Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-07-24
ing from a letter written by Fatf1er
DE S1net in March, 1851;

r Z K
| "In the fall Of 1876. as II drew near
| to tho frontiers of the State of Mis-
souri,, found the advance guard 81
the Morsnons, numbering about ~, ooo,
lttiinped on the Territory of the Omaha,
l5not far from the old Council Bluffs.
They had Just been driven out for the
second time from; q State OF the mon
l5Illinois had received them after their
War with their people of Mtssouri).
They had resolved to winter on lie
threshold Of the great desert, and then
TO move onward into 1t, to put distance
between themselves and their per
secutors, without even knowing at that
I@time the end of their long wanderings,
nor the place where they should once
more erect for themselves permanent
dwellings. They asked me a thousand
questions about the regions / had ex-
plored. and the valley which have
just described to- you pleased them
greatly from the account gave them
OF It, Was that what determined
them? / would not dare to assert.
They are there. In the last three years
Utah has changed Its aspect. and from
a desert has become n flourishing ter
ritory. which will soon become one of
tile States of the Union. =
Dean Harris suggests that the glow
%
ing description of this Valley by Fa-
Their De SWEET in 1916 possibly suggest
ed the solution of the most perplexing
problem before the exiled Saints, but.
this solution had been suggested long
before that year by the Spirit OF God
speaking through the Prophet Joseph.
President Young carried out the divine
plan. That he sought information
from all available sources concerning
the internountain region Is natural.
Anti" Mo,nlons" have sometimes,
tried to create the impression that
the Latter-day Saints had for the aim;
the establishment In this region OF an
empire in the United States, foreign
to American institutions. and one in
which only. those protesting our faith
were to live. Nothing is further from
the truth.
4 As soon as practicable the Saints
organized a state with legislative, jus
dical, and executive offices, under a
constitution eminently American, and
giving perfect religious freedom to ALL
Accordingly, Catholics. Hebrews, Pres
hyterians. Copgregat ionalists. Method
lists, Baptists, Unitarians, Episcopalians,
and spiritualists, all were protected by
the laws. We doubt whether in the
entire history of Utah there is an au-
sthenttc case of persecution by Nor
mons" of any other church member, on
account of religious differences. The
Latter-day Saints never were per-
aecutors. Brigham Young gave 81 900
toward the erection Of non-.M ormon''7
churches In In Salt Lake City. and
Others have contributed equally literally
to other churches. Their motto has
been, and is, peace on earth and good
will toward man.
We honor the noble men and women
who We're the instruments tn the hands
OF the Almighty in laying the founda-
lions of the magnificent structure we
have inherited. We honor them for
their self sacrif cing devotion to duty,
their faithfulness to the principles Of
truth and liberty, their love of coun-,
try, home, and God. and we can only
pray that we may be their worthy
successors in patriotic endeavor. May
we keep the inheritance pure and un-
5defi1ed May the flag under which they
marched and which they unfolded over
this region never be lowered to the
level Of the self-seeking politician who
sees in the government but an instru-,
ment of selfaggrandi zement! TO be
faithful to the principles for which the
Pioneers lived and died is the highest
tribute that can be paid to their mem
DRY.