Show A FEW OF THE FACTS President Geo Q Cannon on the History of the Mormons PERSECUTIONS SUFFERED IN THE GASP r Some of the Dreadful Scenes That Were Enacted En-acted in and Around Carthage THE THOUSAND MILE JOURNEY TO SALT LAKE CITY A Brief Review of the Years That Have Passed Since That Time and the Present Situation BT PRESIDENT GEORGE Q CANNON HEN a full history of the Mormon people shall come to be written WHEN its author whether he be friendly or hostile and every attentive reader whether he be bitterly opposed or generously partial to the subject of the t work will not fail to be impressed with two remarkable facts One is that in all the course of their interesting and troublous troub-lous career though ma ked at every stage by honesty thrift and good order the people peo-ple were constantly maligned by their neighbors and accused of views and practices prac-tices inimical to the peace aud welfare of the country The other is that no sooner was one subterfuge of their opponents pierced by the light of truth and utterly disproved than a second was brought forward for-ward and urged successively throughout the confines of township county state and I nation The ingenuity of their enemies t has thus been shown formulated charges of stealing swindling immorality murder rebellion and at last treason It may not be improper to say that a third fact will be no less prominent than the two mentioned It is that after each onslaught on-slaught no matter how great the increase in virulence the people have gained in strength in numbers prosperity and in the ability to withstand every kind of attack They were mobbed and plundered before they came into possession of and made beautiful their lovely gathering spot Nauvoo They were hunted and driven by bloodthirsty men before they developed and made homes in the Great Basin An army was sent against them to exterminate I tom before they came into the prosperity which attended the building of the railroad rail-road They had to suffer imported officials hostile legislation hues imprisonment at d finally denial of the elective franchise le fore their cities came to be regarded throughout the continent as desiraUe places to live models of sobriety synonymous synony-mous with health beauty wealth and good order Their members have been robted murdered driven imprisoned and now deprived de-prived of the common rights for which the patriots bled and died Yet they arc tcday more numerous more wealthy more powerful to show in their lives the sincerity sin-cerity of their professions and the die inity of theircause than ever before We have said that the honest walk and J conductor theMormons has put to the severest se-verest test the ingenuity of the enemy Let us see how many times the latter has been forced to abandon his position and how often he has changed his front Sixty years rarely furnish a sufficient review the history of a whole community to meet the requirements of a just comparison In the present instance however the sixty years have been so crowded with eventsdissimilar indeed in their nature but identical in their purpose that there is ample material for such consideration as the moment seems appropriately to invite in-vite viteWhat What is known as the Mormon Church i had scarcely come into existence before its members began to feel the pressure of hostile surroundings Within four years a space of time that under the most zealous zeal-ous prosely tine could notmake any religious I system formidable in point of numbers a series of murderous assaults in which brutality to women and children cruel violence vio-lence to men and wanton destruction to property were distinguishing features was directed against the unpopular sect I Armed mobs consisting of wild frontiersmen frontiers-men but led by educated bigots and sustained sus-tained by the authority of the commonwealth common-wealth waited upon the little colony with orders to leave the state forthwith Fifteen minutes was the limit of time allowed for i the consideration of an edict involving the loss of all that industry had accumulated besides a train of sorrows and sufferings which the heart of man could only imagine with sickening dread Though the hourof departure was afterwards extended there was no modification of the absolute terms imposed Our Jackson county boys said LieutenantGovernor Boggs have shown what they can do The persecuted settlers set-tlers were left to draw their own inference It was compliance with the infamous demands de-mands of the mob or death at their hands Before yielding assent the people addressed ad-dressed petition after petition to the governor gov-ernor of the state who replied in sentimental senti-mental language but gave no promise of protection A communication from the secretary of war in behalf of the President of the United States was filled with like expressions For five years the inhuman I work of the mobocrats went on Whether I rt as a more rabble of citizens with selfchosen leaders or as a sheriffs posse w ith vague authority or as the militia of the state acting act-ing under orders of the executive the process pro-cess was the same The brand of the incendiary in-cendiary and the musket of the assassin enforced the original demand Five counties coun-ties of Missouri were in turn abandoned by the best citizens of the state Their thriving thriv-ing settlements were a smoking ruinthe soil had drank their blood In all the correspondence preceding the completio of the expulsion which took place in the dead of winter 16338 and under circumstances at once pitiful and shocking there Is not a single chargs officially made against the exiles It is true the mobocrats J i a laid numerous offenses at their doors Cunning villains have always been ready with stories calculated to inflame the ignorant mind and appeal to popular clamor It was at first charged against the Mormons that their religion was an imposturethey believed in revelation from on high Another offense was that in their domestic affairs they were peculiar they were reserved in their deportment and dealng they did not mix with the wild elements of mankind which surrounded sur-rounded them in short they minded their own business These were atrocious crimes indeed I For these were they outraged out-raged plundered and butchered I Many of them came from New England where the antisi VTVlavement was beginning They were recognized as