History of Salt Lake City, Part 65

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company
Number of Pages: 1194

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" An appeal is now made to the miners of Utah to come in and assist the

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patriotic citizens of this city, in celebrating the Declaration of our National Inde- pendence. Certain gentlemen associated with the mining interests in the various mining camps have been named as a miners' committee, who are requested to make such arrangements in their respective localities as will facilitate the coming in of our mining friends, and their participation in the celebration.

" The gentlemen named are requested to confer with the marshal of the day and the members of the committee on processions, so that suitable arrange- ments may be made for their representation in the procession.

" We cordially invite all our mining friends to participate in this first cele- bration of a double Independence, first from the despotic rule of Europe, and more particularly from the theocratic control of the Utah Priesthood.

"R. H. ROBERTSON,

" Chairman of Committee on Invitation."

The friends of the Liberal Party of Corinne, Ogden and other cities were also addressed. As the day drew near for the celebration, an extraordinary interest was given by the issuance of the following from Acting-Governor George A. Black, forbidding the exercise of a part of the programme of the City Fathers in honoring the Nation's birth :

PROCLAMATION.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH TERRITORY, June 30, A.D., 1871.

" Whereas, His Excellency, the late Governor J. W. Shaffer, of the Territory of Utah, did by Proclamation, proclaim and declare as follows.

PROCLAMATION:

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH TERRITORY, September 15, 1870.

Know Ye, That I, J. Wilson Shaffer, Governor of the Territory of Utah, and commander-in-chief of the militia of the Territory of Utah, do hereby forbid and prohibit all musters, drills or gatherings of Militia of the Territory of Utah, and all gatherings of any nature, kind or description of armed persons within the Ter- ritory of Utah, except by my order, or by the order of the United States Marshal, should he need a posse comitatus to execute any order of the court, and not otherwise.

And it is hereby further ordered that all arms or munitions of war belonging either to the United States or Territory of Utah, not in possession of United States soldiers, be immediately delivered by the parties having the same in their possession to Col. Wm. M. Johns, Assistant Adjutant General ; and it is further ordered that should the United States Marshal need a posse comitatus to enforce any order of the Court, or to preserve order, he is hereby authorized and em- powered to make a requisition upon Major General P. E. Connor for such posse comitatus or armed force, and Major General P. E. Connor is hereby authorized to order out the militia or any part thereof, as of my order for said purpose or purposes and no other.

Witness my hand and the great seal of said Territory at Salt City City, this 15th day of September, A. D. 1870.

J. W. SHAFFER, Governor.

Attest: VERNON H. VAUGHN, Sec'y of Utah Terr'y.

"Which by its terms, among other things did forbid and prohibit all musters,

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drills or gatherings of any nature, kind or description of armed persons within the Territory of Utah, except by the order of the Governor of said Territory, or by the order of the United States Marshal, should he need a posse commitatus to exe- cute any order of the court, and not otherwise, and

Whereas, one Daniel H. Wells, in violation of said proclamation and order of said Governor, did, on the 22d day of June, A. D., 1871, issue or cause to be issued the following order, to-wit :-

ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, SALT LAKE CITY, U. T., June 22d, 1871.

SPECIAL ORDERS NO. 1.

I. The committee of arrangements appointed by the corporate authorities of this city, having asked for a detachment of the Territorial militia, with bands of music, to aid in the celebration, on the 4th proximo, of the 95th anniversary of our Nation's Independence, it is hereby ordered as follows :

2. The Commandant of Salt Lake Military District will detail from his dis- trict :

The martial and brass bands under their respective leaders.

One company of artillery with ordnance to fire salutes, etc.

One company of cavalry.

Three companies of infantry.

3. The detail will perform such service during the day as may be assigned to it by the committee of arrangements.

4. Good order is strictly enjoined. No fast riding is allowed within the limits of the city. By order of

LIEUT .- GEN. DANIEL H. WELLS.

H. B. CLAWSON, Adjutant General.

"And, whereas, there being no such officer recognized by the commander-in- chief of the military of this Territory as that of lient. - general,

" Now, therefore, be it known that I, Geo. A. Black, Secretary of the Terri- tory of Utah, and acting Governor thereof, and Commander-in-chief of the Militia of said Territory, do hereby make known to all persons whomsoever that the said military parade, under the said order of the said Daniel H. Wells, is strictly forbidden. And be it further known that it is hereby ordered and com- manded, that all persons except United States troops, desist from participating in or attempting to participate in any military drill, muster or parade, of any kind, at any place within said Territory from and after this date, or until it shall be otherwise ordered and commanded by the Governor and Commander-in-chief of the militia of the Territory of Utah.

