FROM UTAH.
Legislation for the Territory—The Twenty-fourth of July—Miscellaneous News,
Correspondence of the New-York Times.
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, Friday, July 20, I860.
So Congress has adjourned, and, for aught we know, has passed no law for the suppression of polyg-amy in Utah, has not organized the Territories of Idaho and Nevada, has not helped on the Pacific Railroad, nor done anything startling for the Over-land Mails.
The two last subjects are of great, almost vital, im-portance to the welfare and prosperity of the coun-try, and, I think, deserve a little of the time and at-tention which is bestowed upon President-making and office-seeking. Private enterprise, is the shape of the Pony Express, has thrown the Government mails as completely into the shade as the steam-car has in many places the lumbering stage-coach. The present acknowledged weakness of both California and Utah in the face of the existing Indian difficulties, is another argument in favor of the construction of the Pacific Railroad.
If Congress sits to legislate for the good of the people, something ought to be done for the better government of the Carson country. The inhabitants of that region have little sympathy with the people of Salt Lake, and are geographically, socially, politically and religiously distinct from them. The people of Carson earnestly desire a Territorial Government which shall be independent of Salt Lake, and the Salt Lakers are quite willing, and rather anxious that they should have it. Then why should these two antagonistic communities be any longer "un-equally yoked together." Of the Pike's Peak country much the same might be said. The people wish a separate organization as a Territory, and think they have need and deserve it. Then let it be ; for it is better to have people satisfied, if they can be in reason than for them to be continually grumbling over real or fancied injustice or neglect.
Of the pologamy matter, I scarcely know what to say. The Mormons themselves think Congress never dreamt of enforcing the provisions of such a bill as the one that passed the House, and that it took the action which it did only for political effect. All things considered, perhaps it is quite as well that no such law was perfected. I do not believe that the Mormons would have abandoned their polygamic principles; for, although the fact may not be gener-ally realized, it is nevertheless true that there is a vast difference between the open, acknowledged, re-sponsible, and (here) respected Mormon double marriages and the loose, irresponsible, secret, and publicly-condemned habit of mistress-keeping. There can be but little comparison between the two systems.
If the bill in question had passed, the officers of the law would have been obliged to break up multitudes of families, separating husband and wife (seriously so considered here,) parents and children, and con-sequently, inflicting untold misery upon an entire community; and really many men would have scarcely known which was the worst, the disease or the cure. And who ever heard of the Mormons relin-quishing a favorite doctrine? They have, in times past, shown a determination to abandon home, and friends, and every comfort, and even the necessaries of life, for His sake of an idea. And if I am not mis-taken, they would do it again. Besides, only think what a load of taxes poor one-wife fellows like my-self would have had to bear for the support of these polygamic Mormons and their better halves when in prison.
I am not arguing in favor of polygamy, but I am pointing out some of the difficulties to be encountered in coping with the evil.
PALMERSTON thought it was one of the unwritten laws of England that Parliament should adjourn for the Derby. And it see-ms to be one of the unwritten laws of Mormondon that every one who can raise a team should keep the 24th of July at the head waters of Big Cottonwood. That day thirteen years ago was the day on which the Mormon Pioneers entered Salt Lake Valley, to them the promised Canaan. Mormon custom to celebrate this anniversary by & pic-nic in Cottonwood canon has almost acquired the strength of a law. Three years ago on this great day, and in this canon, BRIGHAM first received the news that Gen. HARNEY and the army had been dis-patched to Salt Lake to chastise the Mormons. Fancy the indignation which the "everlasting hills" wit-nessed.
The mouth of Big Cottonwood lies about fourteen miles southeast of this city—the head of the canon is fifteen or sixteen miles beyond. The lower half of the canon is narrow, steep, sparsely wooded, and the mountains are rocky and precipitous. The road in many places is very narrow, being a "dugway'' blasted and hewn out of the rock. The upper half of the canon is wider, and is for the most part densely wooded, with now and then a patch of an acre or two half-park, half-lawn, but still wish an untrained, primitive look about it, and interspersed with an occasional grove of stately firs or quivering aspens. At the head of the canon is a basin, perhaps half a mile across, completely surrounced by mountains. At the foot of one of the mountains lies a placid lake of four or five acres in extent, and immediately in front of the lake a beauti-ful level meadow of about the same extent, covered with grass and pretty blue flowers. The remainder of the basin is rolling, interspersed with firs and brush. Some of the surrounding mountains are green and bare of trees, while others are perfectly covered with firs and pines. Altogether, the scenery of this fine canon is delightfully varied between the picture-esque and the sublime. In the basin the pic-nic is held, and dancing and strolling about, and a general everybody-enjoy-himseIf takes place.
We have had a little rain every day this week, with a heavy shower on Tuesday night.
Gen. STAMBAUGH and staff are about to commence surveying in Millard County.
A fatal accident occurred to GEORGE WALTER, an Englishman, in this city, on Tuesday. He was riding a young horse when it unexpectedly jumped at a narrow, shallow ditch, and threw him on the horn of the saddle, injuring him severely in the groin, in-flammation took place, and he died next morning.
On Wednesday, WILLIAM TATTERSALL, a Lovely old English soldier of the Peninsular war, and a par-ticipant in the battle of Waterloo, was buried with military honors, including "three cheers for Old Daddy TATTERSALL," in compliance with his own wishes.
At Manti, San Pete County, on the 4th, a piece of cannon exploded while being loaded, and injured five or six people— some severely.
At Willard, Box Eider County, a fatal disease has made its appearance among the sheep. One-third of a flock of 170 have died within a week. The first symptom was coughing; in a few days after they would stagger, pitch forward, and expire in a few minutes. The nostril would be found so stuffed up that breathing was difficult. Further examination showed that the bladder was inflamed and filled with bloody water. Six men who assisted at the post-mortem examination of the sheep are very sick from sores which have broken out upon different parts of their bodies.
On Monday the pony galloped up to the express office, direct from Carson, bringing the news that the road was clear and that two mails, one overdue near-ly a fortnight, would arrive next day, which event, to the giant satisfaction of all, took place according to appointme-nt.
A large company of emigrants for California, passed through our city yesterday, with horse teams, generally in good condition.
