Year: 1870




nall, with exactness also, on the head. He
shows that the militia, the armed force OF the
Territory--which according to law should be
under the command and control Of the Gov
ernor, and, through him, Of federal authority.
according to the general organic law Of the
Territories--has been always virtually under
the command of Brigham Young and his ex-
traordinary bishops. He makes it plain that
the immediate and pressing exigency now Is
to vndicate that law and remodel the militia
of the Territory. In point Of fact, his letter
suggests that the armed force of the Territory
should be virtually federal, and, under the
peculiar circumstances Of this case, not local
at all. The federal courts, therefore, must
intervene and sat this matter right as o pre-
liminary to the final settlement Of this vexed
and dangerous question.


But this is altogether tangled skein and
will require great patience and forbearance.
The position of the Union towards Mormon
dom is one which forbids any reckless action,
which, in the fanatical state of the Mormons,
might SO easily lead to deplorable calamities.
This is case for patience and craftsmanship.
The Union has--quite blamelessly, it could
not avoid the mischief-but still it has allowed
a large body of fanatical theocratlsts and poly
gamsts to establish itself within its nominal
jurisdiction. A vast interest has grown up,
and q social institution, involving the lives
and fortunes Of tens of thousands Of innocent
women and children, has been permitted to get
fr,,, ~ I;,tcf M
that this state of things must cease. But we
cannot approve the hasty temper Of any man,
if such there be, who would not exhaust every
art of patient, delberative craftsmanship to
insure that it shall cease without bloodshed
and the sacrifice of helpless lives. This can bs
and the nature of the difficulty be thoroughly
studied.


The very first condition Of safety would
appear to be to accumulate federal troops in
the Territory in sufficient force to insure the
due execution Of the lat of the federal courts
in bringing the militia itself under the legal
federal controls for it must not be forgotten
that the decree of the federal court breaking
up the pseudo militia at present in existence
has no force to back it except the federal
force. That ready obedience to the fiat Of the
federal judicature which is tie glory OF this
land cannot, wa are expressly told, be reck-
oned on in Utah, where resistance IS openly
threatened. A decision Of the federal judge
against the present militia might, therefore,
in the absence of adequate federal force, pro-
c:. Ill. Q.oII L. f1n nd
Mormon elements of the population, who
already confront each other in state OF
growing and perilous evaporation. We sig
nalize this possibility of mischief to the
authorities at Washington for it would be
subject Of great rcproach to the President and
his advisers ii this tragi-comedy Of polygamic
Mormondom were to end ia a veritabls tragedy
which would set platform oratory on fra
throughout all the land


First we say, and, above all things, let such
force be accumulated in Utah as shall compel
Brigham Young and his misguided people to
abide by such legislative and executive action
as may be taken to break up the system, or
else depart bodily with his disciples from the
jurisdiction of the Union. Let there not be a
possibility left to him and his OF making an
armed resistance which would certainly be put
down in the end, and into which it would be
almost criminal to tempt him by leaving the
armed Union power weak at this critical mo-
ment A.migration en- naasse is always open
to the Mormons instead Of submission, though
where they could go is very doubtful. Once
having strengthened the Union force within
the Territory to the point of visible irresisti-
bility, we should be free to devise and execute
just and comprehensive schemes for abating
the whole evil.


Upon this point we shall be brief to-day,
because we may recur hereafter more fully
to this weighty subject, which challenges Chris
tian charity and legislative skill in no common
degree, and which it would be veritable
triumph to deal with successfully. We would
observe, then, and emphasize the observation
for the benefit of every serious man within the
Union, that, so far as we know, there is no
precedent in history for tho successful break
ing up by legislative acts of q polygamic sys-
TEN. The problem of doing this touches upon
the most subtle and delicate difficulties with
which the legislator and administration have
to deal--the regulation of the sexual life which
certain men and women may choose within four
walls to lead The sword it is which in past
ages has cut such knots, as when Dominic
carried fire and sword through Languedoc in
the Middle Ages and exterminated the Albigen
ses. We are certainly not going to use
any such means now; and, therefore,
we are bound to be patient and thoughtful, to
find out what peaceful and legislative means
are appropriate to accomplishing an object
which never yet has been arrived at without
massacre, prescription, determination. The
thing can be done, we are satisfied; and we