| Show THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE nil nii minutes of a mass meeting of 0 the citizens t great salt lake city held january rth oth 1862 in the tabernacle at 12 m to take into consideration the propriety oi of elect ing delegates to a convention to be held in the court house in ia this city on the dinst for the purpose of adopting a constitution and form of state government preparatory to admission into the union on an equal footing with the nal states while the citizens were assembling bal j los band 21 who occupied the platform of he fhe or chesra performed in good syle byle hall hail columbia 21 after which the assembly was called to order by col J C little city mar Kar marshai marshal bhai who brielly briefly stated the object of 0 the meeting i hon edward hunter was elected chair man and william clayto clayton secretary by unanimous vote A committee of five was then elected to draft resolutions resolution etc excessive of the sense of the assembly viz hons diniel dwells HW ells I 1 wiliam wliilam IL 11 hooper john taylor george A smith and abraham 0 smoot president brigham young offered up a very appropriate prayer after which the committee miff ee retired for the purpose ot of attending 0 to th duties ass assigned 0 ned them during the absence of the committee the audience were entertained by a vety veny impressive address by president liri iiri brigham 0 liam llam young followed by a son song from mr dunbar and music by the band 1 after a lapse of three quarters cf en an hour the committee com mUtee returned and reported an ad i dress preamble and resolutions w which h I 1 ere read by the secretary as follows ADDRESS FELLOW rellow CITIZENS it Is ia now over eleven years since bince ther thee congress of the united t tates passed an ac act organizing 11 and a territorial government for tila uis territory when the government legan began to exercise exe cise the prerogative of selecting appointing and sending bending a to our territory from distant beates men irien as officers and representatives 0 federal at that time the people of this territory hady had for some four years lived in the full elij ament of a P ovis ional state government governments having a constitution rep ib ican in its form and operation pro iding for the free election by the people of the r officers distributing the powers of government into separate departments executive judicial and legislative up to this thia time no representative of federal po power wery werl had appeared in our midst and yet we h had ad a government wo king for the interest of the people shaping sharing their policy p their interest preserving law lav and order punishing arme and defend defending defendis iu the people against the inroads of the savage foe and all his without aid counsel or favor from the parent or any other S state ate or government we merely i evert to this thia blate state of audi ahai s at the commencement of our territorial history to show that a as a people a community we cor coi billed then at that ealy dav dae da all the elements material ability and capacity couil d the disposition nece sary aary to establish arld and maintain f arm r in ou own resources and from our own community com munty to satisfy the varied wants of at least the people of this territory in ia their government and of that liberal free fre s and republican character which should have been satisfactory to the most mast f fastidious as ti where the whole superstructure was supposed to be based upon the will of the people we then asaei for admission into the union feeling that it would be a privilege to have the selection ton t on of our own officers and the maintaining of our own government the washington government choosing to be b at the expense themselves refused our application for admission and gave us a territorial form of government in which we acclaim beed aced and under the proy of which we have since existed i xi nf sooner sooner however did the represents j tives of federal power from distant states j make their appearance in our bur midst than a strife and we might saya baya warf warfare are cornin corain elicIA between them and th citizens ot of the territory aud and so far as they could influence it between the citizens citi zeus and the parent government these thega government officials from distant states have ever come amo 0 g us as now he st reprise natives of F federal power 11 instead of being the of constitutional law impartial justice or ar as ambassadors of american liberty they have hare almost universally disregarded law tram trampled nied died under foot the territorial authority failed to elect c e the law lair when the power was L elusively in ih their hands to to do it sought to produce distrust and enmity between this territory and the general government and people of the united states they have turned loose upon the community criminals convicted by our juries and confine J in our prisons to again prey I 1 up upon our property and incited the savage foe to hostile deeds against us writhing under hardship hardships such as pia eia pit and to get gete rid of them we held a in formed and adopted a conati aution and again by our oun Delegate s knocked knocked L U N 40 1 I at t the doors of congress for admission and were yere again refused actuel y