Yankees were accused ac-cused of secreting and stealing negroes and were hated as abolitionists with all the bitterness that the men who lived on the border of the slave states at that time felt for adherents of that doctrine This was held up as a most grievous offense and they were driven out at the point of the bayonet No charges of immorality then 1 No talk of impertum in impcrio No holy abhorrence of polygamy 1 No loyal anxiety to repress violations of law for there were charges neither of misdemeanor nor of felony 1 No highvoiced hypocrisy about disloyalty or treason for they were law abiding obedient to judicial summons and patriotic Because they did not have slaves and did not want them they were abolitionists cBecause they cultivated their land and attended their own affairs with no taste for lawless forays and no love for frontier excesses they were exclusive Because their religion was strange and claimed the inspiration of divinity they were fanatics oAnd because they were said to be olUonists and exclusive and lanaticav tney ere unworthy of place or protection within the state Missouri Mis-souri washed her hands of them and did it in blood The distinguishing traits of thrift and industry which had attended the efforts of the Mormons in Missouri and Ohio were again admirably presented in their new home in Illinois They founded and built city which was the pride and wonder of the state What little had remained to them after their repeated drivings furnished fur-nished them no capital save a terrible ter-rible experience with which to begin again But they shrank not before be-fore obstacles and set to work courageously on the bank of the mighty Father of Waters Wa-ters Nauvoo grew as if by magic It was beautiful beyond any town in all the region re-gion There was no brawling no violence no disturbance of any kind to hinder the progress of business or the enjoyment of the favors which a kindly Providence supplied sup-plied in recompense of honest toil But if peace reigned within it was not because the old hostility without was dead If the crime of minding their own business made the people exclusive the same heinous charge could still bebrought against them If it was fanaticism to believe in the revelations reve-lations of heaven leaving others to believe what they chose they were still fanatical But these alone were slight pretexts for further atrocities The word abolitionism had not such terrors in Illinois as in Missouri Mis-souri A new objection must be sought against the prosperous community and as usual one was quickly found The members mem-bers believed that in union there is strength They carried the theory into practicenot only in religion but in commerce com-merce and politics It was a great stumbling stum-bling block to their neighbors The in dependence de-pendence which made them free to select the best candidates and the good sense which caused them to cast a united vow for them gave their I enemies a weapon which has everbeen readily used against them The politicians elf the neighborhood offended at the course they took in this matter seized this pretext and magnified its dangers in every possible way Of course when men seek excuses they will always find them Having started out to give the Mormons a bad name it was easy to charge them with the prevailing crimes of horsestealing counterfeiting harboring vile characters and of living as a community by a system of plunder Lawless persons from up and down the river found it to their advantage to shield their own practices and divert suspicion from themselves by attaching it + to the unpopnlar citizens The world is always ready to believe the most unreasonable I unreason-able falsehoods against those who already whether deservedly or not have received a bad name An absurd charge of riot of I which the participants had been legally acquitted was magnified into the crime of resisting the process of law and hence I by a long stride in sophistry to rebellion One pretext now followed another in quick succession and it seemed that nothing but blood would satisfy the enmity which was raging on every side The threats made against the leaders of the people but especially against the prophet Joseph I Smith were of the most murderous kind Hi Miiif mim w iieuimiiiod not so much I to satisfy tc lair 2 he clamors of bloodthirsty blood-thirsty mob Joseph foretold what would be his fate should he fall into their hands I But to save the people and to comply with I = = the demand of Governor Ford who demanded de-manded that he stand trial on the charges preferred against him he surrendered himself him-self not however until the governor had pledged his own honor and the honor of the state that he rhould be protected How foully this pledge wa violated the massacre mas-sacre at Carthage proclaims It has been more than suspected that Ford had knowledge of the intentio s of the plot to murder the unarmed inmates of tee jail at Carthage Whether guilty of this knowledge know-ledge or not certain it is tba he was a I poor weak creature who took no precautions precau-tions to guard the prisoners or to preserve his own or tae states honor Ho knew the I threats which had been mnde against the I men who had confided their lives to his keeping and he was waned in advance I of the attack which was to he made upon the prisoners yet on the day the bloody I deed was accomplished he took a large detachment de-tachment of the mIlitia from Cartha ti Nauvoo At the very moment he wa IP i Nauvoo counseling submission on the mart of the people and making vain promises t I them Joseph and Hyrum S nith were assassinated as-sassinated and John Taylor was nearly shot to death The indifference of toy ernor Ford and other authorities may be illustrated by a single remans hough several the mob were well known and their part in the terrible crime was never disputed not one was punished i In passing from this dreadful scene let us glance for a moment at the personality and attributes of one of the victims of Unit crime Joseph Smith the prophet of the nineteenth century was the most remarkable remark-able man of his age He was only t irty promises Not one of them denied that the Mormon people were suffering outrageous outra-geous wrongs but public opinion was too I strong even for influential politicians and they soon bowed to its mandates After the death of Joseph Smith work I I was resumed upon