ndians as they should choose. Though this plan was passed, it
was not intended that it should be carried out until approved by the
general government of Mexico.

All this seems singular to us now, reading three quarters of a century
later, for, March 8, 1830, Manuel Victoria was appointed political chief
in Echeandia's stead; but as he did not reach San Diego until November
or December, and in the meantime a new element had been introduced into
the secularization question in the person of Jose Maria Padres,
Echeandia resolved upon a bold stroke. He delayed meeting Victoria,
lured him up to Santa Barbara, and kept him there under various
pretexts until he had had time to prepare and issue a decree. This was
dated January 6, 1831. It was a political trick, "wholly illegal,
uncalled for, and unwise." He decreed immediate secularization of all
the Missions, and the turning into towns of Carmel and San Gabriel. The
ayuntamiento of Monterey, in accordance with the decree, chose a
commissioner for each of the seven Missions of the district. These were
Juan B. Alvarado for San Luis Obispo, Jose Castro for San Miguel,
Antonio Castro for San Antonio, Tiburcio Castro for Soledad, Juan
Higuera for San Juan Bautista, Sebastian Rodriguez for Santa Cruz, and
Manuel Crespo for San Carlos. Castro and Alvarado were sent to San
Miguel and San Luis Obispo respectively, where they read the decree and
made speeches to the Indians; at San Miguel, Alvarado made a
spread-eagle speech from a cart and used all his eloquence to persuade
the Indians to adopt the plan of freemen. "Henceforth their trials were
to be over. No tyrannical priest could compel them to work. They were to
be citizens in a free and glorious republic, with none to molest or make
them afraid." Then he called for those who wished to enjoy these
blessings of freedom to come to the right, while those who were content
to remain under the hideous bondage of the Missions could go to the
left. Imagine his surprise and the chill his oratory received when all
but a small handful quickly went to the left, and those who at first
went to the right speedily joined the majority. At San Luis and San
Antonio the Indians also preferred "slavery."

By this time Victoria began to see that he was being played with, so he
hurried to Monterey and demanded the immediate surrender of the office
to which he was entitled. One of his first acts was to nullify
Echeandia's decree, and to write to Mexico