Page:The Rocky Mountain Saints.djvu/310

276 5th of April, 1852, Deseret merged into Utah officially, but the State organization was continued and exists to-day as much as ever it did. Nominally, the civil authority is Utah: de facto it is Deseret. The Government pays the Territorial legislators their per diem for making the laws of Utah, and hands them their mileage at the end of the session. On the day succeeding the close, Brigham, as governor of Deseret, convenes them as a State legislation: reads his message to them, and some one proposes that the laws of the legislature, of Utah be adopted by the State of Deseret. In this manner, Brigham is continued governor de facto, and hence the tenacity with which the name of "Deseret" is preserved. To give to the State that succeeds the Territory of Utah any other name than "Deseret" would be to throw discredit upon the inspiration that named the provisional Government in 1849. Let but the Federal Congress name it "Deseret" come when it may into the Union and Brigham and his worshippers will see, through all the tortuous windings of its history for over a score of years, the finger of God, and the dark deeds of the past will be sanctified in their sight. They will believe that "the Lord" has been with Brigham throughout.

The Gentile Federal officers arrived in July of 1851, and very soon after their arrival concluded that Utah was not the most pleasant place in the world for unbelievers. They attended a special conference of the Church held in September, and were honoured with an invitation to sit on the platform with the prophets. On that occasion the proposition was made to send a block of Utah marble or granite as the Territorial contribution to the "Washington monument at the seat of Government. Associate Justice Brocchus made a speech, and before closing it drifted on to polygamy.  He spoke irreverently of that institution, going so far as to assure the ladies of its immorality, reproved the leaders for their disrespectful language concerning the Government and their consignment of President Zachary Taylor to the nether regions.  This was something new in the Rocky Mountain Zion, and the "Lion of the Lord" was in a moment aroused.

The audience was indignant at Brocchus, and when Brigham let himself loose on to the unfortunate Judge, the people would