spurned away a deif delf ear was wag not noot only t urnel to our com Pla pia plaints plaines faints la ints bu but detraction misrepresent misrepresentation aion atlon and alseno fal fai ids followed set on foot and t by perjured officials representative representatives a of federal power 11 un it il the famme of 1857 1837 1 witnessed the appointment and outfit of a another n ani an 1 entire new set of re representatives presenta tives of federal power marching bit herward hitherward backed by ly federal federa steel chica well nigh terminated in n civil war ii deadly strife but which was finally averted without witti out the shed shedding dlug diug of blood hough though at a vat expense ot of treasure and trouble rouble to the nation as well as ourselves I 1 all p irtis irti a now agree that this uns crusade was the he result of slanderous off iclal official reports made mad for kir sin ster ater and corrupt purposes pur pun posea we have heretofore and not represented 1 these injuries to the federal government but to no apparent purpose pur posa when we have calmly p and mildly stated cur views they have unheedingly passed pissed them by if f incorporating more earnestness and force in in the expression of our views they have been considered insulting ani and in either case disregarded re a r ded ve fellow li ow cit citizens zens what has brought us here to today daj Is it not to c csider these matters and give utterance to th feelings fee linga of an outraged people we speak mr Chair chairman manfor for ourselves and in behalf of this people who are turning out eu en masse magse throughout 0 the entire territory and in the r a 9 dereign ve reign capacity considering the p besent crisis of their own affairs we bir air tho the people of this territory are tired of th a order of thinas rs and have met to say so BO and to let our united voce vo ce again g go up to the federal go gaeri ment asking a for t the e rights cf freemen we sir air are exercising this day the undoubted right of freemen in peaceably assembling together t and taking measures for the redress ot our grievances As before stat stater for over eleven years hv have ire tried thia this territorial form of gove ament and now we are led to ask the he general gorce government ern ment why continue to try it longer since sin ce I 1 it h has as pre pro proad ed so eo decided thou though b not so in ex a f allue does dots 11 mr r biu Liu lucon coln coin his cabinet or the houses of congress think it will prove any dlee diff rent in the r hands than in those of former a ministrations well le us look 1001 and so se what are the indi cation sl how stands this matar io toda oda ioda o da his E excellency governor dawson lately arrived from some place in iri the state of indiana Indi ana aaa presents him bim elf eif in the tern ory as governor without litt 1171 hont houf soliciting the tle appointment of this mn non nun to this office without petition without any manifestation in his hla favor by the pepie aye more without their consent knowledge or r desire he comes and bays says that he is the representative of federal power and he comes with tests of L balty averring that some one or somebody some bOuy else eise es has said somewhere where in the distant country where lie has come from this his bope had been accused of 0 disloyalty to the government he enters upon the ies of his off icea resident of three days issues his hla message vetoes he be first act presented to him passed by the legislative assembly rendering as one of his reasons f for BO mio doing that the organic act provides that all laws passed by the governor and I legislative b Ass assembly emby shall be presented to the con cress eress of the united S sates ates and if d disapproved isae roved royed by it that they shall be null will and void vold and averring there is not time for this act to be so submitted before it would go into operation now the governor probably wat waa not cot aware that his bis own approval app oval was waa adall all ali that was veas necessary 0 o mak maks the act effect effects i e and ana that it t uli would ulc d so remaining rema inin force until so disapproved by congress as before stated never since this territory existed has it transpired that congress has mani mari ested to any persen person that it had not di approved disapproved of 01 an act of the govern r and ilind Legisla legislative tiye assembly nor dor of its disapproval of ny siny and yet our laws have been considered in n force bated uron upon by the federal judg judges es and executed and carried into effect by the executives and ministerial officers generally but according to this man mans mana s theory they could rot cot be considered in force it ass known whether congress disapproved thim or nott noff again ie ile assigns aa ano her reason that time sufficient is not given for th people of ef the territory y to be notified so as to ti ave ave aye an opportunity of acting intelligently upon the subject matter mater therein contained now we are nat not going to find fault with governor dawson for riving giving such flimsy rea boni bom for returning twe the bill neither ars are ar we going to f fol foi olow ow him any further therein but we e ask i ou on fellow citizens what better could coul I 1 we expect of a str sardi Di he arrives