The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-28

tion to reduce its debt at the rate OF more
than hundred million Of dollars per annum,
and that further reductions of the expendi-
lures will soon become practicable, will do
more than volumes of comment to silence the
clamor of repudiationists and to inspire uni
versal belief in the capacity as well as the
disposition of the American people to make
United States bonds the best securities IN the
world.
THE MORMON CHURCH MILITANT.
The most bitter enemies of Mormonism will
not deny that the affairs of the Church OF the
Latter Day Saints have been most shrewdly
managed, and that the real business talent
and craftsmanship displayed by its leading
spirits are in themselves worthy of the warm
est admiration. Joe Smith had that Yankee
tact, mingled with a spice of fanaticism, that
was necessary to start his new religion and to
gather about him q band of devoted and zeal
GUS converts. But it is doubtful whether
Smith could have built up Mormonism into
the great system that it has become, and
even at the time of his death it was begin
ming to assume somewhat unmanageable di-
mensions In Brigham Young the Mormon
Church found more than competent sue
cessor to Smith; and whatever may be
thought of this man on other points, due
credit will always be given to him for his re-
markable genius for organizing and govern
ing To him more than to any other man is
due whatever prosperity the Mormon COM
munity now enjoys; and considering the
peculiar circumstances in which he has been
placed and the discordant elements with
which he has had to deal, his success has GER
tainly been remarkable. One great reason
for this success has undoubtedly been
the industrial system that the Mormon
Church has developed, and the prospect of
obtaining farms and homesteads of their own
in Utah has been an irresistible attraction to
the peasants of England Scotland Wales,
Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, indepen-
IDENTIFY of any religious consideration. In
fact, the religious aspect of Mormonism was
probably the last thing that most of the
proselytes looked at or cared about, while the
material advantages were all attractive to
to their imaginations.
The peculiar government Of the Mormon
Church, however, no less than the abomina-
tions it upholds has made it an offense to
the people of the United States, and with
the completion of the Pacific Railroad it was
felt that the contest between the nation and
the Salt Lake hierarchy, which had been so
long delayed, must shortly commence in
earnest. The Mormon leaders have hitherto
succeeded in practically defying the authority
of the United States, because they were mac
cessible. The band of iron that stretches
across the continent has now brought them
face to face with civilization, and the ulti-
mate result of the conflict can scarcely be
doubted.
The Mormons, with their usual shrewdness,
are not only placing themselves on the de-
fensive, but they have actually taken the initi-
ative and began to carry the war into the
enemy's country. Brigham Young, Jr., who
is now in this city, states that in his opinion
the completion of the Pacific Railroad is one
of the best things for the Mormon Church
that could possibly happen, which shows that
there are at least two ways of looking at such
a subject. Brigham, Jr., also vouchsafes the
information that about one hundred and
eighty Mormon elders are about to come East
and stump every State from Maine to Texas,
SO that every State in the Union will have an
opportunity to listen to the preaching of the
Latter Day missionaries this winter.
Brigham, Jr., states, moreover, that
majority of the converts are females, which
seems to show that the opposition of the sex
to polygamy is not as violent as some per-
sons imagine, and he expects that the mis-
sionaries will be particularly successful in
Massachusetts,, where there are thirty thou
sand women who cannot find husbands, and
who, therefore, it is presumed will be willing
to put up with the fiftieth part of one
rather than to pine in single blessedness.
There is, of course, no telling what success
these missionaries will have, for the fools are
not all dead yet by any means; but it is GER
talnly brilliant piece of generalship for
Bingham Young thus to take the lead in the
conflict that promises shortly to occur with
the Government and people of the United
States. Whether this action, however, will
precipitate the warfare remains to be seen,
and it is just possible that the Mormon ennis
saries may raise storm against themselves
and their Church that will force them to
make another exodus and flee from Utah
many years before such consummation
could be expected under ordinary circum-
stances.
VICTOR HUGO ON LNSURRECTION
COMMON sense is q yery essential oualitv in