THE OUTRAGES AT THE CITY OF THE SALT LAKE.
The Times of yesterday extracts from a copy of the St. Joseph Gazette, received in advunce of the mail, the following very interesting letter from Utah, giving an account of the late revolutionary proceedings in that territory. If the statements of this letter be true, it is evident that prompt and summary measures must be taken by the Government to teach "the Saints'' their duties towards the civil authorities. We suppose we shall soon have, in an official form, a reliable state-ment of all the particulars. If it shall turn out that the Mormons have been guilty of the outrages imputed to them, the act giving them a Territorial Government ought at once to be repealed, or at all events the offi-cers of the Government ought not to be Mormons, but they should be composed of American citizens, who re-spect the laws and the government, and will do their duty faithfully. Even then, in our opinion, they will be wholly unable to govern this deluded, rebellious people, unless they are backed by a sufficient military force to command respect and enforce obedience. The following letter will be read with interest throughout the Union:
Great Salt Lake City,
Utah Territory, Sept. 28th, 1351.
Troubles in the Territory of Utah, between the Gov-ernor and Mormon People and the GENTILE Officers of the United States Government upon the Other—The Government and People
of the United States Denounced in Presence of 3,000 People—Two of the Judges and the Secretary
of State and Indian Agent about to Leave the Terri-tory with Indignation and Disgust—Great Excite-ment among the Community, &c., &c.
To the Editor of the St. Joseph Gazette.
I offer to the public, through the paper, a brief account of events which in this territory within the last few and which, being of such a novel and extraordinary character, cannot fail of exciting a feeling of interest in the pub-lic mind.
On Monday, the 8th inst., the semi-annual confer-ence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, assembled. The number present was from three to four thousand persons. A notice had been publicly givrn, in the Bowery, the day previous, by his excellence Brigham Young, Govornor of the Territory, that the Hon. Perry E. Brocchus, one of the United States Judges, would address the people the next day, when assembled in convention. Accordingly, at 11 o'clock on the appointed day, Judge Brocchus appeared upon the stand, so much enfeebled and emaciated by sickness that he could scarcely keep from falling—having only arrived in this city a few weeks before,
with a spell of illness upon him, and having just emerged from a sick chamber.
After a respectful jntroduction to the immense audi-ence, by Governor Young, Judge Brocchus proceeded to address the assemblage in a speech, of two hours in length. He commenced by alluding in terms of grati-tude to the kindness which had been extended to him since his arrival in this city, by certain individuals of the community; to their hospitable care of him while lying prostrate upon the bed of illness, from which he had just arisen. His language upon this subject was so touching as to bring tears to the eyes of many of his audience. He next referred to the organization of the Government of Utah Territory, more especi-ally, the judicial branch thereof, of which he said he was an humble member. He alluded to the amicable manner in which the individual disputes and the rights of the community had hitherto uniformly, as he was informed, been adjudicated and settled by a tribunal possessing their supreme confidence, and declared that it was not his purpose or desire to make an innovation upon their favorite mode of settling their difficulties. That it was no part of his ambition to see litigation rife is the community. That he would be content and gratified to see his court, from year to year, without a single case upon its docket. That he hoped the custom of amicable adjudication might still exist, and that the law of moral suasion might so extensively prevail as to suppress those feelings of discontent and bitterness which too often flow from litigous contents before tri-bunals of law, to the disruption of thee ties of private friendship, and, not unfrequently, to the disturbance of the public peace.
