Canales investigation facts for kids
The Canales Investigation was a special hearing held in 1919. It looked into the actions of the Texas Rangers. This investigation was named after J.T. Canales, a Texas State Representative. The main goal was to see if the Rangers were still needed and if they were doing things correctly. The hearing found many claims of bad behavior, like murder and threats. Even though the committee said the Rangers were not legally guilty, they did admit that there had been a history of abuse. Still, this investigation led to important changes within the Texas Rangers. These changes aimed to make the force more professional and responsible.
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Why the Investigation Happened
The 1910 Mexican Revolution caused a lot of tension along the border between Texas and Mexico. Many people from Mexico moved into the southern United States. This made some Anglo-Americans worried about land claims. There were also fears that Mexico might join Germany in World War I. All of this created a very tense situation on the border.
Texas Governor James Edward Ferguson made the Ranger force much bigger. It grew from 13 to 24 men between 1913 and 1916. Rumors of a planned uprising, like the Plan de San Diego, spread. The governor then said that anyone involved in an uprising would be executed. Because of this, the Texas Rangers started targeting Mexicans in Texas. They were accused of violence based on people's background. One judge later said that Texas officers might have been responsible for the deaths of up to 300 Mexican men in just two counties. The Texas Rangers and other temporary police were accused of killing many Mexican and Tejano men. Many people claimed the Rangers were abusing their power. These widespread complaints led to the investigation by J.T. Canales in 1919.
House Bill 5
J. T. Canales was the only Hispanic state lawmaker in Texas at that time. He decided to introduce a new law to control the Rangers' actions. He did this after a Ranger named Frank Hamer threatened him during an investigation. Canales wrote a letter to Texas Governor William P. Hobby. The governor promised an investigation. Hamer had to apologize, but he was not removed from his job.
After this event, Canales introduced a new law called House Bill 5. This bill suggested several changes. It would limit the number of Texas Rangers to 24 officers. It also wanted to increase their pay and make them more professional. For example, it set requirements for age and past service. The bill also said that Rangers should hand over prisoners to local police right away. They should not hold them for long periods.
During the discussions about this bill, there was a lot of strong talk defending the Rangers. Canales claimed that the Rangers were responsible for abusing prisoners and even for some murders. The head of the Texas Rangers, Adjutant General James A. Harley, asked for an investigation. He wanted to look into the "motives" of those complaining, meaning Canales and others. He also wanted to defend the Rangers' existence.
What the Charges Were
The hearings officially began on January 31, 1919. They were called "The Joint Committee of the Senate and the House in the Investigation of the Texas Ranger Force." The committee included two state senators and three state representatives. It was led by W.H. Bledsoe, a representative from Lubbock. The committee listened to 80 witnesses over 12 days. All their testimonies filled 1,605 printed pages.
Lawyers for the Rangers included Robert E. Lee Knight and Dayton Moses. They tried to argue that Canales was suffering from delusions. Canales, on the other hand, presented six charges. These charges grew to 19 in total. Many of them were not very clear and were hard to prove. Canales even suggested that support for the Texas Rangers was part of German propaganda. He thought it was meant to cause problems with Mexico to keep the United States out of World War I.
Many witnesses spoke about the Rangers' actions. One witness, Judge James B. Wells, said he believed Rangers were responsible for killing 11 Mexican men. He had personally found their bodies by the road. Yet, he also said he felt it was his duty to defend some Rangers accused of murder.
The Porvenir Incident
The Porvenir incident happened on January 28, 1918, in Presidio County, Texas. In this event, Rangers and local ranchers killed 15 Mexican villagers. Texas Rangers Company B had been sent to the area to stop banditry after the Brite Ranch raid. However, there was no proof that the Porvenir villagers were involved. Witnesses said that "American soldiers, Rangers, and Texas Ranchmen" executed fifteen men. A Porvenir resident named Rosenda Mega testified. She said the Rangers "took them about one-quarter of a mile from said ranch, and then in a very cowardly manner, and without examining any of them, shot them.”
Claims of Intimidation
The committee also heard from Jesus Villareal. He said that two Rangers had hit him with a pistol. They also suffocated him and put a gun in his mouth. He claimed they planned to plant false evidence unless he admitted to moving Mexican immigrants across the border. Canales said he had no other proof for this charge besides Villareal's testimony.
Another Ranger admitted to hitting an attorney with a pistol in a courtroom in Falfurrias. Waitstaff from the San Francisco Cafe in San Antonio also said a Ranger had hit a waiter with a pistol. Canales knew that this Ranger had been fired. But he suggested that evidence had been changed to make it look like the Ranger was fired before the incident.
Canales also said he had secret testimonies from many people. These people claimed they did not report Ranger misbehavior because they believed the crimes would just be covered up. Canales mostly spoke about his own experience being threatened by Hamer. He argued that Hamer should have been fired for threatening an elected official, not just asked to apologize. The committee did not seem very concerned about Hamer's behavior. They even made fun of Canales, asking if Hamer "should go into hiding" whenever Canales came to Austin.
Concerns about Leadership
Canales argued that the Ranger leader, General Harley, should be fired. He said this was because Rangers had repeatedly broken state laws under Harley's command. The committee decided that this was not part of their investigation. So, this charge was dismissed.
What the Committee Decided
The committee finished its work on February 13. On February 18, they announced their decision. They said the Rangers were not guilty of wrongdoing. They also suggested that the force should continue. However, they did agree that one person, Garcia, had been murdered by Rangers. They also found other evidence of "serious violations of both civil and criminal laws.” They said the Rangers had broken laws by searching homes without warrants. They also illegally took firearms.
Despite these findings, the committee praised General Harley, the head of the Ranger Force. They said he deserved "commendation" for how he had done his job. The committee also supported Canales' idea to reduce the size of the force and pay Rangers more.
The House of Representatives changed Canales' original proposal. They passed a new bill that raised pay and set a limit of 75 Rangers. It also strengthened existing laws. This new bill passed with 87 votes for and 10 against, with Canales being one of the few who voted against it. Even so, this bill was often called "the Canales reforms." But it was quite different from what Canales had first suggested.
Changes to the Rangers
The changes, known as the Canales Reforms, created a smaller Ranger force. They also set higher pay standards and age requirements for Rangers. A new process was created for filing official complaints against Rangers. These complaints would go to the head of the Rangers. This made an existing process more formal. The Rangers were reorganized into four groups of 16 Rangers each. Each group had one captain. There was also a headquarters with six men and a captain.
The Rangers also made internal changes on their own. They started requiring daily reports from scouts and identification badges. They introduced a code of conduct. This code forbade drinking, gambling, bad language, and public criticism of other Rangers. Rangers could carry guns, but they had to be hidden in public areas when off duty.
