Show RE PORT OF GENERAL BABCOCK brevet brigadier general 0 E babcock was appointed last spring to make an inspection of the military posts in the west ile lie furnished a report ol 01 his inspection on octa iss ism portions of which were laid before congress b secretary ecret ary aTY stanton on the ad M of Janu january arV ary last latt which were referred to the committee on military affairs an a ordered to be printed i general states that major general gherman iberman showed him ta tra telegraphic correspondence pon dence which had passe passed d between president Pre eident B 11 young and general sherman id desired him to remain at weeks in this valley to fully folly acquaint himself with the threatened difficult question between the united states government and the sect of people known as mormons cormons Mor mons suggesting to him the propriety of talking freely and plainly with th these m people and particularly the leader president to young in accordance with his instructions general babcock left st louis on the mod tod of may last and visited fort lovenworth Laven worth fort kearny cottonwood ton wood Ju lesburg camp wardwell denver camp ollins collins big laramie and north platte before reaching fort bridger in this territory in his report of denver denven and the stage route leading to it he Is pointed in the expression of his views that military natters batters nat anat and indian agencies are conducted ill in anything I 1 but a wise and equitable manner many wady of tile the rumors and reports of indian outbreaks have their origin with whites who arg are anxious for an indian war with an eye to business li having airing contracts and a freer circulation of money in view just as some people in this territory are ever busy to try and br bring ing about a mormon war with the same object in view general babcock reached denver on the of may and by personal investigation he could trace the reports and rumors then in existence there to nothing more than some cases of stealing by bad indians ile lle he recommends the establishment of a mill tary post near gree green n river on the new road between denver benver and great salt lake city which passes through uintah green andrear and bear river counties he considers such a established in advance of the travel would prevent trouble with the indians by compelling white men to mind their own business he ire reached fort bridger on the of june juno and found the post in a shameful condill condition oi grounds not policed buildings out guo of order flooring burned up bridges burned shade trees broken down this reservation Is miles square thus embracing all the good land within twelve miles in either direction 1 the hay bay land Is leased to judge carter also the wood lando land the general beil bell believed eyed eTed the consequence Is no chance for competition ile lie thinks it would be advantageous advantage our ont ouT and economical to the government to sell seit se tho the jarger part of this reser vayon r his report of matters and things here we quote at length major general sherman showed me when in st louis the cor correspondence nolence m himself and brigham young the president of the mormon church he informed me that it was wa possible OS S the government might be compelled compeli sd to force these people to obey the laws of or the land laud an d he Hewl shed me to remain in ili the valley of great salt lake at least four weeks week a to talk freely and often with cormons mormons and gentiles thus if possible to collect such information as would suggest a 0 policy toward these people I 1 reached great salt lake city june 19 and remained until the of july I 1 met many odthe of the mormon peo people le aswell as well weli as the gentiles md and was treated wn with civility by both Per perhaps hapl a detailed account of these people will be of interest the I 1 sect known as mormons cormons is well known in the united states the marked peculiarity of their religion is the claim of a religions right to thelt thele have hav a plura plurality lily illy of wives in other respects their r rell reli religion lon does docs not offend public opinion sho she present head of the church is brigham young whom the mormons cormons believe inspired at times through whom god reveals his wishes he is acknowledged the head of the church and styled sty led lea president e t and Is the trustee in trust of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints with this man at their thel head these people reached this valley july 24 1817 this valley was then an entire wilderness with but few acres of round ground on which crops could be raised he located located his people in the valleys of the streams running from the mountains making the main settlement and aud head of the church at what they called great salt lake city he turned their attention to cultivating the ground and found by irrigating those valleys covered covered with sage bushes fin nine fine a crops could bo be raised this required a great amount of labor but this they furnished and in various portions portion sor of the territory large seale seple settlements ments grew up the territory of utah has n now w the mormons cormons claim a population of near COO they ale are settled in various parts of the territory wherever advantages are offered