SPEECH BY BRIGHAM YOUNG.

West Coast Times, Issue 1661, 26 January 1871, Page 3

SPEECH BY BRIGHAM YOUNG.

At the recent Pioneer celebration held at Salt Lake, Brigham YoUng addressed the assembled Mormon's, in the Tabernacle, as follows i— Now ttfe want libertyj freedom, and equal rights j we want the privilege of living, praying, speaking, building our meeting-houses, attending our farms, building our factories, schooling our children, improving our society, and of gathering up the poor, mei-k, and humbled of the world — to go and hunt them out from the caves :.nd dens of the earth, and to bring them up here and maVe them equal with us. This is the watchword of "Mormonism ;" ntver descend to the state of those beneath you, but take them by the hand ai d bring them to your condition. This is our doctrine. I will ask the citizens of this city and territory, and of these mountains — you that have made the firms, built the houses, set out the orchards, built the factories, made the improvements — bad we not better stay here. (A unanimous cry from the vast audience of " Yes !") I rather think we will. J will just relate a little history of this people. When they commenced in the East the war of James Buchanan against the Latter-day >aints, they sent the fl-nvcr of the army here, with thebest ou+fit of any army ever had in this Republic up to that time. What for ? To use the saints up. The army and the haugers-on amounted to 17,000 men. We then said to the North " Give up," but did not say to the South, " Keep not back." The North gave up. Erery family was on the move ; they marched through this city south. We calculated to march south to where our women and children could live and take care of our stock, and we would wait in the mountains andburn everything. That was the watchword. Our tinder and every material that could be wanted was got into the house's, so that a «ingle match would burn everything in the city, and then continue on until they would come to pursue us, and if they inhabited these valleys they should have them as naked as we t jok ihem. And the north did give up ;, < they gave up willingly. They had good houses and good farms, and they were ready to cut down every green tree. Yon may say such a course was not necessary. It was not necessary for n* to be forced to it. We are here and we calculate to stay here ; if we do not f gue-s we will be gory to any one else who comes. Enough on that point; we do not look for any such thing. I think we have got through with this, and ifwebavonot, and deserve such chastisement hereafter as we have leceived in former years, I hope that we will be able to take the spoiling of our goods joyfully and acknowledge the hand of God in it. But I reckon we will stay here. We have good laws here ; we have splendid laws in out State Government that we lived under from 1847 to 1851. And my mind was then as now, that many laws are grievous to a people : they aggravate and perplex them, and they cannot understand them. The fewer the laws, if they be just and equitable, the better for the community. We have good laws, and we wish to say to all who come here, we expect you will observe the lawsof the territory whether you are governors, princes, potentates, lawyers, or anybody else. We have a legislature here, and let me say right here. J am accused of dictating electiens. I spoke of this yesterdaj'. I don't feel disposed to dictate elections ; if you get the best men for office, that is all I want ; but ifyoufindan evil-designing person seeking office, I certainly would, if I could, drop the stool from uiider him and let him fall. Take our Government, or any othei Government where there are office-seekers, the most of them are unfit for office, but those who are honest, just, truthful, and merciful, and understand human nature, arc ones for our President*, and they are the ones for our Congressmen, and not lawyers, for they confuse everything. I will say here that of all men whoever did live upon the earth lawyers are the worst. Doctors and priests are bad enough, but lawyers will ruin everybody and send all to hell. They are the worst and most unfit for human society of any beings that live, and if mankind would do as Peter, the Emperor of Russia, talked of doing when watching the doings of lawyers in Westminster Hall, England, they would not do a bad thing. Being asked — " Do you not have lawyers in your kingdom ?" Peter replied — " Yes, I have two, and when I get home I shall bang one of them." If all lawyers were served in the same way, communities would be saved a great deal of anxiety and trouble. This is speaking of men who are stirring up strife and litigation. They pick here, pick there, and destroy this and that. If they were to do as they should do, they would tell every man how to keep from going to law. This should be the business of the lawyer. Says he, "I understand law, take such a course and ax oid a lawsuit." This is the legitiu ate business of a lawyer, and not to stir up litigation. I •want fin* a moment to speak of what Brother Pratt, one of our pioneers, in his la«t remarks eferred to. 1 mean celestial marriage, plurality of wives, or polygamy. I want to tell you what I have done. I sent word to Congress by Dr Bernhisel, our former delegate, and W. H. Hooper, our present delegate, that if they would pass a law that every man in the Government that is caj able of taking care of himself shall marry a wife, and then add a penalty to every roan who interferes with, his neighbor's or witty single v/omen, w$ vrill dismiss pur y*\ie% ami h&vf font p«| .' ■ ■ ■«--

each. But until foil do that we will see you— well, ahywliere. We will try and fulfil the commandments of {lie Lord. But , could we not live as other men do ? Is it not ray privilege to lead about a wife or sister, a neighbor's wife, or any female, as much as any other man's ? Certainly ; \)ut when, l do it I do it legally aud lawfully— not clandestine,!}'. This is the cuise that is upon this nation, and one of the greyest ciirscs m the sight of heaven and justice that now ic^is" upon' the United. States. It is their abuse of females? millions of them are wasted. According to their own showing, thousands of females have perished in the streets of Few York since we have been in these valleys, probably double and almost trelile the entire- number of females we have in this Territory In our lives and prnctice we seek to save life, while the world is seeking to destroy it. We say " Away with wars, away with contentions and disputings," and if two men cannot agree, pick two neighbors 1 not concerned in the affair, and let them judge, and be satisfied with the judgment, aud dismiss courts, lawyers, and jtlrle-. They are a blot, a stain, a pest, j They stop improvements wherever they dwell. Away with all this mischief, and Corrte to the proper standard of civilisation, and live accordingly : and when we want officers get the best that we can for President, Congressmen, and for all officers ,' put. them in office, and let them stay during good behavior. God bless you. Amen.