Show HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH DECEMBER 1839 sunday december 1839 the high counell council of nauvoo met at oliver grangers brangers Gr angers and voted t that hat hyrum yr m S smith mith george W harris and oliver G granger r eruce be a committee to send a petition to the f le legislature tur e to disc discontinue anthine certain parts of the city of nauvoo and also of commerce and do all other needful acts relative to those cities that hyrum smith furnish the maps and plats for the alteration and that seymour brunson circulate the petition for signatures voted that bishop E partridge publish a piece in the times and seasons informing the he brethren in the west that it to is improper to remove from the west for the purpose of locating in kirtland Kirt fand ohio and that those who do thusie thus remove will be ped by the council thursday ath 11 washington city corner of missouri and third streets dec ath 1639 1839 dear brother hyrum president and to the honorable hi high h council of the church of jesus christ of fl latter atter day saints to whom be fellowship love and the peace peace of almighty god extended and the prayer of faith forever and ever amen your fellow laborers joseph smith jr elias higbee and agents as well as the servants that are sent by you to perform one of the most arduous and responsible duties and also to labor in the most honorable cause that ever graced th the pages of human existence respectfully show allow by th these the e lines that we have taken up our cross thus far r and that we arrived in this city on the morning of the november and spent the most of that day in looking up a boarding house which we succeeded in finding we found as cheap boarding as can be had in this city on friday morning we proceeded to the house bouse of the president we found a very large and splendid palace surrounded with a splendid enclosure decorated with all the fineries fin eries and ele fancies of this world we went to the door and requested to see the president when we wa were immediately introduced into an upper apartments apartment where we met the president and were introduced into his parlor where we presented him with our letters of introduction As soon a as he be had bad read one of them hem he be looked upon us with a kind of half frown and said what can I 1 do I 1 can do nothing for you if I 1 do anything 1 shall come in contact with the whole state of missouri but bat we ve were notta not to be intimidated and demanded a bear hearing a and nd co constitutional n rights before we left him tite ne promised to reconsider what he had said and observed that he felt to sympathize with us on account of our sufferings now we shall endeavor to express alij feelings and views concerning the president as we have bave been en eyewitnesses eye witnesses of his majesty majesty I 1 Heisa he is a small I 1 man sandy complexion an and ordinary features with ith frowning brow and considerable body but not well proportioned ed as to hit his arms and legs and to use his own words is quite fat on the whole we think be is without body or parts as no one part seems to be proportioned to another therefore instead of 4 saying body and aud parts we say body and part or part yiem if you please to call 1 it t and in fine to come directly to the point he is so much a fop or a fool nr for he judged out our cause before he knew it we could find no place to put truth into him we do not say the saints shall not vote vote for him but we do say boldly thol tho it need deed not be published in the streets of nauvoo neither among the daughters of the gentiles that we do not intend he shall have or votes we have spent the remainder of our time in hunting up the representatives in order to get our case brettt brought before the house in iii giving them letters of 1 I introduction ac and in getting a acquainted A meeting of the delegation of the state of illinois was appointed today to day to consult for bringing our case cam before congress the gentlemen en from illinois are worthy men and ave have tr treated us tie with the greatest kindness and are ready to do all that is in their power power but you are aware brethren that they with us have all the prejudices superstition and bigotry of an ignorant generation to contend with nevertheless we believe our case will be brought before the house and we will leave the event with god he is our oar duft judge and the avenger of our wrongs for or a general thing there is but little solidity and honorable deportment among those who aro are of sent nt here to represent the peo people PI e but a great deal of pomposity and show we left president rigdon and others on the road and received a letter from them this day they were at the date of the letter on the of november near washington in pennsylvania expecting to stop a day or two at his brothers on account of his ill III health he has occasionally a chill yet but is not dangerous we expect him here soon we have already commenced formin forming some 0 me i very honorable acquaintances ain and hav have taue thus s far been prospered w s much as we had anticipated if not more we have had a pleasing interview with judge young who proposed to furnish us with expense money we can draw on him for funds to publish our book and we want you to raise some