The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-05-09
erigham Young,s Manisegto.

laaA.SSEnkca as q whole, it is q strange
.admixtureeOf piety, philosophy, humau-
ity, and slang-a rare specimen of ora
tory, illustrative of the relation between
the sublime and the ridiculous.
Brethren and Sisters-Our friends
wish to know our feelings towards the
government | answer they are first
rate, and we will prove it, too, as you
will see if you only live long enough, for
that we shall live to prove it is certain !;
and when the Constitution of the Uni.
ted States hangs, as it were, upon a
single thread, they will have to call for
the Mormon elders to save it from utter
destruction; and they will step forth and
do It. 80
We love the Constitution of our coun-
try il is all We could ask ; though in
some few instances there might be some
amendments made which would better
it. We love the federal government and
the laws of Congress. There is moth
ling in those laws that in the least mill
tate against us, not wen our excluding
common laws from this territory. [ can
inform our lawyers who plead at the
bar here, that the Congress of the Uni
Ted States have passed laws giving US
the privilege of Including common law
at our pleasure, and that too without
any violation of the Constitution or gen.
eral statutes. They have also given us
the priyaegeto stop drunkenness, swear
ing and gambling, and to prevent horse
racing, and to punish men fcr robbing or
hurting each other. The Constitution
of the United States, and the whole fed
.eral government, III their act, have given
ussthis privilege.
Now, j will tell you one thing, that
1 am opposed to, and that this people
are opposed 20, it is to a mans coming
here as an officer, with a piece of sleeps
skin in his pocket having some great
mans name to it, and beginning to set
up his rules of discipline for the people,
aud saying 81 am a gentleman, [ am a
hgh-minded gentleman; can you tell
me where 1 can find a woman to sleep
witba9me to night ?n and setting up
gambling shops, and drinking, aud ca
rousing. and stirring up strife, and hatch
ing mp lawsuits hunting out disaffect-
ed spirits, and then lecturing the people
on morality, wishing them to become
like other communities, and saying to
Mrs. .Sueh-a-one, or Mrs. Such-a-one,
- won't You ride with me-wca't you
take a sleigh ride to night with me p
/ am a high-minded gentleman" A
prudent father or husband says, "come
here, this is your place you have no
business with strangers" What is the
result of this ? Why, from most of the
h~igh-minded gentleman you can hear
God damn the Mormons, they are yop-
posedto the federal government, because
they will not allow US to sleep with their
wives and daughters" I am opposed
to such man, and am after them With the
I; baFbed arrows of the sAlmigh To
what extent ? Let them .intrude upon
the chastity ofmy family, aud, SO help
me. God,sI will use them up. (All the
congregation said "Amen.") Such
characters may cry, '~saliens, aliens; the
-Mormous are all hostile to the govern
ment and they may cry it until they
are in hell.
Corrupt men cannot walk these streets
with inipunity, and if that is alienism
to the government, amen TO it. The
Constitution of the United States we
sustain all the day long, and it will 'sus-
tain and shield US, while the men who
say we arc aliens, and cry out " Nor
mon disturbance will go to hell
There have been officers here who were
not fit to live in our midst, and they ran
home and raised the cry " Mormon dis
turbarces," Mormon rebellion"
" Mormon war" and " t~reasoners - but
their day is over.
When a man processes to be my friend,
and tie friend of this people, be will
take my council, instead of stirring up
strife, and practising iniquity. ! dis
like the w~Ilfnlly corrApt, and by and by
Twill come out thunder-likc, as [ have
done upon others when practising in
iqnfty and as l did upon a certain in
dividual when he made his glorious
speech and insulted this people from
the highest to the lowest, | chastised
him, and he ran off and reported as my
saying those which 1 did not say.
1t was told him while he was on the
plains, that President Zachary Taylor
was dead and damned, and it was gone
Through the states, from side to side,
that / said so. It was first given out
that the Mormons said SO, and then that
Brigham said so well / backed it up,
because I knew 1t was true. / have
Just as good a right to say that Presi-
dent Taylor is in hell, as to say that
any other miserable sinner is there
Was be any more than flesh and blood !
/ haVe as good a right to canvas him, in
a religious point of view, as 1 have to
canvas the peasant upon the dung-hill.
He has gone there, and so have many
others and the Lord Almighty is re-
moving the bitter branches, as foretold
in the Book of Mormon.
The newspapers are teeming with
statements that 1 said /" President
Pierce and all hell could not emove me
from Office" 1 will tell you what L did
say, and what Inow say the Lord reigns
and rules-in the armies of the heavens,
and does his pleasure among the inhab-
itants of the earth. He sets up a king
dom here, and pulls down another there,
at His pleasure. He walks in the midst
of the people, and they know it not. He
makes kings, presidents and governors
at his pleasure, hence 1 conclude that l
Shali be governor of Utah territory jus
as long as He wants me to be and for
that time, neither the President of the
United States, nor any other power can
pEexent It. Then, brethren and sisters,
be not Ksrried about nay being dismissed
from office; for when the President ap-
points another man to be governor of
Utah territory, you may acknowledge
that the Lord has done 1t, for we should
a. acknowledge His hand in all things"
81