756 



UTAH. 



VANDERBILT, CORNELIUS. 



for fifteen years in violation of law. In all the 

 States and Territories, except Utah ? it is considered 

 a grave offense, and is severely punished. Polygamy 

 is no less a crime here than in other portions of our 

 country, and yet the law remains a dead letter upon 

 the statutes. I regard this system of marriage an 

 evil, undermining the peace of society brought with- 

 in its influence, and carrying with it dark shadows, 

 which rest like a blight upon the offspring of these 

 illegal relations, and the women who are maintained 

 'in them. The number of polygamous wives in Utah 

 la large how large 1 have not the means of knowing 

 yet it is safe to say they number thousands. 



The statutes and laws have beeu compiled 

 by a commission created by the last Legisla- 

 ture. That body also adopted a penal code, 

 modeled upon that of California, but failed to 

 adopt a code of procedure for the courts in 



criminal cases, except such as are held by jus- 

 tices of the peace. Such a code of procedure the 

 Governor recommends the present Legislature 

 to adopt. He also recommends that a commis- 

 sion, eminently qualified for its duties, should 

 be appointed to codify the laws and eliminate 

 from them whatever is in conflict with Con- 

 gressional enactment; and that they should 

 also be instructed to draft such bills as they 

 may deem advisable for the public good, 

 and submit their work to the next Legis- 

 lature. 



The silk culture is attracting some attention 

 in the Territory, and it has now been demon- 

 strated by actual experiment that its climate 

 and soil are admirably adapted to the mul- 



SALT LAKE CITY, SHOWING THE TABERNACLE. 



berry-tree and the production of silk. It is 

 believed this will be a profitable industry. 

 The silk which has been produced so far is of 

 good quality, and the manufactured fabrics 

 are of an excellent and substantial character. 



The death of Brigham Young, it was thought 

 by many, would prove a severe blow to Mor- 

 monism, and lead to its destruction ; but, ac- 

 cording to a recent statement, Mormonism has 

 taken a new start, and, instead of disintegra- 

 tion, there never was such unity among its 

 people. Governor Young's government was 

 centralized to the point of creating a sort of 



slavery, which had a deadening effect upon 

 society. Since his death many reforms have 

 been introduced or promised. The priesthoods 

 have been reorganized, and are now held to a 

 strict accountability for their duties. It is 

 promised that the trustee in trust of the 

 Church shall give an account of the tithes 

 twice a year, and that an investigation shall 

 be made into all the Church accounts. Gov- 

 ernor Young, during his life, gave no account 

 of the tithes, and no one knew how much he 

 received or what disposition he made of the 

 money. These measures are very popular. 



VANDERBILT, CORSTETJITS, an American 

 capitalist, died in New York, January 4, 1877. 

 He was born near the present Stapleton, Staten 

 Island, N. Y., May 27, 1794. He was averse 

 to education, and at the age of 16 he bought 



a small vessel, with which he plied between 

 the island and New York. At 18 he owned 

 two vessels, and was captain of a third. At 

 19 he married, removed to New York, and 

 bought sloops and schooners, and at 23 he was 



