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The Mormon Conflict, 1850-1859. By Norman F. Furniss. (New Haven, Yale University Press, 1960, 311 pp., $5.00) Students of Western history will find Norman F. Furniss' The Mormon Conflict a very significant analysis of that little-known, turbulent period in Utah when United States troops were sent out to put down a "rebellion." In considering any phase of Mormon history, most writers assume the attitude of being either for or against the church, so that it is refreshing to read one whose approach is detached and unbiased. The author has gone through a great quantity of government documents, reports, letters, diaries, and contemporary publications and has sorted his materials with perception and skill. From it, by the alchemy of his own personality, he has produced an altogether readable book. The bibliography alone is a contribution of value, the footnotes numerous and detailed. Had Dr. Furniss been allowed as much liberty in the use of L.D.S. Church records as he had in those of the government, he might have had a better insight into the inner workings of the theocracy, with Brigham Young at the head, the Council of Twelve to direct matters of religion, the Council of Fifty to deal with practical affairs of the Kingdom, the Bishop's Courts to settle differences between brethren, and the Stake High Councils to handle cases of malpractice or apostasy. He would have understood the forces behind the change in policy