He appealed to his brethren of the bench, the Hon. Lemuel G. Brandebury, Chief Justice, and the Hon. L. Snow, Associate Justice, who sat near him upon the stand, for the correctness of his sentiments, and for their concurrence in his opinions and feelings; in answer to which he received their cordial assent. He then invoked for the Judiciary, the confidence, the respect, and the cordial support of the community. This invocation was prompted by a conviction that the popular sentiment was inimical to the establishment of a territorial government, and the consequent extension of the jurisdiction of the United States Govern-ment over this people, and, more especially, by the apprehension that the general feeling of the inhabit-ants was particularly averse to the judicial branch of the Government, which was principally composed of citizens of the United States, not members of the Mormon Church—the Governor of the territory, who is the head of the Mormon Church, having, on several occasions, declared that he had governed this people for years, and could still govern them, without Judges, and avowed that the Judges of the United States Courts might reside in the territory, and draw their salaries, but they should never try a cause if he could prevent it--that none but Mormons ought to have been appointed to any office in the territory, and that none others but damned rascals would come here. The remarks made by Judge Brocchus on this branch of his speech were calm, dignified and impressive, and well calculated to arouse the minds of an intelligent auditory to the great importance of the judicial arm of the government, and to command, on its behalf, the entire respect and confidence of the whole commu-nity; and, if the observations that came from the lips of the speaker produced upon their minds any other than that legitimate object, it resulted from the disloyal and seditious feelings of their hearts.
Judge Brocchus then asked the indulgence of his audience while he should refer briefly to a matter en-tirely personal to himself. He said it had been ru-mored that he came here for the sole purpose of being returned to Congress as delegate from this territory. This rumor he should not regard as by any means cal-umnious, but for the spirit in which it was uttered— being that of unfriendliness and malignity. Taking the rumor in connexion with that spirit, he regarded it as an aspersion, and therefore repelled the charge as false and slanderous. He knew who was the author of the report and hoped the individual was present. He did not deny that he had aspired to the delegacy in Congress—such was the right of any citizen of the United States, but he did denounce the charge that he had come to the territory solely for that purpose, as false, base and slanderous! The person alluded to by the speaker, was a member of the Mormon church.
Here Judge Brocchus reached the main object of his appearance before so large an assemblage of the inhabitants of the territory. He hid been authorized by
the board of managers of the Washington National Monument Society to say to the people of the territo-ry of Utah, that they would be pleased to recieve from them a block of marble, or other stone, to be deposited in the magnificent structure now being erected in hon-or of the father of his country, together with such contributions in money as they might be pleased to make, “as an offering at the shrine of patriotism." This subject was presented in a full, ample and faithful manner, in remarks of more than an hour’s duration, during the whole of which time the speaker held the most respectful, earnest and unremitting attention of his auditors. So profound was that attention, and so deep seemed to be the sympathy that pervaded the au-dience, that a disinterested spectator would have sup-posed the vast assemblage to have been composed en-tirely of patriots, American patriots, ready to make almost any "offering at the shrine of patriotism.”
The speaker here took occasion to his deep regret that since his arrival in this valley, some things had come under his observation indicative of a defec-tion of the feelings of the Mormon people from the Government of the United States. He then commented upon an oration by a distinguished member of this community, on a recent festive occasion, the 24th of July, being the anniversary of the arrival of the Mormons in this valley, in which the orator bitterly denounced the Federal Government for “requiring a battalion of five hundred men'' of them for the Mexi-can war, while they were in a destitute or suffering condition at their winter quarters, on the Missouri river, during their flight from Illinois. He was pained to to see that the orator on the occasion alluded to, had denounced the act as one "barbarity," and had de-clared that the "American Republic." had devised the most wanton, cruel and dastardly means for the ac-complishment of the ruin, overthrow and utter extermination of the Mormons. He had learned with still more profound regret, that those sentiments had been hailed and echoed by a loud applause of the assemblage whom the orator addressed. He denied that the Gov-ernment had ever felt a desire or shown a disposition to do injury or injustice to this people; much less to ruin and exterminate them. He maintainted that the Government of the United States was a humane Gov-ernment, and would not have made an oppressive demand upon a people already immersed in deep tribulation. He knew the lamented statesman, now sleeping in the grave, who presided over the nation at that time, and, from his knowledge of his character as a man, he could boldly assert that he was totally incapa-ble of doing a wilfully inhumane act. Having here paid a just and handsome tribute to the memory of ex-President Polk, he expressed his opinion that the Mormon battalion was not demanded by the authorities at Washington, and that if the officer or person who applied for the five hundred men did more than ask them as volunteers, he either misunderstood or wilfully transcended his authority in so doing.
