FROM UTAH.
Telegraphic from Washington-House Re-fuses to Agree to Revolution of Mormon Delegate-Health of City-Amusements-Arrival of Emigrants-More Expected-Their Character-Utah as a State-Indian Treaties-Gold Mines-Other Discoveries-The Military-The Over-land Mail.
Correspondence of The N. Y. Tribune.
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 17,1863.
The telegraph yesterday brought the news from Washington that the House had refused to agree to Judge Kenney’s resolution, to inquire into the causes which had led to the stationing of a large standing army among that peaceful and loyal people.
Some here think it strange that Judge Kenney should have spoken of the Mormons as “loyal,” when their dis-like of being considered hostile to the South is so notori-ous here at Salt Lake. The gilding of the Judge’s res-olution with that “diplomatic palaver” of “loyal” is not appreciated here at all, except by Brigham and the more prominent ones-the saints generally don’t like it. It is a notorious fact that there is not a Rebel State in which hatred and dislike of the “Yankee Abolitionists” as stronger or more general than it is at Salt Lake City and throughout the Territory.
But after hearing so often the harangues of the Mormon chiefs, delivered from the pulpit, on the Sab-bath, and at all other times, telling the people that the stationing of vagabond troops among them by the United States Government was a damnable outrage, done only for persecution of the saints—after hear-ing that the misfortunes which our army had met with at Salt Lake—the loss, of officers and man killed by Indians were rejoiced ever, and, that our reverses by sea and by land in the war with the South were merited punishment. I say it is very strange after hearing this to hear also Judge Kenney, who knows the people so well, after eight years' residence among them, and is [?] good Mormon himself, call them “loyal.”
The hostility of the Mormons and Judge Kenney to the officers and troops stationed here is perfectly natu-ral and easily understood. . For more than thirty years the Mormons have rendered themselves so obnoxious to the people of the United States that our troops have had to chastise them. Their increasing popularity and strength shave made them more inde-pendent and defiant, of the military sta-tioned among them. There is no social or friendly in-tercourse between the officers, of the army and the Mor-mons. Major-Gen. Connor, the officer in command of the forces at Salt Lake and Utah Territory, considers it his beneath his dignity to call on President Young, for if he should, it is not at all likely the compliment would be returned. Such is the feeling among the army offi-cers.
Judge Kinney’s interference to prevent President Young’s arrest to nullify the laws of Congress, shows the contempt he had for National authority, and the respect he entertained for his Mormon benefactor.
It will be recollected that in pursuaace of a law of Congress, passed at its last session, to prevent "polyg-amy in the Territories," Gen. Connor was about to ar-rest President Young for taking another and forty-fifth wife. Judge Ke-nnny who was then, and had been for some eight yeans, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States for Utah, issued a process, and the United States Marshal brought President Young before his Honor, and he gave bonds for $3,000 for his ap-pearance when called for. As a matter of form the case went before the Grand Jury, but was dismissed.
This was a grand coup d'etat on the part of the Judge, deserving of an election to Congress, as he knew that civil authority took precedence of military authority. It was a triumph for the cause of Mormonism. It head-ed off Gen. Connor and prevented his having anything to do with the matter, beside rendering the guarding of the harem by Mormon soldiers no longer necessary. Brigham could well afford to send the Chief Justice to Congress.
Judge Kenney’s desire that none of the California Volunteers raised for the United States Government should be retained at Salt Lake is easily accounted for. For the part Judge K. took in shielding Brigham from military arrest he was removed by President Lincoln and another Chief Justice appointed.
Judge Kenney's residence proper is in Nebraska City, where his family resides, the latter never having re-sided at Salt Lake. Last Spring he ran for member of Congress in Nebraska Territory, and was defeated. Being a professional politician—a good Democrat and Mormon—President Young had him elected to Congress from Utah. He was elected by an almost unanimous vote. Such is a brief political sketch of the Mormon delegate.
The late epidemic has almost wholly disappeared since cold weather set in. Trade with the North be-yond Idaho has nearly closed for the present. A little is doing in the gold dust trade, but in flour, provisions and bulky articles, the trade has closed. The theater, which received the artists’ finishing touch before opening the last season, closed on the 5th, but will reopen in two weeks for Christmas and New-Year's. The drama, like everything else, is of "home manufacture." The theatrical performers are mostly amateur artistes—some of them very good ones, too.
The 500 four and six-ox wagons that left here last April for Florence City, on the Missouri River, for bringing back the Mormon emigrants, have all arrived. Their route was via Sweet Water and the south fork of the Platte River. In numbers the emigration has not come up to Brigham's expectation, falling a little short of 6,000, instead of 7,000. A great influx of miners is expected in the Spring.
Next season the immigration it is expected will exceed that of all former years; the mission-aries abroad in the old countries are making extra ef-forts. A large number of families from the districts of the English coal mines are expected. This class of for-eigners make the best "saints;" they are quiet and in-dustrious, subservient and loyal to Brigham and the church, do as they are told, and no grumbling, and are generally strong haters of the "Yankees."
