"I now come to the investigation of a subject that has been harped upon for the last seventeen years, namely, the Mountain Meadows massacre. That bloody tragedy has been the chief stock-in-trade for {190} penny-a-liners, and press and pulpit, who have gloated in turns by chorus over the sickening details. 'Do you deny it?' No. 'Do you excuse it?' No. There is no excuse for such a relentless, diabolical, sanguinary deed. That outrageous infamy is looked upon with as much abhorrence by our people as by any other parties in this nation or in the world, and at its first announcement its loathing recital chilled the marrow and sent a thrill of horror through the breasts of the listeners. It was most certainly a horrible deed, and like many other defenceless tragedies, it is one of those things that cannot be undone. The world is full of deeds of crime and darkness, and the question often arises--Who is responsible therefore? It is usual to blame the perpetrators. It does not seem fair to accuse nations, states, and communities for deeds perpetrated by some of their citizens, unless they uphold it." _"It is by no means improbable that some future text book, for the use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may be thus written: Joseph Smith, The Mormon Prophet."_ --_Josiah Quincy, 1844_. {191} A REJECTED MANUSCRIPT. THE OTHER SIDE. LEON R. EWING. "They are slaves who fear to speak For the fallen and the weak; They are slaves who dare not be, In the right with two or three." INTRODUCTION It is difficult for a fair-minded person to realize how hard it is to find space in leading newspapers and magazines for words of defense when expressed in favor of an unpopular people. Their columns are open to attacks, but seldom do we find one blessed with sufficient independence of mind to present the unpopular side to the public. The lady from Ohio who is the author of the following manuscript is not the first to discover this. This manuscript was rejected by "Modern Culture," "Current History," "The Arena," "The Forum," "The World's Work," "Munsey's," "Harper's Monthly," "McClure's," and "The Worlds Today." It was then sent to Ben E. Rich of Atlanta, Georgia, accompanied by a letter, from which we quote as follows: