Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-28
DR.. GEO. |. MILLER.
His Reflections Upon the Mormon
Question as Viewed In Its
Stronghold.
No Alternative For the People of the
Territory but Final Submission
to the Laws.
The Utah Commission "Superfiuous
Fungus of $4,000 a Year.

SALT LAKE Cry, Utah, Sept. 81.
Some notes of my journey to Utah were
sent to the Herald yesterday, to which !
venture to add few more to-day, with
special reference to 'the Mormon ques-
tion,'' which is as old as the memory OF
Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.
find the Utah air heavy with the bitter
ness of unreason in the passionate con-
flict between Mormon and Gentle, and
between Mormons and the federal
executioners of the Edmunds law
for the suppression of the twin
relic" Assaults upon this peculiar
institution in the last sixteen years tended
to harden the elements here into a solidity
in support of polygamy that could not
have been done in any other way. That
is very natural result. Left to itself,
polygamy would have died of its own
weight in free contact with the outer
world. Such contact given, and the seeds
of dissolution were self-planted within it.
No such institution could live anywhere
this side of the Orient against destroying
association with
THE HIGHER AND BETTER ORDERED CIVIL
IZATToN
That has ruled in Christian countries for
nineteen centuries. 1t cannot live now.
Oppression will come, if my Mormon
friends do not find the solvent and seize
the opportunity, and it will come in such
form and with such force, under the COM
mands of a vehement and venemous
public opinion, that the injustice of to-
day will seem to them mere child's play
in the comparison. Argument has ended.
There is no room for debate. No religion
can successfully stand in revolt against
the solemn resolves of a great and power
full nation of people whose highest judi
cial, legislative and executive tribunals
denounce the practice of its leading article
OF faith and doctrine as crime against
the State. 1t is sheer madness and un-
mixed folly to contend otherwise. 1t
simply invites destruction and degrees of
incidental wrongs upon the people of
Utah OF which an angry pub
lie opinion will take no note, and
with which it will not stop long enough
to have the least sympathy. Legislative
commissions, arbitrary power, universal
Acknowledgement, confscation of church
property, and all the resultant evil, are
among the possibilities of these Mormon
people unless President Taylor, Mr.. Can
non, and other brave and able men i'm
prove their opportunity to avert the COM
ing storm. Can there be any doubt
about this? Can my powerful neighbors
and friends fail to see it? "But," says
one Ian honest and sincere man of in
telligence), eve may be driven out again
as we have been BEFORE" as if ready for
the sacrifices and suferings of the past
Where" was my answer, twill you be
driven to? Not under the sun of heaven
this side of the Oriental countries is there
spot on the round earth
IN WHICH PoLYGAMY WILL BE TOLERATED
Any more than it is here in the Salt Lake
valley" I have heard no Ineligible
response to this argument in respect to
the remedy of second migration. This,
however, l may say, is not seriously
contemplated by these people. They
hope, but hope in vain, for better solu-
ton. The recent brave act and example
of Bishop Sharp, in which he registered
in his own heart first, and in the court
afterward, the solemn VOW that he would
obey the law as his highest duty to his
religion, believing still that his religion
was right, points the way to the only pos
sible ending of this difficult and danger
GUS controversy. George @. Cannon in
prison will not prevent the most disast-
rous consequences to all that is dear to
him and to his people, in my opinion.
The way is so clear to this people that 1
cannot comprehend their hesitation to
accept it. But have no word of abuse
or insult for these founders of Utah.
They are possessed of striking virtues,
and they have done great work. They
are entitled to every possible considera-
ton, and have abundant sympathy from
one who has known their work and their
worth these many years. Abuses have
been here. Wrong acts have been COM
mitted by the controlling men in Utah.
Ambition for power and the lust of it,,
natural human hunger for place and
wealth here as in every other age and
time, have wrought injustice and wrong.
Conceding all this, and the concession
amounts to no more than that what has
happened here constitutes the warp and
wool of the worlds history since that
history began. Behind it all, and before
it all, lies mountain of blessing to a
great many people in this world who
never knew what it was till they were
transplanted here under Brigham
Young's system to own spot of earth,
a pig, a cow, or so much as hut or hoyel,
in their own right, nor did they have a
shadow of hope that such ownership
could be theirs in all their weary lives.
I used to say twenty years ago that this
government in Utah was the best and
cheapest government in the Union.
believe it can be said now. Capital crime
is so rare that prosecuting officers of the
law for its punishment know very little
about it. The.public morals, represented
by GENTLE and Mormon, are high and
good, although the gambler is here in
force. He was not here at all when |
first saw Utah.
Federal officers here are not charged
with corrupt offenses. The commission
under the Edmunds law ought to be abol
ished as costly and superhuous fungus
at $50 900 year." unless it can be com
posed of first rate statesmenfwh could be
instructed to do something more than ex'
ecute law that could easily execute it.
self without the help of this useless COM
mission.
BUSINESS is DEPRESSED IN SALT LAKE CITY
From other causes besides those that are
general throughout the country. Conf
dence is shaken by the ''irrepressible
conflict" and business is dull. At the
tabernacle yesterday throng OF pious