The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-12-16

Establish the rule, and all will look
forward to it and govern themselves
accordingly. But justice to the people
of the several States requires that this
rule should be established by Congress
Each State is entitled to two senators
and at least one representative in Con.
gress. Should the people of the States
fail to elect President, the power de.
wolves upon the Senate to elect this
officer from the two highest candidates
on the list. In case of the death OF
the President, the Vice President thus
elected by the Senate, becomes Presi-
dent of the United States. On all
questions of Legislation, the senators
from the smallest States of the Union
have an equal vote with those from the
largest. The same may be said in re-
gard to the ratification of treaties, and
of Executive appointments. All this
has worked admirably in practice,
whilst it conforms in principle with the
character of government instituted
by sovereign States. presume no
American citizen would desire the
slightest change in the arrangement.
Still, is it not unjust and unequal to the
existing States to invest some forty or
fifty thousand people collected in a
Territory with the attributes of So
vereignty and place them on an equal
footing with Virginia and New York
in the Senate of the United States?
For these reasons / earnestly recon-
mend the passage of general act
which shall provide that, upon the ap-
plication of Territorial Legislature,
declaring their belief that the Territory
contains a number of inhabitants which,
if in State, would entitle them to elect
a member of Congress, it shall be the
duty of the President to cause census
of the inhabitants to be taken, and if
found sufficient, then by the terms of
of this act to authorize them to pro-
ceed " in their own way'' to frame a
State constitution preparatory to ad-
mission into the Union. / also recon-
mend that an appropriation may be
made to enable the President to take a
census of the people of Kansas.
The present condition of the Terri
tory of Utah, when contrasted with
what it was one year ago, is subject
for congratulatian. 1t was then in a
state of open rebellion, and, cost what
it might, the character of the govern
ment required that this rebellion should
be suppressed and the Mormons COM
PEELED to yield obedience to the consti-
tuition and laws. In order to accom-
plish this object as / informed you in
my last annual message, appointed a
new Governor instead of Brigham
Young, and other federal officers to
take the place of those who, consulting
their personal safety, had found it nee
essary to withdraw from the Territory
To protect these civil officers, and to
aid them, as a posse comitatus, in the
execution of the laws in case Of need,
1 ordered q detachment of the army
to accompany them to Utah. The
necessity for adopting these measures
is now demonstrated.
On the 18th September, 1857, Gov.
Young issued his proclamation, in the
style of an independent sovereign, an
nouncing his purpose to resist by force
of arms the entry of the United States
troops into our own territory of Utah.
BY this he required all the forces in
the Territory to "hold themselves in
readiness to march at a moments no.
tice to repel any and all such invasions,"
and established martial law from its
date throughout the Territory. These
proved no idle threats. Forts Bridger
and Supply were vacated and burnt
down by the Mormons, to deprive our
troops of a shelter after their loug and
fatiguing march. Orders were issued
by Daniel H. Wells, styling himself
"Lieut. General Nauvoo Legion" to
stampede the animals of the United
States troops on their march, to set fire
to their trains, to burn the grass and
the whole country before them, and on
their flanks, to keep them from sleep
ing by night surprises, and to blockade
the road by telling trees and destroying
the fords of rivers, etc., etc.
These orders were promptly and eff
fectually obeyed. On the 4th October,
1857, the Mormons captured and burned
on Green river, three of our supply
trains, consisting of seventy-five
wagons loaded with provisions and
tents for the army, and drove away
several hundred animals. This dimin-
ished the supply of provisions SO ma
terially that General Johnston was
obliged to reduce the ration, and even
with this precaution there was only
sufficient left to subsist the troops until
the first of June.
Orr little ARMY behaved admirably
in their encampment at Fort Bridger,
under these trying privations. In the
midst of the mountains, in a dreary,
unsettled and inhospitable region, more
than thousand miles from home, they
passed the severe and inclement winter
without a murmur. They looked for
ward with confidence for relief from
their country in due season, and in this
they were not disappointed.
The Secretary of War employed all
his energies to forward them the nec-
essary supplies, and tomuster and send
such a military force to Utah as would
render resistance on the part of the
Mormons hopeless, and thus terminate
the war without the effusion of blood.
In his efforts he was sufficiently sus-
tanned by Congress. They granted
appropriations sufficient to cover the