The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-10


Grants views-Brigham Young's Ex-
pected Hcgira.
In view of recent reports from Salt Lake
City of the retirement of Brigham Young
from the most important business trusts Of
the Mormon Church, correspondent at
Washington called yesterday at the White
House to learn the views of President
Grant on the present situation of affairs in
Utah, and, from the report given by our
correspondent on the subject, it will be seen
of month ago, that if the Mormons obey
the laws they have nothing to fear, but that
''they must obey the laws" In the alb
sence, however, Of an enabling act
from Congress in behalf of the United
States Courts, not much can be done
by those courts, but in the event of conflict
between them and the Territorial courts, the
army may possibly be called to intervene
in support Of the United States authorities
Meantime, though no official information on
these matters has yet been received at Wash
ington, we accept the reports from Salt Lake
City that Brigham Young is retiring from
active business affairs, but still holding on to
the leadership Of church and people, in Utah.
We published on the 9Th instant q commu-
nication from an intelligent writer on Nor
mon affairs in withdrawing to the reported
announcements on Sunday last of Brigham
Young to the General Conference of his Saints
in the Tabernacle of Salt Lake City, Of his re-
tirement from the control of the Deseret Bank
and from his pet scheme of "Zion's
Cooperative Mercantile institution" and
after adverting to his probable retirement from
his Office of "Trustee in Trust for the Church
of Jesus Christ's Latter Day Saints 81
our correspondent submitted on explanation
Of these movements. It was to the effect that
the invasion Of the Gentiles has become too
strong for the Mormon Prophet; that his
schemes for freezing them out have signally
failed and are reacting upon himself; that he
u.s. accordingly, as fast as he can, shutting out
of his perilous Credit Mobilier projects and
leaving some of his trusting henchmen the
bag to hold, and that finally, fully satisfied
that President Grant is determined upon the
extirpation of Mormon pdiiygamy, the Saga
cious Brigham is preparing for hegira to
Arizona, on the Mexican border, and in view
of permanent settlement in Mexico.
In support of this explanation we give to-
day, from another well-informed source,
statement of the reasons and the purposes
governing the willy Brigham in the relinquish-
ment of these aforesaid important and hitherto
profitable trusts, as the head of the Mormon
Church and people. He is, it thus appears,
only shutting out of these offices because they
bring too much direct responsibility upon him.
His plant Territorial Legislature has also
been helping him out of these difficulties,
and now, relieved of his financial
dangers and responsibilities and still retaining
his sovereign authority as the President and
prophet of his people, he is free to order
his transportation train, and, bidding long
farewell to his beautiful little city of Zion and
his River Jordan, strike for new Land Of
Promise far to the southwark at q moment s
warming. He has accumulated an immense
fortune, variously reported at five, ten, fifteen
and twenty millions of dollars He is unques-
tionably very rich man, and from his hun
dred thousand faithful and industrious fol-
lowers his yearly income for the last ten years
has doubtless been fortune in itself He is,
therefore, prepared to offer the needy govern
ment Of Mexico q sum Of money which it and
the Mexican landholders concerned can hardly
resist He could make good bargain, say,
for large slice of the State Of Sonora, to be
settled, cultivated and developed by his
people.
In 1S47 1.-TWO years after the exploring party
under Fremont trod the shores of Great Salt
Lake and navigated that mysterious inland sea)
Brigham Young and his band of Mormon
pioneers crossed the Great Plains and the
Rocky Mountains, settled in Utah, and laid
the foundations Of Great Salt Lake City, under
contract with the sovereign authority over
all that country at that day, the government
of Mexico. Their success in developing the
hidden resources Of that bowling wilderness
and in pacifying the Indians would doubtless
suggest with the first hint of such proposition
Of powerful Mormon community on her
northern frontier. In settling in Utah the
Mormons, who had been driven from Ohio
and Illinois and Missouri, supposed that
thousand miles from Omaha, over desert plains
and mountains, they were beyond the reach of
the Gentiles for at least hundred years but
the gold and silver mines Of all those new
States and Territories acquired from Mexico,
and the Pacific Railroad, have spoiled all
these calculations, and have made Salt Lake
City the halfway house of Gentle travel and
trade between Omaha and the Pacific coast.
Is this retirement of Brigham Young from his
active business affairs, then, the beginning
Of the dispersion of Mormondom? Do
these suggestive proceedings of the Nor
mon prophet foreshadow the abandonment