425
Texas on tlte Eve of the JJ;/ezican Revolution
Villa de Salcedo. Unable to find a good excuse for postponing his inspection any longer, the go~ernor set out from Bexar on March I 1. He made his way directly to Villa de Salcedo, where he arrived on March 24. Half-heartedly he gathered the required information on the for- eigners. He found that there were ninety-one persons living in the settlement, not including several families who resided on nearby ranches. The governor frankly admitted that he did not have the heart to tell them that they either had to burn their property and move within the two leagues of the municipality of Salcedo or leave the country. He was equally lax in carrying out his instructions concerning irregular mar- riages. Instead of summoning the immigrants and ordering them to abide by the laws on matrimony, he contented himself with having a confidential talk with the parish priest and inquiring about their char- acter and behaviour. Fortunately for the immigrants, Father Jose Fran- cisco Maynes was a tolerant and kindly shepherd, who hoped to convert the immigrants from their erring ways by kindness and understanding. The list of foreigners residing in Villa de Salcedo proper showed only twenty-seven names, although it should have included a good many more. For example, the governor admitted that he did not take the trouble to investigate Jacob Dorst, who was absent, and in whom the commandant general was particularly interested. Rather, he pleaded in Dorst's behalf, declaring that he was a German who had lived in Arcos, Louisiana, for many years prior to his coming to Texas. He had three sons, all Catholics, one of whom lived with him in Salcedo; the other two were in Nacog- doches. Neither Vicente Micheli, another suspicious character, nor Juan Lorenzo Boden, a native of Natchitoches who had married an Indian woman, was included in the list. In making out his report, the governor made bold to defend practically all the foreigners in Texas. He stoutly declared that there was nothing to fear from the American pioneers who had moved into the province. They were almost all good farmers, who loved the soil and were thor- oughly happy if allowed to settle on rich, well-wooded lands. Those who had lived under the Spanish flag in Louisbna had become loyal sup- porters of Spain. It is interesting to note that Governor Salcedo insisted that Protestantism did not constitute a serious objection to their settle- ment in Texas, because "they are so poorly instructed in their beliefs that under the influence [guidance] of a priest, it would not be difficult to convert them to our faith." It was the educated Americans, such as doctors, lawyers, and merchants, who were to be frared. These were the
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