Utah Quotes
Mormons in later years found this principle difficult to enforce where there was unemployment and workers were idle through no fault of their own. The local Mormon churches were very active in encouraging wealthier Mormons to hire those who were unemployed.
At the time, the land there was so inhospitable that other Americans had no designs on it. Surviving and then thriving there was one of the great settlement accomplishments in the history of the world.
The 100,000 Mormons in the Utah Territory rebelled at the hostile Federal officials coming into Utah to run things without the consent of the citizens of the territory. It was a cry for the territorial version of States’ Rights.
The benefits claimed included reducing traffic and gasoline consumption by eliminating one work day for commuting, having a more attractive work situation for the state to attract manpower, saving employees costs of child care and commuting, and a reduction in energy costs for keeping 1000 state buildings open 1 less day. Despite the obvious advantage of the idea, it is amazing that more governments and private firms do not follow this idea.
Five years earlier, Young had all but given up on the idea of converting Native Americans—see {619863} and {619863}. Young was very ambivalent about the Indians, at some points wanting to convert them and on others to have them removed from the area to make way for Mormon growth and development--{619865}. At this time, the Mormons and the Federal Government were at loggerheads regarding the requirement for enforcing Federal law in all territories including Utah. Young and others hoped to enlist Indian warriors in any potential battles with the army.
Utah passed a strong law against interracial sex, but the punishment was not death. See {629151}. Young however saw interracial sex as an extremely serious problem. There was nothing in the Bible or the Book of Mormon that would account for this strong animus, so presumably it was personal. For many years Mormons converted and accepted Blacks, but they could not be priests or leaders of churches. That prohibition was ended and the Modern Mormon Church is free from racism in its doctrine.
