Mormonism in the Union.
It is very remarkable, the silence that has so long prevailed in this country in regard to the Territory of Utah, its singular prophet and people, and the anomalous institutions they maintain. A few years ago, every mail from the "Salt Lake" brought us a full-grown sensation. Sometimes it was a regu-lar nor'wester from BRIGHAM YOUNG, blowing the soul of a dead President to Hades, sounding the trump of judgment to the living incumbent of the White House, denouncing the overthrow of the Union and its godless Gentile population, and winding up with a piping blast in favor of the peace enjoyed by the Latter-Day Saints in the possession of a Prophet-ruler and a plurality of wives. Some- times it was a lesser light that held forth in the Mormon temple—HEBER KIMBALL or an equally high Priest—who with less dogmatic energy but with more brilliancy and affluence of lan-guage and illustration, held up the Government and people of the United States to the ridicule and laughter of the broad humorists of Des-eret—pitied us in the barrenness and desola-tion in which we were about to be left, and glorified themselves for having found and occupied the true garden of Eden, and planted therein divine institutions of patriarchal and polygamous type. Sometimes it was "Elder SNOW " and the likes of him who mingled the rattling of musketry with the heavy roar of artillery from the bigger guns, and dinned about the ears of the nation the doom that Mormondom was preparing for us and all graceless Gentiles who scouted the revelations of JOSEPH, and doubted the inspirations of BRIGHAM.
The Apostles went out in those days and preached in England, Germany and France, in Fez, Ningpo and Byzantium—proselyting the peoples of the earth and bringing them in squalid crowds, ship-full after ship-full, to the populous harbor of New-York, whence they took their way by rail to the Missouri River, and thence by wheelbarrow-train to the prom-ised land of Deseret. It was a phenomenon in its day—the wonderful gospel of Mormonism ; its origin and spread ; the coherence and te-nacity of its followers ; the bold defiance of reason, common sense and common decency in its practices, and its audacious rebellion against the institutions and authority of the Government under which it existed.
The persistent violation of the laws of the United States at last brought on war between the Government and the Mormons, and the campaign was organized against them under the Buchanan Administration. The people have almost forgotten it—so rapid and over-whelming in interest the events that have since transpired. But they will recall, without much effort, some of the leading facts of the campaign ; such as that ALBERT SIDNEY JOHN-STON, rebel General killed at Shiloh, led the army across the Plains to subjugate BRIGHAM YOUNG—that his command was caught in the snows of the mountains, and nearly perished—that Gen. R. B. MARCY (Gen. MCCLELLAN'S father-in-law, and late Chief-of-Staff) made a trip of incredible hardship from the army to New-Mexico for provisions to save them, and succeeded—that the army finally entered Utah, but found no rebels in arms to oppose it, and consequently had nothing to do—that it moved Southward from Salt Lake, and went into camp, which camp was named "Camp Floyd," in honor of the memorable FLOYD, then Secretary of War—where it remained till the difficulty blew over. Chiefly, the people will not forget that this Mormon war cost the Government not much under $20,000,000—that the celebrated Bus SELL, WADDELL & MAJORS, contractors for transportation to the army in Utah, drew drafts for millions of dollars of unearned money, which drafts were accepted by the generous FLOYD; and finally, that several hundred thousand dollars of Indian Trust Bonds were stolen from the Interior Depart-ment at Washington, then under charge of JACOB THOMPSON, a Secessionist of the Floyd type, to sustain the fraudulent acceptances aforesaid.
It is astonishing that Utah has been so quickly and so completely lost out of mind after that recent and startling episode in its history. The fact is, Utah grew immensely rich by the war. Millions of gold were spent there, and BRIGHAM YOUNG is perhaps now one of the richest men on the continent. But riches have had the usual effect, even on the mind of a prophet; they have hardened BRIG-HAM'S heart, made him worldly-minded, and careful to keep his treasures. He has multi-plied his wives, to be sure, but he has ceased to preach treason. He has, indeed, apparently made Mends with the Union, for we perceive, on reference to Monday's proceedings in Con-gress, that Mr. ASHLEY, of Ohio, has intro-duced a bill "to enable Utah (with other Ter-ritories) to form State Governments, prelim-inary to their admission into the Union."
It is not necessary to add that BRIGHAM YOUNG inspires this movement—that he does not renounce polygamy, or the superiority of his priestly character to the civil power—but is a firm supporter of the principle of the Kansas-Nebraska bill, which allows the people of every community to manage their own affairs in their own way. He will probably be one of the first Senators from Utah, and when he arrives in Washington, will undoubt-edly create a commotion by the numbers and splendor of his domestic retinue.
