Omaha daily bee., 1889-11-05
THE LAND OF THE MORMON.
Annual Report of the Governor OF
Utah Territory.
uNocouPlEo PUBLIC LANDS.
The Importance OF Some Sort OF
Tenure Urgcd-battcr Day saints
Welded to Polygamy-- The
Public Schools Weak
The Mormon Prnhlnm.


WASHINGTON, Nov. 4.--Governor Thomas.
OF Utah territory, in his annual report, says
that during the last ninc years tho foreign
born population has boon increased by Nor
mon immigration by 1904.
Upon the subject of unoccupied public
lands, the governor says, the question OF
what the government should do with the
vast tracts of land which can ba used only
for grazing purposes is assuming vital i'm
portance throughout the west. Under tho
present conditions unoccupied lands are
used by persons engaged in stock raising,
and as there is no harmony of interests
among them there is frequent conflict be-
tween clashing interests. The governor 10
of the opinion that IL the government would
provide some way 10y which persons engaged
In stock raising could acquire title to the
grazing lands which can never be used for
agricultural purposes, IL would remove one
OF the most serious drawbacks to the growth
of the stock industry anu promote the settle
ment OF the country Grazing and mountain
lands constitute nearly seven-eighths of the
entire land area of the territory.
In the course of his report upon public and
denominational schools the governor says,
while Utah has very fair syst@n of pub
lie schools, they fall far short of what they
should be. The tax collected for the support
OF schools does not pay one half the expense
of maintaining them, consequently the
pupils must pay tuition fees or the schools
would be closed. In muny of the poorer
districts tho children ARE denied school
privileges for many months of the year. l
am led to believe that there is no prospect
that this will be changed, by the fact that
the Mormons are preparing for denomina-
tional schools, In which their children may
be taught Mormon theology in addition to
the ordinary branches of education. State
or county academies have been established
under church auspices and IN some school
districts Mormon children have been with
drawn from the public schools and placed in
the church schools"
The governor quotes from a letter written
by President Woodruff, of the Mormon
church, to show that 1T is tho purpose of the
church to establish these church schools. In
it Woodruff says:
'Our children, if left to the training they
receive IN these (publc) schools, will grow
entirely ignorant of those principles of SAL
vation for which the Latter Day Saints made
so many sacrifices. To permit this condition
of things to exist among us would De crmi-
nal"
Romarking upon this letter the governor
says it is PLAN the church has decided to
take its place as an enemy of the public
school system and of the principles which
are at Its foundation.
Speaking of the gentle strength in
the territory, the governor says: "The time
may come when the gentiles will be in tho
majority, but it will be many years hence,
The fact is that outside of salt Lake and
Ogden the gentle population is found in the
mining camps and IN the smaller railroad
towns" a+
The governor writes at length upon the
present attitude of the Mormon people.
Tney have accepted the doctrine OF poly.
gamy, he says, and will probably adhere to
1t as long as they live They accept the
doctrine of plural marriage in all sincerity
as radical and necessary part of their reli-
gon. The Mormon church, the governor
says. is heavily engaged in politics, and adds,
81 don't hesitate TO say that any tempor-
izing policy which leaves the church in a
position to control the political policy of the
territory is only delaying the final settle
ment and that the future legislation should
be aimed at the political power of the
church, which has been the main pillar Of
the church in Utah"