Mower County transcript., 1907-03-13

They we're appa.7eu at f,1s swespiHk
Victories ne promised the Saints over
the hated Gentiles at an early day.
They suggested, too, that the Lord
might withhold an abundance from
them for q few years until hs had
more thoroughly tried them. But
their counsel seemed only to inflame
him to fresh absurdities. In the very
days Of their greatest scarcity that
winter, when almost every man was
dressed in skins, and the daily fare
was thistle roots, he declared to them
ct Sunday service:
"a time of plenty is at hand-of
great plenty. I cannot tell you how
know these things. do not know
how they come to me. l prat-and
I they come to life in my spirit; that
is how ! have found this fact; in less
than a year states goods OF all need
ed kinds will be sold here cheaper
than they can be bought in eastern
cities. You shall have an abundance,
ut prices that will amaze you"
And the people thrilled to hear him,
partaking of his faith, remembering
the gulls that ate the criekets, and
the rain and wind that came to save
the pioneer train from fire. To the
leaders such prophesying was merely
reckless, inviting further chastise-
ments from heaven, and calculated to
cause loss of faith in the priesthood.
And yet, wild as it was, they saw
this latter prophecy fulfilled; for now,
so soon after the birth of this new
empire, while it suffered and grew
weak and bade fair to perish in It's
cradle of faith, there was made for 1t
q golden spoon of plenty.
Over across the mountains the year
before, on the decayed granite bed
rock of the tail race at the mill OF
one Sutter, man had picked up
few particles Of gold, the largest as
big as grains of wheat. The news OF
the wonder had spread to the east,
and now came frenzied hordes of gold
seekers. The valley of the mountains
where the Saints had hoped to hide
was directly in their path, and there
they stopped their richly laden trains
to rest and to renew their supplies.
The harvest of '49 was bountiful in
all the valley; and thus was the wild
prophecy of Joel Rae made sober
truth. Many of the gold seekers had
loaded their wagons with merchandise
for the mining camps; but in their
haste to be at the golden hills, they
now sold it at sacrifice in order to
tighten their loads. The movement
across the Sierras became wild
race; clothing, provisions, tools and
arms-things most needful to the
half-clad, half-starved community on
the shores of the lake-were bartered
to them at less. than half-price for
fresh horses and light wagons.
Where SIS pack-mule was sold for
5000, a set of joiner's tools that had
cost 500 back in St. Louis would be
bought for $25.
The next year the gain to the Saints
was even greater, as the tide of gold
seekers rose. Early that summer
they sold -four to the oncoming le-
si0ns for dollar. a pound, taking
their pay in the supplies they most
needed on almost their own terms.
This passing of the gold seekers
was not, however, a blessing without
drawbacks. For the Saints had hoped
to wax strong unobserved, unmolest-
ell, forgotten, in this mountain retreat.
But now obscurity could no longer be
their lot. The hated Gentiles had
again to be reckoned with.
First, the United States had ex-
panded or the west to include their
tsrritory-the fruit Of the Mexican
war-the poor bleak desert they were
making to blossom. Next, the gov.
ernment at Washington had sent to
construe and administer their laws
1aen who were aliens from the Com.
monwealth of Israel. True, Millard
Fillmore had appointed Brigham gov
ernor of the new territory-but there
were chief justices and associate jus.
tees, secretaries, attorneys, mar.
shals, Indian agents from the wicked
and benighted East; men who frank.
IL disbelieved. that the voice of Brig.
lam was as the voice of God, and
who did not hesitate to let their
heresy be known. A stream of these
came and went -trouble-mongers who
despised and insulted the Saints, and
returned to Washington with cal
u;nnies on their lips. It was true that
Brigham had continued, as was right,
tc be the only power in the territory !;
but the narrow-minded appointees g.
the federal government persisted in
misconstruing this circumstance; re
fusing to look upon it as the just
mark of Heavens favbr, and declar-
ing it to be the arrogance Of mere
civil usurper.
Under such provocation Joel Rae
longed more than ever to be Lion
Of the. Lord, for those above him in
the church endured too easily, he
considered, the indignities that were
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