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Gov Cardenas said SA had no qualified people for a cabildo

Source: The Governorship of Spanish Florida #122

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One of these vain attempts occurred in the late 1750s when a group of colonists and clergymen began a drive for re-establishment of the town council. Resentful of the governor’s arbitrary rule, they hoped to restrict his wide power by establishing a cabildo. Authorities in Spain began investigating this possibility in 1759, and in February, 1761, the order went out setting up such a body in Saint Augustine. Charles III called for a town council of nine members-two magistrates, six councilors, and one clergyman (padre de minors). Although in some areas of the Indies these council members were popularly elected, in Florida the king preferred that they be appointed by the governor.

The ensuing events present an interesting commentary, first, on the methods used by colonial administrators to block execution of royal edicts, and second, on the quality of personnel in Florida. Upon receiving the cedula, the temporary governor, Alonso de Cardenas, refused to establish the cabildo. The law, he pointed out in a return letter to the king, stated that only distinguished men with a long record of community service were fit to serve on the town council. In his search for qualified appointees, he had found no residents who met this requirement; hence he could not fill the nine seats on the cabildo. Rather than press the matter, Charles III accepted Cardenas’ decision, at least for a time. Postponing execution of the cedula, the king ordered the governor to make continuous surveys of the Florida population. When enough qualified men became available, Cardenas was to form a cabildo. In the end, however, nothing came of the plan. Florida fell under English control in 1763 before another quest for competent officials could begin. It seems probable too that the governor would have ignored the king’s order in any case. It was far more convenient to rule without the encumbrance of a meddling cabildo.

(Tepaske GSF)