Judge Brocchus then adverted, in a mild and digni-fied manner, to an unpatriotic and offensive expression which had fallen from the lips of one of the Mormon preachers on the preceding Sunday, during the hour set apart for public worship, and in the presence of a large congregation, to the effect that the Government of the United States was a stink in the nostrils of Je-hovah, and that they (the Mormons) wished it down; and further, that before they would use any other means to save it from destruction, than the means of theocracy, they "would see it damned first." He said the sentiment was the more offensive, because uttered in the presence of his honor, Judge Brandebury and himself, who had visited the Bowery on that occasion with respectful feelings, and who, having been invited to take a seat upon the stand, had, instead of hearing a religious sermon, as they expected, been insulted by a tirade of abuse against the country which they loved, and the Government of which they were, in part, the official representatives.
Expressing surprise and indignation at those unpatriotic and seditious declarations, he dwelt, in glowing terms upon the greatness, the virtue, the influence, the beauty and splendor of the political and domestil in-stitutions of our country, and then, appealing to his auditors, asked if that country could be a stink in the nostrils of Jehovah? In answer to that, appeal, looks of the audience were returned to the speaker, clearly; showing a strong sympathy of patriotic feeling, to be swept away, alas! too soon, by the voice of their om-nipotent head and master, Brigham Young, before whose sirrocco breath every sentiment of patriotism, in the bosom of a Mormon, is doomed to perish.
Judge B. next commented upon an expression used by an elder in the Mormon church, with whom he had traveled from Iowa to this city, in the following words; "The Government of the United States is going to hell as fast as it can; and the sooner the better." To the recital of this declaration there came up into the face of the speaker an enthusiastic burst of applause, clap-ping of hands and of laughter, from many of the au-dience, together with a loud amen! from a man in the immediate vicinity of the stand. This rude mani-festation of applause, to such an infamous expression from a man born on American soil, and owing his best affections to the Government of the United States, received the manly rebuke of Judge Brocchus; having administered which, he proceeded to notice a sacrili-gious declaration made by Brigham Young, Governor of the territory, in the presence, and within the atten-tive hearing of a vast concourse of persons, on the fes-tive occasion alluded to in a former paragraph of this letter. He had heard with feelings of mortification and and amazement, that a person standing high in the confidence and respect of the people of this community generally, had, upon the bite anniversary of the arri-val of the Mormons in this valley, in the presence of a large public assembly, used the following language;
"Zachary Taylor is dead and in hell, and I am glad of it; and I prophecy, in the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of the priesthood that is upon me, that any President of the United States who shall lift his finger against this people, shall die an untimely death and go to Hell." And his mortification and surprise had been greatly aggravated, on learning farther, that this unchristian and unpatriotic declaration had been rolled back from the vast audience in a tremendous volume of applause, mingled with loud shouts of amen! amen! good! good! Here the speaker said that the subject of these sacriligious remarks—the illustri-ous Taylor—had just gone down lamented to the grave, and that his honored tomb was still wet with a nation's tears; that be had served his country faith-fully and gloriously in the field of battle; that his name was hallowed in the gratitude, and sacred in the memory of the American people; that such an unfeeling and inhuman declaration in regard to the departed patriot, lamented and beloved, would command the in-dignation and abhorrence of his surviving countrymen, and that, if the author of that insult to his memory, and that outrage upon christian charity, did not earlier repent of that insult, and that outrage, it would be his painful task to perform such a duly, with feel-ings of deep and keen remorse, upon a dying pillow.
