AFFAIRS IN UTAH.
Sermon by Orson Pratt—His Denunciation of the Anti-Polygamy Bill—Investigation of Dr. Forney's Affairs—Probability of Prov-ing his Peculations—How the Mormons Regard Young Joe Smith's Pretensions—Trifling Depredations by the Indians.
Correspondence of the New-York Times.
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, U.T.,
Wednesday, May 9, 1860.
On Sunday last I attended Mormon service at the Tabernacle, and heard ORSON PRATT preach, per-haps his sermon, or rather speech, for he did not pre-tend to take a Scriptural text, and its reception by the audience will furnish as good an index to the Mormon disposition towards our Government as can be found elsewhere. He commenced by rejoicing at the religious liberty enjoyed by the American people; he talked long and eloquently about ours being a land wherein God decreed that all mankind should worship according to the dictates of their own con-sciences; but that recently certain American Con-gressmen, moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil, had attempted to overrule the divine decree by introducing a bill in Congress to punish polygamy as a criminal offence, thereby seeking to debar the Mormons from the enjoyment of a religious right. He then argued the unconstitutionality of the measure, and maintained that it came within the meaning of the clause guaranteeing to every man the right to worship God, &c. He denied that it was a crime in the sight of God, but, on the contrary, the ho-liest men of ancient times had practiced it, and that, too, with the sanction of God himself. He said the bill had already passed the House, and that the President and Congressmen, as well as people in the States, sought to oppress and persecute the Mormons and therefore it had probably already passed the Sen-ate, and received the sanction of the President, and was now a law of the land. And in view of these facts he asked the Mormons what they should do. He said they might have the constitutionality of the law examined and passed upon by the Supreme Court, but the Judges were as much interested in persecuting them as Congressmen were, and it would have no further effect than to add insult to injury. He said that he knew of nothing that the Mormons could do but to stand by the Constitution arid maintain the rights that their forefathers had secured to them by their life's blood. He said he spoke as an individual, and that for himself, rather than to submit to such an un-heard of proceeding he would lay his body in the cold grave. And the audience gave one loud unanimous "Amen." He then went on to say that JOSEPH SMITH had prophesied that the day was not far distant when the i'Latter Day Saints" would be the only supporters of the American Constitution; that the layminites (meaning the In-dians) would become an enlightened race, and would unite with them in upholding the Constitution, and that the great mission that the Mormons now have to perform is to elevate and enlighten these Indians, and induce them to become members of their Church; and that everything tends to show that these things will soon come to pass, that the American Union would soon be dissolved, and the North and South would wage against each other a war of extermina-tion, and women and children would be seen flying from city to city, pursued by the relentless mob; there would be no peace or safety in the land. At this fearful picture I saw upon every countenance a deep settled smile of malignity and savage delight, as the traitorous fiends glutted their imaginations upon the blood of my countrymen, The speaker con-tinued, ''You all now think that you would hike to see this state of things, because ot your many persecu-tions, but I say that when the time comes you will be sorry to see it, because let your feelings be ever so bitter, you will then remember that it is the land of your birth, and these are your kindred." This is sufficient to show the disposition of these people toward our Government, and justifies the state-ment made on the floor of the House by Capt. HOOPER, the delegate from Utah, that if such a law is passed the Mormons will again rise in rebellion; and also, perhaps, his intimation, that our Government has just sneaked out of one difficulty with this formidable peo-ple, and another such a one is to be avoided as a con-tagion is. The intimation in regard to the Indians simply means that they will form an alliance with the moun-tain tribes, and will prosecute a kind of guerrilla war-fare against the United States, by cutting off all sup-plies from troops, and murdering all emigrants, and all other persons whomsoever that come within their reach. Whether they can succeed in this is a question not now to be considered, for, whether they can or not, the history of the past teaches us that they can, unaided, murder large numbers of American citizens. No brave man fears to die, but when it comes to vio-lating and then murdering innocent and defenceless women, the heart of every honest man thrills with hor-ror. Knowing what I do of Mormon atrocity and Mor-mon vengeance, it requires no great effort of imagin-ation to see in the future hundreds of unoffending and unprotected women and children murdered in cold blood, if this rebellious spirit is not at once crushed out. We well know their disposition, and why tarry for some overt act at the expense of per-haps a thousand human lives? You will remember that in a former letter I said that if the Polygamy bill became a law, it would re-quire at least two regiments of United States troops actively employed to enforce it; and beside them, the General Government would have to furnish money to maintain the Courts. I think that you will agree with me in saying that recent events have justified this opinion. The investigation concerning the official transac-tions of Dr. FORNEY, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, is now going on at this place, under the direction of Gen. STAMBAUGH and Major MONTGOMERY, Commission-ers. I am informed that the probability is strongly in favor of his being proven guilty of all that he is charged with—namely, taking false vouchers, &c. It will be remembered that Dr. FORNEY is one of the few Federal officers who coalesced with the Mormons, and that when the troops lay at Fort Bridger in almost a starving condition, he had a special weakness for writing scandalous and scurrilous reports concerning both military and civil brother officers, and for these delectable performances he received the highest en-comiums from the Mormon Press; he, even then, had credit for being able to stand fire, but now the public are in a fair way to discover that he can both stand fire and steel. The Utah correspondent of the New-York Herald, as I am informed, "pitched into" your correspondent "Richard" a few weeks since in most gallant style, I am obliged to him for it, for considering that he is a Mormon Elder, it was the highest compliment he could pay me. His connection with the Herald is an argument of suspicion on both sides, and is, perhaps, as creditable to the one as the other. RICHARD.
