From the time of the organization of the Church the Saints had suffered most cruelly at the hands of enemies. Governors and lesser state dignitaries, had aided in the persecutions. No redress, even from the government of the United States, could be obtained. Mobs still menaced them, and their chances for protection by lawful means were not the best, for the governor of Illinois was intimidated by mob threats. It was agreed, therefore, to inquire of the various candidates for the presidency of the United States what their feelings would be, if elected, towards the Latter-day Saints, and their course of action in relation to the cruel oppression the Saints had suffered. Accordingly letters were sent to the leading candidates. Only two, Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, deigned to make reply. Their answers were so unsatisfactory that the "Mormon" people decided they could vote for neither of them. Clay replied that if he ever entered that high office he must go into it free and unfettered, with no guarantees but such as were to be drawn from his whole life, character and conduct, although he had sympathized with the Saints in their sufferings under injustice. Calhoun was more frank, stating that the case of the Saints in Missouri, candor compelled him to say, "did not come within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, which is one of limited and specific powers." Under these conditions the citizens of Nauvoo felt that the only consistent step they could take was to place their own candidate in the field. Consequently, at a political convention held in Nauvoo, January 29, 1844, Joseph Smith was nominated as a candidate for the presidency of the United States, and on May 17, a state convention was held in Nauvoo where his nomination was sustained. There was no thought on the part of President Joseph Smith or the Saints that he would be elected, but it gave to them an opportunity to express their feelings, and to sustain a candidate who would advocate their rights against oppression. In the _Times and Seasons_ (Feb. 15) an editorial was published entitled: "Who Shall be our Next President?" in which the reasons for selecting their own candidate were clearly and emphatically stated by the editor (John Taylor) in behalf of the Latter-day Saints. James Arlington Bennett, of New York, was asked to become their candidate for the vice-presidency, but as he was born in Ireland, was not eligible. Sidney Rigdon, who had moved from Nauvoo to Pittsburgh--contrary to revelation and to the feelings of the Prophet--was selected for that place. Views on the Powers and Policy of the Government