MORMONDOM—GOV. CUMMING'S MESSAGE.
We have a copy of The Mountaineer, Extra, published at Salt Lake City on the 12th of December last, which contains Gov. Cumming's Message to the Mormon Legislature of Utah Territory. Gov. Cumming makes some points in his Message which intimate the condition of things in that Territory, For example, he states that in Salt Lake City and in the Village of Fairfield many murders and other acts of violence have been perpetrated, the authors of which have "fled and eluded justice." We presume such a statement will not be found in any other Message to any other Legislature of any State or Territory of the Union. It is a state of things that can exist only where the people shield the offenders.
Gov. Cumming refers to large tracts of land and extensive water-powers being held by persons who have no valid title thereto, and he recommends legislation to abridge those claims. It is well known that Brigham Young and other of the Saints have vested large properties of this kind in one another, and hold them to the detriment of the people at large.
The Governor recommends that a sum of $3,405 that he finds in the Auditor's report as expended for military purposes, should be henceforth applied to educational objects. He states that "organized bands of thieves" are so "numerous and audacious" as to require the immediate attention of the Legislature.
Judging from the message, we should say the state of education, property and crime within the Territory is not of that flattering character that would induce any very eager emigration thither, especially on the part of the Gentile population of the world.
The Governor reports, that he has reason to believe, from recent explorations that have been brought to his knowledge, that Salt Lake " City is within 460 miles of steamboat navigation on tributaries of the Columbia, and not over 350 or 400 miles from steamboat navigation on the upper waters of the Yellowstone or Mississippi.
The Governor speaks, as only a man situated as he is could speak, when he congratulates his people upon being thus "intimately" connected with the populations of both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. He thinks the mail can be run through on the Salt Lake route in 18 to 20 days from New-York to San Francisco.
