THE PRESIDENT ON UTAH AFFAIRS.
Delayed Dispatch Giving the Substance of the President's Message on Affairs in Utah.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 14.—The President is very determined about Utah and will bring matters at once to an issue. He says it is time to stop fooling with Brig-ham Young. Mr. Claggett, the present Delegate from Montana, will probably be appointed Governor by the President. A special Utah message to Congress this af-ternoon suggests the dangers likely to arise if the present condition of affairs continues and if a collision occurs between the Federal and Territorial authorities. The President speaks of the tendency of Territorial authorities to take the adminis-tration of the law out of the hands of Fed-eral Judges. He says : "Several years of unhappy experience makes it apparent that the Territory of Utah requires special legislation by Congress. Public opinion in that Territory produced by circumstan-stances too notorious to require further no-tice, makes it necessary, in my opinion, in order to prevent
THE MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE,
And to maintain the supremacy of the laws of the United States and the Federal Government, to provide that the selection of grand and petit jurors for District Courts, if not put under the control of Federal of-ficers, shall be placed in the hands of per-sons entirely independent of those who are determined not to enforce any Act of Con-gress obnoxious to them ; and also, to pass some Act which shall deprive the Probate Courts, or any Court credited by the Ter-ritorial Legislature, of any power to inter-fere with or impede the action of the Courts held by United States Judges. I am convinced that, so long as Congress leaves the selection of jurors to the local authorities, it will be futile to make any effort to enforce the laws not acceptable to a majority of the people of the Territory, or which interferes with local projects or provides for
THE PUNISHMENT OF POLYGAMY,
Or any of its affiliating vices or crimes. I presume that Congress in passing upon the subject will provide all legal and prop-er safeguards to secure honest and impar-tial jurors, whose verdicts will command confidence and be a guaranty of equal pro-tection to all good and law-abiding citi-zens, and at the same time make it under-stood that crime cannot be committed with impunity. Apprehensions are entertained that if Congress adjourns without any ac-tion upon this subject turbulence and dis-cord will follow, rendering military inter-ference a necessary result, which I should greatly deprecate. In view of these and other obvious considerations, I earnestly recommend that Congress, at the present session, pass some Act which will enable the District Courts of Utah to proceed with independence and efficiency in the ad-ministration of law and justice.
U. S. GRANT.
Executive Mansion, February 14, 1873.
