Political.
UTAH AND ITS LAWS.
SPEECH OF MR. MORRILL,
OF VERMONT,
In House of Representatives, February 23, 1857.
(CONCLUDED.)
It will be seen in the Territorial Laws, page 132, that besides jurisdiction relative to the estates of deceased persons—
"Sec. 30. The several probate courts in the respective counties have power to exercise original jurisdiction, both civil and criminal, and as well in chancery as at common law, when not prohibited by legislative enact-ment," &c.
This would seem to be a pretty extensive jurisdiction for a court comparatively ranking with the common justice courts of the States; but, although they are to have criminal as well as chancery and common law jurisdic-tion, there is another act which relieves the court from a throng of puzzling embarrass-ments. It is to be found on page 260 of Ter-ritorial Laws, and proudly elevates the courts of Utah high over the heads of all other courts, and the Territorial Legislature above all other law-making tribunals, as follows:
“Sec 1. Be it enacted by the Governor and Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah, That all questions of law, the meaning of writings other than laws, and the admissibility of testimony shall be decided by the court; and no laws, nor parts of laws, shall be read, argued, ci-ted, or adopted, in any court, during any trial, except those enacted by the Governor and Legislative Assembly of this Territory, and those passed by the Congress of the United States when applicable; and no report, decis-ion, or doings of any court shall be read, urgued, cited, or adopted as precedent in any other trial."
Here is a studied attempt to cultivate legal ignorance, or, if not that, to ignore all the World save the legal Solons of Utah. The Solon of to-day is, besides, to have no respect for the Solon of yesterday! The policy of bringing up precedents would institute com-parisons, and "comparisons are odious;" therefore they are interdicted by the Governor and Legislature of Utah.
There are many other laws of the Territory which invite comment quite as much as those, already cited. For instance, there is a law which allows them to remit taxes to any fa-vorites they choose; to tax any person they may think is about to remove from the count-ry; to take into custody the property of any person on complaint of any body that he is about to remove and is indebted to some per-son; to take "all property left by any deceas-ed or absconded person, when there is no le-gal claimant known or sufficiently near to see to it in season," for the benefit of the per-petual emigrating fund. All these laws, as | worded, are liable to very great abuse, and | would not be harmed by considerable pruning.
According to the theory of Mormonism, Divine revelation has made no progress; and neither Christianity nor Mormonism, as they say, denounce habits or practices which were permitted unto Abraham or Solomon. In a discourse delivered August 3, 1856, by Presi-dent J. M. Grant, published in the Deseret News, I find such ideas as the following:
"When you read of the gifts that were bestowed upon and circulated among the people of God, you certainly would not wish others to suppose that mere reading about them puts you in possession of the same blessings.
"Brethren and sisters, we understand the difference between enjoying and reading of enjoyment, between history of a feast and the feast itself; also, between the history of the law of God and the law itself."
Bondage and polygmy are therefore Bible doctrines, and no revelation can be true that is inconsistent with any portion thereof. Vices or crimes recorded in the Bible—as, for instance, the incest of drunken Lot and his daughters, the murder of the Egyptian by Moses, or the seduction of the wife of Uriah by David—would appear to furnish preced-ents of as much authority with Mormons as virtues, or as the example of Joseph or of the good Samaritan.
Negro slavery already exists, to a limited extent, in Utah. Perhaps there are not more than one hundred negro slaves now in the Territory. The law under which they are held is as follows, (Territorial Laws of Utah, p. 161, chap. 17, sec. 3 :)
"That any person bringing a servant or servants and his, her, or their children from any part of the United States or other country, and shall place in the office of the probate court the certificate of any court of record under seal, properly attested, that he, she, or they are entitled lawfully to the service of such servant or ser-vants and his, her, or their children, the probate justice shall record the same, and the master or mistress, or his, her, or their heirs, shall be entitled to the services of the said servant or servants, unless forfeited as hereinafter; provided, if it shall appear that such servant or servants came into the Territory of their own free will and choice."
This patriarchal institution, when upheld by real Mormon patriarchs, assumes a new shape. It calls things by a softer name, and instead of slaves we have "servants." So re-luctant too are Mormon masters to punish their servants that it appears to have been necessary to make it their imperative duty by law to "correct and punish" their servants. Thus, in the laws as aforesaid, page 161, sec. 6:
“It shall be the duty of the master to correct and pun-ish his servant in a reasonable manner when it may be necessary, being guided by prudence and humanity."
