CHAPTER VI.
POLITICAL HISTORY CONTINUED.
Arrival of the New Federal Officers in July, 1862.—Colonel Connor arrives with his Command.—The Message of Gov. Harding.—The Mormons Indignant.—The Legislature refuse to print the Message.—Action of the United States Senate thereon.—Forgery in the Mormon Legislature.—Bill of Judge Waite to amend the Organic Act.—Indignation Meeting.—Governor Harding and Judges Waite and Drake requested to leave the Territory.—Their Replies.—Brigham.—The Federal Officers.
Judges Drake and Waite arrived in Salt Lake City on the 11th of July, 1862. Governor Harding had arrived a few days previous.
For several months everything passed off smoothly, and Brigham was more than once heard to say the officers now in the Territory were "good men." No circumstances occurred to develop any differences, and it was hoped by the federal officers themselves that none would arise.
In the mean time, in October of the same year, Colonel (now General) Connor marched into and through Salt Lake City with his command, and established his camp on the "bench," or high land, about three miles east of the city. His forces at that time consisted of the Third Regiment of Infantry, California Volunteers, and the Second Regiment of Cavalry, under command of Col. George S. Evans.
Some little excitement was caused by the entrance of the troops, and rumors were rife of threats having been made by the Mormons that the volunteers should never "cross the Jordan," a stream a few miles south of the city, and which was directly on their line of march. But the Jordan was crossed, the camp established, and everything went on as
usual, until the meeting of the Territorial Legislature in December.
Then the pent-up fires began to break forth. The first pretext used by the Mormons for indulging in words and acts of hostility was the Message of Governor Harding to the Legislature. Therein he called the attention of the people, through their representatives, to the practice of polygamy in their midst, to the anomalous state of society it tended to establish, to its incompatibility with our free institutions, and especially to its violation of an Act of Congress recently passed.