The Governors of Utah: Harding, Doty and Durkee, IV

IMPROVEMENT ERA, Vol. IV. FEBRUARY, 1901. No 4.

THE GOVERNORS OF UTAH.

HARDING, DOTY AND DURKEE.

The fourth governor of Utah was Stephen S. Harding. He was from Milan, Indiana, and is described as a man of learning, eloquence, energy and personal courage, by profession, a lawyer. He was born about 1812, and was, therefore, about fifty years of age when appointed governor of Utah. As we have already learned, he was not in sympathy with the people of Utah, and pursued a course that made the whole community his enemies. He demonstrated that he was insincere, and his whole course stamped — him as a man who labored for popular applause for the approval of the clamorers against the "Mormons," rather than to deal out justice to the people whom he was sent to govern. He arrived in Utah on July 7, 1862, and remained only about eleven months, being superseded by Governor Doty. He left Salt Lake City on July 11, 1863, having been appointed United States Consul at Valparaiso. His removal, together with that of associate judges Waite and Drake, was in response to a petition signed by more than two

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thousand of the people, which set forth that these officials were striving to create mischief and strife between the people of Utah and the soldiers at Camp Douglas. President Lincoln was asked to appoint in their places men who would attend to the duties of their offices, honor their appointments, regard the rights of all, attend to their own affairs, and demean themselves as honorable citizens. A counter petition, signed by the officers at the fort, and the non- "Mormons," prayed for the retention of these officials. It was President Lincoln's policy to let the "Mormons" alone,^ hence, he responded to these petitions by concessions to both parties. He removed the governor in response to the one, and Chief Justice John F. Kinney and Secretary Frank Fuller in reply to the other; the two latter, as we have seen, being in favor of the people, or, in the words of the counter petition, "subservient to the will of Brigham Young," and against the officials and non- "Mormons." In fact, Judge Kinney had stood between the "Mormons" and their leader, President Young, as a protector, very much like Governor Cumming had on a former occasion. He was sent to Congress as Utah's Delegate in 1863. Governor Harding left "without the least demonstration from any party, and only one individual to bid him good-by," wrote President Young to President George Q. Cannon who was in England at the time. The new officers appointed were: governor, James Duane Doty, who was in the Territory as superintendent of Indian affairs; secretary, Amos Reed, son of John Reed, of Colesville, Broom County, New York, who, in the summer of 1830, defended the Prophet Joseph Smith at his trial in that place; chief justice, John Titus, of Pennsylvania. From the time that Governor Harding arrived until his departure, lively political turmoil was continued. The governor's first speech to the people was given at a grand celebration of the 24th of July, the fifteenth anniversary of the arrival of the Pioneers, and fairly bristled with fair promises, and eloquent laudation of Utah's pioneers, people, and their virtues. Speaking of the thirteenth article of faith, he said: "As the Great Master of sculpture gathered and combined all the perfections of the human face into one divine model, so you, in that one grand article, have bound in-

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to one golden sheaf, all the Christian virtues that underlie our civilization."

Here is another outburst of truth: On every hand I behold a miracle of labor. * * * You have indeed "caused the desert to blossom as the rose." Waving fields of gold, gardens containing all that is necessary for the comfort of civilized man; shrubberies that a Shenstone might have envied; orchards bending beneath the promise of most luscious fruit, —now beautify the fields which your industry has filled with new life, and where but fifteen years ago the genius of solitude, from yon snow-capped peaks, stood marking on her rocky tablets the centuries of desolation and death that rested on these same fields, since the upheaval force of nature formed

the mighty zone that separates the two oceans that wash the shores of our continent. Wonderful progress! wonderful people!

On the 9th of September, following, Col. Patrick Edward Connor arrived in Salt Lake to look for a site for a military post. His troops, California and Nevada volunteers, arrived at Camp Floyd on the 17th of October, and entered Salt Lake on the 20th, with colors flying. They were accorded a friendly reception at which Governor Harding again spoke, saying to the troops: "I believe the people you have now come amongst will not disturb you if you will not disturb them in their public rights and in the honor and peace of their homes." Camp or Fort Douglas was founded by Col. Connor and his men on the 22nd. Here they went ii^o quarters for the winter,planting their cannon on the bench overlooking Salt Lake City. Whether it was these, or the views of Col. Connor, who regarded the "Mormons" "traitorous and disloyal to the core," or the recently passed anti-polygamy act of Congress that changed the governor's friendly attitude, is not quite clear, but certain it is that from now on the executive with the associate judges became exceedingly bitter against the people. The Legislature met on the 8th of December, and the governor's message to that body severely criticised the people for alleged disloyalty, and for failure to comply with the polygamy act recently passed. The old troubles and antagonisms were now aroused anew, fed by the bitterness of the associate judges, and encouraged by Col. Connor and his troops. The conditions were

