The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-07-06

The miniature rebellion which Brigham
Young has been nursing for 30 many years
almost came to head on the Fourth. The
Mormon militia, called the ''Nauvoo Legion"
which is composed of polygamists, rank and
file, and which represents the entire grand
army of Utah and the chief military arm of the
Mormon Church, was ordered to muster on
Independence Day by It's Lieutenant General,
although the proclamation of the acting Gov
ernor had already been issued forbldding any
assemblage Of the polygamic soldiery alto
gether. The Lieutenant General aud the
acting Governor are both determined
and hot-headed men, and as the latter
Immediately summoned to his aid the
United States troops stationed near
the city under General Beforehand there
would certainly have been bloody work had
not General Beforehand and some Of his Off
GERS acted the part of peace-makers before
hand and induced the Mormon commander to
countermand his order, by informing him that
unless be did so they would take the greatest
pleasure in Kidding him and his command
with grape and canister. Mormon discretion
triumphed, and the Mormon troops, instead of
parading with all the pomp and circumstance
that militia alone can bring to bear upon a
holiday parade, contented themselves with
watching the less enthusiastic evolutions of
the regulars who, under cover Of celebrating
the Fourth, entered the city with muskets and
cannon to take part in any ''tilt' that the
militiamen might inaugurate.
The policy Of suppressing the Mormon pa
rade is exceedingly doubtful 1t is not seemly
nor politic that any display of militiamen or
Of people living under the broad agis of our
Union should be forbidden, under any cir
cumstances, and much less when the object of
the display is to celebrate the Fourth. 1t is
rather better that everybody of all political
compilations should be encouraged in its cele-
bration, for outside of the distracting effects of
fre-crackers and Union torpedoes the COM
memoration Of the day is truly inducive to
patriotism and brotherly unity among us. If
the MormOns have shown themselves lacking
in these qualities they should have been in
vited, rather than forbidden, to make
themselves enthusiastic over the glorious
anniversary of our national dawn of free
dom. If any dread was entertained of
riotous demonstration or an outbreak against
the government-and such seems to have been
the idea-there were evidently enough United
States troops on hand to put it down early in
its inception. But the Mormons certainly in
tend no open and violent rebellion against the
United States government. They can secure
all their ends by quieter means, and doubtless
do.
But of one thing there can be no doubt.
The proclamation of the Governor, having
been issued, should have been enforced as it
was, and with actual force Of arms if neces-
sary. We are glad to see that the Mormon
commander was the one to back down rather
than the acting Governor. 1t reminds us
that one lesson taught by our war was that
our government is no longer afraid to shed
the blood Of its own people. It has recovered
from the insane tenderness of 1861 and has
had so much sterner stuff infused into its ma
terial by the experiences of our civil war that
it will no longer compromise and daily with
rebels. II will put them down at once with
ball cartridges instead of trying to frighten
them with blank ones. Let the Mormons learn
this much from their lesson of the Fourth, and
if they ever contemplated open rebellion let
them give up the idea.