I must pass over many details interesting in themselves; but too long to
insert in this work. It must suffice to say, that after a time Joe
Smith stated that he had possession of the golden plates, and had
received from heaven a pair of spectacles by means of which the unknown
characters could be decyphered by him. It may appear strange that such
absurd assertions should be credited, but the reader must call to mind
the credence given in this country to Joanna Southcote, and the
infatuation displayed by her proselytes to the very last.
The origin of Mormonism deserves peculiar examination from the success
which has attended the imposture, and the prospects which it has of
becoming firmly established as a new creed. At its first organisation,
which took place at the time that the golden plates were translating,
which the reader may suppose was nothing more than the contents of the
book that Rigdon had obtained possession of, and which had been
originally written by S. Spalding, there were but six members of the new
creed.
These first members, consisting mostly of persons who were engaged with
Smith in the translation of the plates, forthwith applied themselves
with great zeal to building up the church. Their first efforts were
confined to Western New York and Pennsylvania, where they met with
considerable success. After a number of converts had been made, Smith
received a revelation that he and all his followers should go to
Kirkland, in Ohio and there take up their abode. Many obeyed this
command, selling their possessions, and helping each other to settle on
the spot designated. This place was the head-quarters of the Church and
the residence of the prophets until 1838; but it does not appear that
they ever regarded it as a permanent settlement; for, in the Book of
Covenants, it is said, in speaking of Kirkland, "I consecrate this land
unto them for a little season, until I the Lord provide for them to go
home."
In the spring of 1831, Smith, Rigdon, and others declared themselves
directed by revelation to go on a journey to Missouri, and there the
Lord was to shew them the place of the New Jerusalem. This journey was
accordingly taken, and when they arrived, a revelation was received,
pointing out the town of Independence, in Jackson county, as the central
spot of the land of promise, where they were directed to build a temple,
etcetera, etcetera. Shortly after their return to Kirkland, a number of
revelations were received, commanding the saints throughout the country
to purchase and settle in this land of promise. Accordingly, many went
and began to build up "Zion," as they called it.
In 1831, a consecration law was established in the church by revelation.
It was first published in the Book of Covenants, in the following
words:--"If thou lovest me, thou shalt keep my commandments, and thou
shalt consecrate all thy properties unto me with a covenant and deed
which cannot be broken." This law, however, has been altered since that
time. As modified, it reads thus:--"If thou lovest me, thou shalt serve
and keep all of my commandments, and, behold, thou shalt remember the
poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support that which thou
hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be
broken."
In April, 1832, a firm was established by revelation, ostensibly for the
benefit of the church, consisting of the principal members in Kirkland
and Independence. The members of this firm were bound together by an
oath and covenant to manage the affairs of the poor, and all things
pertaining to the church, both in Zion (Missouri) and in Shinakar
(Kirkland). In June, 1833, another revelation was received to lay off
Kirkland in lots, and the proceeds of the sale were to go to this firm.
In 1834 or 1835, the firm was divided by revelation, so that those in
Kirkland continued as one firm, and those in Missouri as another. In
the same revelation they are commanded to divide the consecrated
property between the individuals of the firm, which each separately were
to manage as stewards.
Previous to this (1833), a revelation was received to build a temple,
which was to be done by the consecrated funds, which were under the
control of the firm. In erecting this building the firm involved itself
in debt to a large amount; to meet which, in the revelation last
mentioned, the following appears: "Inasmuch as ye are humble and
faithful, and call on my name, behold, I will give you the victory. I
give unto you a promise that you shall be delivered this once out of
your bondage, inasmuch as you obtain a chance to loan money by hundreds
and thousands, even till you have obtained enough to deliver yourselves
out of bondage." This was a command to borrow money, in order to free
themselves from the debt that oppressed them. They made the attempt,
but failed to get sufficient to meet their exigencies. This led to
another expedient.
In 1835, Smith, Rigdon, and others formed a mercantile house, and
purchased goods in Cleveland and in Buffalo to a very large amount, on a
credit of six months. In the fall, other houses were formed, and goods
purchased in the eastern cities to a still greater amount. A great part
of the goods of these houses went to pay the workmen on the temple, and
many were sold on credit, so that when the notes came due the house was
not able to meet them. Smith, Rigdon, and Co then attempted to borrow
money, by issuing their notes, payable at different periods after date.
This expedient not being effectual, the idea of a bank suggested itself.