" Witness my hand and the Great Seal [L. S.] of the Territory of Utah, at Salt Lake City, this 30th day of June, A. D. 1871.

" GEO. A. BLACK, " Sce'y and Acting Governor and Commander-in- Chief of the Militia of Utah Territory."

The issuance of such a proclamation, on such an occasion as the celebra- tion of the nation's independence, was construed as the greatest outrage that could have been offered to American citizens, as well as being un-American in letter and spirit. By citizen soldiers America's independence was won, and by their blood the fabric of the Republic was cemented; but here, in Utah. in 1871, an

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HISTORY OF SALT LAKE CITY.

Acting-Governor of the Territory, makes treasonable any practical remembrance, in the city's celebration, of the glorious fact, which for nearly a century had been America's boast, that her independence was won by citizen soldiers, in their heroic battles with the serried hosts of Great Britain's regular armies. The remembrance that the Fourth of July is supremely the citizen soldiers' holy-day, is as an epic of exalted patriotism going back, from the children who enjoy the inheritance, to the fathers who purchased it for them by their deeds and their blood, in the grandest and purest epic war known in all human history since earth was created. This was divine political gospel, uttered or expressed in action by an anti-Mormon party in their celebration of the Fourth of July, 1871, but was regarded as rank treason in the Mormon Pioneers of Utah, nearly every man of whom could truthfully say, " our fathers fought in the American revolution." The man, Daniel H. Wells-to whom the city's committee of arrangements applied for five companies of citizen soldiers to glorify the pageantry of the day-was a descendant of the illustrious Thomas De Welles, fourth Governor of Connecticut, who repeatedly served that Puritanic New Eng- land State as Governor, and commander-in-chief of the citizen soldiers who pro- tected her commonwealth in her early days of Indian wars, as his descendant Lieut .- Gen. Daniel H. Wells had done in the early days of the Utah colonies.

Men of strong measures have asked, "Why, as commander-in-chief, did he nut order out ten companies of this militia, to take part under his own com- mander-in-chiefship in this Fourth of July celebration?" If the militia had honored his call, then his signature-" Acting Governor and Commander-in- chief of the militia of Utah Territory," would have shown some historical signifi- cance ; had it not been so honored his proclamation would at least have been worthy to lay side-by-side with that of Governor Shaffer, while it would have given the Anti-Mormon side some ground to charge the Utah militia with in- cipient treason, or with possessing at best a spurious loyalty.

But the ridiculous phase of the episode was not worthy of mention in his- tory, apart from its fatal inclining to tragic results. On this Fourth of July occasion, the Acting Governor, ordered out General De Trobriand with his troops, with a requisition to fire on the companies of militia, if they attempted to form in the procession, according to the order of Lieut .- General Daniel H. Wells.

This celebration of the National anniversary was the largest and most impos- ing ever witnessed in the interior. Davis, Weber, Box Elder and Salt Lake Counties were represented, and the greatness of the display was only equalled by the evident determination on the part of citizens to make it worthy of the day.

Thr great feature of the day was the grand procession, the divisions of which commenced taking up position before eight o'clock, and it was a quarter past nine before it was fully formed and commenced to move on the route indicated in the programme. The procession was a grand display, and occupied three-quarters of an hour in passing a given point. On the first division reaching the head of first East Street, it halted there until the three other divisions passed, when all pro- ceeded towards the New Tabernacle, but hundreds had to turn back, being unable to obtain an entrance to that building of vast capacity.

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HISTORY OF SALT LAKE CITY.

The Tabernacle presented a very animated appearance. Thousands of juven- iles from the schools, occupied positions in the centre; and in the front of the stands was a platform on which sat Columbia (personated by Miss Nellie Cole- brook) with her attendant train of States and Territories. Among the strangers from the Pacific and strangers from the Atlantic were Hon. Elizabeth Cady Stan- ton and Susan B. Anthony, to see how the glorious Fourth was celebrated in Mor- mondom. There were at least thirteen thousand persons present.

In the absence of ex-Governor B. Young, the chairman of the day, Mayor Wells was elected chairman.

