New York Times vol. 8 no. 2479

              INTERESTING FROM UTAH. 
The Territorial Election—First Gentile Con-vention in Utah—Pretest Against Mor-monism &c., &c.
 Correspondence of the New-York Times. 
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, Saturday, Aug, 6,1859. 
On Monday last, the 1st inst., was held the Territorial election of Utah—a feature in the politics of this Territory, heretofore merely nominal, con-sidered only a formality, but which this year has as-sumed an importance little anticipated by the follow-ers of the Prophet. Contrary to custom, and in oppo-sition to the Church, a rival party, imbued with the partisanship of American politics, dared rise up and contest the superiority of Church over State. Where "the Lion of the Lord" has been accustomed to pro-claim his ipse dixit, and rule the nominations, and the supremacy of his wishes secure the election of his fa-vorites, a small band of the spirit of '76 have main-tained their privileges and voted their choice. Although few, their concerted action has doubtless se-cured them the majority of votes, if not an election of their candidates. The returns are not yet in, but sufficient is known to alarm the Saints, and make the negligent repent their disinterestedness. For Dele-gate to Congress there were three candidates, viz : Capt. WM. H. HOOPER, Mormon ; Dr. HURT. Ex-Indian Agent, and W. J. OSBORNE, ex-legislator from Greene County, Gentiles. At Camp Floyd there was a large vote, at Bridger doubtless the same, while Carson Valley has to be heard from, all of which points are considered Gentilist. In this city but about 1,009 or 1,200 votes were polled ; among others unnaturalized citizens enjoyed elective franchise, to our certain knowledge, evincing what could have been accom-plished had parties been aware of the opposition. 
The United States Court is active in its session. The juries have been impanneled. The Grand Jury consists chiefly of Mormons of high standing in the Church, such as Counselors, Apostles, Bishops, &c. The Traverse Jury has a majority of Gentiles—so it but remains with the churchmen to present, and criminals will receive their deserts. Several bills have been found, but on "trying," or high-handed cases, a tardiness and lack of testimony is apparent. Never was so much crime committed in a community where so little evidence could be gathered. Parties who should know all about such things when put un-der oath are the most ignorant—thus confirming the reputed futility of United States Courts to administer justice where worthy parties are interested. Murders and robberies are rife in our midst—scarce a day but brings some new crime to light. The mountains and valleys, yea, even cities, are infested with free-booters and desperadoes. They boldly stalk the streets by day, and lie in ambush for their victims by night. On the main streets, in public houses, at private parties, are men shot, stabbed and beaten, as well as robbed, and no evidence can be elicited against the guilty. All—but the victims—seem leagued together in these damnable and cowardly assaults, and bid defiance to law and its punishments. We hear of two men shot on Weber River, about 50 miles east of the city; of another north, and only last night, here in the city in a hotel, without provocation, one FRANK MCNEIL (who was for several months imprisoned in this city during the war, by the authorities, and who is here attending a suit he has brought against BRIGHAM YOUNG et al., claiming $25,000 damages) was attacked, shot at, beaten, and barely escaped losing his life, which has been threatened by the Saints numerous times. And whilst inditing this letter we were startled by three reports of pistols and the cry of murder, and on repairing to the spot we found said MCNEIL again shot by unknown persons this time it is feared fatally, and at the door of a public house. Municipal officers, instead of seeking the criminal, loitered about the room of the wounded man, until the company cried shame, and thus compelled them to leave the house. No arrest can be made— no clue obtained—although it is generally believed to be a concocted plan to rid themselves of MCNEIL, who has been a thorn in their sides. Thus it goes. No man who renders himself inimical to them is safe. 
Mule sales are over at Camp Floyd. The ani-mals averaged Government about $70 per head. Emmigration immense. A short time since a party of emmigrants was murdered on the Northern route to California by Indians. The Indians are becoming very troublesome and the whites are not less savage. Judge SINCLAIR discountenances Probate criminal jurisdiction and has had GIBSON, who was last week convicted by said Court of murder in the first degree, presented to the Grand Jury now in session, as though he had never been tried, and they have found a bill. Oh for a host of such officials as our judiciary then Utah might be purified. 
Weather hot, harvest in full blast, fruits plenty. 
—— A. B. 
Correspondence of the New-York Times.
 CAMP FLOYD, U. T., Sunday, July 24,1859. 
I herewith transmit to you the official report of the proceedings of the first "Gentile" Convention ever held within the Territory. 
At a Mass Convention of the "Gentiles" held in the City of Fairfield, U. T., on the 23d of July, 1859. 
