The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-03-19

letter from Salt Lake City to the Gin
cinnati C6mmercial, says
Speaking of new States, the record for the
close of 1874 presents some curious contrasts
between Colorado and Utah. Colorado has
been settled sixteen years, Utah twenty
eight Yet the population of the former is
about equal to that of Utah, and its assessed
wealth is twice as''great. There is one hotel
in Denver worth more than any two squares
in Salt Lake, deducting the Walker house
(Gentile), and two or three Gentle business
houses. At least q score of private resi-
dences in Denver are each worth more than
all the houses of Brigham Young in this
city. True the mines of Utah have yielded
the past year about as much rs those of Col
orado, but they are exclusively Gentle en-
terprises. Subtracting from the assessment
all owned by Gentilcs, and it will appear
that the ninety thousand Mormons only own
one-tourth Of the property of the one hun
drend thousand people, more or less in
Utah
! consider it beautiful illustration of the
difference in result between the American
and paternal style of organizing Common
wealth. For twenty years Brigham's king
dom was the most complete paternal gov-
ernment in the world. No man bought Il
lot or built house, went abroad for settled
at home without Counsel" and everything
moved like clock-work All the philan-
Ihroplc schemes now proposed for the ma
tIon, IN the way of suppre<sng the liquor
traffic. and the social evil for protecting
home industry and the like, were in perfect
operation. And the result is: The poorest,
slowest, least sell-rciant set of people in
America, utterly unable to- compete with
any other on equal terms. As the church
discipline relaXes land it is all the time
growing weaker ''this people" seems to be
at the mercy of every fraud that comes
along, There are more "magnetic healcrs y
test MEDIUMS 'clairvoyants," "a,trolo-
gers, and spiritual humbugs visiting or
residing here than in any city of the size
was ever in. The paternal system works
well enough as long as the head thereof
Keeps tightening the reins; but when he
les co. the subjects usually go straight to
| the devil.
Every now and then one may see in the
press some problem ON relationship. As for
instance, that one, when young man mar
rieS widow, and his father marries her
daughter-what relationship do the resulting
children bear to each other? No doubt
these problems are merely the product of
some ingenious brain, but nature is ALWAYS
ahead OF art in the matter of surprises and
some cases in Utah within my knowledge
have given rise TO consanguinous puz2les
that will bother the master in chancery if
the estates ever get into court.
Consider the following: Brigham Young
married two sisters of Charlie Decker. and
Decker married two daughters of Brigham
oy other women. All have children. Now,
the offspring Of Clara Decker Young and
Lucy Decker Young are cousins of Charlie
Deckers children, But the latter are grand.
children of the formers father. and sonse.
quenlly nephews and nieces of their own
cousins But the nephew of II cousin-blood
relationship hOlding-are second cousins
hence Decker's children must hold tha,
relationship toward each other. Decker,
wives are half sisters TO the children of thci,
own sister-in-law, they are ssters-im-law tc
their own father, and aunt to their own hal
sisters Now, if the relationship were half
blood throughout, the Canons of Descent
at least in lndana-would exclude them
but us it is doubtless ON both sides the,
would probably be included. Hence tA,
two Mrs, Decker's are lin law their owl
aunts, while Clara ID. and Lucy d. Younl
are legal grandmothers to their nieces an,
the two sets of children are respectively
cousins, aunts and nieces, and the Lor,
knows what besides. Elder Alsop, O
Sandy Station, married a widow and he
oldest daughter, having at the same time
young daughter by former wife, now hap
PLY deceased. All this family live in on
! house. The daughter of his Oldest wife
a half-sister to his second wife, aud TO tn
second wife's children, also aunt to the sec
ond wife's children, and consequently he