Show DESERET ney NEW af lp V alnert ALBERT barrington EDITOR wednesday lre lve 1 october 27 27 1858 after a war of eleven years with the sterility of the soil of utah and the indigenous enemies lemies ei to civilization in the shape of crickets gris grasshoppers shoppers drouth wolves and wild indians we think it pretty near time to inquire after a title to the lands there are three distinct rights which may ie be claimed by occupants to the ownership of the thi soil apart from purchase discovery conquest and original occupancy we will not attempt to trace back the history of our continent to the discoveries of past centuries nor to like libe the original disposal of titles by wild chart erp era jt it is known and admitted that america was W s discovered cut up by royal knives in europe and dealt out by whole slices at the royal will of european monarchs of our territory when we first entered it and its condition at that time it is our present business to spi bpi speak ak mexico then claimed the ownership of it 1 upon what principle she did so by how much treachery and bloodshed at the cost of how bw many thousand innocent and unoffending red men by the desolation of how many cities and villages by how bow mich m ich wholesale saie sale felony and barbarity I 1 she established her title it is no 0 t for us to say her title was admitted our government was at war with mexico it was a most retributive war it was a war of franchise chise chisa against despotism of free republican principles against the most corrupt abuses of religious liberty against monastic tyranny we were ourselves at that time victims to a bitter and unrelenting gerse persecution persecution cution we were scattered over the prairies of iowa and seeking in a distant retreat from the fury of our persecutors but we made the public cause our om own and passing by our private grievances adopted the public quarrel we furnished a battalion of invasion and made a successful entry into the territories of the enemy we tore the fetters from C california allf alif ornia and hid them in the waves of the pai pal chic discovered her gold and nd laid the foundation of her present greatness while yet the war continued and mexico claimed her original 0 territory our pioneers entered utah and under the flag of the united states commenced the subjugation of her desert land we threw up the highway of american enterprise over the plains of nebraska and the claims of mexico to utah were blotted out forever in the midst of famine exposure and poverty at home and slander and insult heaped upon us from abroad we have wrested the comforts and luxuries of life from cheh grounds of the savage and made utah one of the first territories in the nation nay ive eve we had subdued the very wildness of the savage who ig is already beginning 7 to learn the value of industrial pursuits these are his facts but how f few ew realize that their own nation should be the first of their historical studies how few of the happy and justly proud citizens of new england who luxuriate in their commercial greatness and can safely laugh 11 at the combined threats of I 1 1 europe ever remember the toil toll and sweat and tears teara and ans blood which were paid as the pur chas chase money of their wealth and safety how liiv 0 f few ew in all the I 1 land and remember that flight from r religious persecution brought them freedom of conscience that the sword of the tyrant drove them to the quarry whence they obtained materials to found a free nation but what has all this to do with utah way wb tibt tint much it only seems that utah is likely to have a liberal share in the national f forgetful ulness ness that no respect is to be had to the struggles of our pioneers to the original sterility of the soil and the sweat it cost in t large laige and bloody drops to make it fruitful Is it so indeed and the contests with the cricket 1 grasshopper famine and cold and the wily india kudia indian n in his mountain fastnesses fast nesses are allahl to ue forgotten and the soil disposed of as though wa we had hot not been beun or ceased to exist I 1 1 I 1 if this be the case I 1 in n regard to our neighbors it t is idill all ali right if the same neglect ha has been in manifested an infested towards other territories terri tornes lories as to utah we are content it if it is not a fact that the right of preemption pre emption has been extended over nebraska and quarter sections of land given by acts of congress to actual settlers in new mexico and oregon we will not grumble but wait the liberal hour of the national legislature and dip with our sister territories in the general land aish dish we want no more we will be b content with no less than other territories we do an think most sincerely and patriotically that territories with their present institutions are mere satires bitter degrading satires on a republican government yet we are satisfied to share with our neighbors in the mis chiefs of the abuse we are prepared to wait patiently the pro progress 9 ress of enlightened policy to banish the base relic of european vassalage forever from the nation would to god for the honor of our national history that the unholy record of such an institution could rould be entirely ablit te rated ay we had almost said that the last relic of despotism was swept from our whole continent but we will not say bay it for that would be advocating annexation and we do not wish to ii eddle meddle with other peoples business to be sure our duty religiously morally politically teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves and when texas wounded and bleeding applied for the protection of the american flag we could not conscientiously refuse we have never regretted the annexation we would rather extend than limit the national protection but back to our subject it is a fact which if not a law on the statute book has grown into a law of custom that the primal and continued occupation of all public lands within the jurisdiction of our 9 government government overn ment entitles the occupants to the patronage of congress in the passage of acts of preemption pre emption or grants of land since then this is the fact and has been the fact from the very f foundation of our government ern ment we claim the extension of the practice to utah we have earned it faithfully and patriotically we have earned it by our services against the nation from whose hands bands the land was wrested we have earned it by the abandonment of happy homes in other lands we have earned it by the blood of our brothers and sires and sons in its defense against the aboriginal savage the extent exten and tand advancement of settlements and improvements testify whether we have not earned it by our industry the graves of our kindred that form sorrowful guide boards on the path which led us here testify whether we have not carped it by exposure and fatigue besides there is no i just reason