The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-02

Brigham Young as the unanimously
elected governor. Congress denied the
prayer for statehood, but organized, on
the 9th of September, 1850. the territory
of Utah, with Brigham Young as gov
ernor, by appointment of the president
of the United States. He served eight
years, or two full terms, being reap
pointed upon a memorial signed by
Mormons and nom Mormons, and was
succeeded by Hon. Alfred Cumming,
Utah's first Mormon executive.
Just prior to Governor Cummings in
stallation occurred the exciting military
episode commonly known as 1.-THE Echo
canyon war;" officially styled in the
annals of the war department. 1.-THE
Utah Expedition" President Buchan-
an, misled by false reports. had Or
dered an army to Utah to put down an
alleged uprising against the govern
ment. 1t was the heroic crisis of Brig
ham Young's life, when. in September,
1857. as governor of Utah, he pro-
claimed the territory under martial law.
fortified Echo canyon, and otherwise
resisted the advance of Johnston's
army. His purpose was not TO defy the
national authority, but to hold in
check the troops and prevent a possible
repetition of the bloody scenes of Mis-
souri, and ILLINOIS, until the government
could investigate the situation and be-
come convinced of its error. Governor
Young, backed by the Utah militia.
fully accomplished his design, peace
commissioners came and the affair end
ed without bloodsned-
An influential Parsonage.
Though no longer governor of Utah,
President Young was still the most in
fiuential parsonage in the territory. He
was a natural leader, born to COM
mand. Like most men of forceful gen
Jus, he possessed great personal mag
netism. His people obeyed him as the
Tenth Legion obeyed Caesar, and loved
him as the Old Guard loved Napoleon.
No less did he love them, and in this
mutual affection and confidence lay
largely the secret of his wonderful sue
cess. Above all, God was with him, and
this supreme fact, with all that it sig
mites, was recognized by him and by
his followers. Unlearned in a scholas-
tic sense, his intelligence was universal,
and his practical wisdom marvellous.
He combined sound judgment with
keen perception and lightning-like in
tuition. Human nature was an open
book to him; he weighed men with a
glance. and chose them for the work
he wished them to do with unerring in
sight and sagacity. Americas great
est colonizer, a statesman, fnancier,
an industrial organizer and a born
leader of men, he was undoubtedly one
of the greatest characters that any
age or country has produced.
Not a 1.-THE of his achievements can
be told at the present time. His great
life forms the backbone of the history
of this commonwealth during the first
thirty years of it's existence. To the
end of his days he was the most con-
spicuous and most consequential per-
sonality between the Missouri river and
the Pacific coast. Under his wise and
capable administration, the Latter-day
Saints, gathering from all nations pen
etrated by the preaching of their mis-
sionaries, redeemed the desert and
made the wilderness to blossom. They
explored the country, placated the saw
age tribes, battled with crickets, grass