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 UTAH

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UTAH

Santa Fe, 2 January, 1777. They charted the ex- )lored lands, described the tribes they had visited, he botany of the country, named the rivers and nountains, and bequeathed to us a valuable history ■{ their expedition. From 1823 imtil 2 Feb., 1848, 'tah belonged to the Republic of Mexico, and when he Mormon.s, American citizens, settled, July, 1847, [1 the valley of the Great Salt Lake they became, un- onsciously, intruders on Mexican soil. By the "■reaty of Peace, signed 2 Feb., 1848, by the American nd Alexican representatives at Guadalupe-Hidalgo, -the home-town of the famous shrine and pilgrimage f Our Lady of Guadalupe — L'tah came under the erritorial jurisdiction of the United States. So that 1 less than one hundred years the region now known ,s the State of Utah was possessed by three separate lations.

It, matters not to the present age or to Utah's iiture greatness whether Brigham Young and his ardy followers were directed to Salt Lake Valley y the great missionary, Father De Smet, by chance, r, as the Mormons claim, by Divine revelation, 'hey came, they toiled; their settlement attracted lany of their faith, and many who did not accept that lith. A territory was organized, a fine city was lid out, the mountain streams diverted over the arid ind, and the land that was arable brought imder ultivation. On 1.5 September, 1847, the American roops imder General Winfield Scott took possession f Mexico City, and on 2 Feb., 1848, the Treaty f (luadalupe-Hidalgo was signed, ceding for a con- ifleration of $1.5,000,000 all territon,' north and north- ast of the present boundary of the two republics, icluding the States of California, Arizona, New lexico, and Utah. The Latter Day Saints now, S4S, became subjects of the LInited States and, after rgaiiizing a provisional government, aiijilicd for ad- lissi.in into the Union under the title of the State of )e.-;erot. Pending the will of Congress, the Mormons stnblished their invn mint and issued gold pieces of he value of 2. .50, .5, 10, and 20 dollars. They also ut in circulation paper currency, and organized as a ua.si-independent state. In the spring of '49 ftah's political history opened with the adoption of a iinstitution for the State of Deseret. Ignoring the Plilication of the Mormons for statehood. Congress assed an act granting to Utah territorial rights. 'he bill was signed by President Millard Fillmore,

.*>eptember, 18.50. The boundaries of the new 'rritf)ry were defined in the Congressional Act to e: Oregon on the north, California on the west, the immit of the Uoeky Mountains on the east, and the 7th parallel of latitvide on the south. By the ecrce of the President of the LInited States, Brigham oung, the Mormon hierarch and head of the Church t the Latter Day I'^aints, wa,s appointed first Gov- •nor of the Territorj' of Utah, 28 Sept., 1851, thu.s itablishing a theocratic form of government, or an npcrium in impcrio. within the limits of the republic. On the first Monday in .\pril, 1S,51, the first niunic- lal election was held in Salt Lake City. A charter pr the city had been granted by the As.sembly of leseret and on 9 Jan., 18.51, the city was in- )ri)<)rated. By order of Congress the Legislature Deseret was dissolved 5 April, 1851, when

territorial legislature for Utah was established 1(1 a delegate to Congress elected. At that me, according to a census taken in April, 1851, le population of Utah was 11,354. Polygamy, hich ha<i been proclaimed — and publicly for the •st time at a special conference held in Salt ake City, 28 August, 18.52— was abolished by the manifesto" of the October conference held in 1890 gned on 8 ^Lay, 1895 by Wilford Woodniff, Preai- -nt of the Church of Jc.-ius Christ of Latter Day lints. The Constitution w.a.s framed .and adopted f popular vote, 5 Nov., 1895. By proclamation of

the President of the United States, signed 4 January, 1896, Utah was admitted as a state of the Union. Salt Lake, the capital of LTtah, is one of the most picturesque and attractive cities of America. Its streets are 132 feet wide and its population in 1910 was 92,777. Ogden, Provo, Logan, Murray, and Park City are prosperous towns of the state.

Legislation. — The Legislature for ITfah consists of 63 members elected by the people: 45 in the House of Representatives and is in the Senate. Populatiim forms the basis of representation both for the local Legislature and for Congress where Utah is repre- sented by two senators chosen by the Legislature and one congressman elected by popular vote. Under the criminal law murder is punished by death, the criminal having the choice of death by hanging or shooting. Blasphemy, arson, and perjury are statutory offences, but bla,sphemy only when it constitutes a breach of the peace. Polygamy and bigamy are crimes against society and those jiroved guilty of either are punished by imprisonment not exceeding five years or by a fine of $500. Under the civil law all priests and ministers attached to churches, all judges, mayors of cities, and justices of the peace are empowered to marry ap- plicants, who must have the consent of parents or guardians if they are under age, that is 21 years for male and 16 for female. Cnielty, desertion, im- potency, adultery, permanent insanity, habitual drunkenness, and conviction of felony are legal causes for divorce in Utah. Sunday i.^ a legal holiday. School attendance is compulsory for all chiklren be- tween the ages of eight and sixteen. Clergymen, lawyers and doctors are privileged witnesses under state law.

Education. — The school population of Utah (1910) was 108,924. A larger percentage of the popu- lation of Utah is within the school age than can be found in any other state of the Re])ublic. There are two universities, the Univei-sily of LItah, and the University of the Latter Day Saints, thirty-five high schools, a state Normal school, .State School of Mines, .State Agricultural College, State School for Deaf and Dumb, the Brigham Young Colleges at Provo and Logan, a Presbyterian college, the All Hallows (Catholic) College, .St. Mary's Academy (Holy Cross Sisters), Salt Lake City, the Academy of the Holy Cro.ss Si-sters, Ogden, many private institutions of learning and 670 common schools. To have an ac- curate idea of the educational standing of Utah it is well to remember that, according to a late report of the .State .Superintendent of Education, there are only six states of the Union which e\-pend more per capita of the total population for schools, than does the State of Utah. The expenditure for educa- tional purposes was $2,8.32,273 in 1910, and the valuation of school projierty was $5,902,801.

Religious Denominations. — Sectarian Protestant- ism is represented in ITtah by many ecclesiastical bodies including Protestant Episcopal, Presby- terian, Lutheran, Scientist, Bible Christian, Metho- dist, ]\Ietliiidist K])ise(ii)al, Congregational, Baptist, Theosophist, Spiritist, Unitarian, Latter Day .Saints, Reorganized Latter Day Saints, Adventists, and other minor bodies. It is estimated that fully 30 per cent of the population of Utah .attend no iilace of worship, and as divorce is increasing and becoming a menace to the stability of society, particul.arly in the cities .and towns, the church population is threatened with more serious emaciation. Ecclesiastical prop- erty in the state is vested in corpor.ations organized for ecclesiastical or charitable purposes, in a bishop properly incorporated, or it is held in trust under law by matured persons.

Ecclesiastical History. — We have seen th.at as early as 1776 two Spanish Franciscan priests left Santa Fe, New Mexico, and, crossing .south-western Colorado, discovered Utah Lake, instructed the