The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-19
CONNOR ON PRIESTLY LOYALTY

CONNOR ON PRIESTLY LOYALTY
On Thurs1aS evening, referring 10
the General Connor memorial banquet
and love feast which was to be held
that same night, the Descret News
printed labored attempt 10 show the
loyalty Of The Mormon hierarchs at
the time General Connor came to tho
Territory.
General Counor himself, it should be
agreed. is tho best witness as to the
condition he found here with respect
10 loyalty and the general attitude to-
ward the Government. In another col
umn VIC reprint the official report fer
wardcd by the General to his Depart
ment Commander in the year 1864 on
| this point Those who would have
thc truth in the matter should read
that report. General Connor therein
is very emphatic in his assertions con
corning the attitude of leading Nor.
mons toward the Government of the
| United States. OF the church he says
that it was "disloyal and traitorous TO
he core and of Brigham Young and
the apostles he declares that they hated
the Government and wished for suf-
fcient prolongation of the war then
going on between the North and the
South to bring about the destruction
Of the Union.
The reference made by General Con
nor 30 the persistent efforts Of the Nor
mon leaders TO draw him into the com
mission of some act which could be
used against him and in their own ia
vor. recalls earlier schemes carried
through for that same purpose. At an
earlier time all sorts of conspiracies
were formed against United States of"
ficlals 10 discrcdIt them with the pco-
pie and with the Federal officials at
Washington. In some instances the rep
rescntatIves Of the Government were
actually driven out of the Territory.
But in General Connor the hierarchs
found sterncr material and fixed de-
termination to stand for the Govern
ment S rights and TO insist upon the
practice of fealty toward the Nation
He exercised good Judgment and at
the same time was uncompromisingly
firm in the maintenance of his lust DO
sItiou. II was indeed good thing for
the church and for the Mormon pco-
pie that 1T was Connor who had charge
of Uncle Sans military, force here
at that time. Some other commanding
officers might have been equally firm
but they might not have exercised tho
patience and farseeing Judgment of
General Connor.: His course along these
lines undoubtedly saved disastrous
conflict that could have ended finally
IN no other way than that the church
would have been DESTROYED, in so far
AS the United States is concerned. His
persistence IN pushing forward the min.
ing industry, too, was of great value
to all the people Of the community,
as may well be testified now that such
mighty results arc seen to have fol
lowed. General Connor was ono os
the saviors of Utah
The Descret News speaks of the
great loyalty Of Brigham Young in
offering to protect the United States
''"ii iibto III lnlS IdTL OF the country
from Indian raids. Now, Mr.. Young
was Interested in all the mail carving
contracts in this region, and it was
quite natural that he should be any-
Ious TO protect the sources Of fat
profits TO him, That was merely an
offer in protection of his own interests.
rather than an expression of LOYALTY
toward the Government. The disloyal
tabernacle barangues of which Gen
erA Connor speaks, and in which tbe
Nation and It's officers were denounced
and cursed, are better indications of
the true state of the hierarchical feel
ing.
Although General Connor's report il
better evidence of the true condition
of affairs here than any that the News
can produce, it can (if it so desires)
disprove It's own contention in the Nor
mon sermons printed in its own .Jour.
nal of Discourscs. The case is alto.
gcthcr too plain to require much dis.
cussion,