The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-12-29
GREAT SALT LAKE Cry,
HEADQUARTERS Army or UTAH,
Blacks Fork, three miles below
Mouth Of Ham Fork, IN route TO
Salt Iake CITY Nov 5. 1857

COLONEL In consideration of our relative positions
you acting in your capacity commander of the United
States forces in obedience you have stated to orders
from the President of the United States, and COVER
Of this Territory impeed by every of Justice
honor, integrity and patriotism to resist what consider
to be direct Infringement of the rights of the citizens Of
Utah, and an act OF surpaon and tyranny nprecedcn
ed in the history of the United States permit frankly
to address you citizen Of the United States untram-
melled by the usages of official dignity military ETH
quette.
AS citizens Of the United States we both it is pre-
sumable feel strongly attached to the constitution and
institutions of our common country, and, gentlemen
should probably agree in sustaining the dear bought lib
critics bequeathed by fathers the positions in which
individually placed being the only apparent
of our present antagonism YOU colonel commanding
feeling that you have rigid duty to perform in obed
to ORDERS and still important duty to the
people of this Territory.
need not here reiterate what / have mentioned in
my official proclamation and what and the people of
this Territory universally believe firmly to be the object
of the administration in the present expedition against
Utahviz the destruction, If not the entire annhla-
ton, of the Mormon community, solely upon religious
grounds and without any pretext whatever for the adj
minstration do know from the most reliable that
the base reports circulated by Drummond and others
their mean officials, barefaced caumnes They do,
moreover know that the people of Utah have been
peaceabe and law abiding than the people of any other
Territory of the United States and have never resisted
the wish Of the President Of the United States
treated with indgnity single individual coming to the
Territory under ms autnoty aitnough the conduct ana
department OF many of them have mcrted and in any
other State or Territory would have met with summary
punishment But when the President Of the United States
far degrades his high position and prostitutes the high
est gift of the people to make of the military
power INTENDED only for the protection of the peoples
rights to crush the peoples liberties and compel them
to receive officials lost TO self respect accept APP
pointmens since the known and expressed wish of the
people, and and degraded to need army
TO protect them in their position feel that would
be recreant TO every principle of scfrespect honor in
tegrity, and patriotism TO bow tamely to such high
handed tyranny parallel to which is only found in the
attempts made by the British government in its most
rupt stages against the rights liberties and lives of
forefathers.
Now colonel, do not charge you nor those serv-
ing under you, with the nstgaton of the enomites
consider that you only the agent made OF by the
administration probably unwillingy So to further their
infamous designs What high minded gentleman can
feel comfortable in being the caSap of political
iugglers, huckstes, penny aners hungry Spectators
and disgraced officials Yet il is from the statements
such only that the administration have acted, at
taching the official seal TO your movements Now fee
that when such treason is perpetrated unblushngly in
open daylight against the liberties and most sacred rights
OF the citizens of this Territory, IL Is my duty and the
duty of every lover of his country and her sacred nstu
ons TO resist IL and maintain involae the constitution
| of our common country.
Perhaps, colonel, you may feel otherwise education
and associations have their influences but have yet 10
learn that United States officers implicitly bound 70
obey the dctum of despotic President in yolr .g
most sacred constitutional rights Of American citizens
We have sought diligently for peace. We have sac
oed millions OF dollars worth of property TO attain IL
and wandered thousand miles from the confines Of civ
ilization, severing ourselves from home the society
friends and everything that makes life worth enjoyment
If we have war il is got Of seeking have never
gone sought TO interfere with the rights of Others but
they have come and sent to interfere with We had