Show I 1 copyright secured HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITE MAY 1844 priday friday erlie erile 17 tile tiie state convention met in uhe the assembly room I 1 copy the minutes Conven convention met according to appointment and was organized by appoint appointing inc inz gen uriah uriab brown to the chair and dr F secretary dr G W goforth presented the following letter and took his seat in the convention several letters of the same character were presented by other gentlemen but we have not koom toom j oom to insert them Musco utah st clair clain co ill III may ath 18 1844 bir air G W goforth sir at various meetings held in this county I 1 where I 1 have had the honor of attending and the interesting topic of the selection of a suitable person for the high station of president of the united states being at this time the hei most important to americans and with thel the names that are now before the people joseph smith of nauvoo is recognized respectfully as a candidate declarative in the principles ct crl cri or jefferson democracy free i trade and sailors rights 21 and the protection of person and property A convention being about to be held in the city of nauvoo on the of this month montt hlay blay may alay your name has been on every occasion given as a delegate to said convention and through oh me the message to be imparted you asking bouto you to represent our expressions in the case cast please say for us as americans that we will support gen joseph joaeph smith in preference to any other uther man that has given or suffered his name to come before us as a candidate and that at the great baltimore convention to be held on the lath of july our delegation to said convention co mention bention be authorized to proclaim for por us submission to the iio lio minee nominee as may be by them brought 0 before the people in case olla of a failure to nominate joseph smith our choice 3 and unite a ap natively bat ively for his support I 1 respectfully y sir air this communication and I 1 authority is forwarded you as your yourl I 1 voucher at said convention with our hearty prayers for the success of him whose special name is given in the important affair HENRY B JACOBS agent for the friend friends s of gen J smith smithy I 1 i mr clays letter to general joseph smith was then read by mr phelps and aisy alsy general joseph smiths rejoinder which was applauded by three cheers I 1 it was moved and seconded that the following I 1 in gentlemen be appointed a committee to dr draft at resolutions for the adoption of this convention vent ven tion lon dr G IV goforth john taylor wm W phelps william smith and lucian IL foster it was moved and seconded that the correspondence pon dence of the central committee for government reform of new york be read by W IV phelps also general joseph smiths answer to the same new york april 20 1814 joseph smith esq sir the subscribers the central committee of the national reform association ats Als in accordance cor dance with a duty prescribed by their constitution ution 1 on respectfully solicit an au expression of your views as 4 a candidate for public office on a subject that as they think vitally affects afflec ts the rights r and interests of their constituents we e see this singular condition of affairs aft alT airs that while wealth in our country is rapidly accumulating while internal improvements of every description are fast increasing and while machinery has multiplied the power of production to an immense extent yet with all these national advantages the compensation for useful labor is getting less and less we seek the cause of this anomaly andave and we trace it to the monopoly of the land which places labor at the mercy of capital we therefore desire to abolish the vie monopoly not by interfering with the conventional rights of persons now in possession of the land but by arresting g the further sale of a all ail 11 lands not yet appropriated as private v ate property and by allowing ng these lands lr hereafter e beafter to be freely occupied by those who may choose to settle on them we propose that the public lands hereafter shall not be owned but occupied only the occupant having the right to sell cr or otherwise dispose of improvements to any shy one not in possession of bf other land so that by preventing any ny individual from becoming becoming possessed of more inore than a limited quantity every one may eni enjoy y the right thib this eib elb measure we think would gradually establish an equilibrium between the agricula agricultural iral irai and other useful occupations that would en jia ja to all full employment and fair campen for their labor on the lands now heda held heid as private property and to each individual on the tb public lands the right to work for himself on liis his own premises or for another at his option an answer ai soon as convenient will much oblige your fellow citizens JOHN EGBERT S MANNING JAMES JANIES MAXWELL LEWIS masquelier MAS DANIEL WITTER GEORGE H EVANS ELLIS si kI ALLEY MALLEY nauvoo nau ill lil may 1944 1844 to john ecbert egbert S manning manning james maxwell lewis masquelier Mas daniel witter george 11 evans and eilis ellis smalley sal Sai alley ailey gentlemen I 1 your communication of april soliciting my views relative to the public lands is