History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

CHAPTER XVII.
UTAH AS A TERRITORY.
1849-1853.
Need of Civil Government—The State of Deseret Organized—Memorials
for Admission into the Union—Proposed Consolidation
with California—Administration of Justice—Proceedings of the
Legislature—Babbit's Reception at Washington—The State of
Deseret before Congress—Act to Establish a Territorial Government—Appointment
of Officials—III Feeling between Them
and the Mormons—The Officials Depart for Washington-
Measures of the Legislative Assembly—Stansbury's Survey—
The Gunnison Massacre—Indian Outbreaks—The Walker War
—Mexican Slave-traders.
Until the year 1849 the Mormons were entirely
under the control of their ecclesiastical leaders, regarding
the presidency not only as their spiritual head, but
as the source of law in temporal matters. Disputes
were settled by the bishops, or, as they were also
termed, magistrates of wards, appointed by the presidency.
The brotherhood discountenanced litigation,
as before mentioned, but the population did not consist
entirely of members of the church. There was
already in their midst a small percentage of gentile
citizens, gathered, as we have seen, from nearly all
the civilized nations of the earth. It was probable
that, as the resources of the territory were developed,
this number would increase in greater ratio, and
it was not to be expected that they would always remain
content without some form of civil government.
Not infrequently litigation arose among the gentiles,
or between Mormon and gentile ; and though strict
justice may have been done by the bishops, it was