Popular Tribunals Author:Hubert Howe Bancroft Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. ENGENDERING CONDITIONS. There is what I call the American idea. Theodore Parker. For the further elucidation of the subject, I propo... more »se to give a historical sketch of Popular Tribunals in the Pacific States, more particularly in San Francisco, covering a period of thirty years from their inception. And first of all, a glance at the several phases of early society throughout this territory, with special reference to such causes and conditions as stimulate or retard the displays of irregular administration here engendered. The conquerors of Central America and Mexico, and those who followed in their wake as settlers, were not subjected to the same species of anomalous justice that later influenced the loose-minded pioneers of Anglo-Saxon heritage. For this two causes may be assigned: First, the Spanish settlers were colonists, under the immediate rule of a despotic governor appointed by a jealous sovereign. In most instances this governor exercised over his subjects the power of life and death; standing in the king's stead, he was responsible for his acts only to the crown. His government was military as well as civil, and irregularities, if not committed by himself, were grave offenses. Moreover, loyalty was so inbred in the Spanish character, so part of that superstition which constitutes the second cause why vigilance committees could not exercise their sway under Spanish rule, that to oppose their SPANISH SOCIETIES. 47 will to that of the sovereign or his deputy, was an act so sacrilegious as to be entertained only by the most abandoned. To the uttermost ends of the earth the wrath of heaven would pursue the disobedient. And whatsoever element of society there might be not under the complete dominion of secular power, the church was sure t...« less