more money lor for us and deposit win it in the branch bank in quincy to be drawn to the order of judge young send us the amount of your deposit taking a 4 receipt of the same you need not be afraid to do this we think from the proceeds of the sale of books we can make it all I 1 st straight might do therefore be punctual as much depends upon it we cannot accomplish the things for which we were sent without some funds I 1 you very well know brethren we were contented I 1 to start trusting in god with little or nothing we have met with but one accident since we started the lock of our trunk was broken kofl and brother lyman petition is missing but we trust there is a copy of it preserved if there is you will please forward it immediately with the name and affidavit affixed to it for gods sake brethren be wide awake and arm us with all 0 the power possible for now is the time or never we want you should get all the influential men you can of that section of country of iowa and of every other quarter to write letters to the members of congress using their influence in our behalf and to keep their minds constantly upon the subject please to forward this to our wives yours in the bonds of the everlasting covenant JOSEPH SMITH jr ELIAS HIGBEE P S congress his has been in session four days and the house of representatives is not yet organized in consequence of some seats being contested in ia the new jersey delegation they have this day succeeded in electing john Q adams to the chair pro tem hemf but whether they will get their speaker and derk clerk chosen is yet unknown as their is a great deal of wind blown off on the occasion on each day there is such an itching disposition to display their oratory on the most trivial occasions and so much etiquette bowing and scraping twisting and turning to make a display of their witticism that it seems to us rather a display of folly and show more than substance and gravity such as becomes a great nation like ours however there are some exceptions A warm feeling hasteen has been manifested in the discussion of the house today to day and it seems as much confusion as tho the nation had already began to be vexed we came with one no of the missouri members from wheeling to this place who was drunk but once and that however was most of the time there was but one day but what he could navigate and that day he was keeled over so he could eat no dinner the horses borsis ran away with the stage they ran about three miles brother joseph climbed out of the stage got the lines and stopped the horses and also saved the life of a lady alady and child he was as highly commended by the whole company for his great exertions and presence of mind the whole affair elias higbee jumped ju e out of the stage at a favorable moment j just t before fore they stopped with a view to assist in stopping them and was but slightly injured we we were not known to the stage company until after our arrival in our interview with the president he interrogated us wherein we diff differed ered in our religion from the other religions of the day brother joseph said we differed in mode of baptism and the gift of the holy ghost by the laying on of hands bands we considered that all other considerations were contained in the gift of the holy ghost and we deemed it unnecessary to maki make many words in preaching the gospel to him suffice it to say he has got our testimony we watch the post office dut but have received no letters from our sections of the country write instantly yours with respect J S jr E H tuesday ath high council of iowa met at elijah Ford hams and voted to come up to the law of tithing so far as circumstances would permit for the die benefit of the poor and that alanson ripley remove to iowa and he was ordained bishop by the presidency of the council elder daniel avery was instructed to call the eidels aldei a together and organize the elders quorum saturday ath the president of the high council of iowa proposed the following questions lave have the brethren a right to exact the payment of debts which were due them from others and were conse consecrated craft d to the bishop in the state of missouri six counselors spoke the president decided that all such debts ought not to be called for and that persons making such demands shall be ped by the church which was approved by the council also that all those who sold goods in missouri and were calling for their pay ay should be considered as acting in unrighteousness and ought to be ped as the property of the saints had been confiscated by missouri Ig washington city corner of missouri and third streets december ath 1839 to seymour brunson and the honorable high council of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints your you r humble bumble sor servants joseph smith jr and elias higbee again address you for the purpose of informing you of our proceedings here in relation to our business and prospects of success we deem it unimportant to say anything in rea relation to our journey arrival aad interview with his excellency the president of these united states as th they ey were mentioned in a letter lately addressed to president hyrum smith and the high council we mentioned in that letter the appointment of a meeting to be held by the illinois delegation to consult upon the best