before me and I 1 answer that as soon as the greater national evils could be remedied by the efforts of a virtuous people and the legislation of wise men so that slavery could not occupy one half 0 of the united states for speculation competition prodigality and fleshy capital and so that enormous salaries stipends fees perquisites patronage and the wages of spiritual wickedness in ermine and irce lace lace 5 could not swallow up forty or fifty millions of or public revenue I 1 use all honorable means to bring the wages of mechanics and farmers up and the salaries of servants dow down ii increase labor and money ay y a judicious barill and advise the people who aho vho are the only sovereigns of the soil to petition leti letl tion congress to pass a uni uniform potra forra land iula lava hat that the air the water and the land of the asylum of the oppressed 1 might be free nien rien with considerations of the hi highest lies lles re regard ard for or unadulterated freedom 1 I 1 have the honor to be your obedient servant JOSEPH SMITH 1 after which the meeting adjourned for one hour bour our it was moved and seconded that the tha follow ing ig gentlemen be constituted a committee to ap appoint point electors for this state dr G W goforth E robinson L N scovil peter hawe hawes and john reid it was moved and seconded that the following gentlemen bo be constituted a central committee of correspondence having power to increase their number dr willard richards dr J M bernhisel W IV phelps and lucian R foster the following delegates from from the different states of the onion union union were then received by vote nantes NAMES COUNTIES STATES st clair illinois J myers esq adams do J sene quincy do A badcock Bad lock joe davis do 10 J C wright scott do L white crawford do S brown brown do W B ide ida sangamon do J browning adams do IV IV phelps hancock do W green do d 0 1 do d 0 E robinson do do J taylor do do 11 II sherwood do do do do john reid esq chemung 1 1 N york E reece esq buff Baff buffalo blo alo do L R foster poster N york city do dram I 1 bernhisel do do hugh chester do E thompson do do S A perry essex do wm win miller livingston do mr ir dorlan dorian kincs do I 1 E york city do P bowen chester pennsylvania IV smith philadelphia do J 11 II newton do A 0 E hunt hunter e r west chester do E woolley columbiana Coli coll imbiana ohio i W G ware cincinnati do nob nos martin hamilton do C brooks lake do dusten arne do do 17 IV dryer lorain do M J coltrin cuyahoga Cuya hoga do W green briar virginia L B lewis massachusetts Massac huset dr W WR richards ichards berkshire do E dougherty essex N jersey W richardson burlington Burli burll do 80 J horner monmouth do thoa thos atkins alkina burlington do cap R jones N orleans louisiana E ludington do do J harman II arman monroe mississippi mr palman do do S gully laurence do E M sanders do delaware E F sheets do do J hatch alice vermont J houston madison do J A mikesell I 1 do missouri col cowan oxford maine 14 anderson rutherford tennessee H stout mercer kentucky gen G auillar li iller madison do 10 mr hunt switzerland indiana A johnson middletown connecticut L N scovill maryland and dr L richards providence rhode isla island nd AT wilber do J S swiss N hampshire dr sho dask las kichigin Mi chigin lil ill abr williams georia i J haws A alabama ai in a I 1 I 1 R alexander alexander alexandar I 1 Union DistrictS carolina Y randolph N d do 0 D J patton iowa cap hathaway arkansas it was moved seconded and carried by acclamation cla mation that general joseph smith of illinois be the choice of this convention contention for pre sid pt of the united unit ed states it vas wis moved seconded I 1 and carried earned by ac cla clar nation that sidney rigdon esq of penn sylvania be the choice ot of this convention coin coln antion for vice Ps president ident of the tile united states the nine fol foi following lowin Z resolutions were then adopted the fifth firth of which was clar corned ried by acclamation 1 resolved that tint from all the tha facts and anil appearances cearan pe arances ces that th at are aie now dow visible in the united states that we believe bileve much imbecility and fraud is practised practiced by b the officers ers era of government gok goi ern ment and that to remedy these evils it is highly necessary cessar ceasar that a virtuous people should arise in in the panoply oc of their might m and anil with one heart and one mind correct these abu aln abuses sesby by electing wise and honorable men to fill the various offices of government 2 resolved that as union unto i ii is pow pon power er the permanency and continuance of our political institutions depend upon the correction ot of the abuses 3 resolved Rc soliel that as all political parties of the tho present day have degraded themselves by adhere adhering ing more or less to corrupt principles and practices by fomenting discord discoid and division among the people being bain swallowed in the tex of party spirit and sectional prejudices until they have become insensible to the welfare odthe people and the general good of the coan co an mtr try and knowing that there are good men among all parties par pir ties la in whose bosema burn the fire ot of pure patriotism we invite mute them by the love ot liberty by the sacred bonor honor ho lor of