River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-09-06

preached IN the tabernacle at salt Lake
City ON the Sunday after Col Steptoe's
departure, Brigham Young said: | am
and will be governor, and no power can
hinder it, until the Lord Almighty says:
" Brigham, YOU need not be governor any
longer.n' Most of the civil officers who
were commissioned about the same time
with Col. Steptoe arrived in Utah few
months after he had departed They
were harassed and terrified like their pre-
decessors. In February, 1856, mob OF
armed Mormons, ihstigated by sermons
from the heads of the church, broke into
the courtroom of the United States dis
triet Judge, and at the point of the bowie
knife compelled Judge Drummend to adj
iourn his court sine die. Soon alterward
all the United States officers, with the ex-
ception of the Indian agent, were forced
to flee from the territory.
These and similar outrages at length
determined President Buchanan to super
sede Brigham Young in the Office of gov
ernor, and TO send to Utah military force
to protect the federal officers and'to COM
pei obedience to the laws. The Mormons
attempted TO Justify their treatment of
the United States officials, by alleging
that some Of them were profligate and
disrcputable persons; an accusation which
they attempted to sustain by scandalous
statements which were not probably en-
tirely destitute of truth. In 1857 the office
of governor of Utah was conferred upon
Alfred Cumming, a superintendent of
Indian affairs on the upper Missouri, and
that of chief justice on Judge Eckels, of
Indiana; and a force of twenty-five humid
red men under experienced officers was
sent to protect them IN the discharge of
their functions. The Mormons were
greatly excited at the approach of these
troops. Young in his capacity of govern
or issued proclamation denouncing the
army as a mob, and forbidding it to enter
the territory, and calling the people of
Utah to repel its advance. The army
reached Utah in September, and on
October and 6 a party of mounted
Mormons destroyed several of the supply
trains and few days later cut off eight
hundred oxen from the rear of the army
and drove them to Salt Lake City. The
army, of which Col. A. 5. Johnston had by
this time assumed the command, was over
taken by the SHOWS of winter before it could
reach Salt Lake valley, and about the mid
die of November went into winter quarters
on Blacks fork, near Fort Bridger On
Nov. q Gov. Cumming issued procla-
matio the territory to be in state OF
rebellion In the spring of 1858, by the
intervention of Mr.. Thomas l.. Kane, of
Pennsylvania, who had gone to Utah by
way of California, bearing letters from
President Buchanan,a good understanding
was brought about between Gov. Cum
ming and the Mormon leaders; and
| toward the end of May two commissioners,
Gov. Powell of Kentucky,a and Maj. McCul-
loch, of TIC xas, arrived at the camp with
a proclamation from the President, offer.
ing pardon to all Mormons who would
submit themselves to federal authority
This offer was accepted by the heads OF
the church, and shortly afterward the
troops entered Salt Lake valley, and
were stationed at Camp Floyd on the west
ern side of Lake Utah, about forty miles
from Salt Lake City, where they remained
| till May, 1860, when they were withdraw
/ from the territory.
1 With Brigham Young's recent history
fthe public is perfectly familiar. Of hi
troubles with Ann Eliza, his nineteenth
polygamous wife, and of the efforts lately
made to connect him with the horrible
I massacre at Mountain Meadows, the news
papers from time TO time have given full
particulars.
By the death of Brigham Youngproph
-et seer, and "president of the churcl
/ of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints" the Mormon church has lost {
| leader whose place there Is none to I'll
completely, and the world has lost char.
acter who will be notorious as long as
history endures. He possessed those pecu-
liar traits of character that fit men to be
rulers. He was despot, absolute as the
car of Russia, but more endeared to his
people, because he was one of the people
revered as a prophet-a direct agent o.
the Almighty, through whom His viii
was revealed to the people. He was
cruel, remorseless in the execution of his
plans, visiting heresy with the most ter
ribie penalties. The tribe of Dan, tC
which was given the execution of the
death penalty, when decreed by the
church or its prophet, was composed o.
men who knew no compassion, and who
executed the judgments of the despotiC
hierarchy with appalling cruelty.
The practice of polygamy owes its
origin among the Mormons to Brigham
Young. Himself of gross, sensual ma
ture, he sought qualification for his lust
which would appear sacred, at least tC
his followers When the revelation" per
hitting the faithful to have plurality o.
wives was given there was partial revolt
but as polygamy was a privilege, not {
requirement, and was recommended as s
means ofrapidly increasing their numbers
the saints finally accepted it. and gradu
ally the practice became almost universe
among the MormOns in Utah, although s
few of the followers Of the prophet, JOSEPH
Smith, still reject it as heresy All efforts
of the federal government to suppress the
practice have thus far failed. With the
death of the prophet who ordained it
polygamy will doubtless begin to die.