. . . "Because the Governor, in his Message, has animadverted upon some of the customs of the Mormons, and has recommended that steps be taken to Americanize the same, he has given offence, and has had his Message suppressed.
"Polygamy of the most unlimited character, sanctioning the cohabitation of a man with the mother and her daughters indiscriminately, is not the only un-American thing among them.
. . . "The Message, on examination, is found to contain nothing that should give offence to any legislature willing to be governed by the laws of morality.
"It is the opinion of your Committee that the Message is an able exposition of the manners and customs of the people in that Territory, and as such, brought down the censure of the leaders of the Mormon Church, and were it not for the animadversions therein contained, it would not have been suppressed."
The printing and distribution of the Message is then recommended.
During the session of the Legislature an event occurred which caused much indignation among the federal officers, and served to render somewhat mutual the feelings of hostility which the leading saints already entertained. This was nothing less than a forgery committed in the Legislature upon a bill relating to the terms of one of the District Courts.
The Territory was divided into three judicial districts. The First, sometimes called the Provo District, comprised a number of counties carved out of the centre of the Territory. This had been assigned to Judge Drake. The Second, called the "Cotton District," was assigned to Judge Waite, and consisted of the three southernmost counties, Beaver, Iron, and Washington. The Third District, Chief Justice Kinney's, comprised the northern part of the Territory, including Salt Lake City.
On the 14th of January, 1863, the Legislature passed a bill, which was signed by the Governor, changing the county seat of Washington County from Washington to St. George, and in the same bill it was provided that the United States Court for the transaction of territorial business, should be held at St. George, on the third Monday of May. This time was the same as that provided by the law previously in force.
This was before the assignment of the Judges had been made.