instincts,  now  became sensitive of  sharing  his  new  possessions  with  others, particularly with  Spanish  speaking  Americans. They claimed that  California's  shady  valleys  and  fertile plains, and  the  metals  of  her  mountains  should  be  theirs, and theirs  alone. And yet,  here  were  all  the  nations of the  earth  rushing  in  pell-mell,  seizing  the  lands,  and pocketing the  gold  ;  seizing  and  pocketing  as  unre- strictedly as those  who  had  fought  in  Mexico,  or  as those  assessed  for  the  purchase  of  a  new  wilderness. In regard  to  permitting  foreigners  to  abstract  from the foothills,  the  American  miner  might  truthfully say that  his  government  possessed  both  the  right  and the power  to  keep  its  treasures  if  it  would,  and  induc- tively he might  bring  himself  into  the  belief  that  in the  absence  of  government  or  governmental  protection, he, a  unit  of  the  government,  possessed  the  same  right to determine  a  policy,  and  enforce  his  own  regulations that he  had  to  punish  crime  under  like  conditions. But in  entertaining  the  idea  that  they  possessed  the right to  act  for  the  government  in  allowing  or  disal- lowing foreigners access  to  the  country's  mineral wealth, the  American  miners  failed  to  remember  that antecedents, facts,  and  precedents  were  against  them; that reciprocity  treaties  with  several  nations  were  in force ;  that  when  no  such  treaties  existed  there  was no prohibition ;  in  fact,  that  the  policy  of  the  federal government had  ever  been  to  open  wide  its  doors,  en- courage immigration, and  offer  equal  rights  to  all. Under this  known  and  recognized  policy,  equivalent to tacit  consent,  foreigners  came  hither,  and  it was  now  too  late  to  question  their  presence,  or  to drive  them  by  force  of  arms  from  our  shores.