The Mormons are making some effort to establish the culture of cotton, sugar, and rice in some parts of the Territory; and should they be successful in this undertaking; it might tend to increase the black servant population; but the heterogeneous character of the emigration, coming from any where almost but the United States, with opinions, it may be supposed, hostile to any system of servitude, and the occasional years of famine, years of drouth, and the grasshopper, when the people have been driven to the coarsest means of subsistence—living upon pumpkins in some instances—has operated, and may continue to operate, against the increase of this class of their population.
But there is another type of slavery to which I will call the special attention of gen-tlemen who are going to ask the unanimous reprehension of Congress against the Coolie traffic. Not less than four hundred Indians, children or adults, are to-day held in bondage in Utah under the pretence of apprenticeship. It will be observed that this is the same sort of "whipping the devil round the stump" that is practiced in the Coolie trade. They are purchased of Indians, who steal from neigh-boring tribes, for sums any where from twenty to forty dollars each, utterly regardless of the means of capture or abduction. This traffic with Indians is directly encouraged by the Mormons and under color of law. Any mi-nor may be bound to service, (vide Territorial Laws, p. 156,) and it is made the duty of the selectmen and the courts to bind out to ser-vice all the idle, the vagrant, or the vicious minors. Of course, all Indians are easily ranked in some one or all of these classes. They have also a law for the transfer of ser-vants; and where there is a will of course difficulties vanish. But, lest all this should not be held to accomplish the object, they have a later law in words admitting of no doubt or double meaning; and, curiously enough, the title of this act is printed, "An act for the RELIEF of Indian slaves and pris-oners." On page 173 of the Territorial Laws will be found as follows:
"Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Governor and Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah, That whenever any white person within any organized county or this Terri-tory shall have any Indian, child or woman, in his pos-session, whether by purchase or otherwise, such person shall immediately go, together with such Indian prisoner, child or woman, before selectmen or probate judge of the county. If, in the opinion of the selectmen or probate judge, the person having such Indian prisoner, child or woman, is a suitable person and properly qualified to raise or retain and educate said Indian prisoner, child or wo-man, it shall be his or their duty to bind out the same by indenture for the term of not exceeding twenty years, at the discretion of the judge or selectmen."
"Sec. 8. The selectmen, in their respective counties, are hereby authorized to obtain such Indian prisoners, children or women, and bind them to some useful avoca-tion."
Thus it appears that "any Indian prisoner, child or woman," that may happen to be in possession of "any white person," whether by purchase or in any other way, is relieved by being bound to servitude for twenty years; and the only consolation for the Indian is that there is nothing in the act to prevent a renew-al of this kind of "relief" at the expiration of the first period of service for twenty years more.
However cruelly we may have treated the Indians in other respects, either by encroach-ments upon their hunting grounds, with or without treaties, or by harassing wars, no party and no government in this country has for ages sanctioned the idea of reducing the red man of the forest to slavery. However bitter may be the ultimate fate of the Ameri-can Indian—and as a distinct race it is rapid-ly approaching extinction—this is a dreg placed in the bottom of the cup by Utah alone, a Territory over which the United States is sometimes represented to have the right of sovereignty and eminent domain.
Now, sir, gentlemen may make their reso-lutions as denunciatory as they please touch-ing the Coolie trade—they can hardly be too strong for me—but I hope they will not weaken and lower their emphasis when they approach the Mormon Utah trade in Indian "prisoners, children and women." Let the race of King Philip, Oceola, and Pocahontas, which has chased the sun almost half round the earth in order to catch a few more golden moments, not be subjected to iron fetters in their expiring moment! Let the fiercest war-rior of them all, as his ebbing pulse brings him nearer to the land of the "Great Spirit”, still dream—
"I'am as free as Nature first made man,
Ere the base laws of servitude began,
When wild in woods the noble savage ran."
There is one topic which has excited some consideration whenever Utah has been dis-cussed, and seems to acquire greater gravity in each successive year. Stealthily at first, but now openly, the practice of polygamy has become a deep-rooted and notorious institu-tion of the Mormons. Under the Constitu-tion of the United States they are fostered and protected, and have assigned to them a Territory larger than many of the kingdoms of Europe. Under the guise of religion this people has established and seek to maintain and perpetuate a Mohammedan barbarism re-volting to the civilized world. It is polygamy in its disgusting form, including in its slimy folds sisters, mothers, and daughters; and in order that no element of cruelty and loath-someness may be wanting, it includes facility of divorce.
