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Show 184 BRIGHAM YOUNa- TREATMENT OF EMIGRANTS. that to> me, President Young appeared to be a man of c\ ekrr sound sense, fully aUve to the responsibilities of the. station he occupies, sincerely devoted to the good name and interests < tf the people tfrer which he presides, sensitively jealous of the least attempt to undervalue or misrepresent them, and indefatigable in demising ways and' means for their moral, mental, and . physical elevation. He appeared to possess the unlimited personal and official confidence of his people; while both he and his two counsellors, forming the pre* sidency of the church, seemed to. have but one object in view, the prosperity and peace of th6 society over which* they presided,, • * ' t <• • In their dealings with the crowds of emigrants that passed through their city, the Mormons were ever fair tod upright, taking no advantage of the necessitous condition of many, if not most of them. They sold them such provisions as . they could; spare," at moderate prices,' and tfuch as they themselves p* id in their dealings with each other. In the whole of our intercourse with them, which lasted. rather, more than a year, I cannot refer to a single instance of fraud or extortion to which any of the party was subjected; and I strongly incline to the opinion that the charges that have been preferred against them in this respect, afrosa either from intereiBted misrepresentation or erroneous' information.. I ' certainly never experienced any thing- like it in my own case, nor did I witness or bear of a n y instance of. i t in the case of others, while I resided among them. l o o ifrany that . passed through their settlement were disposed to disregard their claim to the land they occupied, to ridicule the municipal regulations of their city, and to trespass wantonly upon their rights. Such offenders Were . promptly . arrested by the authorities, made, to pay a severe fine, and in some instances were imprisoned or made to labour on the public works; a punishment rieUy merited, and which would have been inflicted upon them ip any civilized community. In shorty these people presented the appearance of a quiet, orderly, industrious, and well- organized society, as much so as one woulct meet with in any pity of the Union, haying. thq> rights of personal- property as perfectly defined and as . religiously . respected as ' with ourselves; nothing being farther from their, faith or practice than the spirit of commtmismy which has been most erroneously supposed to prevail among then). • The main peculiarity of the people consists in their religious tenets*, the form and extent of their ohureh govern? |