1859-02-10-Washington Union-The New York Times and the Mormons
The New York Times and the Mormons
- Washington Union, 10 February 1859, pg. 2, column 2
The Times has a most happy facility of building a fine castle for the mere enjoyment of pulling it down. The Times is distressed that the government ever sent a military expedition to Utah, and is convinced that the "rebellious people" are now engaged in a concerted movement to prevent the execution of the laws in that Territory. Pretty much everything, in the opinion of our amiable cotemporary, is wrong. The President is a blunderer, the Mormons are wicked conspirators, the laws submitting the question of punishment to jurors a sad failure, the army is inefficient, the war was wrong, the peace was wrong, Gov. Gumming is a dupe, and the country owes a whole world of gratitude to the New York Times for exposing this frightful series of mistakes and blunders. Our cotemporary's glasses magnify too much; so much, we fear, as to obscure objects near by. When murders and robberies are committed by thousands in our great cities, and management does what good lawyers might not be able to do as well, ignore indictments or acquit an acknowledged criminal, very little of the Times' watchfulness is excited. It is only when other people fail that the eyes of our cotemporary are opened to the evil. It is not unlikely quite true that the efficiency of a jury is made questionable as an agency of government in the Mormon country. Instances are not unfrequent in the city of New York of like failure. Georgia and South Carolina recently, Louisiana and Alabama a little while ago, and all the northern States of the Union in the course of the execution of the fugitive-slave law, are notable examples of the failure of our admirable jury system to execute justice in all cases. Every great good is apt to have in the immediate neighborhood some corresponding evil. We do not doubt at all but we shall have more or less trouble in Utah in executing the laws; but the cases of failure will be exceptional—not sufficient to impeach the President of wrong in terminating the conflict between the Mormon people and the federal government. The Times, in following its correspondent to conclusions, becomes a mere partisan. What would that paper do? Would it restore the old order, recall Gov. Gumming, reinstate Brigham Young, or renew the war? Would it substitute martial law and military government for its objectionable jury system? Would it cut the throats of the Mormon people or have them to cut our throats? Is it desirable, indeed, that by the policy of the government we should create castes—two political systems, the republican and theocratic? The Times is far more critical than sensible—more expressive in denouncing what has been done than wise in pointing out what ought to be done. Capacity to see the faults of others is not always accompanied by very clear perceptions of what is necessary to remedy them, and to substitute just measures in their place. So we apprehend the Times must be indulged in the exclusive work of complaint.
