The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-04-18
Voices of the "Prophets."

During the earlier years of the career of the or
ganization known as the Mormon church. one of the
records kept for the enghtment of the generations
of the future a book entitled "The Journal of
Discourses." Upon this record was transcribed the
sermons and other addresses of Presidents apostles
and some of the subordinate officials of the Nor
mon establishment and whatever was therein pre-
served is looked upon official and authoritative
The Church has discontinued this form of record,
having its official newspaper in which is en-
ba1med in cold type the Immortal words" that fall
from the lips of the leaders of the sanity host
In the preparation of his admirable serial article
on Mornonsm that has been having a run of about
four months in the Salt Lake Tribune Don Carlos
W. Musser had access to the Journal of Discourses
and he extracted herefrom quotations that
show what manner of men were the original spell
binders of the house of Joseph Smith, Jr, himself
the head prophet, and revelator and original
harem architect of the establishment
Through these extracts from the oratory of the
past one is able look into the hearts of founders
of the church, men esteemed great beyond any
mortal endowment by their followers of later gen
Grafton.
Thus to the world has been preserved something
from the classical tongue of Bigham Young, but
for whom the Latter Day Saints would have fin
ished their brief career when the life of Joseph
spoke during the civil war PERIOD in 1863, and vol
ume 10 of the Journal of Discourses records him
as saying:
"The waste of life in the ruinous now raging
is truly 1amentable. Joseph, the prophet said the
report of it would sicken the heart And what is it
all for? 1t is visitation from heaven, because they
have killed the prophet of God, Joseph Smith, j r.
Has not the Nation consented to his death and to the
utter destruction of the Latter Day Saints, If 1t
could be accomplished? But they found that they
could not accomplish it.
1--WE have done everything that has been required
of Can there anything reasonable and const-
tutional be asked that we would not perform? NO;
But if the Government of the United States should
now ask for a battalion of men to hight IN the
present battefelds of the Nation, while there is a
camp of soldiers from abroad located within the cor
porate limits of this city, would not ask one man
to go; could see them in hell first
'What is the cause of all this waste OF lite and
treasures? To tell it in a plain, truthful way
portion of the country wishes to raise their ne
groes or black slaves, and the other portion wishes
to free them, and, apparently, almost to worship
them. Well, raise and worship them; who cares?
should fight moment about It, tor the
of human Improvement is not IN the least ad-
vanced by the dreadful which now conVulSeS our
unhappy country.
Ham will continue to be the servant of the ser
wants. the Lord has decreed until the curse is re-
moved. Will the present struggle tree the slaves?
No. but they are wasting away the black race by
thousands
x Can you destroy the degrees of Almighty
You cannot Yet our Christian brethren think they
are going to overthrow the sentence of the Al
mighty upon the seed of Ham, They cannot do
that, though they may kill them by thousands and
tens of thousands.
According to accounts in all probability not less
than one million men, from 20 to 40 years OF age,
have gone to the silent grave in this useless war,
in a little two years. and all to crafty the
caprice of few do not think have suitable
name for them. Shall call them abolton1stS
slave holders, religious bgots, or political aspr-
ants? Call them what you will, they are wasting
each OIL and If though they Will