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Show TERRITORY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MEXICO 41 nineteenth century the almost unanimous opinion of the inhabitants of Spanish descent that perfect peace would only come with the extermination of the Apache became a policy of the settlers and the government. At no time after the independence of the country was achieved down to the date of the American occupation did the general government of the republic of Mexico provide THE MEXICAN MILITARY military protection to the people of the terESTABLISH MENT ritory of a kind worthy of the name. Ag matter of fact the inhabitants were com- pelled to protect UGG 0G 139 ceieen k= 8 Me RLY|) the civil commander .* or eae a! ie ‘ themselves from the predatory incursions of the war-like Apaches as best they could. Poorly armed, many communities were practically helpless. Murders were committed, ranchos burned, and stock driven away, and days would elapse before any effort to overtake or punish the Indians could possibl y be made by the feeble military establishment which was attempt ed to be maintained in the territory, Until 1839 the territory was under the rule of a comand ante, who was called militar, principal, or de armas. This officer reported to the comandante-general of Chihuahua. At times the military and a e* Fae. F ere | eel « was istration of Bartolomé the same individual. During the admin- Baca, jefe politico, the entire garrison at Santa Fé, including officers and men, numbered only one hundred and nineteen. Captain Baca, the jefe politico, was in command of this company. So far as protection from the hostile tribes was concerned the Spanish government, at least during the last days of Spanish rule, had done no better. The veteran company at Santa Fé mustered only one hundred and twenty-one men. This company had been ostensibly supported by the general government, but the pay of the men was very irregularly provided for. Under Spanish rule the Settlers, at their own cost, maintained some militia, Pino, In hig Exposicion, Stating that the average number of this sort of troops wag fifteen hundred men. This statement is undoubtedly *Xaggerated, but the same system was continued under the republic, The cost of the maintenance of the presidial company at Santa Fé when Bartolomé Baca was in command, for the year 1824, was $35,488. In the year 1826, the general government passed an act by which provision was made for three perman ent troops of cavalry |