The assembly was called to order by Col. j. D. T. McAllister, Marshal of the day. The Star Spangled Banner was sung by the Tabernacle Choir, the Phil- harmonic Society and the combined city choirs with splendid effect, the audience joining in the chorus. The chaplain of the day, Apostle Orson Pratt, offered a fervent, patriotic prayer ; Capt. Croxall's brass band next discoursed a selection from the " Grand Duchess ; " Col. D. Mckenzie read the Declaration of Inde- pendence ; " Yankee Doodle " followed, by Capt. Beezley's martial band; and then came the Hon. George Q. Cannon with a magnificent oration, which was repeatedly and loudly applauded.

The " Anthem of Liberty " was next delivered by the superb voice of Mrs. Careless, accompanied by the full chorus. Hon. John T. Caine followed with a noble speech on " the day we celebrate ; " the united schools, led by Mr. George Goddard sang " Lovely Deseret ; " Mr. Alexander Majors addressed himself to the little chidren of " Deseret ; " and Hon. Thomas Fitch of Nevada, crowned the occasion with one of his great speeches.

The non-Mormon procession formed in front of the Liberal Institute. Among the leading features of this procession were the fine band of the 13th in- fantry, a car with the Goddess of Liberty, and a bevy of young ladies, represent - ing the States and Territories ; carriages containing officials, citizens and guests ; six wagons with ore and three of bullion ; large receiving and distributing vans, representing the mercantile interests, and a number of decorated wagons. After marching the route indicated in their programme, the procession returned to the Institute and moved inside the building to participate in the exercises, which commenced with music from the band, whose fine performance swelled the enthu- siasm of the occasion. Rev. G. M. Pierce offered prayer ; T. A. Lyne read the Declaration of Independence ; the choir sang the Star Spangled Banner ; Nat Stein read a clever original poem ; Gen. Geo. R. Maxwell delivered the oration of the day ; A. M. Lyman delivered a noble discourse; Col. Jocelyn was elo- quent on the subject of patriotism versus the Mormon religion ; W. S. Godbe adorned the occasion with a speech abounding with patriotism toward the nation, and with brotherly feeling toward the Mormon people.

Next came Judge Toohy of Corinne in a speech remarkable only for its misstatements and abuse, in which he said that the town of Corinne had done more in two years for the material advancement of Utah than all the rest of the Terri- tory had done in twenty-five years. In his malicious assault upon Mormon Utah he disgusted the Gentiles.

E. L. T. Harrison, of the " Church of Zion, " held that republicanism was

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HISTORY OF SALT LAKE CITY.

theocracy defeated, and for theocracy to celebrate the natal day of republicanism was preposterous ; they had assembled to celebrate the overthrow of theocracy as well as the anniversary of the nation's independence."

Major C. H. Hempstead made a few closing remarks and the Rev. Mr. Kirby offered the benediction.

Each side in this notable celebration ventilated its own special views and sentiments; but the grand day passed off peaceably, especially considering that Acting-Governor Black had ordered out U. S. troops to overawe the citizens. The five companies of militia marched in the procession without arms.

CHAPTER LVII.

LOCAL POLITICS. CAMPAIGN OF 1871. J. R. WALKER HEADS THE LIBERAL TICKET. FAIR PROSPECTS FOR THE LIBERALS. THEIR RATIFICATION MEETING. THE SUDDEN CLOUD. BREAK-UP OF THE MEETING. SPLIT IN THE LIBERAL PARTY. KELSEY'S PROTEST. WITHDRAWAL FROM THE TICKET. THE COALITION PARTY BURIED AT THE ELECTION.

The August election, in 1871, for awhile seemed most promising with oppor- tunities to the Liberal Party ; and in the suspended action of the courts, till the September term, it kept alive the public interest. Nor were the Federal authori- ties left out of the business. They, indeed, this year were the prime movers. Gov. Geo. L. Woods presided at the Liberal meetings ; the Secretary of the Terri- tory, George A. Black, had not forgotten the conspicuous part he had performed in his Fourth of July proclamation. U. S. District Attorney Baskin, and his as- sistant, Maxwell, were the political leaders, while it was known, so great was the interest of Chief Justice McKean in the campaign, that he would fain have taken the platform with Governor Woods at the ratification meeting, but for the sense of its unpardonable impropriety. The Governor of the Territory, though in his office properly the representative of the whole people, and not a section, could, however, with better grace show some political leaning, in the choice of members to the legislature of which he was the executive head. But, perhaps, no man in Utah was more deeply concerned in the vigor, unity and good showing of the campaign than Judge McKean; for it was evident that a strong unbroken opposi- tion in the August election, assailing " polygamic theocracy," which in the Sep- tember term he was about to bring into court for trial, would greatly strengthen his hands.

