Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-25
Boonslick Democrat of Jan. 0, 1882
contained the folloWIngi

contained the folloWlnSi
"a letter under date OF the z9tn OIL
November, 1888. has been written py
Michael Arthur OF Clay county, TO inc
delegation from that county In Generui
Assembly, now In session. from wnich
the following is an extract: humanity
to an Injured people prompts me at
present to address you this You arc
aware of tho treatment Ito some ex-
tent before you left homo) received by
that unfortunate raco of beings called
Moi1nons, from dovlls In the form OF
human beings. inhabitlng Davies, Llv-
ingston, and part OF Ray counties. :.
These Demons arc now strolllng up
and down Caldwell county In small
companies. armed: insulting the wom-
on In any and every way, and plunder-
Ing the Mormons OF oil the means OF
subsistence, (scanty as it was). left
them. and driving OF their cattle.
horses, hogs, etc. and rining their
houses and farms OF every thing therc-
on, taking beds. bedding. wardrobcs.
and such things as they want, leaving
the Mormons In starving and naked
condition"
The New York Sun about the same
time had the following:
They must have a primitive mode
of administering justice in Missouri.
These Mormons are as much citizens
as the others, and yet. without trial,
upon the exparte testimony of the per-
sons who had provoked the Mormons
to retaliation. the Governor issues or
ders. If We understand the case. for the
expulsion of the Mormons from the
state of Missouri. Tho Emperor of
Russia, the Shah of Persia, OF the sui
tan of Turkey could not embrace In his
own person, more legislative, judicial.
executive power than is here assumed"
In an epistle published in the Boston
Atlas, tho contrast between the Nor
mons" and their prosecutors is set forth
as follows:
THE Mormons were In truth a moral,
orderly and sober population They
were industrious farmers, and ingeni-
Gus mechanics. They were busy about
their own affairs. and never intermed-
died in the concerns of their neigh
bors. They were exceedingly peaceful
and averse to strife. quarrels and vio-
lence. They had established schools.
they encouraged education; and they
all had the rudiments of learning
taught under our school system at the
East They had begun to open fine
farms, and put their lands In a high
state of improvement. Many of them
were surrounded by numerous COM
forts. and some with even the ele-
gancies of life. In all these respects
their conditions presented a broad con-
trast to that of their neighbors
The anti-Mormons (for I must dis
tlnguish this horde of demi-sayaees)
are exceedingly intolerant They are
refuse Kentuckians and Tennessee
ans, intermixed with Vireinians of the
same cast in whom the vice of Sec
tional pride, which marks the people.
and prejudice aginst all others. es
pecially those belonging to the free
states, whom they indisoriminately
brand as Yankees, is exaggerated to
the highest pitch"
Ihese Impartial testimonies show suf-
hciently the causes of the friction in
Missouri. The Latter-day Saints were
made the first object of attack. but the
trouble was not over with the expulsion
OF the inoffending Church members. 1t
continued. In 1856 citizens of Jackson
county warned the Methodists not to
meet in conference at Independence
because of the supposed anti-slayery
sentiments and opinions of the minis
ters and others who will constitute said
conference" Had they disregarded this
warning, they might have been mob
bed, as the Saints were.
The trouble in Illinois was occasioned
py dinerent circumstances. Politicians
claim that politics was the
of tho Saints. At the time of
the settlement of Nauvoo the Whlg and
Democratic parties in the state were In
a heated struggle for supremacy. and
party leaders did all In their power to
secure the Mormon" vote for their re-
spective parties. Gov. Ford intimates
that much when he says both parties
were active in getting the Nauyoo
charter through the legislature. Rut
IS 1t was impossible to champion the
cause OF two parties the hostility of
one OF the other was necessarily arous-
ed. Politics" says Adlal e. Steven
son, the prime cause of fortunes favor
to them in the beginning. proved their
in the end"
Without further discussing this viev
1T this time we may say that the
charge that the "Latter-day Saints In
illinois cast an absolutely solid vote
or one party or another. at the COM
nand of their leaders, is false. In 1870
many OF the Saints voted the Whie
icket and helped to make Harrison
president. In 1S43 Nauvoo went Demo-
ratio, although Joseph Smith cast his
Individual vote for the candidate that
vas defeated. The Saints then, as now.
we're free to vote their convictions.
They naturally voted for their friends
ind not for their enemies, and they
lsed their power to place in office men
n whom they had confidence. some
lines regardless of party affiliations.
This they did and had right to do.
And yet 1t appears that because the |
'Mormons" insisted on their rights as |
American citizens, perfectly willing 20 |
i've others equal rights. they became |
he objects of hatred. When their |
egularly elected officers proceeded to |
he county seat to qualify. they were |
ssailed by an armed mob, mad with
olitical Jealousy An anti-"NIor1non"
arty was formed. which pledged itself
o support the Missourians In any gu
ure attempt upon the lives of the
Mormon" leaders. Mobs began to at
ack and burn houses outside Nauvoo.
nd threatened the city.
l0ttar 70 |
-ttorney-General OF the State. Joslah