the temple the completion comple-tion of which was awaited by the people with the greatest anxiety At the time the walls were scarcely up to the first story but the prophet left as legacy a solemn charge that the work should be continued and every effort was concentrated concen-trated to accomplish this end The activity activ-ity of the mob kept pace with the zeal of the Saints Assaults were made upon the outlying settlements grain fields were destroyed de-stroyed and trampled down stock were driven off and killed and the people were compelled to flee into the city More thin once Nauvoo Itself was threatened sod it is a literal fact that the workmen on the walls of the temple carried tools in one hand and weapons in the otter Spurred on to nev exniiit ons of hate by the e forts of the people to complete com-plete their sacred edifice the mob became so violent that in the fall of 1845 the HU thorities of the state acknowledged their inability to longer pr < test the city Officials Offi-cials came to Na ivoo and hed interview s with the leaders of the peopl An airrei ment was finally drawn up to toe effect that the mob would com iiit n further acts of violence if the people would conent ti remove has soon as grass grew and waer ran The compact was amt < immediately imme-diately broken and the work nf plunder and destruction went on the Mormons from nearly all the surrounding cointrv being V e4 r ty r t a tG C j1 l r l a i I r t s t eight years old when he was martyred l Yet inspired of GoJ he had reveaed a sublime system of theology and had given Ito I-to the world the most magnificent organization organi-zation that had been witnessed since the days of the Redeemer Truths which had been hidden by false traditions and menmade theories of salvation were brought to light by him with astonishing plainness and simplicity Men wondered in hearing them how they could have been misunderstood seemed so simple in such perfect agreement agree-ment with Scripture and appealing so strongly and convincingly to the human mind He was the incarnation of great qualities A more selfsacrificing man with the exception of the Lord Jesus never lived Among the earliest communications com-munications which he received from the Lord was one which foreshadowed his probable martyrdom But with unflin Ing courage he pursued the path which Godhad marked out He was undaunted in the deadliest peril and in face of the most formidable opposition He had entire en-tire confidence in the success and future triumph of the system which he was the instrument the hands of God of founding found-ing He has been credited with having given to the world a new religion In one I sense this is true It was a new religion to our age But it was the old religion restored re-stored in primitive purity and powerthe old religion which has been taught by the Son of God Himself A more fitting instrument in-strument to accomplish this wonderful I work cannot be imagined Tne youthful prophet possessed every quality necessary for the accomplishment of the labor assigned as-signed him His character stands out in bold relief as a beautiful example of all that is great and heroic in man for Latter day Saints to admire and imitate The murder of the leaders of the church did not satisfy the sanguinary spirit which had already treated an unoffending people so cruelly The head was gone but the body survived The brood must be killed not scotched To do full credit to some of the leading men of the state among them the famous Stephen A Douglas it i must be said that at this time they came to Nauvoo and held interviews with the chief I i men of the people making them many fair 1 I eraduallv driven into Nauvoo No power was exerted to protet themno voice lifted i in their behalf At last the inhospitality of a sovereign state permitted the homeless people to wander forth into the wilderness wilder-ness there to perish from exposure or the missiles of a stealt y foe Early in February 1840 the first camp under the guidatlce of Brigham Young left the state With the mention of this name the events of wonderful history are recalled Brigham Young has been credited with having contributed greatly to the strength and success cf what is called Mormonism It is true that he was admirably adapted to take up the work where Joseph through his martyrdom laid it down He possessed wonderful powers of organization and government and executive ability of a superior character charac-ter a statesman in the highest sense of the word But he always asserted that it was Mormonism that made himWhatever greatness great-ness he possessed was due to the principles princi-ples which Joseph Smith was the means in the hands of God of revealing It was the fruit ant product of the gospel of Jesus Christ He embodied in his life and character char-acter those principles and he is but a t pea pe-a superior type it is true in many respects res-pects of all the people who have embracd and carried out practically in their lives the principles which ate taught by the Latterday Saints Possessing unbounded iuflnence he used his power most temperately and his whole aim was to promote the welfare of the peo pie The evidences of his superior wisdom and genius are seen in every settlement that has been made throughout these mountains moun-tains Salt Lake city through his prescience pre-science was laid out as a metropolis He never had any doubts as to its future or the commanding position of the territory which had been settled and he made preparations pre-parations in consonance with his expectations expecta-tions Some of his cotemporaries viewed him as in many respects the greatest living liv-ing American Only those who are ignorant ignor-ant of his true character will deny to him the possession of the highest powers of statesmanship government and philosophic philoso-phic wisdom History is dealing more justly with him since he died than during his lifetime The time is not far distant when Joseph Smith and Brigham Young I will be considered the most remarkable men of their age I The winter of 1S45 6 was a severe one The Mississippi was frozen in February aud a large number of the teams of the first camp crossed on the ice into the then territory terri-tory of Iowa In the meantime active preparations pre-parations were going on in Nauvoo for the emigration of all who were able to furnish themselves with the necessary outfit The