The Kanzas news., 1858-06-26
VOL.1---NO. so.
The Formulation of Utah.

a writer in the st. Louis Republican,,
who has resided among the Mormons in
Utah, and appears to understand well the
condition of that singular people, in an
elaborate article, gives much interesting
information. We copy some of the lead
ing facts stated in this article:
From personal observation, I think the
following is pretty good estimate of their
strength: Great Salt Lake City contains
from l2,O 900 to $1,000 inhabitants: Provo,
5000 to 1000; Ogden, 3, 800; Manti, Ne
phi, Cedar, Harrington, Grantsville, and
Fillmore viii average about 1000 inhabi-
tants eachi besides which there are some
twenty minor settlements, and numbers of
isolated farms. / think that the total pop
ulation of the Territory, including the Car
son Valley and San Barnardino Mormons,
all of whom are now ordered to Salt Lake,
would reach near $4,000 or $4,000. Out
of this population / believe it possible to
raise $4,000 or $1,000 tolerable militia,
who, though not so well equipped as the
United States army, are nevertheless, as a
rule, pretty good shots; and generally at
home and expert in mountaineering. Gun
smiths are numerous in the different settle
ments, some of them being frst-class Bir-
mingham mechanics. The militia of Salt
Lake City is about 5000; one-third of
whom are mounted and we'll armed, and the
remainder but poorly armed, with the ex-
ception of one or two rifle companies. Of
the population of the Territory about 80
per cent. are Americans, SO per cent. Brit
isb, and 90 per cent. Continental Europeans
Lorenzo D. Young, Brigham's brother,
is finished scamp. He scarcely ever pays
his hired men. To collect debt from him
is shout impossible. Such transactions are
of daily occurrence in all the Young fami-
lies. In short, the initiated avoid trading
with them. Daniel Wells, Brigham's sec
ond councillor and superintendent of the
public works, very often keeps the wives
and children of the operatives (who get
nothing for their labor but bare subsist-
ence) waiting for their hard-earned, mise
rable daily pittance, from nine o. clock in the
morning until the tithing Office closes, and
then tells them they should have been there
earlier. Heber g. Kimball, as Mr.. Hyde
in his excellent work on Mormonism has
said, is the grossest, most ignorant, most
tyrannical, and most licentious of all the
Mormon leaders. His discourses in the
tabernacle are not fit for decently inclined
AA1CH W HcdE1 uuCu IcSS ICuidl0Ss ne lS III
an eternal war with his nineteen or twenty
wives, and on Sundays publicly denounces
them from the stand. Ezra T. Benson and
Lorenzo Snow are of the Lorenzo Young
stamp, shrewd traders and consummate
rogues.
The existing Government of Utah is a
Theocracy, and is conducted as follows:
Salt Lake City is divided into twenty wards;
each ward has bishop and two councillors,
who report to the presiding bishop of the
church. A ward consists of twelve or
twenty blocks, and over each block are two
teachers or spies, whose business it is to re-
port everything they can pry out, at a
weekly council meeting.
The population is generally supported by
agriculture. There being no rains of con-
sequence, the land has to be irrigated by
the mountain streams, which, in the spring,
afford a copious supply of water. There
are many good mechanics, but as a general
rule they do not find any suitable employ
ment; or if they do, find it extremely diff
cult to get the pay. There is no specie in
circulation, and the only money is the Ter
ritorial and city scrip. The former goes at
par and the latter at depreciation of 40
per cent. There are some factories for
the manufacture of woolen cloth, a similar
article to Kentucky jeans.
There is large sugar factory at Kanyon
creek, four miles from Salt Lake city. It's
total cost has amounted to nearly half |
million dollars. The machinery was made
in England, after the patterns of the French |
machinery for making sugar from beets. It
was boughC with monies raised out of the
"saints' in different places, as well as large
sums from persons designated stockholders.
A certain Mr.. J. w. Coward, Liverpool
became the victim of this swim
die to the extent of $4,000. After the
had arrived at Salt Lake, Elder
John Taylor, Mr Coward and others were
notified that it belonged to the church
maker and Mr.. Loba among the rest, have
tried to make sugar, but the saleratus in
the beets would hot allow it to crystalize;
so that up to this time they have been able
to make nothing but a miserable article of
molasses. Mr.. Loba, in 1856, introduced
the raising of hemp and French rape oil
plants. They both thrived very well; the
oil plants yielding more than the aver
age of those growing in France; but no
attempt to cultivate them has since been
made. There are several small distilleries
in Utah. The article produced is generally
from bad vegetables. and is wretched trash:
but sells readily at six and eight dollars per
gallon. 1t is the only thing besides cash.
cattle and butter, that will purchase groce-
ries and dry goods.
The mountain ranches are well adapted
to grazing stock, consequently cattle are
plenty; but the prices rule high, except for
cash, in which case they are as cheap as in
Missouri. But few hogs are raised, and
sheep are only raised for wool. The wild
mountain sheep are eoarser than the COM
mon; the flesh is medium between beef
and mutton. In the winter the country
abounds in hares and rabbits, which, with
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