The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-03
tacitly, that there is nothing divine
about the maiority's selection.
1.-THE SALT LAKE TRAIL

oaie IIdhe lEdll, MI SnaTieS NJ LIAR
vey has in the Atlantic Monthly an
article made up chiefly of the settle
} nent of this region by the Mormons,
under Brigham Young. Tho purpose of
the writer to be fair to the Mormons
is evident, and he has been more than
fair, omitting altogether any mention
of The participation of non Mormons in
the developing OF Utah and tho bring
ing of this region into tho state of de-
volopment and prosperity which il has
reached. No mention is made of the
coming of General Connor, of the open.
ing of mines by non-M Mormons, of the
vast industry and wealth thus created
which has gone to the development of
the State, which otherwise would have
been occupied by impoverished agri-
culturists, holding on by precarious
tenure. using unskilled methods and
farming and stockraising in a desultory
sort of way.
1t was not possible for Mr.. Harvey,
of course, within the limits of a maga-
zine article, to tell the whole story.
and doubtless he has done the best be
could with the space ut his command.
Two Important things he makes clear,
one that the Mormons were not trail"
blazers In this western region, since
they followed the Oregon emigrants
trail for the most part, second, he
makes it clear that Colonel Fremont
in his reports showed this region to
be rich, well adapted to settlement,
with an abundance of water, timber,
and rich, tillable soil. The real key
to the Mormon emigration west, how
ever, seems to have escaped Mr.,
| Harvey The destination or the sect
was Southern California, beyond any
doubt The first colony of the saints
went to that region, around Cape
Horn under the leadership OF Elder
Samuel Brannan. The Mormon bat
| talon, which the Government accepted
at the urgent solicitation of Colonel
Jesse c. Little, Brigham Eoung's agent
In Washington. was dIsbanded IN
Southern California according to agree
ment, the members starting with their
| families and all of their portable prop
erty, 1t was the pay from the Gov
ernment to this battalion that outfit
ted the pioneer party of Brigham
Young's. and this fact Mr.. Harvey
recognizes But the main idea, the
original objective point of the saints,
that being California. Mr.. Harvey evil
IDENTIFY has missed. John Taylor, after
wards president of the church and then
one of the Twelve Apostles, wrote a
letter to Queen Victoria offering to go
to the Oregon country and overcome
| the American settlers there, and hold
that region for the British crown. This
| is an important item in the considera-
tion of the early migration of the
Mormons. They were undetermined
where to 90 for long time, chiefly
wanting to get out of the jurisdiction
of the United States, but finally
concluded to 20 to Southern California.
Coming here, Brigham Young fell sick
and he was unable to go further. The
distance to Southern California was
evidently longer than he had realized,
and seeing this valley, he concluded
that settlement here would be possible,
and here he would be more remote from
interference than if he went en- to the
coast. And, as Mr.. Harvey says, this
being then Mexican territory, and
Brigham Young's prophetic power not
being able to apprise him of It's i'm
pending transfer TO the United States,
he probably thought he could organize
an empire of his own here which could
not be materially interfered with by
Mexico. 1t was doubtless sad blow
to him when he found this region was
ceded to the United States as a con-
sequence of the war with Mexico.
There have been many writers about
this old Salt Lake trail which for
so long was called the Oregon trail,
The migration to the Oregon country
began in 1886 and reached its greatest
overland wagon volume in 1S43. The
trail was plainly marked and it was
impossible to stray from 1t. part OF
the Oregon emigrants had even passed
| through IQlS immaculate lpCdtloH,
ing down Emigration Canyon before
the Mormons came.
The reference which Mr.. Harvey
makes to the rebellion of the Mormons
against the United States, and the
sending of troops here by President
Buchanan to suppress that rebellion, is
incomplete without mention of the fact
that on the 4th of July previous to the
sending of those troops. the Mormons,
under the leadership of Brigham Young,
had, at the celebration at the head of
Big Cottonwood, made an absolute
declaration Of independence and Sc
ccssion from the United States. They
were the original secessionists so far
as formal declaration went,
On the whole, however, the article is
one of evidently studied fairness and
impartiality. The general outline as
given is about as one not especially