The petition for a bill of divorce is to be made to the probate court, and "if the court is satisfied that the person so applying is a resident of the Territory, or wishes to become one," the court may decree a divorce, in ad-dition to the usual causes, for absence "with-out reasonable cause for more than one year," or "when it shall be made to appear to the satisfaction and conviction of the court that the parties cannot live in peace and union to-gether, and that their welfare requires a sep-aration." (Vide Territorial Laws, pp. 162, 163.) There are no legal bars here which may not be leaped over, even if the male Mor-mons were the "cripples" they have been slanderously represented. It is not enough to make woman no longer an equal, and man the tyrant; it is not enough to tear the en-dearing passion of love from the heart and in-stall in its place the rage of jealousy; it is not enough to usurp the complete sovereignty over woman and degrade her to the level of a mere animal; but the Mormons, when their appetites become seated through the interven-tion or favor of their high priests, are ena-bled to indulge their caprice in the luxury and latitude of change and variety. As well might religion be invoked to protect canni-balism or infanticide. And yet we are to be told, because our Constitution declares that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," that we must tamely submit to any burlesque, outrage, or indecency which artful men may seek to hide under the name of religion! But it is impossible to twist the Constitution into the service if po-lygamy by any fair construction. The fullest latitude of toleration in the exercise of relig-lion could not be understood to license crimes punishable at common law; and if Congress is prohibited from making an established re-ligion, a Territory must be equally prohibited, for a Territory is the creature of Congress, and Congress cannot authorize a Territory to authorize an incorporated company of priests; to do what it may not do itself. The prac-tice under our Constitution, has been, and is specially provided for in the organic act of Utah, that Territorial laws are annulled and void the moment they are disapproved of by Congress. We cannot shirk the responsibil-ity by creating a Territorial Government to do that which the Constitution inhibits to ourselves. If the laws of Utah are, in our judgment, such as are "not fit to be made," it is our duty to annul them; and if they create an establishment of religion, then it is clearly an open and palpable violation of the Constitution and not too sacred to go un-touched. On this subject there never could have been any difficulty had the "Book of Mormon" controlled the appetites of the lusty Joseph Smith, Jr. and his followers. That book is as emphatic against this "abomina-tion" as any "Gentile" could desire. To show the possibility of the degeneracy of even Mormonism, I will make a little extract from "The Book of Mormon," printed at Nauvoo, Illinois, A. D., 1840:
"And now I make an end of speaking unto you con-cerning this pride; and were it not that I must speak unto you concerning a grosser crime my heart would re-joice exceedingly because of you. But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For be-hold, thus saith the Lord, this scripture; for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David and Solomon his son. Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord; wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Je-rusalem by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph. Wherefore I, the Lord God, will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old. Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord; for there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife, and concubines he shall have none; for I, the Lord God, delighteth in the chastity of women, and whoredoms are an abomination to me; thus saith the Lord of hosts. Wherefore this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes. For if I will, saith the Lord of hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things. For be-hold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem; yea, and in all the lands of my people, be-cause of the wickedness and abominations of their hus-bands. And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of hosts; for they shall not lead away captive the daugh-ters of my people, because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse even unto destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms like unto them of old, saith the Lord of hosts."—Page 124.
All this would seem to be sufficiently ex-plicit; and it is to be remembered that, ac-cording to their own theory, Mormonism does not permit new revelations to contradict the old. In the "Mormon" of January 31, 1857—to which P. P. Pratt, one of the twelve a-postles, contributes—in a short account of the faith of the Mormons, it is stated:
"We believe in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and in living and continued revelation; but we also believe that no new revelation will contradict the old." But, years after the Mormons had been suspected and accused of polygamy, and, as it is now fully known, not wrongfully, they met the charge with a positive and plump de-nial by publishing the following ordinance:
"All legal contracts of marriage made before a person is baptised into this church should be held sacred and fulfilled. Inasmuch as this Church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication and polygamy, we declare that we believe that one man should have one wife and one woman but one husband, except in case of death, when cither is at liberty to marry again."
