Page:History of California, Volume 3 (Bancroft).djvu/293

Rh reasons for refusing to accede to Híjar's demands. To suppose that the government in depriving him of the office of gefe político had intended to leave intact all the powers given to him in his double capacity was an absurdity; nor was it credible that the whole matter of secularization and disposition of mission property was to be intrusted to a mere director of colonization, deemed unfit for the civil rule. Doubtless the administration in its haste had been led into carelessness in not specifying what powers if any were to be left to Director Híjar. The diputacion met on the 17th of October, and listened to a speech from Figueroa, receiving documents illustrating the subject-matter. The matter was referred to the committee on government. It was decided to reserve discussion for secret sessions, and next day Híjar was called upon to show his instructions. At the secret session of the 21st the committee, consisting of José Antonio Carrillo, Pio Pico, and Joaquin Ortega, rendered its report, which was discussed and approved article by article without opposition. On the same day it was published by Figueroa in a ponderous bando.

In a preamble to their report, Carrillo and his associates made an able and even eloquent presentment of the case. Considerable attention was paid to national aspects, for it seems that an effort had been made to show that Santa Anna’s revocation of Híjar's commission was in some way a threat to federal institutions, and a warning was uttered against the folly of taking part in the strife that was agitating the republic, so long as the rights of California were not attacked, and especially so long as the territory was under the guidance of so wise and popular a ruler as Figueroa.