Mormon History
The Treason of Brigham Young - 1851
His Excellency, Brigham Young, President of the Church in 1851
The New York Times - December 3, 1851
Saint Joseph Gazette – December 17, 1851
TROUBLE AGAIN BREWING IN
MORMONDOM. -- We have heretofore
announced the return of Chief Justice Brandebury, Associate Justice Brocchus,
Secretary Harris and Capt. Day, Indian Agent, from Utah Territory, and published
some of the reasons assigned by these gentlemen for their apparent precipitate
flight from their posts of duty. We have heretofore refrained from expressing an
opinion as to the validity of their plea for taking this course, because not
fully in possession of the facts in the premises. That Brigham Young (appointed
Governor of the Territory by Mr. Filmore,) is a great blackguard and
braggadocio, and still a greater scoundrel, we have long been aware, but we did
not suppose, with all his native vanity, arrogance and wickedness, he would have
had the audacity to utter such seditious sentiments and blasphemous anathemas
against the Government and People of the United States as are attributed to him
by the correspondent of the St. Joseph Gazette, until we saw the
statement confirmed by Judge Brocchus, in a letter to the
National Intelligencer. The resident white population of this
territory, as our readers are aware, is composed almost wholly of "Mormons," or
"Latter Day Saints," the general character of which people is too well known to
need delineation here. Suffice it to say, their preachers use the most
profane and obscene language, and that most of their principal men
have a plurality of wives! Gov. Young is said to have ninety, and Heber
C. Kimbal, the second in status, a like number! The state of morals in Mormondom
may be gathered from these two circumstances alone.
After being driven from Nauvoo, some years ago, it will be recollected, the
great body of Mormons removed to the Valley of the Salt Lake. They arrived there
on the 24th day of July; and each year since their arrival, they have celebrated
the anniversary of their entree. The 24th of last July, Brigham Young was their
orator of the day, and announced to the vast audience the death of Gen. Taylor,
in the following chaste language -- "Brethren, Zachary Taylor is dead and gone
to hell, and I am glad of it!" The sentiment was received and echoed with great
applause; and then, rising on tiptoe, in the furor of his passion, he exclaimed,
"I prophesy, in the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of the priesthood that is
now upon me that any other President of the U. States, who shall lift his finger
against this people, will die an untimely death, and go to hell!" This is the
feeling that pervades that seditious, wicked, and therefore dangerous
population.
Judge Brocchus, who had been requested by the managers of the Washington
National Monument Society to invite people of Utah to furnish a block of marble
for the monument as "an offering at the shrine of patriotism," addressed a large
concourse at their place of worship (?) called the "Bowery;" and in endeavoring
to inspire a love of country and inculcate the duty of obedience to our laws,
made an allusion to the above unchristian and seditious statements, and
fearlessly expressed himself in regard to the existing defection of the Mormons
towards the people and government. The speech was calm, dignified and to the
purpose. Brigham, in a speech characterised by the coarsesr invective, replied
to Judge Brocchus, and denounced the people and the government in the most
menacing, vulgar and brutal manner; during which he intimated that if Judge B.
should attempt a replication, there would be "pulling of hair and cutting of
throats!" The audience was intensely excited, and had not Young and his
confederates dreaded the ultimate vengeance of our people, there is no doubt
that murder would have been instantly committed. The officers were
subsequently denounced, in and out of "meetin."
That their disertion saved the lives of the "Fugitive U. S. Officers" -- (vide
S. Louis Republican) -- we think highly probable; that they had very
little inducement to remain, quite palpable; and yet it is almost equally plain
that the editor of the Republican and ourself, had we been Justices Brandeberry
and Brocchus, would have remained and run the risk! -- [at] least, we had [sic,
had we] been abused as Judge Brocchus was, heard our Government slandered, and
the memory of the lamented Taylor maligned by that scurvy scoundrel and
bad-mouthed bigamist and debauchee, Brigham Young, we should have felt like
leaving just about ninety distinguished widows before we left -- we should!
What is now to be done? Shall these seditious and traitorous villains be
permitted to set at naught the authority of our Government? Will the President
[merely] pocket the outrages of this people? Shall they be suffered longer to
inhabit the fair valley which they now desecrate and contaminate by their
pestiferous presence? Is it worthy the effort to send out a military force to
awe them into obedience, with the view of making good citizens of them? Shall
still other officers be sent to them to entreat them to yield homage and
obedience to the Government, and simply tell them that uttering treason and
threatening assassination are naughty practices, which Uncle Sam disapproves? Or
shall they be officially notified to find and occupy some regions, without the
jurisdiction of the U. States, so remote that the hand of annexation will not
[be] likely to ever reach them? These are some of the considerations that will
arise. Were we President Fillmore, the latter is the course we would recommend;
and in the event of their refusal to comply, would send out a force of
Missourians so to remove them, as to carry out the spirit of the order to the
letter! This we would do -- "by the Eternal!" --- Kansas Ledger.