On motion of Dr. GABLAND HURT, the Hon. ANDREW HUMPHREYS was unanimously chosen President of the Convention, and on taking the Chair said : 
FRIENDS AND FELLOW CITIZENS OF UTAH TERRITORY : It would be an act of ingratitude on my part, such a one as I am incapable of committing, were I to remain silent on the present occasion, without return-ing to each, and every one of you my sincere and heartfelt acknowledgments for the honor you have conferred on me, that of unanimously selecting me to preside over the deliberations of your Convention : and the more go because it is the first Convention that has ever assembled in this Territory that was willing that law and order should prevail. It will be expected of me that I should state the objects of the meeting, but my recent arrival in the Territory pre-vents me from sufficiently understanding what your objects are. I therefore content myself by presiding over the Convention to the best of my ability.
 On motion of Mr. KIRK, JOHN E. RISLEY and Geo. H. Crossman, Jr., were chosen Secretaries.
 Dr. G. HURT moved that a Committee of seven be appointed by the President to draft an address and resolutions, whereupon the following gentlemen were appointed : Dr. Garland Hurt, John Bigler, Wm. D. Kirk, Wm. H. Lent, Wm. Hanley, S. P. Jones, and C. L. Craig. 
The Committee, after retiring in short period, re-ported the following address and resolutions, which were unanimously adopted : 
As citizens of the United States, devoted to our form of government and the social organization of its people, it becomes us, when in mass convention as-sembled, to declare to our fellow citizens the causes which induce us to dissent from opinions, and con-demn practices, hostile to the letter and spirit of our Constitution, and subversive of our rights as freemen. 
We declare our hearty approval of that religious liberty which entitles every man to worship God ac-cording to the dictates of his own conscience ; and we most solemnly declare that we have not, and will not, interfere with that right in any religious sent, whether Jewish, Pagan, Mormon, or Christian, but with the simple exercise of that right BRIGHAM YOUNG and his followers have not been, and will not be content. They have practiced intolerance and persecution to en extent hitherto unknown in our country, and unequaled elsewhere in the nineteenth century.
A fundamental principle of their organization is a union of Church and State. They acknowledge an ecclesiastical bead whom, they profess to believe a vicegerent of Divinity, whose will is higher than all law, even the human conscience itself, and whose command is a sufficient justification for crimes of every grade. Nor are they content to support their obnoxious system by voluntary contributions from its adherents, but have heretofore and yet do levy taxes upon us, and compel an unwilling people to pay tribute to support an organization that they despise. 
By legislative enactments they have granted to Church officials the exclusive privilege of establishing ferries and bridges ever the principal rivers, and a large share of the enormous tolls extorted from emi-grants goes to the support of their Immigration Fund. They confiscate to the same use the estray property found within the Territory. They escheat the prop-erty of deceased to the use of the Church. 
They have assumed the right to dispose of the tim-ber and grass, the water and its privileges, for the ex-clusive support of church dignitaries. They have granted large and valuable tracts of public lands to church officials, to the exclusion of all others. 
They have created a corporation by chartering their Church, investing it with, powers destructive of the best interests and dangerous to the liberties of the inhabitants.
 Three-fourths of the population are aliens, who know nothing of our institutions and care nothing for them. They emigrated to our country, not to enjoy the freedom it affords, but merely because it was the home and centre of Mormonism. Many of them boast that they are not, and never intend to be, Amer-ican citizens. 
They have imprisoned American citizens for no other cause than that of refusing to attack themselves to their revolting institutions.
 In their attempts to establish a Theocracy, founded upon the divine right of their Priests to govern, they were led in 1857 to declare war against the United States, and after having kil-led some and imprisoned others of our fellow-citizens—stolen the property of the Government, as well as that of private individ-uals, they accepted the pardon of the President with-out making restitution, or in any way accounting for the property stolen, and without surrendering or in-tending or surrender their hostility to the Government of the United States. 
We declare our fall conviction, from all we have witnessed, that the Mormon people are no more loyal to the Constitution and Laws of the United States to-day, then when they declared their independence of that Government, defied its powers, levied a military cheet, organized their army and fortified Echo Canon.
   They have murdered and then robbed whole trains of emigrants, not sparing defenceless women and children, whose cries for mercy found no ear to hear, no heart to pity, and no arm to bring deliverance. 
 They have debauched and then murdered helpless women. 
They have taken the lives of American citizens by order of their Priesthood. 
They have made eunuchs under church authority, and they still claim the right to continue the diaboli-cal practice. 