Out of their own mouths let them be con-demned! Tried by their own code, the Lord of hosts must "visit them with a sore curse even unto destruction." Notwithstanding the prevarications collec-tively and individually, for no Mormon admits, when away from "the land of Zion," that he has more than one wife, it is now declared openly that the plurality doctrine, "the bless-ing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," was re-vealed to Joseph Smith, Jr., "the prophet, seer, and revelator," on the 12th day of July, A. D., 1843. It was artfully concealed, though Joseph had, it is now reported, not less than forty wives, many of whom subse-quently became the helpmates of brother Brigham for supplying "tabernacles" to those "noble spirits that have been waiting for thousands of years, and which He (the Lord) designed should come forth through these my faithful servants." I call attention to a discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, August 29, 1852, and the first I have found which avows the doctrine. From this I take a single extract more, as follows:
"I think there is only about one-fifth of the population of the globe that believe in the one wife system; the other four-fifths believe in the doctrine of a plurality of wives. They have had it handed down from time imme-morial, and are not half so narrow and contracted in their minds as some of the nations of Europe and America, who have done away with the promises and deprived themselves of the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
In order that it may be seen how polygamy is now attempted to be hedged in and barri-caded by law in the very citadel of the church, I will give the chief sections of the act incor-porating the church from Territorial Laws of Utah, page 103:
"Sec. 1. Be it ordained by the General Assembly of the State of Deseret, That all that portion of the inhab-itants of said State which now are or hereafter may be-come residents therein, and which are known and dis-tinguished as 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,' are hereby incorporated, constituted, made and declared a body corporate, with perpetual succession, un-der the original name and style of 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,' as now organized with full power and authority to sue and be sued, defend and be defended, in all the courts of law or equity in this State, to establish order and regulate worship, and hold and oc-cupy real and personal estate, and have and use a seal, which they may alter at pleasure."
"Sec. 3. And be it further ordained, That as said church holds the constitutional and original right, in common with all civil and religious communities, "to worship God according, to the dictates of conscience," to reverence communion agreeably to the principles of truth, and to solemnize marriage compatible with the revelations of Jesus Christ for the security and full enjoyment of all blessings and privileges embodied in the religion of Jesus Christ, free to all; it is also declared that said church does and shall possess and enjoy continually the power and authority, in and of itself, to originate, make, pass, and establish rules, regulations, ordinances, laws, cus-toms, and criterions for the good order, safety, govern-ment, conveniences, comfort, and control of said church, and for the punishment or forgiveness of all offenses re-lative to fellowship, according to church covenants; that the pursuit of bliss and the enjoyment of life, in every capacity of public association and domestic happiness, temporal expansion, or spiritual increase upon the earth, may not legally be questioned: Provided, however, That each and every act or practice so established or adopted, for law or custom, shall relate to solemnities, sacraments, ceremonies, consecrations, endowments, tithings, mar-raiges, fellowship, or the religious duties of man to his Maker; inasmuch as the doctrines, principles, practices, or performances support virtue and increase morality, and are not inconsistent with our repugnant to the Con-stitution of the United States or of this State, and are founded in the revelations of the Lord."
"Sec. 5. And beit further ordained, That said church shall keep, at every full organized branch or stake, a registry of marriages, births, and deaths, free for the in-spection of all members and for their benefit.
"Sec. 6. And be it further ordained, That the presi-dency of said church shall fill all vacancies of the assist- ant trustees necessary to be filled until superseded by the conference of said church."
On these provisions hang all the law and prophets of polygamy, and will hang here un-til we interfere. As all these Territorial en-actments are subject to revision by Congress, unless we exercise the power reserved to us, while they remain on the statutes of Utah we are particeps criminis. They have our tacit approval, for they are to remain laws only so long as we do not disapprove them. There is no latent ambiguity in the phraseology of "temporal expansion or spiritual increase," because it is provided that "every act or prac-tice so established (by the incorporated church) or adopted, for law or custom," which relates to marriages, "may not be legally questioned." The General Assembly of the Territory of Utah has incorporated a church, over which one man presides with an insolent and all-grasping power, with authority to es-tablish the practice of polygamy and not be legally questioned therefor. Now, I submit that we not only have the power, but it is em-inently proper that we exercise it by disap-proving of and annulling this act. It is to be noted that the Mormon faith, as expounded by Brigham Young, is, that God and Adam are one and the same person. He says: "When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden he came into it with a celes-tial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him." Also, that "Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven." They also assert (vide sermon of Grant, August 7, 1853,) that Christ Jesus was a poligamist, the sisters of Lazarus being his wives, and that it was for this cause he suffered persecution. This will help to explain the phraseology of the church charter.