here from a distant st sate sata ate sojourne sojourns sojo urns two or three weeks and gos goes home bome agin ain in some fifteen hundred miles away as a matter of course he is unac quain ed with our laws the construction put thi th in i eon reon the practice of hla bis predecessors the people and the government ot of course he did not know that the views of the people beope of this territory had rip ned into a convention and arld an application for admission into the union lon pix rix years ago agog a cl d that the delegate of the territory had bad presented it over and over again and this he did not know when ke he assign ed as a reason for not signing th alemoni memorial ial lal to congress that there was wag no accompanying compa nying constitution of what use is such buch a gover or to eithe elther te tc territory or the general Govern government men honcan how now can the president the cab gab net I 1 or Cou cod congress gress gresa expect him to be of any use it itt iti 1 unreasonable to expect that any man similarly simi similarly larl lari ir chosen and appointed I 1 feel any ant deep or abiding inte interest rest reit or lie e of any benefit like citizens or 0 the tha Terri territory tor y woula whose interest being bellg identified with the people would ie ak ek their prosperity at home lome iome and properly represent them abroad this furnishes eue ene ie great greit reasa reabon reason for the Us ile continuant contina conti nuan anc an c of a practice so pernicious and subversive of the principles of copt popular lar gov pov ov ern ment and to rig right lit this and many other abuses have we met in council this day mr chairman it was only a few days alne ainee when another representative of federal power from some bome other diskint place pac which we ve do not now remember suddenly slipped away ot off into his hit judicial district where he bis his i crey cruy resided according to the law of coi col jeaa which provide that the judges h sil ill re rea de in their respect respective lre ime judicial d strict ani an ar i 1 trampling the law of oe the ry as wel weli 1 as that of congress under his feet released a tri alief let lef from the penitentiary turning him loose to prey upon the community mr chairman we have met to take lawful steps to rid ourselves fron fro n urh uch mal mai admonis travion tra trat tion ion we are together gether to to s lect elect our da eie gates pates to meet in co y on cin the ad monday of this month to to fo m and ad ail rt pt a const aution and state stater go eo ern nent and to in mortal ze congress to grant us ad n son we wish you sir to lo instruct 1 aye oye dele delea delca a ts es incur our oun behalf that we are elrd of hiving having officers sent among us who cannoa carino be presumed to have aily ally knowledge reap epting erting ettag lia he tia policy v feel feelings inge ability charac chara e erol ervi erdi position interest or welfare of this booie po oIe ole and 9 tang at defiance def lince uince our oar laws or to longer insult insull u by the r presence we ve wih wilh sir to instruct that convention to say thib this to tua tun general government aye more tell tami these are your officers not oars ours and thal thai bey hey ukley mis ep represent resent us and we would be si ry ta belie belle believe belleve e they do not misrepresent the general I 1 government our experience has proven hat b tu th you ani and we can get along alpin better with out them than with them I 1 Is not the government at satisfied with the folly and disgrace which it has haa exia exta bt b ed to all the world and which has haa been en a bried led upon her by reason of bein dein being misi mial d a dually betrayed by the misrepresentations of thoas representatives of federal awer wh ch cb it has sent to this lius tei xer telo Tein tory from th asas trous arous campaign of president buchanan Buc banan baoan in ia 1857 8 to their inglorious i uJ uxorious orious retreat in 1861 I 1 when by the order of fe the present tjan tian they destroyed some two hundred tons tona of guna gun and other munitions of war the tho esme a as though had been in the country of alien enemies when at the same sama t me they owed the territory their quota of public arms which as yet has neverseen never seen Teen been sui p led from the p omena ome dading dirig of Col COI Alexaner Alexan er u up it H mys ma fork the poc lauia laula ion lon of un gen A P F Jo johnsto briston r fusing to ta tae e salt to the proclamation of nt loncoln L declara g uinta valley an indian reservation all of which acts and scores of others ot 01 like nature too loo tedious to mention our gover mert kneit ough tto be and d doubtless is ashamed of it if their high sense of honor and ami di danity anity v would allow Ahern to acknowledge fedde fedee it are ard the result of ald are traceable to the misrepresentations misrepresentation i an I 1 influence of those unworthy represent representatives c tives ol of sederal federal the of 0 f federa pa 1 we ask ash again if the government ignot yet satisfied with these aniloff being thus ignobly betrayed into those dl ds s graceful di dilemmas emmas what combination of calf calamitous circumstances or events can maka akka them sa so would it not be better for the government ern eru ment its interest as well veil as its |