From Another Correspondent.
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, Friday, May 11,1860.
The last mail from the East brought intelligence of a new organization of Latterday Saints, or Mor-mons, at Amboy, Illinois, on the 6th ult.; of the as-sumption of the headship or Presidency of the organ-ization by young JOE SMITH; and of his reception as such by the Mormons assembled. It also appears that the Mormons of Amboy, with their prophet, the son of the mightier and original prophet, are in deadly opposition to BRIGHAM YOUNG and his adherents, and some of the doctrines and practices they inculcate and follow. And the idea seems to prevail that the claims of young JOSEPH to the prophetship and seer-ship, and I-don't-know-what-other-ship, will be hailed and seconded by many of the Salt Lake Mormons, and that the destruction of BRIGHAM'S influence and the cessation of the peculiar practices of Salt Lake, will be the speedy and final results.
I am not quite so sanguine, I am afraid that such a reckoning was made when the host was absent. I do not think the son of the prophet will ever take the place of the prophet in the faith and affections of the Salt Lake Mormons. I do not believe Master JOSEPH SMITH will ride into triumphant spiritual power in Utah. I have no idea that BRIGHAM YOUNG will be de-throned or spiritually slain by the stripling of Amboy. And I will give my reasons.
Master JOSEPH is a young and inexperienced man-He has no official or any other connection with the Salt Lake Church, that I can hear of, and conse-quently has performed no mission, has passed through no persecution "for the truth's sake," as the Mor-mons would say. Since the death of his father, as I suppose, he has been chiefly under the tutelage of his mother, that is, in religious matters, and I can't make out that this is a very great recommendation of him at Salt Lake, for she and all her family appear always to have kept aloof from BRIGHAM and his fol-lowers.
As for BRIGHAM, he has grown old in the service and confidence of the Salt Lake Church. He guided the Church of the Faithful through the troubles of the last days of Nauvoo, and led his followers through the perils of the wilderness and the desert to their refuge in the Great Basin. He piloted the way through the quicksands, and storms, and breakers of the "Mormon War," and negotiated an "honor able peace" with the Federal Government. He has shared with his followers adversity and prosperity and stuck to them like wax all the time, mingling in their joys and sympathizing in their sufferings. He has but to "crook his finger," and willing missiona-ries by the hundred are off, on incredibly short notice to the most distant and uninviting nations of the earth. He again "crooks his finger," and the same missionaries "return to Zion," "bringing their sheaves with them," that is, bringing their converts by thousands.
Again, any one who has been in the habit of attend-ing Mormon meetings must have repeatedly heard the "brethren and sisters" declare that they knew BRIGHAM to be a prophet, and the successor of "the Prophet JOSEPH." Now, all these good, confident Mormons must eat their own words before they can be expected to support young JOE. BRIGHAM has pre-sided over the Mormon Church sixteen out of the thirty years of its existence, and I am much mistaken if quite as much faith has not been expressed in his inspiration as in that of the original prophet.
Furthermore, there have already been many noted and talented claimants for the Prophetic honor—unsuc-cessful rivals of BRIGHAM YOUNG. RIGDON, STRANG, GLADDEN BISHOP, "BILL SMITH,"—own brother to the great Prophet—these have all put forth their claims and had followers to back them, but of what avail? And as far as I can learn by conversation with others, these Amboy Mormons are in great part composed of the remnants of the above-named unsuccessful par-ties, and are, as is supposed, now going to try "What's in a name."
So it will be perceived that I have some reasons for thinking that BRIGHAM will continue to distance his ecclesiastical competitors. It is not to be sup-posed for a moment that the vexatious Mormon prob-lem will be solved by young JOSEPH SMITH and the Church at Amboy, Something else must be sought for. True, he might meet with a few admirers at Salt Lake; but, from all I can learn, that number would be few, very few.