From all these statutes, from all the teach-ings set forth in the Mormon tabernacle, from all the evidences within our reach, it is clear that an ecclesiastical hierarchy exists in Utah, with a plenitude of power greater than that which can to-day be exercised by the Pope of Rome. Its grasp is more merciless and far more selfish than Pius IX would dare to at-tempt over the miserable lazzaroni of Italy. Whatever of similitude may exist in many re-spects, it would be libellous upon Catholicism to charge that Catholics claim, the preroga-tives for their church which are claimed by the Latter Day Saints for the Mormon church—commencing with tithings, not to be evaded by the poorest day-laborer; continued by a monopoly of land, wood, and water-privileg-es; swelled in its currents by the waifs, es-trays, and escheats incident and contrived as to the rights of property; the whole wealth of the Territory, present and future, threat-ening to be finally and wholly absorbed by the church and its dignitaries; and ending in the foul abomination of spiritual wifery.
This hierarchy is clearly repugnant to the Constitution of the United States, which guaranties to every State a republican form of government. The republican form of gov-ernment in Utah is a dead letter, existing on-ly pro forma, and only so much of the tatter-ed remains are exhibited as will secure the largesses of the National Government; while the real bona fide government is that of the Mormon priesthood. The obligations of the Constitution cannot be held in abeyance or postponed, nor have the people of Utah the right to exade them. A republican form of government in substance, and not the shadow, is required at the hands of the United States at all hazards. How can this be complied with if we suffer our Territories, while in a state of pulpage, to so educate the people, mould their habits, fix their affections and their antipathies, to so control the rights of persons and property, as to make a republican form of Government unprofitable, sinful, hat-ed, and impossible?
All human experience proves that it is in vain to undertake to regulate men’s views of God and eternity by human legislation. All such attempts are resolved into persecution and there are no sects which are not blessed with members ambitious of martyrdom. The blood of foolish saints is not less the seed of some churches than the blood of wiser saints.
In this regard it makes no difference wheth-er Joseph Smith jr. was an imposter, a vulgar, fiddling tavern-keeper or not; his followers believe, or affect to believe, that he was a prophet of God—the brother of Moses and Christ, with equal power to work miracles, to raise the dead, and heal the sick, grant for-giveness of sins, to interpret and pronounce new divine revelations, and that Brigham Young, as the successor of Smith, is also a prophet and a “lion of the Lord.” This may be lamentable, but it cannot be cured by law. Faith is intangible. But when the works of such a religion, in its overt acts, exhibit the grossest immorality and debauchery, and cov-ertly assert civil and criminal jurisdiction o-ver all its members, it is questionable wheth-er legislators should remain neutral, or wheth-er the “livery of heaven” should screen men from criminal courts because they have the impudence to give their crimes the privileges of a sacred name. Could a man charged with burglary or rape find privilege or excuse be-fore any of our courts on a plea that it was an act done in accordance with the religion of the prophet Mercury or the prophet Priapus, and that our Constitution permits the free excer-cise of religion? And, if individuals could not thus shelter their villainy, where is there a chance for Territories to creep in for similar grace?
The test which Brigham Young requires as the sole dispenser of the “blessings of A-braham” is subserviency to the priesthood, as will be seen in one of his published dis-courses of February 27, 1853:
“The elders of Israel frequently call upon me, ‘Broth-er Brigham, a word in private, if you please.’ ‘Bless me, this is no secret to me. I know what you want; it is to get a wife?’ ‘Yes, Brother Brigham, if you are willing.’
“I tell you here, now, in the presence of the Almighty God, it is not the privilege of any elder to have even one wife before he has honored his priesthood, before he has magnified his calling. If you obtain one it is by mere permission to see what you will do, how you will act, whether you will conduct yourself in righteousness in that holy estate.
“Many applications will unquestionably be made to me for wives, and perhaps by men too who will steal or tres-pass upon me, their neighbors, kill their stock, do wick-edly in various ways. Nothing would damn such men sooner than to give them this privilege.”
