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Show 257 at tbe same time, he hoped and believed the situation would not deteriorate to such a level. His attitude was one of wait and see, but all indications pointed toward a peaceful adjustment of the difficulties. The governor had manifested his determination not to interfere with the church nor to treat the Mormons as rebels; he was willing to lend a sympathetic ear to their grievances. At the moment emissaries from Washington bad arrived. Mormon leaders were hopeful they had come to investigate the perverted charges made against them. The situation looked promising. As a true statesman, Brigham Young did not rush to Salt Lake City to meet the commissioners. In fact, the day of their arrival be received George W. Bean who had just come off the desert with his report of the country. It was not until June 10 that the church leader went to the capital. A meeting was scheduled for 9 o'clock the following morning in the old Council House. The first meeting was attended by a large number of the "leading brethren"- too many, perhaps, to carry on the delicate talks. The commissioners presented the pardon to the Mormons which, if accepted, implied the Mormons were guilty of all the slanderous charges it contained. Lazarus Powell declared that the commission bad no power to make a treaty with the Mormons; they must either accept tbe pardon or reject it, but to accept was to bind them to give proper allegiance to the government and to accept the army which would have to fulfill its orders and march to Salt Lake City sooner or later. The meeting got off to a poor start. Brigham Young learned by an express, which arrived that morning, that, despite the commissioners' pledge that the army would not march until word had been recieved from them or the governor, Johnston had given the order for the advance to begin on the l4th. The commissioners were positive the report was false, and they earnestly denied it; nevertheless, it was true-Johnston was preparing to march. |