freemen by the patriotism of the illustrious fathers of our freedom by the glorious love of country anil and by the holy principles of ag to come over and hip help us to reform the government 4 resolved Reso hed that to redress all wron wrongs s the gove government of the united states with the president at its head is 13 as powerful in its sphere as jehovah 13 is in in his 5 resolved that the better to carry earn out the principles of liberty and equal right rights jeffersonian democracy free tree trade ant and 1 sailors rights and the protection ot of persan erson aim aiu property we will support general neph meph joseph smith of illinois for the t he president of the united states at the tbt ensuing election 6 resolved that we will support sidney rig esq of pennsylvania pennsylva hir for the vice dency doi dol 03 7 resolved that IP we will hold a national convention contention at baltimore on saturday the day of july 8 resolved that we call cail upon the honest ho iest lest men of all parties in each state to send their delegates ates to said convention t i 9 resolved that all honest editors throughout the united states stites are requested I 1 to publish the above resolutions resolved that those gentlemen gentleman who stand sand at the head of the list who nave have gone to the several states to take charge of our political interests be requested to use every exertion cpr eer tion to appoint electors in the several electoral districts ot of the states which they represent A and nd also to send delegates to the baltimore convention ven tion resolved that dr goforth and john reid esq 1 be er requested quested to furnish a copy of their speece speeches for lor r publication resolved that the electors be instructed to male make stump speeches in their different districts resolved that the thanks of this meeting be given to mr hancock for his patriotic son song it was waa moved moi ed and seconded that thit orson hyde llyde 11 0 kimball david 8 hollister Holli ster ater orson pratt and lyman wight represent this convention at the tile convention to be held in baltimore on the of july next net sidney rigdon esq then tjien addressed the meeting and was succeeded by the following gentlemen gentie rentie mem mew gen GET z joserh JOSEPH SMITH DR G IV W LYMAN lynian WIGHT dight W IV pm ars JOHN joir T TAYLOR hynus S mikii and joil jon ESQ it was moved seconded and carried that the thanks of this meeting bs be given to the chairman and secretary the convention was addressed in in an speech by sidney rigdon esq showing the tho political political oli dishonesty of both henry clay and mrtin martin van buren and stating his views and the present condition of the country dr goforth rose and addressed the convention in the following eloquent strain mr chairman an drellow citizens As an american a citizen of st clair county counts and of the state of illinois with the deference ever acknowledged ed on occasions like this I 1 feel the a spirit P 1 r it of oled obedience lence that was required of one of old oid 1 d when he was bade to take off bib bis shoes for he wag was walking on holy ground and that this wag was a holy cause influenced by the distinguished honors paid me on the thet of april in the convention then them here lere hell held and the invitation to asa Glate en chi this hia occasion I 1 feel that on occasions occa slona siona of this importance it commands the rallying excused excuses t of mor move more e til ill than an a or Bl mortier d des deb f ie era ration nation tion that to hava names now brought bc be ore an american Ame rican people that have for the last burteen dur teen years or longer been like the foot bald ball of the sportsman and the extraordinary selected subjects of derision and contumely that new expressions are about to be made that the people are about to trace back the erroneous doings loinda of a nation to weep and ind lerent for malefactors to examine the old building building that in those davs dava was as founded by and for want of qualified tenants has become occasionally sio nally tinned with alth filth and spurious matter that its anticipated solidity solidify to tha the beatin beating storms has ceded and its firmness in various ranges assumed dubitable type yle yie tae wae Jeffers jeffersonian onlan doctrines have been for salen mr owr and anil nion have been abandoned and arid sarcasm in a their steal stead adopt adopted ol and modern american growth in the unhealthy tones of vice farce non 5 sus 1 Us cenance of truth and non valorous deeds iii in their stead the only objects for promotion captioned by thes thesa expressions to this an august 0 assembly in the character of a delegate from st clair couil county ty I 1 say that reform politic politically alty as aa well weil as morally claims the present f foeldy leid many gu er native exercises of the various vannois varn vari ois presidents since those days that were honored by a washington a jefferson madison monroe and jackion have bave been to AzaB RICANS thorns thorna whose irritability never cease whose national maligna depo depot has been indelible and that has hm cankered cink ered the lovely cement that ger 11 germinates in the days of the Revo nevo revolution luion in 1776 ani ami that were wele by our forefathers f fostered kast last ered willi hope of |