As expected, you made no effort to expose the principles we teach from reason and the Scripture; you claim it would take a lifetime to expose the errors of Mormonism. Well, {140} now, Brother, don't you think you are a little bit inconsistent? Did you not speak before you thought? Just think what would be accomplished if you could only prove Mormonism to be false. We are informed by our enemies, and they preach it to the people, that the very existence of our government and free institutions is threatened by this Mormon octopus, and often has it been pointed out, by preachers and politicians, that we already control four or five states, almost a sufficient number of senators to give us a balance of power in the United States senate. Then the Rev. T. C. Iliff, and other of our enemies, who are proselyting in Utah, say if it were not for our leaders we would be good people; and that it is our priestcraft that makes us bad; fully admitting that they think we have a soul to save. Don't you think you could afford to try and call us to repentance? Is it not worth the candle? Inasmuch as Dr. Iliff was in this city a few months back, lecturing on Mormonism, soliciting donations, is it not possible that some of Chattanooga's good people gave of their means to be used in converting us "heathens," and no doubt we were considered "worth the candle?" Would it not be well worth a man's life to prove Mormonism false, if it would save the nation from going to pieces and be the means of saving some 300,000 or 400,000 or more souls for Jesus? Ministers all over the country are crying that thousands are being won over to the Mormon faith every year, and would it not be worth the candle to check this mighty stream of human souls, which, as you say, "are going to certain destruction?" As to Joseph Smith, you rehashed the same old stuff, which I have already answered, but I should have thought you would have remembered to tell the people, in your eagerness to be fair, what such men as Josiah Quincy, George Bancroft, the historian, and other prominent and well known men say. In another column we have taken pains to give a few sayings in our favor from men of undoubted veracity, but as they are not clippings from your style of authors perhaps they will not suit you. However, they will go to show that there are two sides to this question, as well as every other question. On the Book of Mormon you manufacture another Spaulding story with a hope of covering your defeat on this point, but we want to say to you here that the manuscript of Oberlin college is the very manuscript of which it was falsely said years ago furnished the inspiration for the Book of Mormon, and as President Fairchild said in his affidavit and account {141} of the manuscript published in the New York World, the opponents of Mormonism will have to look elsewhere for an explanation of the Book of Mormon.