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Show DR. GEO. L. MILLER. His Reflections Upon the Mormon Question as Viewed In Its -Stronghold. No Alternative For the People or the Territory but Final Submission to the Laws. The Utah Commission a "Superfluous Fungus" of 85,000 a Tear. Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. 21. -Some notes of my journey to Utah were sent to the Herald yesterday, to which I venture to add a few more to-day, with epecial reference to "the Mormon question," ques-tion," which is as old as the memory of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. I find the Utah air heavy with the bitterness bitter-ness of unreason in the passionate conflict con-flict between Mormon and Gentile, and between Mormons and the federal executioners of the Edmunds law for the suppression of "the twin relic." Assaults upon this peculiar institution in the last sixteen years tended to harden the elements here into a solidity in support of polygamy that could not have been done in any other wayv That is a very natural result. Left to itself, polygamy -would have died of itsown weight in free contact with the outer world. Such contact given, and the seeds of dissolution were self-planted within it. No such institution could live anywhere this side of the Orient against destroying association with THE HIGHER AND BETTER ORDERED CIVIL-. CIVIL-. . ' , IZATCON . That has ruled in Christian countries for nineteen centuries. It cannot live now. Oppression will come, if my Mormon friends do not find the solvent and seize the opportunity, and it will come in such form and with such force, under the commands com-mands of a vehement . and venemous public opinion, that the injustice of today to-day will seem to them mere child's play in the comparison. Argument has ended. There is no room for debate. No religion can successfully stand in revolt against the solemn resolves of a great and powerful power-ful nation of people whose highest judicial, judi-cial, legislative and ' executive tribunals denounce the practice of its leading article of faith and doctrine as a crime against the State. It is sheer madness and unmixed un-mixed folly to contend otherwise. It simply invites destruction and degrees of incidental wrongs upon tho people of Utah of which ' an angry public pub-lic opinion will take no note, and with -which it will not stop long enough to have the least sympathy. Legislative commissions, arbitrary power, universal disfranchisement, confiscation of church property, and all the resultant evil, are among the possibilities of these Mormon people unless President Taylor, Mr. Cannon, Can-non, and other brave and" able men improve im-prove their opportunity to avert the coming com-ing storm. Can there -be any doubt about this? Can my powerful neighbors and friends fail to see it ? "But," says one .(an honest and sincere man of intelligence), in-telligence), "we may be driven out again as we have been before," as if ready for the sacrifices and sufferings of the past. "VTiere," was my answer, "will you be driven to? Not under the sun of heaven this side of the Oriental countries is there a spot on the round earth IN WHICH POLYGAMY WILL BE TOLERATED Any more than it is here in the Salt Lake valley." I have heard no intelligible response to this argument in respect to the remedy of a second migration. This, however, I may say, is not seriously contemplated by these people. They hope, but hope in vain, for a better solution. solu-tion. The recent brave act and example of Bishop Sharp, in which he registered in his own heart first, and in the court afterward, the solemn vow that he would obey the law as his highest duty to his religion, believing still that his religion I was right, points the way to the only possible pos-sible ending of this difficult and dangerous danger-ous controversy. George Q. Cannon in prison will not prevent the most disastrous disast-rous consequences to all that is dear to him and to his people, in my opinion. The way is so clear to this people that I cannot comprehend their hesitation to accept it. But I have no word of abuse or insult for these founders of Utah. They are possessed of striking virtues, and they have done a great work. They are entitled to every possible consideration, considera-tion, and have abundant sympathy from one who has known their work and their worth these many years. Abuses have been here. Wrong acts have been committed com-mitted by the controlling men in Utah. Ambition for power and the lust of it, natural human hunger for place and wealth here as in every other age and time, have wrought injustice and wrong. Conceding all this, and the concession amounts to no more than that what has happened here constitutes the warp and woof of the world's history since that history began; Behind it all, and before it all, lies a- mountain of blessing to a great many people in this world who never knew what it was till they were transplanted - here under Brigham Young's system to own a spot of earth, a pig, a cow, or so much as a hut or hovel, in their own right, nor did . they have a. shadow of hope that such ownership could be theirs in all their weary lives. I used to say twenty years ago that this government in Utah was the best and cheapest government in the Union. I believe it can be said now. Capital crime is so rare that prosecuting officers of the law for its punishment know very little about it. The public morals, represented by Gentile and Mormon, are high and good, although the gambler is here in force. He was not here at all when I first Baw Utah.' Federal officers here are not charged with corrupt offenses. . The commission under the Edmunds law ought to be abol-' ished as a costly and superfluous fungus, at "$5,000 a year," unless it can be composed com-posed of first rate statesmenwho could be instructed to do something more than execute ex-ecute a law that could easily execute itself it-self without the help of this useless commission. com-mission. . " BUSINESS IS DEPRESSED IN SALT LAKE CITY From other causes besides those that are general throughout the country. Confidence Confi-dence is shaken by the "irrepressible conflict," and business is dull., At the tabernacle yesterday a throng of pious people filled its ample spaces. - George Q. Cannon and the old leaders were not there. President Taylor and Mr. Cannon Can-non are hiding from the officers to escape arrest. I have regretted that I could not see them, especially Mr. Cannon, whom I have so long known and esteemed. The weather is sunny-and serene, simply charming, but exceptionally -warm for the season. Omaha Herald, 24tn. |