The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-12-04


You've of Utah
In order that both sides may be heard, we APP
pend the latest intelligence received in an
thentic shape from that quarter as well as the
formal issue made with that, and similar state
ments, by Mr. BERKHsEL, the delegate from
Utah, who denies and justifies
LATE AND RELIABLE ACCOUNTS OF THE DIFF
FIcuLTlEs IN UTAH On Saturday evening" the
! Hon. Lemuel g. Brandebury, chief Justice Hon.
Perry Il. Brocchus associate justice aud d. b.
Harris, secretary of State; all officers of the
United States for the territory of Utah, arrived
in 81. Louis, on their return from Utah. The
editor of the ST. Louis Iatelligsncer had an inter-
view with the two first named gentlemen, and il
sc Ems that the accounts heretofore published Of
the late disgraceful proceedings of Gov. Brig
ham Young, and other Mormon officers, are but
too true. We extract from the ST. Joseph Ad
venture the following, the material facts of which
we obtained by the editor Of that paper from
the gentlemen who have just returned from Salt
| Lake, and the statements in which are confirmed
| by them. 1t will excite profound establishment
in the mind of every reader. The Adventure
| says:
| The officers arriving first in the territory, dis
covered Immediately a GOODNESS on the part of
Mormon church, and hostility to any one ex
ercisng authority n the territory but himself.
| 1t first vented itself in murmurs and hints, and
then broke out into oren denuncatons of the
government of the United States and its officers
The Sabbath and the pulpit were almost con-
stantly prosttuted to this purpose.
! After stating some instances of this, which
we have already published, the Adventure pro-
| ceeds thus:
| The officers had many important duties to
| PERFORM which required cordial and confidential
intercourse with the governor, especially the
secretary, who is required by the act of Congress
establishing the territory to keep record of
the executive proceedings, and to transmit a
| copy Of them on the first of December, annually,
to the government at Washington. The gov
ernor, however, barred all communication on the
subject of the organization of the territory, de-
carng with great vehemence of feeling that he
"would kick any man ont of the territory, who
attempted to dictate to, or advise him in his
duty" He asked for ne advice and no officer
volunteered any. Thus left untrammeled, he
proceeded without moestation to set at defiance
the act Of Congress establishing the territory
The act required him to have the census taken,
so as to properly apportion the number of rep
resentatives ard councillors to each county, but
he chose to apportion them according to his
fancy, without taking the census.
He was also authorized and required by the
same act 10 appoint all officers not provided for
in the bill, who should continue in Office until
the end of the first session of the legislature,
yet there was not sheriff, justice of the peace
or constable in the territory legally qualified to
act when the officers left excepting one or two
justices of the peace appointed few days be-
fore), and criminals went at large, because there
were no officers TO arrest them or execute any
| protest The governor was true to his threat
that the judges should not try if he
could prevent it" for they had not an officer to
summon jury or execute a warrant, subpoena,
or any kind of process, the marshal being bound
to serve no process but that in which the United
States was party.
Congress appropriated twenty thousand dol
lars to be applied under the direction of the
governor and legiaature, in the erection of pub
lie buildings. The governor no sooner received
this money than he embezzled every dollar of it
in payment of debts due by the Mormon church,
az in less than ten days after its arrival in the
valley it was on its way to the United States in
other hands
i These things determined the officers then in
the territory to report he facts in writing to the
President of the United States. Subsequent
events determined them to leave the territory
and report TO the government in person.
They they could not perform their re.
spective duties with credit to themselves, or
! fidelity to the government that the arm Of the
judiciary already palsed by the position in
which the Judges found themselves that Brig
ham Young had been accustomed to enter the
legislative hall under the provisional State gov
eminent, and dictate what laws should be
passed, and TO enter the court and jury rooms,
and direct what verdict should be rendered. and
they knew that he was equally as omnipotent
| and influential with the Mormon people, under
| the territorial government that, with Mormon
governor Mormon u. $ marshal and Nor
mon grand and petit juries, justice would be
slaughtered in her temple, or if triumphant in
vindicating the laws by a conviction in or mi
nal case, the pardoning power would be inter
] posed to snatch favorite from the hands OF the
| law.
When il became known that the officers were
determined TO leave, then it was that the gov
4 ernor Unveiled himself, showed the cloven foot,
and attempted a still greater outrage. The
legislature was not to have met until January,
| S52, and consequently no expose of the en-
b zzlement of the tv enty thousand dollars by the
governor could have been made known, off.
cially, by the secretary, TO the President and
/ Congress before December, 1852 Mr.. Harris
was not only Secretary of the Territory, but also
disbursing agent of the United States, and bad
twenty-four thousand dollars with him to be
| applied in payment of the per diem and mileage
of the Legislature and contingent expenses of
the territory The members, as it under
stood aud not denied, being all Mormons had
agreed TO reinqush their per diem and mileage
to the church, and the governor was therefore
determined to have these twenty-four thousand
= dollars in addition to the twenty thousand dol
lara ed for nuhlie huildinUe at all
e hazards, even if he was to take il by violence,
u az he declared. lie therefore secretly issued
y notice to the members TO meet in two or three
y days thereafter.
d They met accordingly and passed resolu-
i ton, requiring the United States marshal to de-
i mand this money from the secretary, and if he
4 refused to give IT. to seize and imprison him,
= until he delivered over the whole amount The
d deputy marshal, true to the Mormon faith, but
l. in violation of his duty as United States Of
it fcer, undertook the execution of this order
xofuoad 10 Al