Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-03-17

} generally understood would remain a
decd letter upon the statute books
% grand celebration Of the Nations
birthday was held hero. That did not
provo disloyafty we hope.
General Common came 20 Utah with
q small force OF about 200 men. He
and Dis company undoubtedly hoped
for glory az tho scene Of real war, but
FOR some reason or other they were
ordered 20 remain In Utah. 20 watch
the "Mormons" whom calumny
had represented as disloyal But
they soon found that they
were not needed here for that
purpose. on September a. 1862.
he endorsed the demand Of his men IN
a dispatch 20 the General-ln-chiof. iu
which it was stated that they were Of
no service on the mail route. as there
was cavalry enough in Utah 90 protect
it. and. With the endorsement Of Gen
eral Connor they offered 90 pay their
own way, Dr. the government would only
order them east TO fight traitors
They had enlisted TO night traitors,
and 10 is evident that they did not
find them in Utah. A correspondent u
the san Francisco Bulletin writing
from the camp the same date said.
Brigham Young offers 20 protect the
entire overland MALL line with one
hundred men. Why we We're sent
here Dr. o. mystery. 10 could not be to
keep M0rmondom in order. for Brig
ham can thoroughly anuihilatc us with
Be- H..r. H|
at his command. whitney History
That was the simple truth. But
neither General Connor. nor anybody
else representing the government did
ever have anything 20 fear from the
L8tter-day saints on the goth -
October boz and his band entered the
city without the least demonstration OF
hostility Governor Harding. in his
address Of welcome, said. in part.
Of believe the people you have now
come amongst viii not disturb you if
you do not disturb them iu their pub
Dc rights and in the honor and peace
0f their homes
TIC knew that the people here we're
as loyal 10 the government az 20 their
own homes
Two years later General Common ass
sumed "a hostile attitude toward the
Luttcr-day Sainte. but that seems 10
have been for spectacular purposes
chiefly He sent communication ~
the War department. IN which he de-
clared his policy 20 be 20 encourage
I..
"sufn-lent by peaceful means and
through the bollot-box To- overwhclm
the Mormons by mere force of num-
bers" This being HE policy Il was
necessary for him To- make out that the
Latter-day Saints were disIoyal, for
clso what excuse could there be- for
Overwhelming thcmy There must ale
ways be some excuse Tor rearing
cross. General Connor dreamed Of a
Utah under martial law and himself
as tho Caesar. And while 30 dream
ing he. OF course. fclt the necessity OF
representing the people as traitors.
But ne changed his mind He found
the Mormon much better than they
were represented by trnducors or than
they appeared whom viewed through the
mists Of prciudicos, In 1879, when
President Young faced his relentless
prosecutors lu court on the awful
charge Of murder General Conner said
10 A. Milton Musscr; Tell President
Young that n he wishes Il l VIII so
his bail. oven II amounts 10 million
dollars"
That shows sufficiently what General
Counor thought OF Brigham Young att
or an acquaintance with him, extending
over years. General Common would
never had offered 10 go his bail, n ne
had believed him TO be a traitor or "a
murderer. The present-day prosecutors
cannot consistently glor.fy General
Conner, and az the Same time heap
contumely upon tho great man for
whom that valiant soldier offered 20
stake his an. But persecution and
consistency never go together
II gives satisfaction to contemplate
tho truth that the enemies of the
Church can find nothing on which TO
base their accusations. except false
hoods. The weakness Of the cause OF
persecution Is our strength II
was the strength of the churches
founded at the beginning OF our era.
They. too. were accused OF immortality
and dislovalty And for centuries these
charges were more or less generally be-
Uevcd But they were not true and
the Christians lived thom down. That
was their victory And a consistent
life. In harmony with the laws of truth