companies pushed out from there during the early spring leaving behind them only those who were destitute of teams and wagons to transport them When the exodus exo-dus was inevitable a covenant had been mad by the entire people that they would help each oher and that those who had means of transportation would send back to help those who were destitute While waiting for this help the city of Nauvoo was beleaguered by mobs too impatient to wait for the people to be removed In formidable for-midable numbers they attacked the city Fighting ensued A number were killed and the rest were driven across the river not however before their wagons had been searched for everything worth plundering especially weapons of defense It was at that juncture that Esquire Daniel H Wells openly cast his fortune with the afflicted people He was one of the old settlers and had watched the founding and growth of Nauvoo had listened to the teachings of the prophet and the other leading elders and had become convinced of the divinity of the work He assisted in defending the town against the mobs and fully identified himself with the I outcast people in this hour of deep affliction afflic-tion No adequate description has ever been given of the sufferings and privations endured en-dured by the Mormons wtile journeying over the bleak prairies of Iowa to escape the cruel vengeance of men who prided themselves on being Christians Yet with all their sufferings they enjoyed a sense of freedom that was indescribably delightful They were no longer within the reach of cruel and bloodthirsty men who were continually con-tinually plotting and devising schemes to harass oppress and rob them The Indians into whose country they were venturing were more merciful than the men of their own race who had helped drive them out The wilderness itself with its unknown terrors was a pleasant refuge contemplate associated as it was in their minds with a sense of deliverance from the annoyances and attacks from which they had suffered In giving this hasty sketch we have reached the point where the Mormons were compelled to leave the United States They had appealed to governors of states for a place of refuge but their appeals had been unheeded Only one response was received and that of no encouraging character Many of those who were members mem-bers of the camps had been compelled to abandon their homes as many as four and five times We look in vain for a justification justifica-tion with even the shadow of law for this series of crimes against humanity and against law I The people were objectionable objection-able that was all That was the head and front of their offending It is true they had been accused of many things Their names had been cast out as evil But they dwelt in a country of law where they were in the minority and where if guilty they could have been tried and punished for any wrongs they might have committed They were loyal industrious and law abiding They had no practices save those which bore the fruits of prosperity and which were wholesome and beneficent They were not traitors and after the assassinations as-sassinations at Carthage were not even accused of treason They were not charged with immorality or murder They paid their debts and respected the rights of others They were Americans by instinct and Christians in practice Every observer ob-server who visited them at the time testified tes-tified to their orderly conduct their I cleanliness and their hospitality They were hated for their very graces and were outlawed because they were reformers One of the chief objections brought against them by the first mob which attacked them In Missouri was that they believed in spiritual spir-itual and in the power of God to heal It is worthy of note that in this nation to day among those who are not Mormons scarcely any belief has more adherents than the belief in spiritual manifestations man-ifestations and the belief that the sick can be healed by what is called the Faith cure is openly avowed by numerous members mem-bers of orthodox Christian sects Another cause of hatred against the Mormon people in those same days was their alleged sympathy with abolitionism a doctrine which the government afterwards after-wards maintained with incalculable cost of blood and treasure On of the principal reasons of their expulsion from Illinois was the inculcation of the principle of union which in the earliest patriots was esteemed es-teemed a virtue and whose practice made possible the freedom of the colonies These are not contracictions of history they are instances which prove that history repeats itself Turning their backs upon home and property prop-erty but with the love of country and the love of liberty still warm in their hearts they set out on their weary unexplored way Under all circumstances never a thought of hostility to the constitution or the union had entered into their minds They believed the government to be the best that human wisdom ever framed fhjy were loyal to the flag They deplored the excesses which had been committed under it and of course had a measure of contempt for men who lacked the courage cour-age in official positions to defend the rights of citizens and who thus betrayed their trust But they carried with them into the i wilderness a profound reverence for the men who founded the government for the constitution and for all the institutions of liberty which had grown up under it They lo ked forward then as they do now to the time when it will be their destiny to uphold and maintain the integrity of those precious guarantees which the patriots bequeathed be-queathed to the country A crowning proof of their patriotism exhibited at this time was an act which crippled their effective effec-tive strength but gave 500 men to fight the nations battles with Mexico If ever a thought of disloyalty had obtained ob-tained against them this incident ought to have removed it The flower of their camp marched gladly l away under the flag of the republic and those whc remained bore the same emblem with them to the chambers of these mountains Its starry folds kissed the breezes which blew over the valley in 1847 when Mexico still claimed possession of the country And it has ever since and always been reyered as the symbol of humanrights banner offering freedom to the oppressed of all nations Broad hints have been thrown out that the Mormons were not