The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-11
Facts, Probabilities and Possibilities
in Utah.
PLENTY OF MINES, FARMS AND
CATTLE.
The Mormon Question No Longer Promi-
nent-PolitIcal Conditions.

--N~-AN
hood is very young yet, but there is ho
denying its vigor. AS u territory o1an
was powerful factor in western aHalrs'
but 81 statehood developed mind ana mus
Gle to suoh an extent that any uhpreJn-
diced observer must admit that OF al the
many active Trans Missouri Candidates
for canitahstio and commercial favor
Utah is abreast of the foremost 1t is
among the possibilities that ten years
.hence she will be in the lead. Hoodooed
by polygamous Mormonism, she was
avoided by the cautions immigrant, and
even by the capitalist who was seeking
desirable Investments, but statehood re-
moved the hnodoo and opened the gates
for an influx of Drawn and capital which
promises to exceed in deslrablllty and
volume any Of the immigrative floods
that peopled other sections beyond the
Big Muddy. That Utah will achieve phe-
nomenal material success is sure, for the
states business structure is securely
based on that most solid of foundations
agriculture. Mining operations and man.
ufactories will do much to make the
forty fifth state famous and wealthy, but
it is the farmers and the stock ralsers
who will be depended upon to contribute
most heavily to the general welfare 1t
is the history Of nearly all western COM
N mites in the mining regions that agrl-
otiltu5o was merely consequence OF I'M
migration and not its cause. but that
would not be true of Utah, for there the
natural greed of man was held in check
b. the strong arm of Brigham Young.
Born to rule, and eminently fitted for the
work which was his, Brigham Young
SAW instantly that mining in Utah would
have to be discouraged if Mormonism
was to have chance for its life; the
opening up OF few rich veins of mineral
would bring into the land of the saints
immense numbers of unsanctified ores,
who, by precept and example, would
make the government of the Mormon
Church very difficult piece of business.
1t was, therefore, ordered that Mormons
should devote t. sir energies to the culti-
walton Of grain, hny, vegetables, fruits,
CATTLE, horses chickens and children,
fully obeyed.
THE SHEEP HAVE WANDERED
AWAY.
But the day the coming of which Brig
ham Young feared has arrived; the day
when there should be in Utah power
great enough to cope with the Mormon
Church. Slowly and with great difficulty
some of the most valuable gold and silver
leads in the country have been developed,
and as a logical sequence men have jour
neyed from oil parts of the earth to Utah
to enjoy the treasures (which nature
shares with so many Of those who are
willing to be working partners. The
governing power of the church declined
coincidentalIy with a renewed demand for
statehood, and made an exhibition of its
loss of sire myth in the elections which
followed Utah's admission to the national
sisterhood. Perhaps it wasn't much of q
revolution, but it was enough to set some
folks to wondering how it came about.
There was really nothing mysterious
about the transaction. When Congress
OA1
authorities saw that unless there was
official disayowal of polygamy there
would undoubtedly ensue all sorts OF
complications and embarrassments. sc
these ecclesiastical leaders notified thei1
followers to obey the laws and to become
attached to one or other of the principal
political parties Now, in my mind,
those leaders were not sincere, but they
did rot dare whisper suspicion of their
desire to be merely polite, SO 1t has come
to pass that a great majority OF the Nor
mon Church has tasted of the sweets OF
political liberty and now refuses to go
back to the old style feed. 1t is unques-
tionably true that the great dignitaries
of the Mormon Church would like to
have all the sheep return to the fold that
they might hereafter be guided to the
polls in accordance with the latest "reve-
iation," but the sheep seem to be happily
deaf and are likely to continue SO.
POLYGAMY IN DISTRIBUTE.
That polygamy will ever again secure q
foothold in Utah lido not for one moment
COAAOfSs At bldJ6 COiSblUllUlOuS VI COuI6c
forbids polygamy, but that document
may be olassed with the least of the OBJ
staoles that stand in the way of plural
marriages. Cursory investigation will
snow that many state constitutions are
used on occasions only, and cannot be re-
garded as reliable guides or directors in
matters pertaining to public or private
morality. Did nothin g but the state con-
stltution obstruct the polygamist, it is
apt to aver that the odious offense would
be as common in Utah today as it was
prior to the enactment Of the Edmunds
law. Strangely enough, the strongest
opponents of polygamy are the educated
young Mormons who are the offspring of
poiygamous parents. Faithful to the re-
nglon prescribed in the Book of Mormon,
5his young element as set its face rigid
" and unswervingly, against the prac-
tees which Brigham Young deemed es-
sentlal to true greatness in this world
and IN the world to come The inex peri
6QCed NAV, mariana ev7oro1 h.