New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-16

The dscourses Of Brigham Young, as published
in the Salt Lake official journal, received via Cali
fornia, from which We have already published some
extracts indicate, like his letters to Col Johnston,
his determination TO put the present military opera
tons directed against Utah entirely on the ground
Of religious persecution. This, undoubtedly, Is the
best position he can chooses and il will certainly
require great deal more Of discretion and good
management than has yet been displayed in the
conduct of this business TO prevent the expedition
from degenerating into something very little cred
liable to our national character.
Considering the MOrmons in the light simply OF
citizens. and the march upon Utah as undertaken
not with view to dspossess them or TO overturn
their Church organization, but simply to enforce
the laws. it is little singular that Mr.. Buchanan
did not follow the example set by Washington, IN
the case of the resistance in Pennsylvania to the
collection Of the whisky tax, by issuing not one
proclamation merely, but successive proclamatlons,
calling upon the people of Utah to submit to the
laws and plainly laying before them the consequent
ces of resistance. Yet, according TO Brigham
Young-and We fear the statement is too true-not
only he, as Governor of the Territory has received
no official information that he had been superseded
in Office, but no information whatever has been
given either to him to the people of Utah, as to
the design of the Government in marching this large
body Of troops into the Territory. This silence
of the Government as to the purpose which the
troops are intended to fulfill leaves Brigham Young
at full liberty to influence the fears and fanatlcism
of his followers by representing the troops as
enemies bent upon their destruction, and not only
this, but ii also tends to the dissemination among
the troops themselves, and throughout the country
also, of ideas as to the object of the expedition not
altogether cOnsOnant with established doctrines
on the subject of religious liberty.
II is impossible to get any distinct ideas from
Brother Brigham's harangues as to what his pre-
else plan Of operations is. He pretends to some
mysterious way of overcoming the troops and dis
persDg the soldiers At all events, it seems pretty
clear that he does not intend anything like pitched
battle His plan would rather seem to be, If worst
comes to worst, TO destroy Salt Lake City, and to
disperse the inhabitants among the mountains, in
the expectation that the United States would grow
tired of supporting an army in the country, all
whose supplies would have TO be transported from
the frontier at the risk of being cut off on the way.
Accounts from Fort Brdger, said to have been
brought to Fort Leavenworth by the agents of the
contractors for supplying the army and coming
down to the 4th of December, represent the sol
dicrs as more comfortable and better provided than
from previous accounts there was reason to fear.
There seems to be- however, some inconsistency in
their statements. We are told that all the pro-
vision trains have come up from Fort Laramie, and
that there is an abundant supply of provisions to
carry the army through the Winter; yet it is stated
at the same time that the troops are on short allow
ance. These agents of the contractors would be
apt TO put the bestface on matters, but even they
do not pretend that the army can attempt to enter
the valley without being largely reinforced