OCR Text |
Show CHAPTER X THE NEW POLICY While Dame was organizing his men for their trek across the desert, George W. Bean had arrived at temporary church headquarters in Provo. As Brigham Young had instructed him in his urgent letter of March 21, Bean was here to report the founding of his new settlement in the Snake Valley. But it was now April 22, and things in the Mormon capital had changed somewhat. Bean was just now being updated on several important developments which had occured in his month-long absence. For one thing, until now he had been unaware that Colonel Dame was exploring the country south of his own explorations. But the shocking news was that Brigham Young had stepped down as governor of the Territory- something of a jolt considering the tone of the political atmosphere when he left. On April 8 an express had reached Salt Lake City that Colonel Kane was coming in with Governor Cumming, without his troops. On the day following, a council meeting was convened in Salt Lake to discuss what action, if any, the church would take. Alfred Cumming was universally disliked, and several of the brethren would have liked to eject him. But President Young was sanguine in bis feelings that "the Lord would overrule it for good which ever way it happened," although he did not want the governor warmly welcomed. Three days later, Cumming arrived in the city, but not without a good deal of suspicion and contempt on the part of church leaders. George A. Smith scornfully recorded his arrival in the church records: "City corporation, Mayor, Alderman & some councilors went out to meet the animal, styled Gov. (Hamming. The Gov. 82 |