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Show THAT BOGUS "PROPHECY." In 1842 .To.cepb Smith, whom the Mormon Mor-mon believe to hi- fl prophol with the authority to establish a church, predicted 1 that tin- Mormons should ! driven by 1 mobs and ro west .and Inhabit Hie valleys val-leys of the mountains. Iglder Nephl I. Morris in the tabcmacle, Sunday. March :$, 1900. And any individual could have made that same prophecy at that time, and especially so as the expression. "Co west and inhabit lhe valleys of the mountain? ' is extremelv indefinite just as all other "predictions" are which these pretended seers give forth But let us fea with the Morris statement with the truth in view. Although Al-though The Tribune has several times set forth the facts in the matter of Mor- I raou migration from Illinois, the pulpiteers pulpi-teers for the church still persist m pre Seating this designedly inaccurate view expressed by Mr. Morris on Sunday. In the first place, as before stated. I auy one of the church leaders could have "prophesied" that the samts would be driven out of their homes, for the very reason that these men were guiltily aware that they had purposely aggravated the majority of the citizens of Illinois away pust the point of possible pos-sible endurance. And inasmuch as there was scarcely any other place to go but WCBt, in that, event, no difficulty could be experienced in designating the dircc tion. Tt will be observed that the principal accuracies in this pretended prophecy are such as would have becu well known lo even a numbskull if only he were acquainted with the acts 0f the hierarchs and the circumstances surrounding the saints in Illinois. The first truth was thai the saints would be driven and well they might, in view of the behavior of their leaders The second was that, if driven, the direction was bound to be westward. These things were easy to foresee with doh-nitenoss, doh-nitenoss, without any prophetic powers, and without that mysterious instrument instru-ment known as the urim and thummim. Bui. as usual, the pretended prophet failed of precision in saying that the saints would "inhabit the valleys of tho mountains." These "valleys of the mountains" extend throughout, nearly the entirety of the West, as it is known today. It is true that the Mormon people did settle "in the Mil leys of the mountains," but in a might y small portion of these as compared with the whole But that was near enough to make silly people bcliere in the false pretenses: of their leaders. However, it might be well to sIiotv wherein Elder Morris i- not conversant with the history of the days Immediately Immediate-ly preceding the move west. Shortly after Joseph and Hyrum were killed at Carthage jail their was S meeting of the high council of lhe church In i Nauvoo, nt which it was decided to (all in the apostles who were abscut on mis-i mis-i slons, and at which it was deemed best j to appoint men to take charge of gather-I gather-I ing together the property of the church and it- members preparatory to the move. This meeting also formu Mated a circular informing the leading elders that an application had been made to the Government for assistance 'to migrate to the Oregon country, and j stating that the authorities of the church had offered to accept employ me&l from the Covernniout in building blockhouses and forts alone the Oregon trail for the protection of travelers froru the Indians, provided the Federnl officials would reimburse the saints in monev. provision, clothing, wagons. implements, etc. Failing in this, it was next decided to go to California: and under the impulse of this thought was granted the famous, bul persistent)' BnpprOBSed, appeal of President Brigham Young for help. which resulted in the offer to accept, the Mormon battalion and send il lo the south coast. These negotiations negotia-tions were made by Klder Jesse C. Little, with the assistance of t'olone! Kane of Pennsylvania. They were successful, suc-cessful, the battalion was raised and the pay of the volunteers was used largely large-ly for the purchase of equipment for the Mormon "pioneers." Then when tho saint? finally got started, their objective ob-jective point was California, where they were to .ioin the battalion and the advance colony sent to the coast around I 'ape Horn, under the leadership of Klder Sam Brannnn Par from being wanderers in a trackless wilderness, the Mormon "pioneers" followed the Oregon trail a fairly well broken roadway, road-way, which had been traversed by thou sands before them, using for guide the "Oregon Emigrant 's Guide Book." Tbey determined to stick to the Salt Lake vnlley branch of that highway until reaching here, when they would take the California trail and continue to the coast. As evidence that this was the intention there are man.v letters and other writiugs and then there ); that shipload of emiprsnts that went around Sout h America to land on the oast and form the advance settlement But when the Mormon advauce guard drove into this valley, it looked too inviting to leave. There were the many mountain Bt reams'; the sagebrush soil looked good and cultivable; the lowlands were covered with vast meadows; the bunch grass iu the hills was luxuriant and promiseed good browsing for cattle and horses; there were grasshoppers and crickets in swarms, indicating that there was plenty of vegetation, for grasshoppers and crickets cauuot live on a burning desert; there was an abundance of timber for fuel and building build-ing purposes; wild game was plentiful up in the mountains; iackrabbis couM be bowled over with stones; and, in fai t, the country looked to be altogether too good lo leave. Besides, Bricham was sick, and, if the actual trulh were known, was declaring that he would be hanged if he would budge a not her step in fact, this is one item of real but imprinted history connected with the affair. So it was decided that this was the place to stop; and stop t lie mints lid prophecy or no prophecy. This is the truth, as near as it can be told briefly, and without entering Ulto elaborate explanations of certain phases of it. And if Klder Morris does not know the facts he should not attempt at-tempt to recite what may have been falsely presented to him as the story i of real happenings attendant upon the 'move of the Mormon people lo the ' West. |