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Show 42 officers were appointed by the president of the United States. Although President Fillmore selected Brigham Young as territorial governor, the Mormons were frustrated by the appointment of the territorial secretary, chief justice, and one of the associate justices, all of whom were Gentiles. It was the appointment of anti-Mormon officials that sparked confrontation between the Mormons and the Federal government. Another source of friction between the Mormons and the people of the United States was the practice of plural marriage, or polygamy. The new marriage system became official church doctrine in 1852 although it had been practiced by the church leadership for some time prior to then. Like the 1842 revelation of the political kingdom of God, the revelation on "celestial marriage" had been suppressed for many years. Once the Mormons were out of the reach of their enemies, the nine year old revelation was announced and the practice became open.35 Although polygamy was not a direct cause of the Utah War or the White Mountain Expedition, it had become a rallying point for the opposition. It was something that all the enemies of the church could agree on. The doctrine of plural marriage was almost universally detested by all classes of citizens in the United States at that time. During the l850si church leaders became alarmed over the general lack of righteousness exhibited among the Saints. It was a primary goal of the church to prepare its followers for the advent of the millennium. But conditions in Utah caused the leadership to question if the Saints had progressed sufficiently toward this end. Concern arose that the Savior might delay His coming until the Saints were more united and free from sin, or, worse, he would come, and the Saints would not be prepared to receive Him. In I833 Joseph Smith had cautioned his followers to purify themselves "lest Zion fall, and the Lord sware in His wrath the inhabitants of Zion shall not |