loyal because they have not rushed to battle and did not enter with eagerness in the fratricidal strife which raged for upwards of four years in our land But this charge has no foundation founda-tion in truth At the time of the civil war troops were readily furnished in response to the call of the executive for the protection protec-tion of the mail route and to defend the I overland line from the attacks of Indians Undoubtedly we are averse to war but not because of any lack of that courage which in brave men prompts them to defend themselves The ready enlistment of the battalion gave proof of that Yet the people universally abhor the thought of bloodshed We have shown this in our treatment of the Indians We have always preferred to feed and clothe rather than to fight them At the same time we have been under the necessity of defending our settlements against their attacks and under such circumstances have thought it justifiable to mete out swift and severe punishment But no feeling to hunt and slay for the mere love of carnage has ever been indulged in towards any human being white or red The tribes who lived in Utah when the Mormons came knew nothing of the white man Many of them had never beheld any of our race They owned the land upon which we settled and we lived here for twenty years before any attempt was made to extinguish their title We were their friends and they trusted us Wherever Mormons traveled among neighboring neigh-boring tribes and they were known they ran but little risk of attack for the kindness kind-ness and humanity which they had shown to the Indians with whom they had been brought in contact had gained them the credit of being the Indians friends Hence no part of the continent was ever settled more peacefully and with less trouble between be-tween the two races than Utah territory We had no presents to give to them when we came for we were almost destitute of even the barest necessities for our own existence ex-istence Our wagons did not contain food enough to last till another harvest but scanty as our provisions were we shared them with our red neighbors This has been the policy steadfastly pursued wherever wher-ever we have gone For years after reaching their newfound home the people though suffering many privations and encountering many hardships hard-ships enjoyed a peace which had never been known by them as Mormons Those who have not had the experience can scarcely imagine how much the life of the first few years of our settlement in these valleys was enjoyed No necessity for standing guard over the houses of prominent promi-nent men to protect them from ilence I No necessity of fortifying against the attacks at-tacks of murderous foes The very doors of the houses were not fastened at night and men women and children retired to rest without a shadow of fear or the least apprehension that their sleep would be disturbed from any cause such as had filled their lives for many years with uneasiness un-easiness if not with terror They were the old settlers and there was some comfort com-fort in this reflection for one of the objections brought against them in Hancock county Illinois was that they were new settlers and were intruders They could not be accused of stealing negroes or anything else nor of interfering with or molesting their neighbors neigh-bors for there was nothing to steal and the nearest neighbors they had were from eight to twelve hundred miles distant The gold hunters who passed through found them accommodating and generous They had accomplished a miracle in the desert and were comfortable contented and hapy All strangers who came into their midst received kind and hospitable treatment at their hands Even men who II were known to have been engaged in mobbing I mob-bing and driving them from their posses i I sions have received the same treatment from some of the victims of their rage In fact we made these mountain valleys from the earliest time and up to recently as secure se-cure for the traveler the streets of many cities Unprotected women could travel throughout our entire land up to a recent period safe from insult in word or deed They would neither hear a disrespectful remark nor see an improper gesture No > people have been more basely slandered in regard to their treatment of women No people have ever been truer friends of the sex In fact they injured no one and they only asked to be left to enjoy the rights belonging be-longing to a free people But the peace which they enjoyed through their seclusion and while it was a question whether they would die with famine or be extirpated by the Indians was soon to terminated A false and corrupt cor-rupt officialone of the first and worst of those the territory has since had to support sup-port saw an opportunity to make notoriety notor-iety for himself by spreading villainous lies about them Rebellion was now the crime with which the Mormons stood accused ac-cused before the bar of the nation They had burned the records of the court declared de-clared the infamous Judge Drummond and his fellowconspiratois and resisted the authority of the government Ostensibly to put down alleged rebellion in one quarter but as the sequel prov id really to assist rebellion in another an army was sent against them The gigantic blunder provednot only a farce but a costly crime In Congress about fourteen years ago the writers attention was called by members mem-bers of the committee on appropriations of the House of Representatives to an appropriation ap-propriation of several millions to cover some of the expenses of that senseless and unjustifiable expedition It was then well known by all wellinformed people that Drummond had proved himself to be a scoundrel and that he had helped by his lies to dupe the country into believing the absurd expedition of 1S37S against the people of Utah to be an absolute necessity and that prominent officials in the government govern-ment with the view of furthering their own plans in the event of the next national election making a change in the administration had seized the opportunity oppor-tunity to send a part of the army to the distant west Investigation proved Drum monds charges to be utterly baseless The records were found intact and the presumed insurgents were discovered to peaceable well disposed and as usual minding their own business When Col Albert Sidney Johnston and the army under his command