A believer in a special providence would say that the Divine blessing does not seem to rest upon the relations of the Federal Government with Utah. Nearly three years ago a great and splendidly ap-pointed army was dispatched to Utah. That army sat down before, in and around Fort Bridger one whole Winter, and till one volunteer commissioner and two appointed commissioners came to Salt Lake and amicably adjusted pending difficulties. Then the army sat down at Camp Floyd, doing nothing hut enriching the Mormons, until, at the instance of Judge CRADLEBAUGH, 1,000 bayonets glistened on Provo Bench, frightened the inhabitants of that thriving city out of their propriety, drew forth a pro-testing proclamation from Gov. CUMMING, and a severe rebuke from President BUCHANAN through Attorney-General BLACK. And, at last, what do we see? The troops going away; Governor CUM-MING, charged by Judge CRADLEBAUGH with debiting the government with clerk hire and employing no clerk; and Indian Agent FORNEY charged with re-turning false vouchers in his accounts. "Dr. FORNEY did not exactly approve of Judge CRADLUBAUGH'S course here, and Governor CUMMING, having flatly op-posed it, it is generally supposed that the Judge had a grudge against them, which he is paying off by im-peaching them at Washington, As the Governor's salary is not very liberal, con-sidering Salt Lake prices, it is conceived that he thought he might legitimately better his circum-stances by making his wife his clerk and paying her accordingly. Or it might be, that, knowing the an-tagonism of the two parties, he could not feel satis-fied in hiring a man clerk of either the Gentile or Mormon blood, and consequently employed Mrs. CUMMING.
Surveyor-General STAMBAUGH and Major MONTGOM-ERY having been appointed a Commission of Inquiry into Dr. FORNEY'S affairs, the investigation is now in progress, and, though very little headway has yet been made, I expect the Dr. will get justice, if he is not afraid of it, and "Jesse" if he is. The Dr. is here, alive and anxious. He has engaged Mr. HOSEA STOUT in his defence.
Since the close of Winter, the weather has been very favorable for farm and garden work, The dry wea-ther for two or three weeks consecutively would give a chance for the operation of the plow, and tor the sowing of the seed, until many people on the benches or uplands would be thinking of irrigating, and same would reluctantly commence, when the sky would be overcast for several days, and then down would come a soaking rain or a liberal snow-storm,—for you must know that the clouds threaten several days here before the storm falls. For the greater part of last week this threatening weather prevailed. However, on Sunday it was biting cold, and by night a piercing nor'wester brought a white mantle for mother earth. On awaking on Monday morning and looking out of the window, ugh! six inches of snow covered all Na-ture, and more falling! The snow was half melted ere it reached the ground, and was in consequence compact. The leaves of the shade and fruit trees caught the heavy snow, which bent down the boughs gracefully, till our City seemed full of weeping wil-lows, and in many instances the sheer weight of the snow broke branches one or two inches thick. Later in the day our valley presented a novel appearance the trees arrayed in their bright fresh green foliage, and the valley and surrounding mountains complete-ly enveloped in their pure white habiliments. Three feet of snow is said to have fallen in the mountains. The prospect for the wheat crop seems good, provided the crickets, which have shown themselves in many places in great numbers on the benches and moun-tains do not take the lion's share.
On Tuesday last a sad accident occurred at Snyder's saw mill, in Parley's Park, about 25 miles southeast of this city. The saw had been stopped to make some slight repair, when a young man named JESSE JOHN-SON got under the saw sash, and, with his face resting on a piece of timber, was looking downwards, when the saw started running, and the sash came down on his head, literally smashing his jaw and killing him instantaneously. No one else was in the mill at the time; but he ' was soon discovered and removed. Carelessness, in not properly securing the saw, ap-pears to have been the cause of the accident.
Notwithstanding the vast amount of dry goods and groceries which have been brought into Utah during the past two or three years, it seems that our mer-chants have not a very large stock on hand, for seve-ral firms have within the last few days brought in fresh selections from San Francisco and Los Angeles. Verily Utah is not a bad place for driving a brisk business. The young ladies must have their ribbons and calicoes and crinoline, and the old ladies their tea and snuff, while the young gentlemen and the patriarchs grumble horribly if they don't get their full allowance of the weed.
On the 3d inst. another sudden death occurred at Willow Creek, also called Draperville, eighteen or twenty miles south of this city. JOHN W. BROWN was engaged in loosening a granite rock which rested on the hillside, and was unwisely working at the lower side of it, when it suddenly gave way, rolled down the slope, falling on him and cutting his chest open, fearfully mutilating him. No one else was working with him, but his comrades were near, and hearing the rock roll, they ran to it, and found BROWN quite dead. The rock contained about three hundred cubic feet.
Some bands of Shoshone Indians have lately been stealing horses and committing sundry outrages north of this, and particularly in Cache Valley. Al-leged cause—disappointment in not obtaining divers expected presents from Indian Agent FORNEY. At the latest dates these Indians expressed their wish to make peace.
Two men, named COLE and DAVIS, died a few days ago of bullet wounds, at Springville, DAVIS was one of a posse in arresting COLE for horse or mule steal-ing, and was then wounded by COLE, whereupon the remainder of the posse put five bullets in COLE'S car-case.