why the preemption privilege should be withheld from frow utah her citizens are a portion of the commonwealth among them are a liberal number whose shares in the national danger ex tend end back to the first wars subsequent to the evolution revolution and who inherit in a direct line a good share of the glory in the great struggle itself why should they novy nov noy be refused a fair air share in the national benefits and patronage t we do not deny that the proprietary r ight right and title to the soil is in the united states as a whole but if we are as we have always held and still maintain a part of the nation we also hold that of a fair proportion of that soil are we also in common with all citizens of ake united states the rightful proprietors we have been to a great extent the discoverers and conquerors and are certainly the legal legai occupants of utah why then withhold fr from om us the confirmation of our title by congressional grant or preemption pre emption right it maybe may be held as a reason against us that we merited suspicion because of peculiar reli rell religious tenets though we never claimed to b be e beyond the reach of the slandering twaddle of vagabond correspondents we do claim that we h have a ve no religious sentiments nor ever had bad that would justify treachery to our country or treason against her constitutional government moreover it is 0 officially denied by the highest authority in the nation tiit tilt any interference wi with th the religious sentiments or creeds of her citizens can be constitutional or legal so far so good we make no reference to the manner in which the principle has been carried out heretofore the redress of past wron wrongs p we leave lease to god to the nation and their congress we appeal for our present rights it is not enough to say the constitution and laws take no notice of your creed cleed ay it is not enough 0 to disavow or discountenance reli rell religious ious lous intolerance while you say to the episcopalian the Presby presbyterian terlan terian the catholic and the mormon your government by bi bishops hs or presbyters presbytery presby your revered madonna imposing forms and inspired ceremonies are all equally constitutional we will make no distinction of creed or party we will pass no law to trammel conscience we will not countenance the interruption of your religious ceremonies we will riot not ransack your monasteries as nor tear down your sacred temples we will not plant our batteries nor manoeuvre our ur menacing squad squadrons ions lons between you and your chosen god these things we will not do but we have the power and shall shail make the right to dispense our favors where the professions fes of christianity measure to our standard the catholic may build his cathedral but if we are not also catholic we will withhold from him his abbey lands the episcopalian may erect his church and surround its sacred walls with the graves of his bis people but if we agrenot are riot also episcopalian we will give the soil lo 10 strangers who may exhume the relics of his bis dead and give their bones to the dogs the lormon cormon may build his temple but if we aie ale are not also mormon the ground shall be reserved for the desecration of the adventurer and his homestead wrested from his bs gra grap grasp p nay further you have a right to worship as your conscience e prompts you we can in no case interfere civil rights your political rights your religious rights are your own inalienably alien ably but if we disagree with you on the subject of religion however superior your abilities however sound bound your judgment jud 0 ament however reliable your patriotism you shall not only oan ohn own no soil in our the stranger stranger shall be brought from afar to fill in your mi midst d st every office of trust and profit under our patronage he shall shail not dot only reap the fruits of your long iong on and wearisome labors and batten on the treasure that rightly belongs to youa your you but he may way silently nod his hs head at your lying accusers he ma may y himself accuse you of immorality disloyalty and barbarism he may smoke e his cigar and sephis sip bip his hib claret claret with complacence while A B C and hosts of other false stab bers in the dark poison your reputation and unjustly arouse the public opinion through 0 their lies against you he may consider it bis his duty int fact t to defend your as if it he please and take every side but that of the people whose protected pro be he should shoula be if we have not stated facts if there is no invidious distinction of creed or party let leafu f u ture facts and measures develop we imparts allty oregon was not asked what was her herl religion or if her people had any religion at all nebraska was not interrogated aa as to her atheism or christianity Christiani tj the question was not asked if the religious rights of the azteca aztecs were abolished in N new ew mexico and if Cath oath catholicism ull uil bli prevailed these territories unquestioned on the subject received for their citizens pre emotions empt ions or grants of land unquestioned also let utah have her share if it bould be too much liberality to make ua us a decent present of the soil we haveko fully earned at least extinguish extin the indian title and give us theare the preemptive right to buy it we are poor but we can pay for it and fifthe example of our worthy governor is followed by his associates in the federal offices of utah we will give them a civil hand and welcome their stay long in our midst it is their business te to vindicate the rights and peace of the territory and not caM caw carelessly essly essiy to speak the most mildly endorse the slanders of bad men they were or should A have been sen there to conciliate hot provoke to unite not divide to cement ui us to our country not estrange us from it to defend gefen not assail the citizens we ask no cringing nor flattery we have haye received none from governor cumming cummin but we re respect hect and have ca confidence rifi dence in in him because he does his duty like i a man and an american it would of course co lirse be considered presumptive ou our part to dictate the true policy of government to utah we would simply su suggest m however that kind treatment will endear the citizen to his government as the child to the parent even the prodigal al forgets his depravity and want in the h hospitality ity of his fathers house and remembers his misery no more under his fathers smile A closed door and scowling t parent would have driven him among strangers a wanderer for life let the government deal liberally and kindly with utah and if in the dark day of storms and clouds we were willing to strike with our might for the honor of our nation how much more cheerily and nd strong stron will we do battle for the extension of her glory and power when we are nurtured in her sunshine and share in her favor s |