in soil and for irrigation the attention ot tile the people Is generally genera ily lly confined to agriculture raising of stock the necessaries of ife afe 1 fe the cultivation of this country was neo wary oary ary to the development of the gold mines in idaho and montana mentana for new country was supplied with flour by the cormons mormons Mor mons the territory haa baa much mineral wealth gold silver I 1 ead iron tron gral cral ac but brigham young has kept their auction to cultivation ot of the soil I 1 s wn less legg number timber n of idle people in utah territory than thad in sroy any locality I 1 ever visited I 1 saw pre ident t young often at first he was quite d and formal but afterwards talked freely on he varl tarl various 0 us subjects of difference between bis his i huych hutch and aud the general government tho the act ot ol angress of 1863 prohibiting polygamy has never been enforced president young told me he wanted it brought before t the he courts an and ana d would place no I 1 obstacle in its way and in fact would help to bring it before the courts he said he believed etwas unconstitutional as it is against ono one of the foundations of their religion he went ther and said the mormons cormons would never have had bad more than one wife had not god revealed it to them that it was his wish his sincerity in such statement might be questionable though his manner and conversation would not seem BO so that the people generally believe this I 1 think there is no question the attempt to enforce this law of 1863 has been af allure and I 1 think will be not because the people oppose the courts but the fanatical views of the people render such failures fall fali ures urea almost certain the law mates makes it a crime to take more than one wife before the offender can be tried lie he must most be indicted before a jury abury odthe of the land the jury of necessity is entirely or mostly of mormons cormons Mor mons no mormon can see a crime in lakin taking two or more wives in accordance with gods revelation to them the result Is no one Is indicted ibbe it being in a 0 criminal of onie ofie rense nse there Is no appeal from t this hence the case never comes before the united states courts judge judger titus I 1 believe a very upright man of no prejudice in favor of the Mor mormont mons mout informed me that but bat about one tenth of the mormons cormons are polygamists that hc knows of cases where mormons cormons have been prevented from taming taking more wives by the law of 1863 and others on account of that law have separated from all but one of their wives A great number of the inhabitants of the territory aro arc not citizens of the united states whenever they have become naturalized before judge titus he has required obedience to the law ot of isu 1803 the gentiles anti mormons cormons Mor mons in utah thought they would have a gentile settlement in the territory in the aar habagat mining country where a gentile jury could be found but the cut this portion of utah off and annexed it to nevada territory so 80 the mormons are even evert stronger thuu than before the legislature of utah has placed many any nit matters in the bands hands of inferior courts which 0 louid should ouid be before the highest courts of the territories murder and divorce are thus placed their militia instead of being under tuo tho control of the governor Is under the authority of the church or brigham young in earlier days when these people were more isolated that some ot of them perhaps to the knowledge of the church committed very ve ry ar grave ave crimes I 1 have no doubt among the worst the meadow mountain massacre of 1858 1 I thine think our government in justification orits laws and the opinion of its people should investigate these and place the stigma where it belongs during the rebellion I 1 have no doubt but these people had but little sympathy with the government which they looked upon as their persecutor also many gentiles found their way to the territories who did not wish to aid in putting down the rebellion but sympathized with the secessionists these people the mormons cormons Mor mons were never called upon for a quota of troops had they been I 1 believe it would have been filled with as much promptness as any call that was made whenever called upon to aid in suppressing the indians they have responded promptly and I 1 believe have rendered very efficient service brigham young has three hundred bundred men this season protect protecting ln f the settlers of the southern portion ol 01 the terii teril territory tory from a band of bad indians under a the name of black hawk these men are furnished without complaint they received no from states it the other territories would exhibit similar dispositions many odthe of the indian troubles would disappear that these fee pee people ae were e exasperated aspe rated by the conduct of gen gens 9 arar connor aud and many officers in his command there Is no doubt amore amone A more mone quiet or peaceable I 1 never neler passed four weeks with my opinion Is that a policy by which the institution they cling to with fanatical faith shall be brought against public opinion will be one th atwill soon cure the evil and save our country alithe all ail the elements of good citizens they possess while le