Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-07-09
M | s c + / L A n Y.
OUR UTAH CORRESPONDENCE.
UTAH, MAY 9th, 1859

UTAH, May Zitn, lSoJ.
10 tie Editor Of The Termom Phgnr: The
greatest stir that the army of Utah has expert
enced for some time is just now being felt and
is occasioned by the arrival of -four contrac-
tor. In community stagnant and idle as
this of Utah-so much on the tiptoe of expcc
tation to enquire what is coming next in this
extraordinary affair, the event produces as great
a noise as did the labor of the mountain that
brought forth a mouse. The said contractor
came through from the States in great haste
and expedition, being furnished with relay
mules by the government. He is to supply the
army with -four it is said, and is to receive
some twenty or thirty cents a pound for it,
when it can be purchased here for one-fourth of
that price. Such is the report we do not
vouch for its authenticity, but We believe it to
be true.
Brigham Young, who until recently has re-
mained in secluded retracy with his wives is
beginning to come out again. The warming
effect of political favor is drawing him forth to
bask in its genial influences. lie ventured to
preach to his followers last Sunday as in former
times. "Well," said he, "here am; and here
you are; here we TALL are; and here we are
likely to remain Now do you know what I'm
going to do? I'll tell you what I'm going to
do--l'm going to lie low for black ducks ?" He
appears to get information from Washington
several days ahead of that which is furnished
to the army The consideration which is shown
from there towards him and his disciples, seems
to be restoring him to pretty good conceit of
himself, as well it may. But what must be
thought, among reasonable men, Of a political
policy so strange can find any use whatever
for such dirty instrument as Mormonism p
Who could ever have suspected that political
science would arrive at low an ebh among
us that Mormonism would be snatched from
the rapid dissolution to which it was tending
be pulled out from the dirty cutters in which it
was wallowing, and made use of for q political
purpose among an intelligent, self-governing
christian people? The act and all its conse-
quences; the respect paid to crime the defe-
rental consideration bestowed upon shameless
worthlessness and licentious extravaganza; the
retiracy of the army to where it can be of little
use; the fostering of spirit of criminal pro-
fusion in public expenditures and of reckless
speculation among the people--all these and
more too, appear rather like the visions of a
dream than as the result Of human reason.-
The next step will be- perhaps, a sacriicial holo-
absurd, retrograde and stultifying.
We can conceive of measures of state that
might require great caution and reserve in their
management and even contrivance, stratagem
and mystery; but for government to seize
upon such filthy thing as Mormonism, the
wretched worthlessness of which is as patent
as noon day, and invest it with arliice indi-
rectness, diplomacy and cunning, looks as if that
government had undertaken to amuse the peo-
pie, just as the nurse might an unruly, un-
reasonable child by making doll for it of a
corn cob and winding it and filligreeing it off
with silk handkerchief. 1t might appear, in
fact, that the object in sending out this exped-
tion to Utah was not to suppress disgrace to
humanity and to open up the country for travel
and settlement, but it was to amuse and divert
a great, self-governing people-"Me greatest on
the face Of the earth"-and prevent them doing
something naughty, desperate and ruinous -
Surely the art of governing is a great art but
when reduced to such expedients as these, the
question might well arise whether il is sufficient
ly respectful of the intelligence of the people,
or whether in fact the people do require such
miserable management to keep them in order.
However this may be, one thing is certainly
proved by it, viz, that
"He rho gorerns FREEMES should himself be FREE"
A great question may be sought to be made
out of squatter sovereignty and territorial gov
ernment, but we repeat again, that the only
moral which can be deduced from this story of
Mormonism is, that the emigrants who come
among us from foreign countries are not fit for
self-goyernment, or for taking any share or
part in selfgovernment, the most that they can
do being to surrender themselves to the lead of
our lowest class of demagogues such as Joe