measures of getting our business brought before congress thelmet they met yesterday in one of the committee rooms of the capitol all the delegation except the ex governor govern or reynolds were present who is now one of the representatives in congress and oa on account of whose absence the meeting was adjourned until today to day at eleven however the subject was partially introduced and mr robinson took a stand against us so far as concerned our pr presenting claims to be liquidated by bv the united states VI e took a stand against him asserting our constitutional rights brother joseph maintained the ground in argument against him firmly and respectfully setting forth the injuries that we have received and the appeals that we have made to the judiciary of missouri and also the governor their refusals from time to time to do us justice also the impracticability of doing anything in the judiciary courts of missouri which tribunal mr robinson thought was the only proper place for our oar claims but he finally said it was his first impression on the subject not having considered the matter but would take it into further consideration era tion judge young of the senate made some remarks in our favor saying he would get the opinion of some of the prominent members of the senate who were also lawyers and would report to us at the text meeting we met this day according to appointment and very friendly feelings were manifested on the occasion our business was taken up and judge young stated that lie he had asked the opinion of judge white of tennessee of mr wright and several other members whose names we do not recollect but were prominent members of the senate they all declined giving an 0 opinion nion I 1 a at t pres present ent as it was a matter that they bad ad not considered sufficiently to decide upon at t this time the meeting then after some deliberations libe rations decided in our favor which decision was that a memorial and petition be drawn up in a concise manne representatives promising tto so to do and judge young present them to the senate that they might thereby refer it to the proper committee with all a the accompanying documents and order the same to be printed we want you to assist us now and also to forward us your certificates that you hold for lands I 1 iv in missouri your claims to preemption pre emption rights and affidavits to prove that soldiers were quartered on us and in our houses without our consent or avy special act of law for that purpose cont contrary ry to the constitution of the united states we think thinh brother ripley and others will recollect the circumstances and facts relative to this matter you will also recollect the circumstances of brother joseph and others being refused the privilege of 0 habeas corpus by the authorities of missouri these facts must be authenticated by affidavits i let any particular transaction of the outrages e 8 ia in missouri that can call be sworn to by the sufferers suffered r or r tale who were eye wl witnesses to the facts be sent specifying the pa iffe ulars have the evi I 1 dea deuce e bona fide to tile point the h e house of representatives is not yet organized gani zed much feeling and confusion have prevailed in the house for a few days past the house succeeded in electing john Q adams chaij chairman man pro tern tem on the ath instant they have not yet elected their speaker or clerk the senate can do nothing of consequence u until the house is organized neither can the presidents message until then be received we design taking a paper and forwarding it to you your brethren in the bonds of the everlasting covenant JOSEPH SMITH jr ELIAS HIGBEE brother isaac haight took eldora elders young and george A smith to brother joseph murdocks hamilton Hami iton madison county new york where elder young preached on sunday ath and scent anent the week in preachy preaching al 11 n and visiting the brethren elder smith was confined conin ed to his room sick this day the high council of nauvoo issued an epistle to the saints west of kirtland not to return thither see times and seasons page 29 elders hiram dark clark alexander wright and samuel arrived in preston from america their licenses were mislaid millaid on their journey and they had some difficulty in making themselves known I 1 some time this month brother hyrum smith wrote a long epistle to the saints scattered abroad greeting setting forth his sufferings ac in the ta state of missouri aud and published the same in the times and seasons on page 20 and onward sunday president young preached at brother giffords in waterville Wat erville the high council at nauvoo voted that bishop knight provide for the families of joseph smith jr sidney rig non lion and orren porter rockwell during their absence at washington elder james my scribe having died it was voted that debts cont contracted meted for building his house be settled also approved of brothers annis acids bozier and edmunds ina ads building a water mill adjoining tile the city monday president young returned to hamilton wednesday elders wilford woodruff john taylor and theodore turley sailed from new york for england friday noth president young went to eaton to see his cousins fitch salmon and phinehas brigham for particulars of our proceedings while hilo at washington see my letters |