Having spoken for about two hours, and having became almost exhausted, Judge Brocchus fervently concluded his speech, amidst the most profound still- ness of his audience. in the following language: I cannot forget that I am an American citizen; that I was born of an American mother; that I have been reared beneath the genial influence of American insti-tution; that I have enjoyed the protection of an American constitution and American laws. To my country I owe my allegiance and my love, and when the time shall come in which I shall be ready to remain silent, and hear her traduced by unjust and seditious aspersions, I hope that my tongue, now employed in her advocacy and her praise, may cling to the roof of my mouth, and that my arm, ever ready to be lifted in her defence, may fall palsied at my side!
"I have performed my duty. It remains for you to discharge yours. If, in full communion and fra-ternity with your fellow-citizens of the United States, you can appear at the base of that stupendous and beautiful structure which is towering to the skies, and there, in memory, in admiration, and in love, of the life and virtues, and glory of the immortal Washing-ton, tender your block of marble 'as an offering at the shrine of patriotism,' then, come! and your tribute will be hailed with welcome, from every part of this confederacy. But if otherwise; if you cannot approach that sacred column with hearts warmed by emotions of the purest patriotism, then let your marble remain unsculptured! Yes, let it forever sleep, unquarried in the bosom of its native mountain."
The speech throughout, was marked by a degree of calmness, deliberation and discretion which did credit alike to the mind and the heart of the speaker, as a man, as a citizen of the United States, and as a mem-ber of the branch of a now government bearing so important and delicate a trust as that resting upon the judiciary. It is due to the officers of the General Government for this Territory—to all of such who were present at the time excepting those who were attached to the Mormon church-to state that they fully concured in everything that Judge Brocchus said upon this occasion, as far his remarks had a public bearing. With his views of being a candidate for Congress, of course they had nothing to do, ex-cepting a concurrence in the opinion that it was au ambition in which every American citizen had a right to indulge. It may be proper, also to state that, all points presented in the speech, in reference to the defection of the feelings of the people here from the General Government, and the violent and unpatrio-tic denunciations upon the subject, from the lips of the Mormons, were discussed, and fully agreed upon, by the Gentile officers present at the time, including Judge Brandebury, Mr. Secretary Harris and R. H. Day, Indian agent, and that those gentlemen, without exception, have, regarded, and still regard the un-friendly sentiments of the Mormon people, and their wholesale and unscrupulous insults to the Government of the United States, with feelings of regret, indig-nation and disgust, as the sequel will prove.
At the close of the speech, the audience, astonished at the boldness of the speaker in daring to allude to the denunciations of the General Government, by their leaders, remaining silent, apparently awaiting their cue from his Excellency, Brigham Young, re-sident of the Church. After deep and ominous silence of a moment, he arose, and in substance, spoke as follows:
He would have but little to say. He did not expect that Judge Brocchus would come there to teach them their duty. He would be instructed by no such boys. He could buy a thousand of them, and bring them there in ban boxes, and place them upon the stand. He could prove that Judge Brocchus came there to run for Congress, or to be elected delegate to Congress for their Territory. He could have the papers in proof of this charge produced, but he would not. Judge Broc-chus was ignorant of the facts in relation to the action or conduct of the United States Government, concern-ing the Mormon battalion, or else he was wilfully wicked—"as corrupt as the government officers at Washington, who sat and saw the Mormons murdered, plundered and driven into the desert, and never opened their mouths, the damned scoundrels.” Gen. Taylor was dead and in hell, and who could help it? He knew as much about General Washington as Judge Brocchus did. He had more talent and wisdom than Washing-ton ever had. He would protect this people from im-position. He was there. He was the boy that could use the sword.