Thus stood the liberal side and cause, in July, 1871, while the ticket of the party for Salt Lake County was uncommonly good. It consisted of the following names : J. Robinson Walker, Samuel Kahn, Wells Spicer and C. C. Beckwith, for the council branch of the legislature.

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HISTORY OF SALT LAKE CITY.

That the People's ticket would win there was no question ; but there were names on the Liberal ticket, which were respected by the managers of the People's party.

But the infinite stupidity of anti-Mormon malice brought down the bolt that split the Liberal party, and paralyzed its action, utterly for a year, just as the party was laying itself out for a year's vigorous campaign, to culminate in the contest for the delegate's seat in the general election in the fall of 1872.

At the ratification meeting, on Saturday, the 22d of July, the Liberal Insti- tute was filled with citizens of all classes, to listen to the speeches of the leaders of the Liberal party, and to learn the principles and spirit which was to animate a contest headed by such representative men as J. R. Walker, Samuel Kahn, Wells Spicer, and C. C. Beckwith. There were many Mormon citizens present, with whom, perhaps, the opinion was held that with such respectable and conservative candidates the spirit of the opposition would not be rabidly anti-Mormon, but rather a legitimate citizens' contest.

The music of Camp Douglas band enlivened the spirits of the meeting, and added to the interest and promise of a happy evening to the party, after which the assembly was called to order by U. S. Marshal, J. M. Orr, and the following officers elected : president, Governor Woods ; vice-president, Col. Warren ; sec- retary, Mr. W. P. Appleby. The presiding officer in a few well chosen remarks, declined to take any part in the discussion, holding as he did an official position, which made it his duty to administer the law to all persons alike of whatever po- litical party. He said, however, that he was at all times ready to join any class of citizens in any effort to built up republican institutions here in Utah, to develop the resources, promote the cause of education, and add to the prosperity of the entire Territory. He would gladly do this, not as a partizan, but as an American citizen. The opening by Governor Woods was well toned, but General Maxwell quickly broke the harmony of the occasion.

He opened his speech with the extravagant affirmation that " the supremacy of the law, the safety of life and property in Utah to-day, is owing to the Liberal party. The supremacy of the law was the first plank of the party laid down a year ago and that has been won. The second plank in that platform was the de- velopment of the mineral resources of the Territory and that has also become es- tablished as the settled policy of the people. The third was that polygamy was a crime. We said so then ; we say so now, with this proviso, that the authorities of the United States first bring the leaders to punishment before interfering with their dupes."

Notwithstanding the extravagance of the statement that it was the Liberal party which had given to Utah the condition of " safety of life and property," and won for her people " the supremacy of the law," the statement was so flattering to the party vanity, that General Maxwell was " cheered to the echo," and the " golden opinions " which he had won in his contest for Delegate Hooper's seat in Congress had given him the voice of a leader of the party. But when he rudely assaulted the domestic relations of the Mormon community, declaring polygamy a crime as one of the planks of the party, a perceptible shock of anger and indignation ran over quite one half of the audience. nor was the anger assuaged by " this proviso"

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of the liberal platform " that the authorities of the United States first bring the leaders to punishment before interfering with their dupes." Had such principles and aims been laid down at the onset as the political platform, when Eli B. Kelsey ruled as the first chairman of the party managers, and Henry W. Lawrence for mayor of Salt Lake City headed their first ticket, the Liberal party would never have been born out of a coalition of Gentiles with seceding Mormon elders ; nor would the party have possessed a Salt Lake Tribune, though the Godbeites had re- tained a missionary magazine; nor owned a Liberal Institute, in which anti-Mor- mon demagogues might outrage the Mormon community, and falsify the professions of good faith made by the Godbeite leaders in behalf of their former brethren and sisters of the Mormon church.

Although not endowed by nature with fine organic sensibilities, General Maxwell felt the rebound of the shock and in a rude way which was more aggra- vating than the original offence, he hastened to throw oil upon the troubled waters by saying he could " readily understand how a man may become so entangled in the meshes of polygamy as not to see his way out in justice to those depending upon him," and it was not for the Liberal party " to say those family ties shall be sun- dered at once, but no new relations of the kind shall hereafter be entered into,"' and then he climaxed the party fiat on the anti-polygamic plank with a blunt state- ment addressed to Kelsey, Godbe, Lawrence and other leaders of the coalition who had been "entangled in the meshes of polygamy," that the Gentile wing of the party had protected them as long as they could but now they would have " to give them up to justice."