entered Salt Lake valley the folly of the whole undertaking had been clearly made manifest We pass on swiftly to the days of legislation legis-lation depriving certain citizens of the right to vote or hold office Polygamy had become the battle cry Many times have I been told by leading men of both parties If you will stop the further practice of plural marriage in your territory present relations will be permitted to stand and your families as at present established will be recognized by law Only promise that future marriages shall cease said others more friendly and the question will be settled the present status will he maintained main-tained because you havemarried in good faith and the government has to a certain extent countenanced the practice in the past Recede from polygamy speciously and clamorously demanded many whom we knew to be our traducers and nothing can beurged against you You have made out of a wilderness a fair and productive garden Your habits of industry win praises from every observer Your cities and valleys are a delight to the lovers of good order The more widely you are known the better you will be appreciated as substantial and valuable citizens of the republic How hollow and mocking these phrases from the mouths of this latter class sounded to a people who had passed through every form of tribulation bfore polygamy was known We saw the old spirit of mobocracy which had driven us ou from civilization in a new garb to fit the changed circumstances of the case Every previous charge had fallen to the ground after having subserved the purpose pur-pose which called it forth This we were I sure would soon go also the way of the others I And now all too quickly the world may i see the accuracy of our forecast Polygamy I has been legislated out of the question I those who practice it have been denied the I suffrage they have been prohibited from I holding office they have been hailed to i prison and made to pay fines Surely this i practically removed and killed the issue for as the laws were still in force and the machinery in the hands of our opponents it could not be revived unless they grew slothful in their fiery zeal Five years of the most active prosecution to call it by their own name have brought us to the present And how is it today l With plural marriage in the background along with all the other causes that have sufficed to justify attacks upon us in the past the conspirators of the present day lay treason at our doors All of us are branded as traitors bearing allegiance to another power than that of the federal government adhering to an impertum in imperio recognizing another system of civil government as superior to that under which we live sworn enemies of the constitution con-stitution private avengers of public crimes usurpers and recalcitrants who are a law unto ourselves bloodthirsty and doublefaced villains biding our time until we can tear to shreds the constitution and the flag and throw off forever the seeming allegiance we have so long borne Only recently Mormons have been denied the right of naturalization The privileges of citizenship are too good for such as we aliens we must remain and even though nativeborn we are condemned to be as strangers in our own land Denaturalization is but a form when we are thus regarded and are denied every right attendant upon citizenship Bills of attainder are but a short step further for when the property of the whole can be taken by act of confiscation the property of the individual can only beheld be-held by sufferance until envy and rapacity mark it for their own We look back fifty years and pity the ill constructed plots which profited their abettors nothing but cost us so dear The mobocrats of Missouri and Illinois had not the shrewdness to rob us under color of law In their demoniac haste they neither killed us all nor did they secure to themselves them-selves good titles to the houses and lands from which they drove us To be sure they took possession and held such a claim as that and the tax collectors receipt might Jive But when the lawful owners j i were driven by violence from their possessions posses-sions tax titles scarcely constitute good titles And many of the present owners of Mormon lands think so for it is no infrequent infre-quent occurrence for inquiry by attorneys and innocent purchasers of the old Mormon Mor-mon farms to be set on foot among the I community here with a view to completing the chain of documentary proof back to the government patent But while mob violence at one time answered an-swered every purpose of the enemy against us now another method is resorted to and those who rob us attempt to do so under the color of law Little do the men who engage en-gage in these practices think that in thus attacking us they are giving us experience and strength It has been the teaching of the leaders of this church from the beginning begin-ning that the day would come when just such oppressions as these would be brought to bear against us that every form of persecution per-secution would be tried and that finally the constitution itself would be trampled upon in order to deal us a deadly blow Every child therefore who reads of the present proceedings knows that they arc in fulfillment fulfill-ment of predictions with which ho is familiar famil-iar His faith is strengthened by that which he hears and sees and the entire people notwithstanding their sufferings rejoice that God has so wonderfully prepared pre-pared them by His revelations for the scenes through which they are now passing Love for the constitution the great charter of liberty which was framed by men raised up and inspired for the purpose is deeply imbedded in the hearts of the Mormon people They expect that if there is not thorough repentance its provisions will be disregarded and its guarantees be thrown aside They believe that to them is reserved the high destiny to help uphold it Hence every suit that is brought against them in tbe courts of this territory and which may be decided against the provisions of the constitution they feel it their bounden duty to contend and to carry to the court of highest resort It is a remarkable fact that that court has had graver constitutionil questions to decide in connection with the Mormon people and the affairs of this territory than have ever been brought bolero it since the founding of the government except