The movements in Nevada and some of the other Ter-ritories for getting into the Union causes serious specu-lation on the Mormon future. So long, however, as Brigham Young is absolute throughout the Territory, Utah will never be voted into the Union as one of the States by the majority of its people.
The treaties made by Gov. Doty with the various tribes and bands of hostile Indians, since he became Governor of Utah, have proved very satisfactory. Treaties of peace have been made with all, so that now there is no danger or interruption of the Overland Mail stages, or communication with the gold and silver mines. The last treaties made were by Govs. Doty and Nye of Nevada, at Ruby Valley, with the Western Shoshones. Subsequently Governor Doty went to Soda Springs, some 800 miles from Salt Lake City, and concluded a treaty with the Bannocks and Shoshones, of Shoshone River Valley; beside with several other bands that might be influenced to interrupt our communication with the Beaver Head or Boise Gold Mines, which are proving to be of great value. Not a man arrives here from them who does not bring with him one or more bags of gold dust. Many of them have made extensive pur-chases of flour and other supplies and sent them north; Indeed, hundreds of wagons have been freighted and have departed to those mines during the past month, thus affording an excellent market for all agricultural productions of Utah. The time has been when flour sold for a hundred, bacon 50 cents a pound. Discoveries of silver and copper and lead ores have been made in the mountain on the west side of the River Jordan, and a good deal of prospecting has been done in this vicinity. All are confident that many val-uable leads will be opened in the Spring.
The camp has been reenforced by several companies of infantry and cavalry; the troops stationed about pro-jecting emigrants and stage lines from the Indians have all returned.
The Postmaster-General invites proposals for carry-ing the United States mails between Kansas and Cali-fornia; the present contracts expire on the 30th June next. The contracts to be let are for two and four years—the former that between Atchison and Salt Lake City, and the way- malls between the main route and Denver City for two years. This is what constituted originally the "Overland route to California," and is snore than one-half of the whole distance, being 1,285 miles long with 97 way offices.
The large amount invested in this route—some $650,-000—by the present contractor, who is the rightful owner of everything pertaining or belonging to the route except the right of way, will put successful com-petition out of the reach of all except those of large means, as it would require capital sufficient for starting an ordinary steamship line to stock, the route by buying out the present contractors, or by doing it in any other way.
The remainder of the route is in two separate con-tracts—one from Salt Lake City to Virginia City, 558 miles, the other to Folsom City, California, 140 miles; tooth these contracts are for four years. The aggregate distance of the three stage routes is 1,983 miles, includ-ing way-mails numbering 151 offices. From Folsom City to San Francisco, 137 miles, the mails go by rail-road and steamboat.
In all the principal features, the new contracts—as to time, starting, stops, etc.—will be the same as the old ones. The schedule published is for conveying the entire mail each way in 19 days, eight months in the year; and 23 days four months in the year." This includes March and the three Winter months. The snails are usually conveyed now in from one to two days less time than the above. The present contracts are for carrying a daily letter-mail only; newspapers and printed matter are, and always have been, from necessity, ex-cluded from the Overland mail-bags.
It may be proper to state that the ordinary news-paper mail, or that of printed matter, such as carried by the California steamers, can not well be carried by the Overland coaches. The reason is obvious. The con-tractors, at first desirous of making their lines useful as well as proftable, were disposed to be liberal and obliging. With this view, the experiment of carrying & newspaper mail was tried and abandoned. The bulk and weight of news-papers, Congressional documents, printed and other mailable matter was too great, making extra coaches necessary for its transportation. The mails now, with only letters, are so large and so heavy that brass locks or through mails, are frequently taken inside with the passengers.
About the way or manner in which the mails are to be transported—whether in four-horse coaches as at present, or on the backs of mules or Indians—nothing is said. On a short distance of the present route six-horse Troy coaches are used.
It is understood that the Post Office Department pays to these three companies the joint sum of $850,000 an-nually for carrying the letter mail. With the exception of that of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Naviga-tion Company, to which the British Government pays £230,00 ($ 1,150,000) annually for carrying the mails, the Overland California Mail Company receives the largest mail pay of any Company in the world. The next largest contract is that of the Royal West India Mail Steamship Company, which receives £140,000 ($700,000) annually.
With this seemingly liberal sum for carrying the over-land mail, the contractors complain that there is but little to be made, and that the next contract should be $1,000,000 in order to meet the enhanced price of labor, which has been growing scarce by the large numbers emigrating to the mines. Besides, too, the scarcity and high prices of horses and mules caused by the war, the hordes of Mormon emigrants—from 5,000 to 6,000 who are annually arriving from the Old Countries via Mis-souri River to Salt Lake and different parts of Utah Territory, like swarms of locusts—they with their mules and cattle devour grass, vegetables, and every living green, thing eatable. Next season the emigration over the Plates to the Mormon settlements will greatly ex-ceed that of former years.
One thing, however, the Department ought to do, and that is, so long as the letter-mail only is carried over-land insist that the mails shall go through in the shortest time possible, and ahead of the steamer-mail, which can easily be done.