Accordingly, in 1837, the far-famed Kirkland bank was put into
operation, without any charter.
This institution, by which so many have been swindled, was formed after
the following manner. Subscribers for stock were allowed to pay the
amount of their subscriptions in town lots, at five or six times their
real value; others paid in personal property at a high valuation; and
some paid the cash. When the notes were first issued, they were current
in the vicinity, and Smith took advantage of their credit to pay off
with them the debts he and the brethren had contracted in the
neighbourhood for land and other purchases. The eastern creditors,
however, refused to take their notes. This led to the expedient of
exchanging them for the notes of other banks.
Accordingly the elders were sent off the country to barter Kirkland
money, which they did with great zeal, and continued the operation until
the notes were not worth sixpence to the dollar. As might have been
expected, this institution exploded after a few months, involving Smith
and his brethren in inextricable difficulties. The consequence was,
that he and most of the members of the church set off, in the spring of
1838, for Missouri, pursued by their creditors, but to no effect.
We must now go back for a short period to state another circumstance.
In 1836, an endowment meeting, or solemn assembly, was called, to be
held in the temple at Kirkland. It was given out that those who were in
attendance at the meeting should receive an endowment or blessing
similar to that experienced by the disciples of Christ on the day of
Pentecost. When the day arrived, great numbers convened from the
different churches in the country. They spent the day in fasting and
prayer, and in washing and perfuming their bodies; they also washed
their feet and anointed their heads with what they called holy oil, and
pronounced blessings.
In the evening, they met for the endowment; the fast was then broken, by
eating light wheat bread, and drinking as much wine as they thought
proper. Smith knew well how to infuse the spirit which they expected to
receive; so he encouraged the brethren to drink freely, telling them
that the wine was consecrated, and would not make them drunk. As may be
supposed, they drank to some purpose; after this, they began to
prophesy, pronouncing blessings upon their friends and curses upon their
enemies; after which the meeting adjourned.
We now return to Missouri. The Mormons who had settled in and about
Independence, in the year 1831, having become very arrogant, claiming
the land as their own, saying, the Lord had given it to them, and making
the most haughty assumptions, so exasperated the old citizens, that a
mob was raised in 1833, and expelled the whole Mormon body from the
county. They fled to Clay county, where the citizens permitted them to
live in quiet till 1836, when a mob spirit began to manifest itself, and
the Mormons retired to a very thinly settled district of the country,
where they began to make improvements.
This district was at the session of 1836-7 of the Missouri legislature,
erected into a county, by the name of Caldwell with Far-West for its
capital. Here the Mormons remained in quiet until after the bank
explosion in Kirkland, in 1838, when Smith, Rigdon, and others of the
heads of the sect arrived. Shortly after this, the Danite Society was
organised, the object of which, at first, was to drive the dissenters
out of the county. The members of this society were bound by an oath
and covenant, with the penalty of death attached to a breach of it, to
defend the presidency, and each other, unto death, right or wrong. They
had their secret signs, by which they knew each other, either by day or
night; and were divided into bands of tens and fifties, with a captain
over each band, and a general over the whole. After this body was
formed, notice was given to several of the dissenters to leave the
county, and they were threatened severely in case of disobedience. The
effect of this was, that many of the dissenters left: among these were
David Whitmer, John Whitmer, Hiram Page, and Oliver Cowdery, all
witnesses to the Book of Mormon; also Lyman Johnson, one of the twelve
apostles.
The day after John Whitmer left his house in Far-West, it was taken
possession of by Sidney Rigdon. About this time, Rigdon preached his
famous "Salt Sermon." The text was:--"Ye are the salt of the earth, but
if the salt has lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is
thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden
under foot of men." He informed the Mormons that the Church was the
salt; that dissenters were the salt that had lost its flavour; and that
they were literally to be trodden under the foot of the Church, until
their bowels should gush out.
In one of the meetings of the Danite band, one of the leaders informed
them that the time was not far distant, when the elders of the Church
should go forth to the world with swords at their sides, and that they
would soon have to go through the state of Missouri, and slay every man,
woman, and child! They had it in contemplation at one time to prophesy
a dreadful pestilence in Missouri, and then to poison the waters of the
state, to bring it about, and thus to destroy the inhabitants.
In the early part of the fall of the year 1838, the last disturbance
between the Mormons and the Missourians commenced. It had its origin at
an election in Davies county, where some of the Mormons had located. A
citizen of Davies, in a conversation with a Mormon, remarked that the
Mormons all voted one way: this was denied with warmth; a violent
contest ensued, when, at last, the Mormon called the Missourian a liar.
