* Tullidge, in his "History of Salt Lake City," says: "Under the
censure of the great statesman, Daniel Webster, and with ex-Vice
President Dallas and Colonel Kane using their potent influence against
them, and also Stephen A. Douglas, Brandebury, Brocchus, and Harris were
forced to retire." As these officers left the territory of their own
accord, and contrary to Brigham Young's urgent protest, this statement
only furnishes another instance of the Mormon plan to attack the
reputation of any one whom they could not control. The three officers
were criticized by some Eastern newspapers for leaving their post
through fear of bodily injury, but Congress voted to pay their salaries.
All the correspondence concerning the failure of this first attempt to establish non-Mormon federal officers in Utah was given to Congress in a message from President Fillmore, dated January 9, 1852. The returned officers made a report which set forth the autocratic attitude of the Mormon church, the open practice of polygamy,* and the non-enforcement of the laws, not even murderers being punished. Of one of the allegations of murder set forth,—that a man from Ithaca, New York, named James Munroe, was murdered on his way to Salt Lake City by a member of the church, his body brought to the city and buried without an inquest, the murderer walking the streets undisturbed, H. H. Bancroft says, "There is no proof of this statement."** On the contrary, Mayor Grant in his "Truth for the Mormons" acknowledges it, and gives the details of the murder, justifying it on the ground of provocation, alleging that while Egan, the murderer, was absent in California, Munroe, "from his youth up a member of the church, Egan's friend too, therefore a traitor," seduced Egan's wife.
* J. D. Grant, following the example of Colonel Kane, had the
effrontery to say of the charge of polygamy, in one of his letters to
the New York Herald: "I pronounce it false.... Suppose I should admit it
at once? Whose business is it? Does the constitution forbid it?"
** "History of Utah," p. 460, note.
Young, in a statement to the President, defended his acts and the acts of the territorial legislature, and attacked the character and motives of the federal officers. The legislature soon after petitioned President Fillmore to fill the vacancies by appointing men "who are, indeed, residents amongst us."
CHAPTER XI. — MORMON TREATMENT OF FEDERAL OFFICERS
The next federal officers for Utah appointed by the President (in August, 1852) were Lazarus H. Reid of New York to be chief justice, Leonidas Shaver, associate justice, and B. G. Ferris, secretary. Neither of these officers incurred the Mormon wrath. Both of the judges died while in office, and the next chief justice was John F. Kinney, who had occupied a seat on the Iowa Supreme Bench, with W. W. Drummond of Illinois, and George P. Stiles, one of Joseph Smith's counsel at the time of the prophet's death, as associates. A. W. Babbitt received the appointment of secretary of the territory.*
* Some years later Babbitt was killed. Mrs. Waite, in "The Mormon
Prophet" (p. 34) says: "In the summer of 1862 Brigham was referring to
this affair in a tea-table conversation at which judge Waite and the
writer of this were present. After making some remarks to impress
upon the minds of those present the necessity of maintaining friendly
relations between the federal officers and the authorities of the
church, he used language substantially as follows: 'There is no need of
any difficulty, and there need be none if the officers do their duty and
mind their affairs. If they do not, if they undertake to interfere with
affairs that do not concern them, I will not be far off. There was Almon
W. Babbitt. He undertook to quarrel with me, but soon afterward was
killed by Indians."
The territorial legislature had continued to meet from time to time, Young having a seat of honor in front of the Speaker at each opening joint session, and presenting his message. The most important measure passed was an election law which practically gave the church authorities control of the ballot. It provided that each voter must hand his ballot, folded, to the judge of election, who must deposit it after numbering it, and after the clerk had recorded the name and number. This, of course, gave the church officers knowledge concerning the candidate for whom each man voted. Its purpose needs no explanation.