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very similar to those which existed in the days of Johnston's army. Early in the spring of 1863, mass meetings were held to protest against the conduct of the three officials; their offensive conduct consisted in part in the insulting message to the legislature; in the action of the judges who secretly drew up a bill and sent it

to Congress amending the organic act, and in the release of the dangerous Morrisite prisoners, upon whom sentences had been passed by Judge Kinney. For the latter act, Governor Harding was severely censured by the grand jury who presented him "as — we would an unsafe bridge over a dangerous stream jeopardizing — the lives of all who pass over it or as we would a pestiferious cesspool in our district breeding disease and death." Such was the strained condition, when President Lincoln poured oil upon the troubled waters by the removal of Governor Harding and the appointment of Governor Doty, in response to the petition heretofore mentioned. James Duane Doty, the fifth governor of Utah, was born in Salem, New York, November 15, 1799. He was admitted to the bar at the age of nineteen years, when he began practicing law in Detroit, Michigan, being admitted to the supreme court of the state. In 1819, he was appointed secretary of the Michigan legislature. He was a member of the legislative council of the state in 1834-5, at which time he introduced a measure providing for a state government, which was adopted by the council. In 1837, he was elected delegate to Congress. Later, he removed to Wisconsin, and in 1849, was representative in Congress from that state. He was a conservative man, dignified, tolerant and liberal in his policy. When he took office as governor, he was a man of great experience in statesmanship, and he was associated in terms of friendship with the leading men of the country, having, as we have seen, occupied prominent public positions since he was a mere youth. As Indian Agent and Governor in Utah, he did his duty faithfully, and won the love and respect of the people, making friends on every hand and scarcely an enemy. During his career, there was an era of political good feeling in Utah which would have been perfect only for the antagonism that still existed between General Connor and the "Mormon"

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authorities. Even this was greatly relieved by the open, straightforward course of the governor. The cause of this irritation was the declaration of General Connor that he desired to wrest from the "Mormons" and The Church "the absolute and tyrannical control of temporal and civil affairs." To do this, he intended to fill the territory with a new population antagonistic to the "Mormons." Among the important historical occurrences of the Doty administration was the opening, in the fall of 1863, by General Connor, of the Utah mines; the establishment of the anti-"Mormon" paper, the Union Vedette and its opponent, the Daily Telegraph, the former appearing November 20, 1863, the latter in July, 1864; the celebration of the reinauguration of President Lincoln, March 4, 1865, in which both soldiers and citizens unitedly joined; the fearful national tragedy, the assassination of President Lincoln, April 14, 1865, which threw the whole territory into deep mourning; and the portentious visit of the Schyler Colfax party. These events were followed by the death of Governor Doty on June 13, 1865, while the Colfax party was still in Salt Lake City. Governor Doty was deeply and sincerely mourned throughout Utah; business was suspended on the day of his funeral, until after his body was interred. His remains were followed to the cemetery by a large concourse of people, many of whom witnessed the services at the executive residence at 10 o'clock a. m., June 15. His body was reverently consigned to earth in the Camp Douglas cemetery. Secretary Amos Reed now became acting governor, until the arrival of Governor Charles Durkee, September 30, 1865. The new governor took the oath of office on October 3, following, and proved an acceptable official. Charles Durkee, the sixth governor of Utah, was born in Royalton, Vermont, December 5, 1807. He was educated in his native town, and in Burlington Academy. He engaged in business for a short time, after which he emigrated to the territory of Wisconsin, which was organized in 1836, becoming one of the founders of Southport, now Kenosha. He was a member of the first territorial legislature of Wisconsin, which was held in Burlington, first settled in 1833, and now a part of Iowa, this state and Minnesota being at that time included in Wisconsin. In 1848, he was elected to the first state legislature of