In addition, discharged Latter-day Saint soldiers who had served in the Mormon Battalion during the Mexican War helped discover gold at Sutter's Mill in California in 1848.
Because of their previous experiences, the Latter-day Saints were convinced that self-governance was the only safeguard to their religious freedom, and they worried about the possible introduction of "unsympathetic carpetbag appointees" if Deseret were relegated to territorial status.
He urged the president that "the people of Utah cannot but consider it their right, as American citizens to be governed by men of their own choice, entitled to their confidence, and united with them in opinion and feeling.
[3]: 22 Territorial Secretary Harris and his wife, both "Gentiles," traveled to Utah with Bernhisel, and upon arriving on July 19 were greeted by a group of Mormons with a basket of fruit and champagne.
[3]: 22 Donald Moorman writes that the arrival of non-Mormon federal officials in Utah followed a predictable pattern, beginning with "an introductory phase of amicable relations with the Church that quickly degenerated into a period of acrimonious dispute.
At Pioneer Day festivities in 1851, the Latter-day Saints' celebrations included, (as they often did) orations which rehashed their years of persecution in Missouri and Illinois, and condemned the US government and President Zachary Taylor in particular for their ill treatment.
"[4] Having heard of the accusations against the government on Pioneer Day, he took on this later visage and loudly reprimanded the Latter-day Saints for their lack of patriotism and morality, making an unmistakable inference to the Mormon practice of polygamy.
Furniss states that Secretary Harris and his wife in particular "were prepared to treat the Mormons as they would a tribe of Arapahoe Indians - not as animals, exactly, but certainly not as civilized people.
[citation needed] Brigham Young tried to repair the breach between the community and the non-Mormon officials through a series of letters in late September.
The day after the disgruntled officials departed Salt Lake City, Young wrote a strongly worded letter to President Fillmore defending the Latter-day Saints' patriotism, attacking the character of Brocchus and the others, and suggesting that territorial residents be appointed to federal office.
For their part, Brocchus and the others had shown a remarkable indifference to the feelings of their temporary constituents, had without due cause deserted their offices, and had explained their behavior with statements of at best partial accuracy.
Both Brocchus and Brandebury were eventually replaced by non-Mormons officials who were generally friendly to the Latter-day Saints, bringing a measure of peace between the Mormons of Utah and the federal government until both men died in 1855.