They have incited the merciless savages to rob and murder unprotected people. They have prevented the execution of the laws conferring criminal jurisdiction upon courts of their own creation in violation of the Organic act.
They have disfranchised American citizens from serving on juries.
They have […..] to provide jails, or other means, for the safe keeping of prisoners.
They have steadily refused to provide money to enable the Federal Courts to try and punish offenders.
They have nearly every instance prevented the arrest of criminals, and when a few were arrested their officers have permitted them to escape. 
They have inspired witnesses and jurors with fear, by threats of terrible meaning.
Witnesses have not dared to testify in courts of justice unless they could be protected by the army, and when the protection was afforded them the Mormons fearful that the truth would be made known, and their leaders punished, have falsely pretended that they were afraid of the soldiers, and that they were persecuted on account of their religion.
They practice incest and polygamy in its most horrifying forms, setting at defiance all the laws of con-sanguinity, instances being know of men high in their confidence having pretendedly married the mother and her daughters, and cohabited with them at the same time-where they thus married their half sisters and nieces, and to justify this outrageous practice, they denounce as prostitutes the women of the states among whom are our mothers, our wives, our sisters, our daughters, and our friends.
They have stolen large quantities of public property since their pretended treaty of peace with the United States.
They have made no restitution, nor in any way whatever accounted for the vast amount of property they have stolen and destroyed, and for none of these crimes we have have enumerated have the perpetrators been brought to punishment, nor has the public Ac-cuser, appointed by the Federal Government, taken any of the necessary steps to do so. 
The United States Marshal for the Territory has used every means within his power to make arrests where prosecutions have been set on foot by individ-uals, but the means placed at his disposal are found wholly inadequate. 
We cannot too highly commend the exertions of the Federal Judges in their attempts to do their duty in executing the laws, nor the action of Gen. JOHNSTON in affording protection to the civil authorities generally, but especially to the Court held at Provo; nor can we too deeply regret the action which the President has felt it his duty to take in depriving the Courts of similar assistance in future, thereby extinguishing all hope of maintaining the supremacy of the law, for if the law ever was, it certainly is not now King in Utah. 
These are some of the wrongs of which we, as American citizens, have a right to complain. In doing so we have been compelled, by the limits of such a proceeding, to deal in general rather than detailed statements; but for the truth of our assertions we stand pledged to the civilized world. 
Resolutions.
Resolved, That we hold the Mormon people responsible for the blood of American citizens so wantonly shed upon American soil, so long as the real perpetrators aiders and abetters are protected by them from the just penalties of the law. 
Resolved. That Polygamy is an abomination in the sight of God ; a violation of the laws of nature, tending to degenerate and sensualize our race ; a crime punishable by law in every State in the Union, and should not be tolerated in the territories. 
Resolved, That a union of Church and State, and es-pecially one making the latter subordinate to for-mer is incompatible with our Republican institutions, and any attempt to establish such an union, being subversive, we will resist by all the means in our power. 
Resolved, That, in our opinion, Congress has the power to secure to us a Republican form of Government, and we hereby call on that honorable body to exercise that right. 
Resolved, That the Gentile population of this Territory be requested to aid us in an organized effort to maintain our rights in Utah.
Resolved, That we deplore the necessity that existed the severance of KIRK ANDERSON, esq. from the Val-ley Tan newspaper ; that we appreciate his efforts in our behalf, and that our regards will ever follow him.
Resolved, That we heartily indorse the sentiments expressed by the Hon. JAMES S. GREENE, of Mo., in a recent speech delivered by him at Jefferson City relative to Utah affairs. 
Upon motion of C. L. CRAIG, Esq., the Convention proceeded to nominate candidates for the various offices, when after a spirited contest the following persons were declared duly nominated : 
For Delegate to Congress, Dr. GARLAND HART; for the Legislature, Councilman WM. H. LENT and JOHN BIGLER; Representatives, S. C. Mills, J. M. WALLACE and C. W. CROCKER ; Sheriff O. P. Thomas. 
Upon motion of GEO. H. CROSMAN, Esq., 
Resolved, that the editors of newspapers throughout the Union friendly to our cause be requested to publish the proceedings of this Convention. 
Resolved, That our thanks are due to the Hon. ANDREW HUMPHREYS for the able and impartial […] in which he has presided over our deliberations.
Resolved, That the proceedings of this Convention be signed by the President and Secretaries.
Resolved, That this Convention adjourn sine die.
JOHN E. RISLEY, A. HUMPHREYS, President.
GEO. H. CROSSMAN, JR., Secretaries,