perhaps iii the principles prin-ciples which the Dred Scott ami other cases developed and which involved the judicial determination of the slavery question Within a few days the Idaho test oath as flagrant violation of constitutional law as was ever attempted an enactment that would have shocked every American of earlier times has been gravely discussed in the capitol of this nation as an act that should be enforced against an entire people A few months ago a case was argued to test the validity of a law which literally confiscated all the property of the Mormon church donated to it by its members mem-bers in obedience as they believed to a divine law for sacred purposes Wo need not allude to the cases which have arisen under the Edmunds Tucker law including the infamous segre gation theory etc The two cases mentioned men-tioned are of themselves of the utmost importance not to the Mormons alone but to the lovers of liberty everywhere It may be the Mormons today but who will it be tomorrow When once the barrier is thrown down and constitutional safeguards safe-guards are violated where shall any one seek safety The disposition manifested now is that everything which has been held dear by freemen from the earliest days shall be ruthlessly trampled upon by those who are making war against us in their eagerness to strike us down doing that by moral violence which was accomplished accom-plished formerly by the use of the rifle the bayonet and the torch The end to be reached is the same but the methods by which that end is reached vary according to circumstances If we mourn under this condition it is not for ourselves because we are conscious con-scious of our position and of the future that awaits us without the shadow of doubt concerning a higher interposition in our behalf We mourn for our unhappy country and those who will have to reap the whirlwind after such abundant sowing of the wind The experience of the past and present are part of the great plan We are being taught to appreciate liberty by having to endure oppression op-pression without it When we shall have emerged from under the clouds and the sorrows the love of freedom will haveleft an impress so indelible upon us that we will hold it as priceless to ourselves but too precious to bo denied to others Our first leader was wont to say that a man who would not preserve the rights of others oth-ers was unworthy of those rights himself He declared that if he were ruler of the world every subject should enjoy the fullest ful-lest rights Even the idolator so long as he did not trespass upon the rights of others oth-ers had the same right to his belief and practice as the true believer He also said speaking of those who grew impatient under trial and were quick to visit punishment punish-ment upon those who wronged them that he was willing to leave mankind to the justice jus-tice or the mercy of the great Creator that as we expect to be judged righteously by Him so might He be trusted to punish those who deserve it without mankind taking punishment into their own hands One of the most remarkable facts connected con-nected with the history of the Latterday Saints is the fate of those who have pitted fi themselves against the work and have sought to destroy the people We have had presidents governors judges and other prominent and noted men who have undertaken the task of solving the Mormon Mor-mon problem by violence and by the framing fram-ing of various devices and schemes having in view the overthrow of the liberties of the people But who of them has prospered pros-pered Who has achieved fame or credit It is true that some have obtained some notoriety for the time being This was not because of any superior merit which they possessed but because their names have been connected with that of the Mormons This notoriety has of course been only temporary tem-porary Everyone has sunk into dishonor and oblivion In our history has been fully exemplified that which was told to Haman by his wise men after ho had erected a gallows upon which to hang Mordecai When he communicated to them how he had been humiliated by having to do Mordecai honor they said If Mordecai be of the seed of Jews before whom thou hast began to fall thou shalt not prevail against him but shall surely fall before him This has been tho fate of everyman every-man without exception it may be said who has fought against the Latterday Saints We have not lived long enough to see so conclusively the reaction which will inevitably in-evitably follow the present assault But it will come as surely as the others came In time it will appear that the machinations of the adroit and scheming leaders of the opposition today ara as transparent and indefensible as have been all that preceded them Abolitionism theft exclusiveness unholy unity rebellion re-bellion licentiousness these have all had their day and would fain be forgotten by those who once believed or affected to believe them true against us Treason and enmity against the union are soon to follow for they are false as any that have preceded them Then there may be op po i pity for the exercise of further in l L genuity in framing accusations for such i accusations do not as we have seen wear long But if we have no other reliance for the future than is supplied by the lessons of the past we may feel assured that we will come out bettor greater and more prospered after each successive trial We possess qualities which have made us remarkable re-markable We were distinguished for them fifty years ago and we still retain them they have neither been modified nor obliterated by persecution poverty exile nor the great variety of afflictions which wo have been compelled to endure We have been distinguished for our profound reverence for the Deity for an abiding loyalty to the constitution and the flaga loyalty which no persecution or wrong has ever been able to extinguish or even to disturb We have had a high conception of the rights of man andhave not been excelled ex-celled in this generation for our frugality our temperance our industry our perseverance perse-verance our honesty our virtue our hatred to vice in every form and to litigation and violence These characteristics as long as we remain true to our religion will always al-ways bo ours and a people possessing them must become a power in the earth Nothing No-thing short of our entire annihilation can keep