The Missouri PersecutionsRoberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
History
The Missouri Persecutions
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Latter Day Saints -- Missouri -- History -- 19th century
The address this committee reported repeated the falsehoods concerning
the saints interfering with slaves, inviting free people of color to
settle in Jackson County; and of the saints being the very dregs of
the society from which they had emigrated; again charged them with
most abject poverty, idleness, and of coming to obtain inheritances in
Jackson County, "without money and without price." It declared that
the evils which threatened their community, by the "Mormons" settling
among them, were such as no one could have foreseen, and therefore they
were unprovided for by the laws; and the delays incident to legislation
would put the mischief beyond all remedy. It expressed the fear that if
the saints were not interfered with, the day would not be far distant
when the civil government of the county would be in their hands; when
the sheriff, the justices, and the county judges would be "Mormons"
or persons wishing to court their favor from motives of interest or
ambition; and then the following:
What would be the fate of our lives and property in the hands of
jurors and witnesses who do not blush to declare, and would not, upon
occasion, hesitate to swear, that they have wrought miracles, and
have been the subjects of miraculous and supernatural cures, have
conversed with God and his angels, and possess and exercise the gifts
of divination, and of unknown tongues, and fired with the prospects of
obtaining inheritances without money and without price--may be better
imagined than described.[A]
[Footnote A: Western Monitor, August 2, 1833.]
However, in speaking of the gifts of the Spirit which the saints
enjoyed--revelation, prophecy, speaking in tongues, healing the sick,
etc., the committee proposed to have nothing to say, but piously close
the clause which refers to these things with the words: _"Vengeance
belongs to God alone!"_ For the other things with which they charged
the saints--each and all of them were utterly false except it might be
in the matter of poverty. But even in this the truth was not stated.
A few cases aside, the "poverty" in question was that poverty of the
pioneer newly arrived in the wilderness which is to be the subsequent
field of his enterprises and triumphs. Quite generally the saints went
into Jackson County prepared to purchase lands and build homes; but
pending the accomplishment of that, there was much inconvenience and
some suffering for want of shelter and clothing; but "abject poverty,"
apart from this, there was none.
The conclusion of the mob in the whole matter was thus stated:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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