The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-11-19
THE MESSIAH ROW.

TIE HERALD regards the sensational
stories of an Indian uprising at Standing
Rock and other Sioux agencies as the
veriest twaddle, too ridiculous to treat
seriously. 1t is somewhat surprising that
the war department should act as if there
were real danger of an outbreak. We
cannot think that the army officers them
selves take any stock in the scare or that
any soldier who is at all familiar with the
Indians believes for moment that the
Sioux could be induced to go upon the war
PATH surrounded as they are by troops and
winter coming on. We are of the opinion
that when the facts shall come out it will
be learned that the foundation of this
scare was the desire of somebody to create
sensation, the Indians having very little
to do with the business. We find in the
New York Commercial racy interview
with Captain GOODMAN on this matter. The
captain has the correct idea of the situation
and he expresses himself so entertainingly
that we will reproduce some extracts from
his conversation with the reporter.
oh" said the captain, 1T is fearful thing.
The people of Utah, IDAHO Montana, Wyoming
and ali that neighhorhood are coming in from
their ranches TO the forts and the large towns,
abandoning their farms, their catl, and their
sheep
Are the MormonS at the bottom Of it,:
"Of course they are. They are so mad at
being obliged to give up polygamy that they
are stirring up the indians 10 murder all the
white men. themselves among the rest. Gen
eral MILES says:
Il cannot state positively. bu: it is my be-
lief the Mormons are the prime movers in ii.
This is not a hard statement TO believe, for
there are 10000 Mormons, and they them
selves claim 10 believe in prophets and spir-
itual manifestations. and they even now claim
to hold intercourse with the spirit OF JOE SMITH.
Besides. they have had missionaries working
among the Indians for many years and have
made many converts"
You see the general is not quite so sure as
/ am, but he bring forward very strong proof =
First, the fact that there are 100000 Nor
mons, and next that they believe in spiritual
manifestations, and lastly, that they have been
for many years endeavoring to convert the In
dams to their own faith, their faith, by the by,
being the same as all the rest of Christendom,
that JESUS CHRIST is the true Messiah. That
is the reason why they desire to foist false
Messiah on the Indians and are willing to be
murdered to carry out their principles
Have the Mormons caused any other dis
turbances of late?''
O"Oh, yes they got up the recent cyclones and
killed off the wheat crop of Dakota. and they
now have missionaries in Europe endeavoring
to secure germs OF the cholera for distribution
in this country. l wonder General MILES has
not heard Of that
Come, now, Captain; talk seriously-what
about this Messiah?'
well, have spent all summer and part of
the autumn in the west taking in Utah. Idaho
Oregon, Washington and California, and have
been on several Indian reservations. / never
heard of him. 1t is quite possible that some
fanatic has started up among the Indians as
fanatics are starting up every now and then in
New York, but their influence is so small that
nobody cares for them and few even hear of
them. If there is any foundation for this report
it has been recently laid. When 1 left Idaho on
the 18th of October. the 1000 Bannocks and
Shoshones who live in our immediate neighbor-
hood were not cognzant of it. Some of the
most intelligent of these Indians frequently
visit us, and as always inquisitive about
what is going on in the reservation. think they
would have told me about the Messiah if they
had been aware of his appearance
How do you account for this remarkable
stltenent of General MILES?
ITO use his own words, L cannot state posi-
lively
General MILES has been great deal in Salt
Lake city, and has come under the influence of
the Tribune ring He is prepared to believe
anything that newspaper says about the Nor
mons. 1 cannot state positively that this
story emanated from that source but it is char
acteristic of it. Its chief point d appui being
gone when polygamy went out it is CONSTANTLY
inventing new causes of complaint against the
majority Of the people in the territory such as
'priestly domination 'disloyalty,' 'un-Ameri-
canism, etc. 1t would not be the first time that
IL has accused them of stirring UP the Indians
TO revolt Now the fact is, that whatever
the Mormons may have been guilty of in
times past, their treatment of the Indians has
been such as to put the lest OF us to
shame In the first settlement of the country
they had trouble with them, but for many years
their policy Of kindness toward them has pre-
vented instructions which would be as dis
sstrous to them as to their neighbors
''They have made many converts to their re-
ligion, as General MILES truly says Although
they have missions in all parts of the world.
their chief efforts are for the conversion of our
aborigines, who according to the Book of
Mormon, are descended from the Lamanite'
branch Of the Jewish family that first peopled
this country, and who, having enjoyed the min
istrations of CHRIST at a remote age on this
continent. are considered most worthy To he
brought into this fold again What object
then, could the Mormons have in setting I'M for
them false Messiah