The proceedings in the church, during this outra-geous harangue, was singular and alarming. The ut-terance and jesticulation of Brigham Young became violent in the extreme. He strode madly upon the platform on which the United States Judges and the officials of the church were seated. He gave notice that there should be no further discussion upon the subject; there was to be no reply to his speech; and that, if anything more were said, there would be a pulling of hair and a cutting of throats. Here the scene beggared description. The audience was thrilled with the power of Governor Young's vehement and invective oratory, and convulsed with feelings of indig-nation towards the officers of the government, and especially the one who had just dared to comment upon and censure the denunciation of the United States by their leaders. Of course, under the circumstances, Judge Brocchus made no reply. Such was the temper of the people before him—such the rage that Gover-nor Young had aroused in their bosoms that his ap-pearance again, as a speaker upon the stand, would have beep the signal for a personal assault and batte-ry upon him, and perhaps for his assassination. The other officers of the territory who were not Mormons, and who were present on the occasion, would probably, in that event, have shared his fate. The dense mass of people which crammed the building to suffocation, filled the doors and windows, and hung in crowds around the vast church, were to all appearances, filled with the fierceness of demons, and seemed only to await the command of Brigham Young, in order to commence a general onslaught upon the Gentiles who were present.
Fears were entertained that Judge Brocchus, in pursuance of the bold spirit which had characterised his speech, would arise to reply to Young’s invoctives.
In that event personal violence—the pulling of hair, or the cutting of throats"—would have been inevita-ble; and in that violence any Gentile within the walls of the building at the time would have been a sharer. But prudence prevailed, and he hold his peace, pre-ferring to have his speech unexplained rather than rush madly upon the fearful torrent of indignation which had been lashed into a tempestuous convulsion by the Governor's furious reply. After the congrega-tion had been dismissed, and while the people were moving towards the doors of the Bowery, Brigham Young vociferated: "Yes, Zachary Taylor is in hell, and who can help it?” at this moment Heber C. Kimball, and elder in the church, and second in standing and authority, touched Judge Brocchus the shoulder, and said: "And you will see him when you get there." Such impertinence is a very common thing amongst this people.
The excitement resulting from the Judge's speech has been deep and intense, and fears have been enter-tained for his personal safety—and so much reason has there been for such apprehension, that he has been waited upon by a number of persons and apprised of threats that had been made toward him, and advised to keep Within doors at night and to avoid being alone in retired places as much as possible. The people of the United States can form nothing like an adequate conception of the bitterness of the feelings of this people against the General Government. Their almost constant theme, in and out of church, js denunciation of the United States and of all sects of christians whose faith and practice are different from theirs.
On Sunday last an individual called Elder Snow, lately appointed Missionary of the Mormon church to England, arose in the Bowery to make his valedictory address to the congregation. After having adverted to his mission and its interests, and to the success which had attended the labors of the "perpetual emi-gration society"—to which he had the honor of belong-ing,, he remarked that he saw the report or the donations to the funds of the society, his surprise was unbounded; "for,” said he “what sum do you think the United States—the whole United States—the great United States, donated to the relief of the poor Saints! Why, the enormous, the egregious sum of one hundred dollars; damn them!” he shouted, in a great rage, “we don’t want it; we won’t have it. But now they come to us and want a million for their great Wash-ington Monument. Damn their nasty stinking souls. Brethren, if this be swearing I can't help it.” Then in a low voice, and with a look of great cunning, he added: "But I won’t talk this way when I get into the United States. “Oh, no!”
“What,” said Governor Young, laughing, and by the tone of his voice evidently approving the contem-plated deceit, "you will act hypocritically will you!"
"Well," answered Elder Snow, "I will not be so much of a hypocrite as you may suppose, unless (turn-ing reverentially to that gentleman) brother Brigham tells me to." And this ci-devant disciple of the Sa-viour continued: "Brethren, I have two wives; and whose business is it?" And this man is now on his way to England as a messenger from the Church of Latter Day Saints.
