THE DIFFICULTIES IN UTAH TERRITORY.—Our ex-changes bring conflicting statements respecting the alleged misconduct of the Governor and other officers in the territory of Utah. As we have published some accounts of the matter, it seems only proper that both sides should be allowed a hearing in our columns.—We therefore give, from the columns of the Nation-al Intelligencer, the statement of the delegate from that territory to Congress, an averment deserving of credence.
A Letter from the Delegate to Congress from Utah Territory.
UNITED STATES HOTEL,
Washington, December 1,1851.
Messrs. Gales and Seaton:—Upon my arrival in this city I am met by statements in circulation in-jurious to the character of my constituents and of Governor Young, of Utah territory; and, after a ge-neral inquiry, which I have taken the liberty to ex-tend to the President, find them without other au-thority than a letter which appeared in your columns, stated to be from a "judicial officer," and dated Great Salt Lake City, September 20, 1851.
The statements of this letter are essentially incor-rect. Its accusations are mainly based upon asper-sions alleged to have been cast upon the memory of the late President Taylor by Governor Young, on the occasion of the celebration of the anniversary of the 24th of July. At that celebration your (supposed) letter writer was not present, not having arrived till some time after the organization of the territory. But I was present, and am able to inform you, upon my own responsibility, that the Governor's remarks upon that occasion included no strictures whatever upon Gen. Taylor's character or public services, nor in fact any allusion to him at all, that I can remember. The celebration was made the opportunity, as it always has been by the patriotic people of Great Salt Lake city, for repeatedly renewed expressions of their en-thusiastic attachment to their beloved country. When I left Utah, nineteen days after the date of the letter to which you gave publication, peace and quiet prevailed everywhere, and unbroken harmony and good feeling between the officers of the Govern-ment and the people of the territory. The pacific character of our people, and the paternal relations which they cultivate toward each other, had, indeed, as yet left the courts without an entry for their dockets; but Governor Young had cheerfully acced-ed to the request of the Judges and Secretary to affix his name to a petition to Congress, of which I am the bearer, praying for an augmentation of the salaries of the territorial officers, on account of the expense of living under our California prices.
Under these circumstances, and in view of the fact that no communications have been received from the Salt Lake since these charges were made, or can be expected for some time to come, I ask that you will be good enough to request a suspension of pub-lic opinion upon the charges to which you have given circulation, until further and more authentic intelli-gence is received from Utah territory.
I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
JOHN M. BERNHISEL,
Delegate from Utah.
The St. Louis Republican of the 25th ulto., on the other hand publishes the following card from the Chief Justice and the Secretary of the territory, autho-rities also of high respectability. Their account, how-ever, is designedly obscure as to the real causes which influenced them to leave their posts. They probably feel that they ought not to make public any explicit statement in advance of reporting themselves and their grievances to the Executive.
A CARD.
A communication appeared in the last number of the St. Joseph Gazette, over the signature of "Utah," purporting to be "a letter from an intelligent and re-liable gentleman" in Utah territory, and to give "a full and detailed history of the treatment of the Go-vernment officers while at Salt Lake."
While the undersigned fully concur in the general accuracy of the statements contained in that commu-nication, so far as they have any proper connection with the recent difficulties in that territory, they deem it due to themselves and the public to state, (lest an erroneous inference might be drawn from an inadver-tant expression used therein,) that the communication in question does not give "a full and detailed histo-ry" of events at Salt Lake city, nor does it exhibit all or any considerable portion of the reasons which, in the opinions of the undersigned, render a longer resi-dence in the territory inconsistent with their duty as citizens and officers of the United States.
L. G. BRANDEBURY,
Chief Justice.
B. D. HARRIS,
St. Joseph, Nov. 18. Sec'y Utah Territory.
The territorial officers returning are, as readers will probably remember, L. G. Brandebury, the Chief Justice of the U. S. Court, Perry E. Brochus, Associate Justice, B. D. Harris, Secretary of Utah territory, and H. R. Day, sub Indian agent to the Utah Indians. The Republican seems to doubt whether they have sufficient reasons for leaving their posts.
19th Century Mormon Article Newspaper Index