They came to blows, and the quarrel was followed by a row between the
Mormons and the Missourians.
A day or two after this, Smith, with a company of men from Far-West,
went into Davies county, for the purpose, as they said, of quelling the
mob; but when they arrived, the mob had dispersed. The citizens of
Davies gathered in their turn; however, the Mormons soon collected a
force to the amount of five hundred men, and compelled the citizens to
retire; they fled, leaving the country deserted for many miles around.
At this time, the Mormons killed between two and three hundred hogs, and
a number of cattle; took at least forty or fifty stands of honey, and at
the same time destroyed several fields of corn. The word was given out,
that the Lord had consecrated, through the Church, the spoils unto his
host.
All this was done when they had plenty of their own, and previous to the
citizens in that section of the country taking any thing from them.
They continued, these depredations for near a week, when the Clay County
Militia was ordered out. The contest was a bloody one: suffice it to
say, that, finally, Smith, Rigdon, and many others were taken, and, at a
court of inquiry, were remanded over for trial. Rigdon was afterwards
discharged on _habeas corpus_, and Smith and his comrades, after being
in prison several months, escaped from their guards, and reached Quincy,
Illinois. The Mormons had been before ordered to leave the state, by
direction of the governor, and many had retired to Illinois previous to
Smith's arrival.
The Mormons, as a body, arrived in Illinois in the early part of the
year 1839, in a state of great destitution and wretchedness. Their
condition, with their tales of persecutions and privations, wrought
powerfully upon the sympathies of the citizens, and caused them to be
received with the greatest hospitality and kindness. After the arrival
of Smith, the greater part of them settled at Commerce, situated upon
the Mississippi river, at the lower rapids, just opposite the entrance
of the river Des Moines, a site equal in beauty to any on the river.
Here they began to build, and in the short time of four years they have
raised a city. At first, as was before said, on account of their former
sufferings, and also from the great political power which they
possessed, from their unity, they were treated by the citizens of
Illinois with great respect; but subsequent events have turned the tide
of feeling against them.
In the winter of 1840, they applied to the legislature of the state for
several charters; one for the city of Nauvoo, the name Smith had given
to the town of Commerce; one for the Nauvoo legion, a military body; one
for manufacturing purposes, and one for the Nauvoo University. The
privileges which they asked for were very extensive, and such was the
desire to secure their political support, that all were granted for the
mere asking; indeed, the leaders of the American legislature seemed to
vie with each other in sycophancy towards this body of fanatical
strangers, so anxious was each party to do them some favour that would
secure their gratitude. This tended to produce jealousy in the minds of
the neighbouring citizens, and fears were expressed lest a body so
united religiously and politically, might become dangerous to liberal
institutions.
The Mormons had at every election voted in a body with their leaders;
this alone made them formidable. The legion of Mormons had been amply
supplied with arms by the state, and the whole body was under the
strictest military discipline. These facts, together with complaints
similar to those which were made in Missouri, tended to arouse a strong
feeling against them, and at last, in the early part of the summer of
1841, the citizens of Illinois organised a strong force in opposition;
the Mormons were beaten in the contest. The disposition now manifested
by the citizens, appears to be to act upon the defensive, but at all
hazards to maintain their rights.
As regards the pecuniary transactions of the Mormons since they have
been in Illinois, Smith still uses his power for his own benefit. His
present arrangements are to purchase land at a low rate, lay it off into
town lots, which he sells to his followers at a high price; thus lots
that scarcely cost him a dollar, are frequently sold for a thousand. He
has raised several towns in this manner, both in Illinois and in Ioway.
During the last year, he has made two proclamations to his followers
abroad, to come and settle in the county of Hancock. These
proclamations have been obeyed to a great extent, and, strange to say,
hundreds have been flocking in from the great manufacturing cities of
England. What is to be the result of all this, it is impossible to
tell; but one thing is certain, that, in a political point of view, the
Mormons are already powerful, and that the object of Smith is evidently
to collect all his followers into one focus, and thus concentrate all
his power and wealth.
The designs of Smith and his coadjutors, at the time of the first
publication of the Book of Mormon, was, doubtlessly, nothing more than
pecuniary aggrandisement. We do not believe they expected at that time
that so many could ever be duped to be converted; when, however, the
delusion began to spread, the publishers saw the door opened not only
for wealth, but also for extensive power, and their history throughout
shews that they have not been remiss in their efforts to acquire both.
