Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-01-29
THE MORMON PROBLEM.

| I--~NssNs~sfJ
deneu solution IN accordance With the
accepted civilization OF the age. When
tne new Mormon dispensation was
FOUNDED IN the heart OF the Rocky
A'o""'' o"s'sAu '.ssa. miss llvnn the
the jurisdiction of the Mexican Gov.
ernment, il was believed by Brigham
Young that the surges OF Christian
civilization would not reach him for
generations, and that his isolation from
the Mexican authority would enable
him TO rear and maintain an oligarcbv
that conId eonal ,ho AVERAGE dsrat;oy
of o,hor dosno,;o no,rors po,.,sn,'-, ~ a',o,, :,
mos ,ha nar, ,o,ipoIa,;on - d.;
yonoa Who had nsnrnod ,ho srpya~ao nu,
an,bnr;,v NJ tbo Cbnroh o0dr az az
dsa,b ~ ,be Pronbot Smith ond s h;s
Sar raoch;na soaacI,u Ied hin, - | ,o,hnr -
h;s noonlo within mountoin wsiIs ho
vond tho reach ~ be d;s,rrh;nc =
9oono;os ~ Cbr;st;oniows Uo crossed
tSe tracIIoss Mains and folIowed lin. tbo
oanrons of ,ha r,onr,ains rnnoorioS
seye hv ,bc savaoe until ho Iapded IN
the veIlev ~ SAT- Lake tben arec,od
his STRANGE ol,ars in tbe new homo of
the ~Ta7ter Dav Sa;nts y ,,hen tho
,roa,u nc CradaIonna u;doino ,nona w.
carra5 IN and lie poonia haoI, 70 .ho
Latod ;nr;sd;nt;o., IL ,Ia Trn;,od &c. M
poIvoS rny VOC ,hen ono oft the rorooI' ,,oe'I'
Cd and accented dogmas of tho Nor.
mon Church After he desnerate SEQ.
tionaI ba,,le overtbo stains IF the nov,
Weyicon Terr;tors on ,he slovery onoe
tion Tr,ah was oraanized os a Terr;
tory and pros;dent FiIImore ,vas cor,
nelIed 10 look tho Mormon ;ss,o az sonora
iv in the face The overland ronte TO
he GOLD fields of the Pacific had been
established and Utah was one of The
main sources of snnnlies for emioronts
pros;dent F;llmore oftor mncb 6cs;to.
tion finally decided 10 utilize tho Nor.
mons 10 the hest ADVANTAGE in the in.
,erest of The emiorants President
Einmore after mucb hesitation finally
decidod IN ntilize the Mormons 70 the
host advantage in the interest of tbe
em;orants and new settlements of the
mountains and on the pacific slone
and he annointed BRIGHAM Young
Tarr;tor;ol Eovernor with q, her ofticers
in barmonv with the Mormon rnler
In answer 10 the earnest nrotosts Of
the Churches and tho better class of
neonIe president FilImore anronnced
ibst the friendIv Offices of the Nor.
mons were most essential IN tbe com.
for, ond safe,v of Californ;a em,grants
and thai the government embloved
them as 1t did the army or any other
agency to promote the interests Of the
adventurers Of the Western plains and
mountains. Emboldened by the to!er-
ance of the government, the Mormons
became gradually defiant and revolu-
tionary and emigrant settlers who
offended them were cruelty murdered
by DANTE bands, organized by the
Mormon Church and sustained in ex-
ecuting the bloody decrees of its lead.
ers. President Buchanan's bootess
and costly war with the Mormons and
Colonel Albert Sidney Johnson's blood.
less campaign against them, after q
winters halt on the inhospitablc plain
of Bridger, are well remembered and
the lawlessness of the Mormons and
their defiance OF all authority but
their own, was continued until 1862
when Congress passed an act to pun.
ish and prevent polygamy in the Ter.
ritories of the Union; an earnest
effort was made to enforce the anti.
polypamy law by President Lincoln
but there were only Mormons to serve
as Jurors and Mormon iurics refused 10
convict their brethren for what they
held TO be not only lawful but sane.
toned by direct revelation from
Heaven. After exhaustive but un.
awaiting exertions of Federal officials
TO enforce the act of Congress, il was
finally allowed TO remain practically a
dead letter. So thoroughly deluded
in their faith were nine.tenths of the
Mormon people, that they resolved to
desolate their fields and homes and
emigrate beyond the jurisdiction Of
| tho United States again. should the
government persist in punishinp them
| for what they claimed to be tho exer.
else of the freedom of conscience in
religious conviction. Thus for fifteen
wears the apti.polyqamv law has been
Lin operation and the Mormons have
been marrying and multiplyinp their
wives as fast as emigration and the
growth of population furnished them
women for their harems. Judge
Mexican. recently appointed Chief
Justice of Utah. has had the issue re-.
viyed by voluntary case submitted
for adjudication, and the supreme