us down Wo have been the pieneers in western civilization About fortyfive years ago we were compelled to leave the cities and pleasant places of our race and launch forth into an unknown wilderness From that day until the present we have been the pioneers of the regions where we settled set-tled We carried with us the printing press Among the first buildings erected by us have been schoolrooms The first American paper published in California was issued from a Mormon press The c r v a a fl F I 1715 I TT J I tl All w elra ti t a IY I IlI I N 1 II III J II j III 1 1 i = II II IV L I I a I tlI I a I = Q Mrill 4 It r1lelrrle I P I = II NNlY11n11I hN l Li l5 Yiy IJI f I IplI rx Ttid 1 = i I1 f 1 l aX I = dSEs I = pu I 3 ur tial ds r 4 I I I r Wl7 1I = I n i I I JII iiI III I lalq rdIVSI WenJll a al ei1174e c I I ulLll IIIr4 M4 5 I I l1 ry I laNi I u I Ih 6 + I f Qlil l i v w I I ewn ecdalI l I i I Ilxl n inr hyy1i Ig i = I III II I 1 Illl i l I I uu i gran w n1Y ° i I I I lIl11 y I II u I I I I i I i I II I I II I + to III fill h Ir I I I I j I I I I I I I I I II I I r I 1 I I dl I I ICI n 11 IIIIIII4 1 II I I I I I I I lh i I I Ib TI I II I I I I I I I I i ll l i I II WJI 7 I II IIIItIII I 1 I I I l l 9 I I I 1 1 II I dl I a l I c aaPOmmoenv arte eruommmmrmnoommmmnmmt BUILDINGS OF 1839 JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR BUILDING SOUTH TEMPLE first farming operations performed by American labor there were carried on by the Mormons The first gold discovered in California which has created such a revolution was dug by Mormons We are the first AngloSaxons who have prac ticed irrigation We came to Utah as religious reli-gious exiles Wo came here with a determination deter-mination to make it our home because we desired to be where we could worship God according to the dictates of our own consciences con-sciences undisturbed by mobs and religious reli-gious bigotry California presented many allurements but we preferred the poverty and hardships incident to the settlement of this territory to going to a land where wealth could be acquired with such ease as in California Wo loved these mountain valleys we became deeply attached to them because they proved a refuge to us at a time when we were sick and weary and tired of tho persecution which we had been cempelled to endure at the hands of our fellow citizens In tho industrial world today we are quoted as an example to all communities No spot on the continent is fairer to look upon than the territory which our labor has reclaimed Our cities and towns are desirable in the eyes of all comers as pleasant places for residence and secure fields for investment How different it is with the spots we once inhabited and from which we were driven I If the thrift and industry and perserverance of the Mormons had been permitted to enjoy a fair field for their exercise ex-ercise in Missouri how different would have been the history of that state I Our lands under tho highest state of cultivation would have become of exceeding value The same may be said of Illinois or the portions por-tions which we occupied The city of Nauvoo was beautiful for situation It was of more importance at that time in many respects than Chicago its natural facilities were very great and were wo still occupying occupy-ing it it is doubtful if a more beautiful or more prosperous city could be found within with-in the boundaries of the union But a blight has fallen upon it It seems as though the curse of God had rested upon all the prospects and expectations of those who hoped by driving us out to possess and profit by it The very bricks which our people had made and with whIch they had builttheir residences and public buildings have been shipped away to other towns T < bra acs g In visiting it as I have twice since our expulsion ex-pulsion it seemed to me that I never was I in a place where I felt desolation as I did there It would be the same here if the same fate were permitted If it be possible to conceive of the Mormons abandoning for any cause these valleys no matter how much man may think differently the same desolation would follow It would not be long before land would be of no value if those who coveted and envied us our homes were to thus come into possession posses-sion of them Today our fair fame is untarnished by dishonor In the commercial world our credit is of the highest We can be trusted in financial circles because we always fulfill ful-fill our obligations Merchants bankers business men of all parts of the country yield us freely this praise The experience of all who have dealt with us has been that there have been fewer losses from dishonesty dishon-esty from failures from unwillingness to pay debts among the Mormons than in any community in the land In the social qualities of peace and good order wo have no equals in the world Apart from the offenses defined by special enactment to meet our case an infraction of law by a Mormon is of rare occurrence The criminal records show that with a large majority of the population wo furnish fur-nish but an insignificant proportion of the offenders This same is true wherever people are Within a few days wo have had an interview with Clarence W Ash ford Esq the attorneygeneral of his majesty King Kalakaua of the Sandwich islands He stated that no member of the Mormon church or colony on the Sandwich Sand-wich Islands had over been prosecuted during his term of office for a criminal offense He spoke in the highest terms of their peace and good order and the reputation repu-tation which they had acquired for other high qualities among the residents that group While outside of the Mormon colony the Sandwich Islanders are rapidly decreasing there they arc steadily increasing increas-ing in numbers due to the lessons of morality mor-ality which they are taught Wherever our missionaries have gone these have been the fruits which have attended their I labors Industrious moral and Godfearing at home and valiant and respected abroad they have held the attention of the world for fifty years They aro still quoted and observed by influential men of every class and clime With the virtues they have shown and the record they have made it is not easy to blacken their character and I ruin their prospects We have seen that i robbery falsehood driving murder have all tried it in vain I The future will have its own history It must write it in its own way |