The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-10-24
An INSANE SOLDIER.

Recently General James Brisbin had
a sensational article in the Omaha
Herald in which he assumed to discuss
the Mormon problem. He excited some
comment from individuals and the
local puess, not on account of any i'm
portance attaching to his utterances,
but because of their violent character,
and the recklessness of his assertions.
The latest copy of our Omaha contem-
porary at!hand, contains a second letter
from General BriSbin, which is more
astonishing and sensational than the
first. After perusing it one necessarily
wants to inquire as to the sanity of the
author. 1t seems impossible that a person
in his right mind, and capable ofreason-
ing from observation and well known
facts, can be guilty of making the state
ments which appear over Brisbin's sig
nature. The letter is dated Boise Bar
racks, Idaho, and requires more than
a column and a half of small type to
print it. Perhaps when THE HERALD
can find room for the paper, and re-
covers from the scare which its first
perusal inficts. it will endeavor to re-
publish it, even at the risk of an explo-
sion or an earthquake. Now we can only
refer briefly to some of this excited
warriors utterances and fears. The
gentleman begins by being constrained
to say the situation in Utah is ex-
tremely critical" and remarking that
unless mistaken 1--WE are nearer a
war in Utah than most people think"
He admits an inability to tell just
how or when the war will be-
gin, but that it will begin
soon he is@onvinced, ''unless the Nor
mems speedily do away with pOlyg-
amy" The probability IS, he suggests,
that this war will result from the ac-
ton OF the Governors of Utah, Idaho
and Arizona, lone at least of whom
meditates" the issuance of his procla
nation saying he cannot enforce the
laws against polygamy and calling on
the President to place the disordered
districts under martial law for the bet
ter enforcement of the statutes of Con-
gress." The General thinks the Presi-
dent cannot well disregard the call of
the. Governor, and that lit is altogether
likely he viii establish martial law and
send the army to occupy the land"
When matters have reached this point
the only question which will
worry the man of muskets
and goosequills is whether the
MormOns will yield or fight. If the
former all will go well; if the latter
well, let the General express it in his
own language: "If it is necessary to
put every maa, woman and child in the
Mormon church to the sword in order
that polygamy may be destroyed, it viii
be DONE Brisbin follows this mild
promise with the assurance that he is
not unfriendly to the Mormon people,
He would save them, and therefore
sounds this warning "before their fair
valleys are made desolate by the rude
hand of relentless war-before their
temples are leveled with the dust-be
fore their cities are reduced to shoulder
ing piles of ruins and thousands of in
nocent persons sent to bloody and un-
timely graves.
Within the | last thirty years
there have been some writing and more
talking in this strain. We have heard
it publicly declared here that within ten
years-it was more than ten years ago
the streets of Salt Lake would be run
ming with blood knee deep; we have
read that unless certain things were
done which have not been done this city
would be reduced to ashes and the Ter
ritory become a bowling wilderness; we
have heard and read much in this
strain, but of it all none came from the
lips or pens of sane persons; they were
all Brisbins, all cranks, who either
knew nothing of what they were talking
or were so mad as to declare themselves
asses.
Now let Us say something to this Gen
eral Brisbin, first suggesting that
he pack his head in ice until his
brain is cooled somewhat and he can
read without imagining himself sur
rounded by bayonets as he wades
gore: There will be no war in
Utah, whatever may be the decision or
action of the Mormons with reference
o polygamy; the President will never
leclare martial law in Utah because of
he presence or practices of the Nor.
rons; the fair valleys viii never bel