OCR Text |
Show J An Interesting Document Proclamation To The "Mormons" by President Presi-dent Buchanan in '58. Old Reminder. The follow Ink' document, Interest-In,' Interest-In,' only because of Us antiquity, comes fiom Ferdinand Jaeobsen, of I Ik- I.OKan Sixth ward, who chanced upon It as lie was looking over sonic of his old papers the other day. This Is a proclamation Issued by President James Buchanan In April, INS1, when conditions In this western countiy were not as peaceful and piosperous as they ate today. Mr. .lacobson Is a deout saint, was In LoKin at the t'me the proclamation was Issued, end he preserved this copy which he handed us for publication. Some of the language Is not altogether cheerful, cheer-ful, hut-thc document will ro doubt prove Inteiestlng to many who have forgotten or may perchance never have seen It The Proclamation. liereas the Territory of Utah was settled by ceitaln (-migrants from the slates and from foreign couqtrles, who have for several jears past manifested a spirit of Insubordination to the constitution con-stitution and laws of the United States. The great mass of those settlcis, acting under the inllucncc of leaders ;o whom they seem to have surrcudcied their Judgment, lefuso to be controlled by any other authority. They have been often advised to obedience, obedi-ence, and these friendly counsels have been answered with defiance. Ofllcers of the federal government have been driven from the Territory for no offence but an elToit to do theirsworn duty. Others have been prevented from going there by threats of assassination. assas-sination. Judges hae been violently interrupted in the performance of their functions, and the records of the courts have been scied and either destroyed de-stroyed or concealed. Many other acts of unlawful violence have been perpetrated, and the right to repeat them has been openly claimed by the leading inhabitants, with at least the silent acquiescence of nearly all the others Their hostility to the lawful government of the country has at length become so violent that no of-lleer of-lleer bearing a commission from the Chief Magistrate of the Union can enter the Territory or remain there with safety; and all the olllcers recently re-cently appointed have been unable to go to Salt Lake or nnywhere else In I' tali beyond the Immediate power of the army. Indeed, such Is believed to be the condition to which a strange sjstem of terrorism has biought the Inhabitants of that region, that no one among them could express an opinion favorable to this government, or even propose to obey Its laws, without with-out exposing his life and property to peril. After carefully considering this state of a Hairs, and maturely weighing weigh-ing the obligation I was under to sec IheJIaws faithfully executed, tt seems to me right and proper that I should make such use of the military forco at my disposal as might be necessary to protect the federal olllcers in going into the territory of Utah, and In performing their duties after arriving there. 1 accordingly ordered a detachment detach-ment of the army to march to the city of Salt Lake, or within reach' of that place, and to act, Incase of need, as a posse for the enforcement of the laws. Hut, In the meantime, the hatred hat-red of that misguided people for the Just and legal authority of the government govern-ment has become so Intense that they resolve to measure their military strength with thai of the Union, they hae organised an armed force far from contemptible in point of numbers num-bers and trained It, If not with skill, at least with gicat assiduity and pciseNcrance. While the troops of the United States were on their inarch a train of baggage wagons, which happened hap-pened to be unprotected, was attacked and destroyed by a portion of the military mil-itary of the Mormons, and the provisions provi-sions and stores with which the train wasladcned were wantonly burnt In short, their present attitude and unreserved un-reserved enmity to the United States and to all their loyal cltiens; their determination to oppose the authority authori-ty of the government by military force has not only been expressed in words, but manifested In overt acts of the most unequivocal character, Fellow-citizens of Utah, this is ie-bolllon ie-bolllon against the government to which you owe allegiance. It Is levying levy-ing war against the United States, and Involves you In the guilt of treason. trea-son. I'crslstanco In It will bring jou to condign punishment, to lulu and to shame; for It is mere madness to suppose sup-pose that, w Ith your limited resources, jou can successfully resist the force of this great and powerful nation. If you have calculated upon the forbearance of the United States, If you have permitted yourselves to suppose sup-pose that this government will fall to put forth Its strength and bring jou to submission you have fallen Into a grave mistake. You have settled up-on up-on territory which lies geographically In the heart of the Union. The land you live upon was purchased by the United States and paid for outof their treasury. The proprietary right and title to it is in them, and not In you. Utah Is bounded on every side by states and territories' whoso people arc true to the Union. It Is absurd to believe be-lieve that they will or can permit jou to erect In their veiy midst a government govern-ment of your own, not only Independent Independ-ent of the authority which they all acknowledge, but hostile to them and their interests, Do not deceive yourselves, nor try to mislead others by propagating the Idea that this Is u crusade against jour religion. The constitution and laws of this country can take no notice of your creed, whether It be Hue or false. That is a question between your God and yoursehes, in which I disclaim all right to interfere. If yon obey the laws, keep the peace, and respect re-spect the Just rights of otheis, you will be perfectly secure, and may live on In you present faith, or change It for another, at your pleasure. Kvcry Intelligent man among you knows very well that this government has never directly or Indirectly sought to molest you hi your worship, to control you In your ecclesiastical allalrs, or even to Inllucncc you In jour religious opinions. This rebellion Is tint merely a viola-Hon viola-Hon of your legal duty; It Is without just cause, without reason, without excuse You never made a complaint that was not listened to with patience and you never exhibited a real grievance griev-ance that was i ot redressed as promptly as it could be. The laws and legulations enacted for jour government gov-ernment by Congiess have been equal and Just, and their enforcement was manifestly necessary for your own welfare and happiness. You have never asked their repeal. They are slmillar In every respect to the laws which have been passed for other territories terri-tories of the Union, and which everywhere every-where else (with one exception) have been cheerfully obeyed. No people ever lived who were freer from unnecessary unnec-essary legal lestraints than you. Human Hu-man wisdom never devised a political system which bestowed more blessings bless-ings or Imposed lighter burden than the government ot the United States In its operaMon upon the territories, i Hut being anxious to save the elTu-' siuii of blood, and to ayold the indis-1 criminate punishment of a whole peo-1 pie for crimes of which It Is not prob-' able that all are equally guilty, I olfer ' niw a free and full pardon to all who! w 111 submit themselves to the author-' Itv of the federal government. If yon refuse to accept It.lctthcconscquences fall upon your own heads. Hut 1 conjure con-jure you to pause dellberatelj, and rellect well, before you reject this I tender of peace and good will. Now, therefore, I, James Buchanan, President of tho United States have thought proper to Issue this, my proclamation, pro-clamation, enjoining upon all public oihcers In the Territory of Utah, to bo diligent and faithful, to the full extent ex-tent of their power, in the execution of the laws; commanding all eiti.ens of tho United States In said territory to aid and avdit the olllcers in the performance of their duties: olTerhnf to the inhabitants of Utah, who shall submit to the laws, a five pardon for thescditious and treasons heretofoie by them committed: warning those who shall persist, after notice of this pioclamatlon. in the piesent rebellion against the United Stales, that they must expect no further lenity, but look to bo vigorously dealt with according ac-cording to their deserls: and declaring that the military foices now in Utah, and heieafter to be sent there, will not be withdrawn until the inhabitants inhabi-tants of that territory shall manifest a proper sense of the duty which they owe to this government. In testimony wereof, I have hereunto hereun-to set my hand, ami caused the seal of tho United States to be alllxed to these piescnts Done at theUUvor Washington, the! sixth day of Apill, one thousand elKht hundred and tlftj-eltjht, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty second i l s .1 A SIKH Hu( iianan, I Hy the I'teiiihnl. Li:u is Cass, Secretary of United State, |