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Show EARLY LIFE IN Ml IS SUBJECT OF BOOK Judge R. N. Baskin Author of Interesting Volume of Reminiscences. POLITICS DESCRIBED Details Conditions That Caused Opposition of Gentiles. Under the' title, " Iteminincenees of Early Utah," former Chief Justice R. In'. Buskin has iB.suod a volumo of intense in-tense interest to tJio student of conditions condi-tions during the troublous days before statehood. Judge BaHkin'H work 'is in part devotod to a refutation of Whit-ucy Whit-ucy 's ' ' History of Utah. ' ' In his prefafo Judge Baskin bays: The glaringly fulao statements in Whitney's "ii:story of Utah" respecting re-specting the nature and effect of certain occurrences which have in great part gone to make up the history of the state, together with his inaligninent of the motives of myself and other Gentiles who in the past opposed the peculiar theocratic theo-cratic and antt-A merican system established and maintained in Utah. while it was a territory by the high priesthood of the Mormon church, are tho reasons for th; writing or these reminiscences of my connection connec-tion with the conflict waged for many years between Mormons and Gentiles. I can vouch for the ac- i curacy of the statements of the facts hero given ; but whet her my observations of the significance of these facts are warranted, the unbiased un-biased reader himself must judge. Would Correct Impressions. After a careful scrutiny of Whitney's Whit-ney's history, I deemed it due the men, many of whom were federal officials and few of whom are yet living, and who have been so wantonly wan-tonly besmirched by him, to correct cor-rect at least some of his erroneous assertions and covert insinuations. Judge Baskin begins his book with a chapter detailing the conditions in Utah which caused tho opposition of the Gentiles. He follows this with a chapter telling of the organization of the Liberal party in 1867 and its subsequent sub-sequent growth. Chapters are devotod to various incidents illustrative of the conflict between the Mormons who were in the groat majority iu the territory terri-tory and the little handful of non-Mor-mous who were struggling for conditions condi-tions similar to those in other American Ameri-can communities. ' From my investigations, ' ' says Judge Baskin, ' ' I became thoroughly convinced that the high priesthood of the Mormon church were the actual rulers of Utah, and that the government govern-ment established by tho organic act liud only a nominal existence that the adherents of tho church, constituting con-stituting almost the entire population of tho territory, conceded the claim of the priesthood (to rule iu matters temporal tem-poral and spiritual); that the legislative legisla-tive puwers granted by the organic act, instead of being used as intended, namely, to pass laws necessary for the proper government of an American eoin-I eoin-I munitv, and thus prepare the territory lor admission to the union as a state, republican in spirit and form, and with institutions in harmony with American civilization were used only to sanction sanc-tion in legal form the will of the priesthood. priest-hood. In short, that there existed ex-isted here an irrepressible conflict between be-tween the system established by the Mormons and the republican institution of the United States which would preclude pre-clude the admission of the territory into in-to the union so long as that conflict continued that it could only be ended by destroying the temporal power of the priesthood." Liberal Party Formed. It was to end this condition, be writes, that the Liberal party was organized, or-ganized, and it was to this end that Judge Baskin drafted the Cullom bill; which Mr. Cullom, then chairman ot the house committee on territories, introduced. in-troduced. This bill was passed by the house and went to the senate. There : the senate committee on territories, 1 without opposition, directed its chairman, chair-man, Senator Nye of Nevada, to present pre-sent a favorable report. ' Notwithstanding the fact," said Judge Baskin, ''that this session of congress would end in thirty days, Nye, although frequently urged to do so, failed to prepare the report. Had the bill been reported as ordered I do not think there is the least doubt that it would have been passed, for I had canvassed can-vassed the senate. What caused Nye's failure is a matter of conjecture. "Undoubtedly "Un-doubtedly the enactment of the Cullom bill in 1S70 would at a much earlier i i. -, ny uuve cauheu me cnangca conditions in Utah which were gradually brought about by the various acts of congress afterward, passed piecemeal during the lapse of twenty years." Legislation Set Forth. In subsequent chapters the different federal legislation dealing with Utah is related detail and with frequent quotation of documentary evidence in euport of disputed points." Other interesting inter-esting chapters are included in the 1'ook: One on "Securing free schools for Utah," by C. E. Allen, who is dubbed by the author "The Father of the Free Schools of Utah;" another chapter contributed bv C. S. Yarian relates re-lates to polvgamv prosecutions durin I the period that W. H. Dickson was! nited States attorney and Mr. Yarian i assistant in that office, and refutes various va-rious statements contained iu Bishop Whitney's history. Judge Baskin 's book is well written. It is worthy of perusal bv those interested interest-ed in the early history of the territory. Manifest care has been taken to keep I the record within the facts of which! he has written. Very fittingly the most' pleasing note is sounded at the last, for' iu his concluding chapter -Indge Bas-f lin speaking of altered'comiitions, savs: In these pages I have shown some of the radical evils tor the correction correc-tion of which the Liberal party iu Utah was organized; also the measures meas-ures originated and supported hv its members to accomplish thar purpose. pur-pose. The exceptionally stringent acts of congress were rendered necessary nec-essary by rhe puirna.-.ty with which the hierarchy of the Mormon church persisted in maii-iainine its obnoxious obnox-ious system, and in defearine the execution of rhe !:nv? f ramed for punishment of polygamies and per- petrators of a certain class of homicides. homi-cides. Such acts, though seemingly very rigorous, were the only available avail-able means by which the evils existing ex-isting in Utah could be eradicated. Priesthood Responsible. The priesthood, therefore, and not the Liberal party, is responsible respon-sible for any hardships which its adherents may have suffered, from those radical measures. The Gen-I Gen-I tiles in the territory would have shown themselves unworthy of American' Amer-ican' citizenship had they failed to organize and make a united effort to Americanize Uah. The purposo in organizing the Liberal party was to free the masses of the Mormon people from the arbitrary control by the priesthood of temporal and political affairs, and not to persecute perse-cute or injure them. Through tho persistent efforts of that party the change which occurred oc-curred upon the issuance of the Woodruff manifesto and the admission admis-sion of the territory into the Union as a state, under the pledge given by the authorities of the church, was brought Hbout, This change was an unqualified blessing to the people. Since that time Mormons have ceased to be Ishmaelites, and we no longer hear the proverbial expression, "Those who are not for us are against us. ' ' Both social and business relations in the stats have been greatly improved. There no longer exists such bitter antagonists antag-onists as wn: prevalent in former days an !, if I may he j nrdoned the personal ref-'reru-e. 1 will say that my election ns a member of the supreme court of tl-e iate i conclusive con-clusive evidence that this i true. |