The extent of their desires is now by no means limited, for their
writings and actions shew a design to pursue the same path, and attain
the same end by the same means, as did Mahomet. The idea of a second
Mahomet arising in the nineteenth century may excite a smile, but when
we consider the steps now taken by the Mormons to concentrate their
numbers, and their ultimate design to unite themselves with the Indians,
it will not be at all surprising, if scenes unheard of since the days of
feudalism should soon be re-enacted.
I will here submit to my readers a letter directed to Mr Courtenay in
1842 by a superior officer of the United States artillery.
"Yesterday (July the 10th) was a great day among the Mormons; their
legion, to the number of three thousand men, was reviewed by Generals
Smith, Bennet, and others, and certainly made a very noble and
imposing appearance; the evolutions of the troops commanded by Joe
would do honour to any body of regular soldiers in England, France, or
Prussia. What does this mean? Why this exact discipline of the
Mormon corps? Do they intend to conquer Missouri, Illinois, Mexico?
It is true they are part of the militia of the state of Illinois, by
the charter of their legion, but then there are no troops in the
States like them in point of discipline and enthusiasm; and led on by
ambitious and talented officers, what may not be effected by them?
perhaps the subversion of the constitution of the United States; and
if this should be considered too great a task, foreign conquest will
most certainly be attempted. The northern provinces of Mexico will
fall into their hands, even if Texas should first take possession of
them.
"These Mormons are accumulating, like a snow-ball rolling down an
inclined plane. They are also enrolling among their officers some of
the first talent in the country, by titles which they give and by
money which they can command. They have appointed Captain Henry
Bennet, late of the United States' army, Inspector-General of their
legion, and he is commissioned as such by Governor Carlin. This
gentleman is known to be well skilled in fortification, gunnery, and
military engineering generally; and I am assured that he is receiving
regular pay, derived from the tithing of this warlike people. I have
seen his plans for fortifying Nauvoo, which are equal to any of
Vauban's.
"General John C. Bennet (a New England man) is the prophet's great
gun. They call him, though a man of diminutive stature, the
`forty-two pounder.' He might have applied his talents in a more
honourable cause; but I am assured that he is well paid for the
important services he is rendering this people, or, I should rather
say, rendering the prophet. This, gentleman exhibits the highest
degree of field military talent (field tactics), united with extensive
learning. He may yet become dangerous to the states. He was
quarter-master-general of the state of Illinois, and, at another time,
a professor in the Erie university. It will, therefore, be seen that
nothing but a high price could have secured him to these fanatics.
Only a part of their officers and professors are Mormons; but then
they are united by a common interest, and will act together on main
points to a man. Those who are not Mormons when they come here, very
soon become so, either from interest or conviction.
"The Smiths are not without talent; Joe, the chief, is a noble-looking
fellow, a Mahomet every inch of him; the postmaster, Sidney Rigdon, is
a lawyer, a philosopher, and a saint. The other generals are also men
of talent, and some of them men of learning. I have no doubt they are
all brave, as they are most unquestionably ambitious, and the tendency
of their religious creed is to annihilate all other sects. We may,
therefore, see the time when this gathering host of religious fanatics
will make this country shake to its centre. A western empire is
certain. Ecclesiastical history presents no parallel to this people,
inasmuch as they are establishing their religion on a learned basis.
In their college, they teach all the sciences, with Latin, Greek,
Hebrew. French, Italian, and Spanish; the mathematical department is
under an extremely able professor, of the name of Pratt; and a
professor of Trinity College, Dublin, is president of their
university.
"I arrived there, incog, on the 1st inst, and, from the great
preparations for the military parade, was induced to stay to see the
turn-out, which, I confess, has astonished and filled me with fears
for the future consequences. The Mormons, it is true, are now
peaceable, but the lion is asleep. Take care, and don't rouse him.
"The city of Nauvoo contains about fifteen thousand souls, and is
rapidly increasing. It is well laid out, and the municipal affairs
appear to be well conducted. The adjoining country is a beautiful
prairie. Who will say that the Mormon prophet is not among the great
spirits of the age?
"The Mormons number, in Europe and America, about one hundred and
fifty thousand, and are constantly pouring into Nauvoo and the
neighbouring country. There are probably in and about this city, at a
short distance from the river, not far from thirty thousand of these
warlike fanatics, and it is but a year since they have settled in the
Illinois."