This power held in the hands of one man, and that man Brigham Young, is one which may be wielded with tremendous effect. When Judge Brandenbury was upon the point of leaving the Territory, in order if possible to change his purpose, Brigham Young went and urged him to remain, telling him “he would even black his boots, and that he might have as many wives as he chose if he would only stay.” If such license is granted in one case as a bribe, doubtless it is in others. If the license is a powerful temptation to some men, when granted, the refusal is not less fearful vengeance to others.
That the women in Utah would escape from their miserable fate if it were in their power, is shown by the escape of the fourteen traitors to polygamy who fled with Col. Step-toe, and also by reported cases where women have preferred—“a dinner of herbs rather than the stalled ox”—to seek the protection and undivided affection of the Indian rather than to remain in Mormon seraglios.
One plan of ridding the Territory of poly-gamy—and the idea derives some pungency from having been suggested by one himself a Mormon—is to make some regulation by which those who have more wives than one shall be compelled to live under the same roof with them!
The remarks of President J.M. Grant, Sunday, September 21, 1856, as reported in the Deseret News, show that even now the women require urgent counsels. For example:
“I say that there are men and women that I would ad-vise to go to the President immediately, and ask him to appoint a committee to attend to their case, and then let a place be selected, and let that committee shed their blood.
“We have those amongst us who are full of all man-ner of abominations, these who need to have their blood shed, for water will not do; their sins are of too deep a dye.
“And we have women here who like anything but the celestial law of God, and if they could break asunder the cable of the church of Christ there is a scarcely a mother in Israel but would do it this day. And they talk it to their husbands, to their daughters, and to their neighbors, and say they have not seen a week’s happi-ness since they became acquainted with that law, or since their husbands took a second wife. They want to break up the Church of God, and to break it from their hus-bands and family connexions.
“We have been trying long enough with this people, and I go for letting the sword of the Almighty be un-sheathed, not only in word, but in deed.
“I go in for letting the wrath of the Almighty burn up the dross and filth, and if the people will not glorify the Lord by sanctifying themselves, let the wrath of the Almighty God burn against them, and the wrath of Jo-seph, and of Brigham, and of Heber, and of high heaven.”
From the discourse of President Young to put down the embryo rebellion among the women on the afternoon of the 21st of Sep-tember, 1856, I make a single extract:
“I wish my own women to understand that what I am going to say is for them as well as others, and I want those who are here to tell their sisters, yes all the wo-men of this community, and then write it back to the States, and do what you please with it. I am going to give you from this time to the 6th day of October next for reflection, that you may determine whether you wish to stay with your husbands or not, and then I am going to set every woman at liberty and say to them: ‘Now go your way, my women with the rest, go your way.’ And my wives have got to do one of two things—either round up their shoulders and endure their afflictions of this world and live their religion, or they may leave, for I will not have them about me. I will go into heaven alone rather than have scratching and fighting around me. I will set all at liberty. What! first wife, too? Yes, I will liberate you all.”
These extracts fully show that the Utah hierarchy seriously claims jurisdiction, wheth-er exercised in fact or not, over their mem-bers, so far as to take life itself. The sad-toned rebellion of the women had reached the ears of the Presidents, and hence two of them on the same day appeared—
“Fierce as ten furies, and terrible as hell,”—
to “deal damnation” upon all they judged to be the foes of “celestial marriage,” and espe-cially to intimidate the now hopless and de-graded women, all of whose hopes of happi-ness had perished, and all of whom, loud in their complaints, were exerting an influence fatal to polygamy.
Whether these bloody threats ever have been or ever will be put in execution, is not for me to say; but they certainly do not tend to allay the suspicions widely entertained, as I am informed, by gentlemen who, having been United States officers of the Territorial government, have resided there, (Major Hol-man and Judge Brandenbury.) They sup-pose that there is a secret society existing there called Danites, Shanpips, or Destorying Angels; and, though sometimes falsely claim-ing to be a Masonic society with some varia-tions, that its real mission is to fulfill the dark and unwritten prophesies of the heads of the Mormon church. There is a mystery hanging over this subject that it would be well for all “good Mormons” to have cleared up.