In his way to the place of his destination, be must pass through the United States, and, in as much as these missionaries travel "without purse or scrip," he must necessarily be the subject of the hospitalities of the people whom he so indecently abuses. His remarks were received with smiles, from the women, and loud applause from the men who composed the congrega-tion. At the close of Elder Snow a remarks, Bringham Young arose and said: "Brethren, I will say but little, and that little is for the world. Now, there is a rumor that the Judges and other United States officers are going to leave. I hope they won't go. I am not angry with any one but Judge Brocchus; and with him I will always be angry, for he came here upon this stand, and degraded this people to the neth-ermost hell. But some of my people have said to me, Oh! we shall be ruined. Now, my friends, don't be scared. I am not scared. Let them come." This strain of remarks was continued for sometime, when the congregation dismissed, to meet again on the coming Sabbath, for their usual purpose or hearing the United States, and the officers of the General Gov-ernment abused in the most seditious and indecent manner.
I cannot commit to paper, nor would you publish if I were to write, the obscene and vulgar expressions that have been used and are commonly used by the Mormon preachers here—especially Brigham Young—in their denunciations of the United States. We never hear a syllable of pure evangelical preaching within the walls of their Bowery, which is their place of worship. They never preach the cardinal christian virtues; never inculcate pious duties; never urge their congregations to repentance and humility, or to the practice of true christian principles. Their favorite theme is denunciation of the United States, and, in the elegant language of Governor Young, of "the damned corrupt set of scoundrels at the head of the United States Government."
The plurality wife system is in full vogue here. Governor Young is said to have us may as ninety wives. He drove along the streets, a few days since, with sixteen of them in a long carriage—fourteen of them having, each, an infant at then bosoms. It is said that, Heber C. Kimball, one of the Triune Council, and the second person in the trinity, has almost an eqaal number: amongst them, a mother and her two daughters. Each man can have as many wives as he can maintain, that is, after the women have been picked and culled by the head men. The Judges and Secretary of State have had the honor of being intro-duced by his excellency, the Governor, to several of his wives; and also by Heber C. Kimball to several of his. Will the American people, can they, tolerate such a blot upon the fair fame of their beloved country?
All the United States officers wo do not belong to the Mormon church have resolved to leave the territory, being unable to reconcile it to their sense of patriotism and self-respect to remain in the midst of the sedition and lawless vice that pervades this community. In view of their departure, the people have become greatly alarmed—fearing the adoption of some severe measures by the General Government. Gov. Young, accompanied by a number of elders of the church, few days since formally called on Judge Brand-burv, Mr. Secretary Harris and H. R. Day, Indian Agent, and entreated them to remain. Finding entreaty in vain, a resort was had to threats and attempts at intimi-dation.
The Legislature was accordingly convened in a hasty and informal manner, and a joint resolution adopted, declaring that the Secretary of State was about to ab-scond with the money and other property belonging to the Government, and authorizing and requiring the deputy marshal to seize the sa d money and other property, and to take into his custody the person of Mr. Harris, unless he surrendered the funds in his possession as Secretary of State. The deputy marshal waited upon Mr. Harris and served upon him a copy of the joint resolution. Mr. H. thereupon applied to the Supreme Court, then in session, for a writ of in-junction, which was promptly granted, forbidding the removal of the public money from the possession of the Secretary of State, by the deputy marshal or any other person. Seeing the difficulties into which they would plunge themselves, by persisting in violent mea-sures in spite of the judiciary, they paused in their mad career, and Brigdam Young then in writing asked the opinion of the Supreme Court as to the right of the Legislature to take the money from the possession of the Secretary. This was intended us a mere show of a law-abiding spirit; for the question had before been fully answered by the injunction which the Supreme Court had granted.
The entire pages of your paper might be filled with the surprising and disgusting details of the state of af-fairs here, but as the officers of the government intend to make a full report upon the subject to the President of the United States, I will conclude by saying, that these people have no idea of ever yielding a loyal obedience to the laws or jurisdiction of the General Government, and that they must either be sternly forced into submission to the laws of decency and jus-tice, or else abandoned to their vile and seditious prac-tices and feelings. Which of the two things shall be done, is a question the answer to which in no small de-gree involves the dignity and honor of the people, and the government of the United States.
Very respectfully, UTAH.