The audience could see that during this assault upon the family relations of the Mormon people, Eli B. Kelsey sat on the platform like a caged lion, sup- pressing his wrath ; but Maxwell, by this time under a full charge of anti-Mormon heroism, heard not, in his insensibility, the rumbling of the earthquake beneath his feet, but pushed fiercely on from the Godbeite polygamists to the city author- ities and the police. On them he spent himself to his heart's content, and the Liberal party breathed again, for the vials of wrath were not now poured upon its own devoted head ; and there was a sort of political common sense in calling down fire and brimstone upon the "corrupt party in power," for their "mis- management of the city affairs," their " using up the people's taxes " and the em - ployment of " Danites as policemen " to do the " murderous and dirty work of the Mormon church." The Liberal party could bear any amount of such talk ; and General Maxwell sat down amid cheers having closed with the remark : "We may not succeed at this election, but we shall poll a vote that will astonish them."

Had the meeting closed at this point, the thunderbolt had not split the party; but Judge Toohy of Corinne, in answer to repeated calls, took the stand and the rumblings of the thunder were quickly heard. "Here in Utah." he said, " sen- suality and crime have found a congenial home ; here immorality has been lifted up where virtue ought to reign. If I had time I could prove the leaders, not the people, were to blame for this. The people of Utah were originally as good as as people elsewhere; but have they found freedom and equality in Utah ? No ; no more than in Turkey; less than in Ireland, and a great deal less than in any kingdom on the globe."

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" The priesthood of Utah is not the priesthood of Jehovah, but the priest- hood of the robber ; not a priesthood for the good of the people, but a priesthood which builds palaces, every stone of which is stained with the blood of the inno- cent and wet with the tears of widows and orphans. On a recent occasion, in this hall, I stated I belonged to a certain church, but that the moment that church should attempt to raise its cross above the flag and law of the Nation, that moment church and cross would fall. A certain journal [the Herald ] in this city, there- upon stated that if I was a Catholic I must be an apostate. I say in reply, that the man who wrote that paragraph lies, and there isn't a drop of blood running up or down his veins, that does not warm the carcass of a coward. After the breaking out of the rebellion in 1861, the first church in America on which the Federal flag was raised was the Catholic cathedral in Cincinnati, and the rope that raised it was held in the hands of the Archbishop himself. I was there upon the spot, and at that moment, here in Salt Lake, the editors of that paper aud the people who read it were praying that the rebellion might succeed, and were only kept in subjection by the soldiers of Camp Douglas." He then launched out upon the mission of the loyal miners in Utah, but soon drifted back to polygamy, Catholicism and the Irish again, saying :

" The best blood of Europe has been seduced to come here to Utah, and bow down before a false shrine ; all except the people of old Ireland, where the Catholic religion holds them true. Not an honest Irishman ever became a Mor- mon, not one. The Irishman who could become a Mormon and obey their priesthood-what flattery to call him a man. "

These forcible but inelegant passages will show sufficient of the subject mat. ter and style of Judge Toohy's speech at this fatal " ratification meeting." To the graphic pen of E. L. Sloan in the editorial columns of the Salt Lake Herald may be given the description of the strange " ratification " outburst that Maxwell and Toohy provoked. He wrote :

" Colonel Tooby as usual devoted his speech to a eulogy of the Catholic Church, without stating, however, whether he believed in the dogma of Papal in- fallibility. At this period in his diatribe, a gentleman with a small body but plentiful brains, called the speaker to order, demanding that he should confine himself to a discussion of the principle of the party and not obtrude his religious views upon the audience. This called forth a storm of applause and hisses, which at once demonstrated the piebald character of the assemblage. Col. Toohy pro- ceeded but was again interrupted by Mr. Tullidge, when the latter gentleman was requested to " dry up" until the former had concluded and then take the stand. The Colonel soon subsided, having evidently exhausted his vocabulary of vulgar epithets, and Tullidge, with fire gleaming in his eye, mounted the rostrum and 'spoke his mind' very plainly, perorating with the remark that he was as much opposed to the theocracy of Rome as that of Salt Lake, and that he could not see difference enough to split between the Pope and Brigham Young. Cheers and hisses followed this utterance of Mr. Tullidge.

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History of Salt Lake City, Part 65

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company Number of Pages: 1194

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company
Number of Pages: 1194