a coercive policy will in accordance with the history of the world increase the fanaticism and dest royall the industry and wealth of 1500 people and return that now fruitful valle valie valley ton tob to a kirn esert desert again a careful selection of civit civil and military officers who with wih their families will give these ignorant people an example with the enlightenment by the completion of railroad and telegraph lines will do CIO more to correct the error of thero these people than all the crusades possible this discussion Is given to afford amford you an idea of the people with whom we are to treat la ix thib this thip territory stati has but three wili military tary tars posts fort bridger camp douglas and fort union the first I 1 have havo mentioned the second Is located about three miles from salt mk natee e city on a well selected reservation made I 1 believe by brigadier general connor I 1 found the camp in neat condition with a garrison of some three hundred and fifty men As they were expecting to be mustered ered ened out they had no drills and parades baradet but twice a week GREAT SALT nake LAKE CITY crry great salt lake lahe city from its central locality in the heart of the great mountain district wit with a line of telegraph east eastty ta and west to the pacific also one running north and bouth south through the territory its lines iines of stages to the missouri river and the pacific to idaho and columbia river to montana and Parhan ngat agat mines makes it the great halfway half way place across the continent and so long althe government holds in internal ternA terni military positions this will be one of the greatest importance I 1 most earnestly recommend a department bo be created making mating this the headquarters send bend a judicious commanding g officer with zealous quartermaster and coni commissary this disposition will be such as will be economical will place the mormon question under his eye will place him in a position to purchase most supplies very economically and will place him where he be can best watch the indians CAMP caup nou nor dorelas glas aLAs I 1 think the tho post at camp douglas should be built of stone the quarters arters and storehouses i A very easily worked sandstone can be found i on the reservation or within a few miles of the post As wood Is very expensive and growing more so go ston stone buildings will save much fuel this post should be built bulit to accommodate a regiment though summers a garrison sufficient clent elent to take care of the post Is all that Is necessary the troops can be used against the hostile indians in any direction during the summer A concentration cent ration of troops winters will have many advantages it wiit will be much more economical it will bring men enough together to enable th the command to be disciplined and drilled a thing impossible where butone but one and at the most two company officers are present the Ind indians lahs have to go to certain localities for fish and for game and are equally compelled to go to certain valleys to winter their ponies and to shelter their women and children if the troops are used patr patrolling wing Ving the lines of travel moving from place to place from the time I 1 grass ass Is high enough to feed the until the tyle indians to their winter homes I 1 believe the road can be tie kept perfectly safe We four Y 1 companies at great salt lake four 4 compan companies es at bridger baldger and six 6 companies at a post on the north nord platte aul wul fa protect r the road from denver to great salt balt lake nake rf if properly employed A similar but more changeable disposition should be made between the terminus of the railroad and denver this will change as the railroad advances A post of at least tle tie five nive companies should be established in the vicinity of green river to protect the settlements in southern utah and people going to Parhan agat mines from the utes of this command all except the permanent garrisons to protect protect stores and buildings the latter to b be kept ept a minimum should be mounted cavalry or mounted infantry to send eena infantry after in deans is useless the mounted command should be in rea readiness diness to move en on an hours notice tk this lis kis movable force can judiciously handled protect the stage and emigrant travel a vital matter along the route of travel and scattered settlements the commanding officer should be in the country to judge bet between an indian outbreak and a thieving party of whites and indi ans many expensive indian expeditions can thas be prevented nuil aull the right of the indian as well as the white man be respected the indian pony or horse raised on the plains should be used along through utah and into idaho the settlements were quite numerous and ana very thrifty the practice of irrigation seemed to reclaim all of the lands it can be applied to the settlers sett iera lera are mostly mor mons mon and exhibit the same thrift indest industry and enterprise exhibited in other parts of utah the adobe houses handsome stock of horses sheep and catt cattle cattie lewith with beautiful fields of wheat oats r rye e and gardens filled with vegetables with t the e almost universal planting of fruit tree trees apples pears peaches plums and apricots commend |