The Mountaineer. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1859-1861, 1860-01-14
Again.

lututtlty Nhten tuey ~ ecknoWl4dfc, but hos.
he toihsm and ,hslf lntsrssis.~
40 mal-information We entirely H.
tribute this passage ii the document.
No attempt was ever made in Utah..
since her organization BY Congress, to
: government Of her own.
The commission under the federal
seal was IN full Force when the army
Of ,5I was en-roate; and common
courtesy demanded that we should be
notified Of the termination Of its power.
The simple approach Of wcaried in
PANTRY and jaded squadrons was no
constitutional notice to American citi-
Gems that the reign Of their lawful gov
eminent had ended. The citizens 81
Utah had q right to ask for the mean
ing Of the matter. They had also the
power TO do 50, and So they did ef-
fectuallyl The explanation came Is
an epilogue instead Of d prologue 10
the drama; and there the bl0odless war
terminated. In fact the whole affair
was an uninteresting comedy, in which
the main actors and authors formed
the dark and almost invisible back
ground; and in which Utah took the
part Of . sort Of free and-easy au-
iience.
Passing BY these memories Of the
distant past, let US como to what Is now
before US. Should We admit, for the
sake Of fair argument which, by the
way, We cannot conscientiOusly do i.
that the position Of Utah in '57 was
equiyocal; can we admit the position
Of Nevada, as she terms herself. ID be
4 matter of legal question?
The boundaries Of Utah have been
determined BY tho great legislative
power Of the nation. Over that terri.
tory, thus bounded, d form 81 govern
men. has been established BY that same
great power. If tho power is worth
anything, il must b. supreme. If the
Governor Of Utah has any power ID
Utah at q, he has poweroycr the whole.
Iie was appointed By tho President,
not to preside over Salt Lake City and
is enyirons alone, but over s.the Terri
tory 81 Utah z
On the presentation Of his commits
sion in g. $. 3. City, Governor Cum
ming was acknowledged the lawful Ex-
ecutire Of Utah. His gubernatorial
power, since then has been nndisputed.
His proclamations and official orders
have been listened to, obeyed and re-
spected. No one in these regions Of
Utah has assumed or wished 10 assume
= disputation OF them. His govern
ment has been independent, mild, and
pacifcatory: ard hence he has done
himself credit, and honored the ad-
ministration.
But what Of Carson or Nevada, BY
tho byelp Defying the Organic Act,
defying the boundaries lawfully pre-
scribed, defyins the executive power,
DEF ying the constitutional euactments
u the legislature, she has estranged
herself from the parent government,
and, n the expressive language Of
Prost. buchanan, has set up q govern
ment If her own. ..s..-.. ..:
Il is true that We cannot look upon
these illustrations in any other light
than as the pusillanimous displays Of
pigmies. Yet neither can we Just now
resist the temptation Of d contrast.
Suppose for q moment { although
not at all supposable), that Iron and !
Washington counties, or what is more |
IN keeping, that Caeho County, had
tho whole or one Of themselves |
INTO a refractory inclination to resist /
no present government Of Utah, or |
yanize ''PRoyIsIoNAL" OF their own, |
md elect . Governor and Legislative
Assembly. Any one of those counties
night have outnumbered Carson, and
'lected q full assembly { which, By the
'ye, Carson could not do J. What
EouId have been the result? 'faEaseS!, /
reason most foul and reprehensible.
amp Floyd would have been embowql-
d to pnnishthe reasonable miscreants, /
nd the cry of death and determination