, 1859-05-13
Mormon1ana and slavery.

mormon1am and slavery.
1 [F1om the New York CouE;e. and Eneu:er.]
The Mormon complication giyes the govern
! ment much embarrassment The disciples Of
the disgusting social and religious imposture
| now working out its destiny vi Salt Lake, are
holding the Democratic party and the govern
uent Of the United States to their pledges; and
they are doing il with an energy und d1edness
! of purpose which put to shame the feeble aud
Pickering efforts to sustain the cause Of popular
liberty in Kansas. The MoEmons are unque.-
tionably authorized BY the doctrines Of tie dori-
nant party IN this country, md by the laws
which it has passed, to maintain State religion
which is opposed alike to Christianity and to
! public dccencv, to legalze concubinaye and
the most atroc'ous political and ecclesiastical
system known to this age. For these acts they
| find their warrant and justification in the sere-
| raj lawf of Congress, passed as measures If
party policy, conterring upon the people Of the
Territory tue right Of seltgovernment and the
tutions they may desire. No one doubts, and
no truthful man denies, that the one great OBJ
jcct Of this legislation was to leuye S1ayery free
TO enter all the Territories, and to enable the
| holders Of slaves to carry them whitherso-
ex'r shsy might. desire 70 60, in dedance
| pledge Of non-nteryention On all sub
jects is distinct and ample. 1t is Of no conse-
! quence whether the system be called "self gov
ernnent,''' or popular sovereignty" The es-
scnce and substance of it is, that the wii Of the
People shall be tile organic Law Of the Territory,
They are left perfectly free to establish their
uwn institutions" This il the language Of the
act rcpudiating the Missouri Compromise, dated
May, ls;'4- The spccial purpose Of those who
committed that great crime was to make Slave
States out Of the Northwestern Territory, but
none Of them were ignorunt Of the direct appE-
t.Sk a..
law to the Territory Of Utah. At the moment
nf voting upon the Nebraska Bill, Congress
knew that Col. Steptoe WAS advancing upon
CtaA with strong military force, in order TO
reduce lts inhabitants to submission to the
Federal Government. Col. SteWoc and tile Ad-
mnlslrat1on which sent him, were rebuked BY
the passage of the 1aw establishing popular
sovereignty, and the Mormons were authorized
to go on forming their own "iustitutions,' -
including polytheisln, polyganiy and
'heocracy, precisely us they had been doing for
ten wears previously. In the face Of this legs-
la,ire permission, the Mormons felt their indie
rendencc Of all authority outside the Territory,
whether civil or military. and Colonel 5tc,toc
felt it also for he quietly turned over his civil
commission to brigham Young, who Was re.ap.
pointed Governor by the President, aud he him
sslf removed with his troops to the Pacific.
Thus in lo14 and 1s5:', tue Mormons raccived
What they justly considered Legislative and
Executives sanction oF the institutions wlcl,
they lad founded, aud Of which Congress had
full knowledge. The method Of administering
these " institutions" WIS through the jury sys-
TEN, facility, us we'll understood here in Wash
lngton as in Utah.
In this state Of facts it may be alleged that the
| military expeditions Of 1857 and 1855 we're with
ont adequate object, for the proceedings of the
Mormons were implicitly approved by Con-
gress aud the e1ccsscs into which they were
running were but the fruit and consequence of
the new Territorial policy. Many propositions
had then and have since been nude to declare
their grosscs violations Of social order, religion
and rrorrlcty. penal offences against the Cnitcd
States, but these efforts had always been
promptly sti0ed By the Democratic minority
II the acts and institutions Of the MorMons
were not against law, nor antagonistic to our
keEubllcan System, then why should all army
lave been sent against them. Without answering
these questions, Mr. Buchanan dispatched thv
forces which we're first detained in Kansas to
trample out the experiment of selfKovernntent
there, and were afterwards blockcd up by the
sro"s and ice If m Alpine winter, previous to
their descent upon Salt Lake. 1t is not too
much to say that the army effected nothing. Its
struggle with the elements occupied the attcu.
tion ot the country last year, but it left the
Mormons precisely where it found them. 1Xt
fta"d d"d left Jury system, tdksn in tonner.
ton ao1h tie principles of tie Nebraska Bill, ar.
1"4nd 70 be q ps:'ett protection t. tie 1'fope q
"<J saf , hs 1ra n;ted dfsno. State fgd sn% h
,,rnsciyea iua norerss s';,eu ,a.es Jooges ma
.":nse'es Po"er!ess IN opposition to those
re'lT1Ts, M Th ~ WIS ine case WIN tAelr prcdeces'
or,1 "As 10 uenn1G oplect III the VIC"
,,,a, 80. .,' Ill sena1ne IN army among
,si,'t ps'p!e' anu " seems tnat It Is 6cpt there
~" ~" ",ee.; ~ W. nave awning !" sh""
| m"'cments. we have not discovered il.
.,ea ~ M ousht 10 " ooae WIN ms great Nor
n;o'' eonl'hnnlss Is "o'e very dlticn't question