The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-09 00:00:00

THE MORMONS 1N UTAH.

Brigham Young has hit on a grand idea for the
preservation of Mormonism in Utah and the expul-
sion of the Gentiles. The prophet had to face circum-
stances of growing difficulty, which required but
little spirit of prophecy to foretell, and Brigham took
what we are inclined to consider one of the best steps
to achieve his purpose. He issued an edict, after
fulminating Sunday after Sunday against Gentile
traders, forbidding
.the saints to traffic with the
Gentiles, and decreeing a co-operative system, which
on a certain day was inaugurated in all the glory of
blue and gold signs, thus :

HOLINESS TO TUE LORD.
(The All-Seeinr, Eye.)
ZION'S'
CO-OPERNTIVE

MERCANTILE INSTITUTION.

Brigham gave $25,000, and every saint threw into
the common stock what he could afford. No re-
ceipts were issued, and no return promised, the
lenders being merely credited with the amount. The
principal Mormon merchants transferred their goods
to the institution at a heavy loss, and many Gen-
tile traders, succumbing to the pressure, took what
was offered for theirs. Each store was devoted to a
separate department, containing hardware, or gro-
cery, or dry goods, with branch establishments
throughout the country ; still individual Mormons
were permitted to trade, though warned to sell at the
price of the co-operative stores, and not to withdraw
custom from them. One who offered calicoes at 15
cents a yard, when the co-operative price was 18.
was counselled, under penalty of expulsion, to raise
his calicoes to 18 cents. This, in ruining the Gen-
tiles and other merchants, has created a bitter feel-
ing against Brigham, and a great firm, the Walker
Brothers, have attempted a competition, refusing
Brigham's offer to buy them out, unless he pur-
chased all their interest in the territory, worth
about SlOO,OOO. But Brigham declined this offer,
not through poverty, for he is one of the richest men
in America. Though the fact of his wealth is no-
torious, he has the audacity thus to preach :
" We Caine to this valley to establish the kingdom of
God, and it is not right that some of us should grow rich
by trading, while the majority of us remain poor. It is
time to give to the people of God the profits upon the busi-
ness they create—to give to each Saint all that he con-
sumes at the lowest cost price."
lie is said to be concentrating his wealth as fast as

possible, and to grow with age more covetous and
grasping. Some of the stories told of him show the
greedy nature he undoubtedly possesses. Many
years ago, for instance, a Mormon policeman, killed
in the discharge of his duty, left a wife and family,
and Brigham, who was asked to subscribe to the sup-
port of the family, offered to buy a home, which he
did, for $5OO, retaining the title-deed. Some time
after, when it had become valuable, Brigham sent
to demand payment, claiming $5,000, and rigidly ad-
hering to this sum, Brigham's idea of charity ! still,
it pays. There are only about 800 Gentiles in a city
containing 20,000 people, and it is a fact that a large
portion of these Gentiles are Jews, genuine chil-
dren of Abraham, not one of whom has ever be-
come a Mormon. In fact,'none more dislike than
they, the religion of the " saints," styling it a vulgar,
impious parody, on the old customs of their race. If
Father Abraham, they say, came to the country
with his four wives, he ought to be hung; and if the
Jews of old wero as wicked as the Mormons th.,y
regret that the Philistines did not clear them out.
Touching the beauty of the Mormon women ac-
counts differ. Captain Townshend, for instance,
says that he did not see a pretty woman in the place,
and a British officer, whose unpublished diary is
now before us, specially remarks, though an earnest
seeker for something refreshing in the shape of
beauty, that he was unable to find it in Utah. In a
long and interesting paper in the Tribune, however,
from which we gather most of what we write, beau-
tiful girls are frequently alluded to. Brigham has 18
wives living, but that number does not include those
sealed to him for the next world, and out of his 49
children there is a bevy of handsome young girls,
who are in demand and marrying off fast. Rela-
tionship is puzzling, as Brigham, when he likes a
son-in-law, gives him a second daughter, as in the
case of the superintendent of the Western Tele-
graph Office. The prophet has established this rule,
that whoever marries the last daughter of one of
his wives shall take the mother home also. Mor-
mons sometimes marry a mother and daughter; and
a Dane has a mother and three daughters for his
wives ! A pretty girl was pointed out whose step-
father was urging his suit, backed by her own mo-
ther. A prominent Mormon sanctioned the mar-
riage of his daughter as the sixth wife, at sixteen,
because he wanted a relative of the suitor of the
same age for his fifth wife, and he told the story
of the exchange as a good joke. The correspondent
tells the following anecdote
" A Mormon recently camp to a prominent Gentile by
night to ask :advice. Ile was a fair sample of the middle
ranks of the Church. When he adopted Mormonism he
had already a wife ; but since coming to Utah has taken
another. The first was childless ; by the second he has
several children. Ile was now disgusted with Utah, and
wished to return to his native place, whore same property
had been loft him. The problem was how to escape with-
out risk of the penitentiary. To accomplish this ho had
concocted a plan, as to the feasibility of which ho wanted
information. The old feurile,' as he called her, was t)
get a divorce, and then he was to marry the younger ono
legally. The old female' ho had promised to take with
him as a sort of 'granny to the children,' to whom she
was much attached. lle wanted to know whether this
plan would work, and was informed that it might; but
that he would run considerable risk of a coat of tar and
feathers and a ride upon a rail in attempting to carry it
out."

The city is beautiful during Midsummer, encircled
by snowy ranges, with its wide streets and flowing
streams, with its blooming, well-shaded gardens ;
but there is much poverty among the masses, who
only extract from the land enough to eat and to
wear through hard work. Though the soil is good it
has to be irrigated, and everything imported is of
course enormously dear. The railroad spread ►unch
money about, while giving an nutlet to produce,as welt
as cheapen the imports; but its effect on polygamy
is likely to be decisive. The Co-operative system
was introduced as a counter- irritant, but it is the
influence of the press, acting on the gross ignorance
through which Brigham rules, that be has to dread.
The girls are becoming rebellious ; one, for instance,
who had been marked for the harem of President
Snow, bolted with a Union Pacific engineer, prefer-
ring to have her husband all to herself, and we
certainly will not be surprised if many young women
follow her example.-4 nglo-American 7 intes.

BRITANNIA FIRE ASSOCIATION
Heal Offices, 429, Strand, London.
The distinguishing features of this Association aro
Equitable Rates,
Undoubted Security.
Prompt settlement of claims.
JOHN MESSENT, Manager.

lOYAL STRAND THEATRE.
1)t Sole I essee and 3lanageress, Mrs Swanborough.

- - -
THIS EVENING, at 7.30, AMONG THE BREAKERS: Mr
Cl irke.
Followed by TETE TOODT.ES: Mr Clarke.
After which, THE PILGRIM OF T.OV : Messrs E. Terry,
Turner, Bruw•e, &c.; Mesdames Richardson, Erskine, Newton
Fosbrooke, lc.