THE AUSTIN PAPERS 439 his voice was raised in opposition to despotism and in favor of a free, liberal and constitutional government. As secretary of war he established system and organization in the army after the convulsions of the Emperor's short reign. At Tampico the invaders of his country sank before his military genius, and received from his humanity that protection and succor which their prowess could not secure to them. As commandant general of the eastern military department and commissioner of the General Government for regu- lating the colonies of Texas and establishing new ones, he will pro- vide for the defense and permanent security of Texas from the Indians, and lay a foundation for such additional colonial estab- lishments and maritime towns and fortifications as may be necessary to advance its prosperity. The section of country east of this colony and particularly the Nacogdoches and Ais districts, demand the prompt attention of government. The land affairs of those_sections require adjustment, and a totally different organization of the local government is much needed. Instead of having the whole civil and judicial power of the local government vested in alcaldes elected annually, it would be better to have a separate partido laid off with a chief of partido, and in addition to the alcalcles there ought to.be a juez de lefras, or judge learned in the law, appointed in the manner prescribed in the constitution, with a salary to insure a man of talents and qualifica- tions. It is sufficient to merely know how the local government of that section of country i~ and always has been organized to under- stand the causes of all the little local difficulties which have arisen there. It cannot be supposed that an alcnlde annually changed and elected by popular vote from the mass of a people speaking a variety of languages and who are themselves in general ignorant of the laws should be capable of discharging so important and responsible a position as that of a judge, whose jurisdiction embraces the investi- gation of all matters of controversy and all criminal cases without limit. Under three hundred dollars his jurisdiction is final, over that sum there is the right of appeal to the supreme court at Saltillo, BiaJ hundred miles distant. The alcaldes, however, cannot give final judgement in any important civil case and in no capital criminal case, without first consulting the assesor general, or attorney general who lives at Saltillo. It is very evident that such a system cannot secure to the people, nor to the government the benefits which organi- zation and regular administration of the laws are designed to pro- duce. The objections to the present nlcalde system will apply more or less to every part of the state, and are very evident. They are severely felt here as well as elsewher~, for although the public tran- quility has never been interrupted in this colony from its first I
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