Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-08-14
CHINA.
Our Commercial cdhvsntIon-The Arkansas.
RiverValIsy immigration Company.
A Trip Across the ContineHt-Sait Lake
Ths Pacific Railroad.
caIlfOrnia-wkat She Is-Her ? uturs-wHat
She Nay be by Labor.
BY GIoRGE W. F

l NCAAhA2AA M0D A1AAN II Jul IVY Vi AAClAA
phis, for the purpose of considering
the subject of Introducing Chinese
labor into the South. 1t should also
be remembefei that this paper COM
menced the agitation of the subject,
aided by the Sun, and by continually
keeping it before the public, finally
succeeded in getting this convention
together; but what the convention
| did, Lam satisfied no one knows. 1t
adjourned, not a failure however, for
there were earnest, determined men
present who were bent on making the
thing q success. Such we're Colonel
Thos. @. Flournoy and Major John b.
Hall, representing the Arkansas River
Valley Immigration Company, and
John Williams, of New Orleans. By
the former gentlemen | vas solicited
to 90 to China, work the matter up,
and get hands if possible. So, upon
the 22d Of July, full of hope and in
good spirits, l rolled away from the
depot Of the Memphis and Louisville
railroad, bound across the continent
and the Pacific.
Concerning the trip across the con-
tinent, there is little to say; it is a
long, monotonOus route. After leav-
ing Omaha, you cross an immense
prairie for five hundred or more miles.
Look at it for fifteen-minutes, and you
have done that part. You are
then on the plateau Of the Rocky
Mountains, which is merely an ele-
waited plain with some hills in sight.
Look fifteen minutes more, and 90 to
sleep again. Going down into Salt
Lake Valley, through Weber and
Echo canons pronounce canyons), for
~seventy-ive or a hundred miles, you
see some barren, rough country, with
very little of the. beautiful or roman
tie; then through the Devils Gate
into the valley, and you are in
Brigham's Territory. You have
passed over a very good rail-
road, have slept in good
cars, drank ~Villainous coffee, and ate
the most detestable "frys'' and baked
stuff-iust such as you will get at
Grand Junction, or Humboldt, or
Jackson, Miss. At Ogden you leave
the cars of the Union Pacific, and
take those of the Central Pacific Rail-
road-a change slightly for the worse,
as the former road is evidently in the
hands of experienced railroad people,
whilst the latter is controlled and
managed by green Californian5, evil
IDENTIFY Just learning the business. At
Ogden is also the junction of the Salt
Lake City road, which place l visited
on my return and will glance at now.
Brigham Young is President of this
road, and controls it, as he does ev-
erything else in the valley. The
newsboys offer for sale sundry books
and pamphlets about Morm0nism,
especially defending polygamy, which
seems to bethe keystone of their faith.
From a small guide book you are in
formed that in 1917 the 'tsaints, - num-
bering 143, men, women and children,
entered the valley. There are now
about 100000 of the aforesaid saints!
and some of them a rough customers
as you would wish to meet On a lonely
road. However, they are not so bad
a most people would make them out.
These people were driven West main
ly by the MissOurians, who took a
snap Judgment one night on the
prophet, joseph Smith, in Jail, and
forced him to slip his wind, and Brig
ham and the remainder to dispense.
Happening to get in conversation
with a young man in the cars, l dis
covered by his dialect that he was
from the Soutb-from Missouri. l
made inquiries of him concerning
these strange people. He had trav-
eled on horseback throughout the
length and breadth of the land, had
traded and lived with them. Iasked
him if the same old antipathy still ex-
isted to the Missourians; if they still
kept alive their penchGnt for horse
stealing, etc. He replied: 1.-THE
people here are mostly young Nor
mons or foreigners, and have little or
no knowledge of the former troubles.
They are the most industrious, toll
some people | have eve seen; they
are the most virtuous, and the fairest,
squarest people L have ever traded
with. l have never had anything
stolen by them, and 1 don't believe
they will steal. They are very poor,
make their own cloth, leather and
food, which keeps them constantly
busy" This wa the candid verdict
of one of my own countrymen, a man
who took a plain, straightforward
view OF the MOrmOns as they were.
Himself practical, frank and unsophis-
ticated, he viewed them from a prac-
teal standpoint. He had nothing to
make by getting up a war with the
MOrmOns or by abusing them, nor
had he anything to lose. He had
served with Price, and was not accus-
toned to be afraid. "The city, TAX
ing out the fact that it has had much
said about it, and is the headquarters
of Brigham and the Territorial and
church governments, is about as little
worth seeing a any place l know of.
Well, / would sooner stop there a day
than at Humboldt or Grand Junction,
but it is not to be compared as q torn
to Bolivar, and is not to be thought OF
alongside of Jackson. Yes, 1 have it;
Brownsville and Salt Lake City are
about alike. If there happens to be a
rivalry between these villages, l beg
they will not consider me prejudiced;
and as for Grand Junction and Hum
boldt, 1 wish it decidedly understood
that l am at war with the chaps there
who sell those 'tfrys'' for a dollar.
But let US get back. The valley of
the Salt Lake is an elevated alkaline
plain, of most uninviting appearance.
Bounded on the East by the rough
and barren'rOcky mountains (declin-
ing from the base of the mountains
toward the LAke); devoid of trees or
green heritage, exceptthe grease wood
or sage brush growth; with small,
very small farms, only susceptible of
cultivation where irrigation can be
practiced; but little stock in sight, and
you have presented before you the
picture of a desert rather than q para
disc. 1 imagine that it is counterpart
of Syria, as Bayard Taylor remarks.
The beach of the lake is white with
salt. What possessed Brigham to
lead his flock there / can't imagine.
/ confess, however, that looking at
and thinking of this country gave me
much comfort. In twenty-three years
this desert, situated a thousand miles
from navigable water, has been made
to bloom; from a mere handful (143)
they have increased to 100000 souls.
They have built themselves homes,
and villages, roads, bridges; es-
industries; planted schools;
supporkpewspapersi What may we
not do IA the same time with our
country?
The first thing that attracts your at
tention is the tabernacle, a large build
ing, reminding one forcibly ola huge
dish-cover set on low pillars; a great
shell hoisted q short dis
lance Off the ground and painted lead
color. Our party went to the gate OF
the Enclosure around the building,
was posted a notice that no one
Xvos allowad ko view the odifpa with
out permission. We applied, ard a
gentleman dressed in genuine Teifnes-
see copperas colored jeans (the lnin-
formed people of the North call it
butternUH) stood ready to chaperon us.
He conducted Us through the house,
informed us that it would seat n4,006
people q deduct 1000 from his asser-
tom, and that the voice 0fthe speaker
could be heard equally well in one
part of the house as another. The or