Whatever provocation the Mormons may have had, it would not justify the murder of Governor Boggs by Porter Rockwell, then and now a Danite, who was arrested and broke jail, and is now in good standing, it is said, in the Mormon church. The murder of Secre-tary Babbit, for no known reason save that he was suspected of being an insincere Mor-mon, has been attributed to the same hand. The murder of the Gunnerson’s party, charged upon the Indians, is quite often placed to the account of the “Destroying Angels” as the aiders and abettors. The murder of Jacob Lance, the man charged with rape, though pretended to have been killed by a woman, he was slain, as is believed by many, by a Danite, or “a ‘oman with a great peard under her muffler,” as Hugh Evans would say. The horse of one of Colonel Steptoe’s men came back from a short trip out of the city with no rider in the saddle. The loss was never satisfactorially explained. Mr. Hartley, a lawyer of Oregon, dwelt awhile in Utah; but, going out one day with Bill Hickman, a Dan-ite, has not been heard of since. Many Cal-ifornia emigrants have disappeared on the U-tah route, and the “deep damnation” of their taking off has been charged to the account of the Indians. All these charges may be slan-derous stories, but if they are, they are lies with many circumstances tending to arouse suspicion. It is almost incredible to suppose the doings of the Thugs can find a parallel in the history of any portion of America; but these Mormon prophets and apostles, if they do not mean any thing, (and they claim for themselves and all revelation a literal inter-al interpretation,) should be more wary about talking of unsheathing the sword, fixing the place, and the shedding of blood in word and deed.
I have no desire to make party capiatl by making any issues touching Utah. It is a subject requiring the deliberate attention of statesmen. I only aspire to present some facts, in the most authentic form within my reach, calculated to draw attention to the sub-ject. It is quite within the power of gentle-men to throw the question into the pool of partisan politics, by giving “aid and comfort” to the wildest theories to which any religious imposter ever gave birth. The president and rulers of the Mormon church have already sought shelter in the bosom of the Democrat-ic party by their proclamation of the 14th of August, 1856. They find fault with the Re-publican party for including their “sacred institution” in the phrase of “the twin relics of barbarism.” They also declare:
“The Democratic Convention in Cincinnati, which nominated James Buchanan for President, passed the following resolution:
“Resolved, That Congress has no power under the Constitution to interfere with or control the domestic in-stitutions of the several States, and that all such States are the sole and proper judges of everything appertain-ing to their own affairs not prohibited by the Constitution.
“This is the principle of the Democratic, party, which they have extended to Territories as well as States, and the doctrines of sovereignty apply to us in the desert as well as to the settlers in Kansas or Nebraska.
“The Democratic party is the instrument, in God’s hand, by which is to be effected our recognition as a sovereign State, with the domestic institution of slavery and polygamy, as established by the patriarchs and re-newed to the saints of latter days through God’s chosen rulers and prophets.”
There is, I hope, room to doubt whether the Democratic party will allow itself to be used for any such purpose. Their political necessities must be great when they accept of such coadjutors upon the conditions indicated.
It may be very properly asked, supposing it should be shown that a state of things exist in Utah which all would admit to be wrong, what are you going to do about it? The sub-ject is not without its difficulties, but they are not altogether insurmountable. For one, I should greatly prefer that the people of Utah would, upon a calm reconsideration of their own affairs, remove by their own action all just matters of complaint. But if they choose to refuse, or neglect so to do, we have only to say by our silence and non-action we will acquiesce, or to constitutionally express our disapproval.
1. We may “disapprove” of all the laws of the Territory that we please, and thereby an-nul them, and for such reasons as may appear proper.
2. We may circumscribe the boundaries of the Territory, and give the inhabitants much narrower limits.
3. If the second proposition be adopted we may then abandon them, and leave them to fight out their own independence and salva-tion, spiritually and temporally, in their own good time.
4. We may cut up the Territory and annex it to the various adjoining Territories
5. We may organize a Territorial Govern-ment on the old plan of a Council, consisting of a Governor and Judges, not Mormons; and with a military force sufficient to maintain it.
I have thus given in extensor enough of the statutes of Utah, their doctriens and ordi-nances, to show their leading characteristics, and that they are dangerous and should be annulled; and I cannot but hope enough of earnest men will ere long be found in Con-gress ready to devise some action, not of per-secution, whereby our common country may be rescued from the great reproach of a bar-baric age.
