STORM CLOUDS.
The spring of 1833 opened early in western Missouri. The streams,
which had been so long locked up in ice, broke loose under the genial
rays of the returning sun, and rushed madly on to swell the majestic
current of the Missouri. The winter snows early melted before the balmy
breath of spring, and grass and flowers in rich profusion and of varied
hue clothed the great rolling prairies of the west in their loveliest
attire. The forests along the water courses put forth their tender
buds, and the birds that had migrated to the south in the autumn, to
escape the severity of the winter, joyfully returned to build their
nests in the same old woods, and make the wilderness glad with their
sweet songs. All nature rejoiced, and the saints who had gathered to
that land to build up Zion rejoiced with her. They had repented of the
sins which had called forth the reproofs of the servants of God: and
although there were some persons among them with whom the Lord was not
well pleased, yet they had received assurances from God that the angels
rejoiced over them.
Under these auspicious circumstances eighty officials and a large
number of the members of The Church met for the service of God, and
to be instructed in the things of eternal life, at the Ferry on Big
Blue, a small forest-lined stream a few miles west of Independence.
Their conversation and discourses ranged over immense periods of time;
extending back to that time when the morning stars sang together, and
the sons of God shouted for joy in anticipation of the blessings that
would follow the creation of this earth.[A] They spoke of the cruel
persecutions endured by the disciples of Jesus in former ages, little
dreaming that the time was at hand when they, too, would be required
to endure like trials for the truth's sake--for the word of God and
the testimony of Jesus. Their minds were absorbed in contemplating
the future glory of Zion; their souls were filled with joy
unspeakable--filled with that spirit which ages before caused men and
angels to unite in singing, "Peace on earth; good will to man." This
occurred on the 6th of April, and was the first attempt of The Church
to celebrate the anniversary of her birthday. Only three years before,
in the house of Peter Whitmer The Church had been organized; and now
the saints in Missouri were exclaiming, How The Church has grown! How
much has been accomplished! The Gospel had been preached in nearly all
the states of the Union: thousands had hailed the message with delight,
and numerous branches of The Church had been established. The place of
the city of Zion had been revealed, and nearly a thousand of the saints
gathered there. A printing establishment had been founded, and the
precious truths from heaven were being published to the world; and all
this had been accomplished in the face of poverty and bitter opposition.
[Footnote A: Job 38:3-7.]
During the summer of 1833, a school for the elders was organized in
Zion, presided over by Elder Parley P. Pratt, who labored with all
the zeal of an apostle in teaching them the things of God. They held
their meetings in the shady groves--in "God's first temples," and their
instructor frequently walked several miles bare-footed to meet with
them. How strange it seems to record the above as occurring in this
age! It appears to be quite out of joint with the times, and smacks
rather of that age in which John the Baptist preached the gospel in
the wilderness of Judea, clothed with camel's hair, and a girdle of
skin about his loins; and whose food was locusts and wild honey. Some
day, however, when a parallel shall be drawn between the introduction
of the gospel in this dispensation, and that in which John figured, it
will appear that the men who have been chosen of the Lord in this age
to perform his work, possess the same simplicity of character as those
whom he chose in Judea, nineteen hundred years ago--the same guileless
honesty of purpose; the same child-like confidence in God, and the same
unwavering fidelity to their Master's cause; as willing to undergo
privations, hunger and cold, and toil and nakedness; as willing to
endure the scorn and hatred of the world; as willing to suffer bonds
and even death.
The migration of the saints to Missouri in the early summer of 1833,
exceeded that of the previous season; but they were settling among
a people who possessed characteristics with which, from the nature
of things, they were bound to be at variance. The "old settlers" of
Jackson County were principally from the mountainous portions of the
Southern States. They had settled along the water-courses, in the
forests which lined their banks, instead of out on the broad and
fertile prairies, which only required fencing to prepare them for
cultivation. It was the work of years to clear a few acres of the
timber lands, and prepare them for cultivation, but with these small
fields the "old settlers" were content. They had no disposition to
beautify their homes, or even make them convenient or comfortable. They
lived in their log cabins without windows, and very frequently without
floors other than the ground; and the dingy, smoked log walls were
unadorned by pictures or other ornaments. They were uneducated; those
who could read or write being the exception and not the rule; and they
had an utter contempt for the refinements of life. It is needless to
add that they were narrowminded, ferocious, and jealous of those who
sought to obtain better homes, and who aspired to something better in
life than had yet entered into the hearts of these people.
There was another element in western Missouri which did not tend to the
improvement of its society. Western Missouri at the time of which I
write, and as before remarked, was the frontier of the United States,
and therefore a place of refuge for those who had outraged the laws of
society elsewhere. Here they were near the boundary line of the United
States, and if pursued by the officers of the law, in a few hours they
could cross the line out of their reach, as the officers could not
operate outside of their own nation. These outcasts helped to give a
more desperate complexion to the already reckless population of western
Missouri.
The Saints could not join the Missourians in their way of life--in
Sabbath-breaking, profanity, horse-racing, idleness, drunkenness, and
debauchery. They had been commanded to keep the Sabbath day holy,
to keep themselves unspotted from the sins of the world. The fact
of people having so little in common with each other was of itself
calculated to beget a coldness and suspicion, which would soon ripen
into dislike. The saints, too, had come, for the most part, from the
Northern and New England States, and the hatred that existed at that
time between the people of the slave-holding and free states, was
manifested toward the saints by their "southern" neighbors. Moreover,
the old settlers were dear lovers of office, and the honors and
emoluments growing out of it; and they greatly feared that the rapidly
increasing saints would soon outnumber them, and that the offices
would be wrested from them. Political jealousy is always cruel and
unscrupulous; and is not slow to find excuses for destroying the object
of its hatred. To the politician as well as to the lover,
"Trifles light as air,
Are to the jealous confirmations strong
As proofs of Holy Writ."
And where these "trifles" do not exist, we shall see in the progress
of our narrative that sectarian meanness and political jealousy do not
hesitate to manufacture them.
As early as the spring of 1832 there began to appear signs of an
approaching storm. In the deadly hours of the night the houses of
some of the saints were stoned, the windows broken, and the inmates
disturbed. In the fall of the same year a large quantity of hay in the
stack belonging to the saints was burned, houses shot into, and the
people insulted with abusive language. In the month of April, 1833, the
old settlers to the number of some three hundred met at Independence,
to consult upon a plan for the destruction, or immediate removal, of
the "Mormons" from Jackson County. They were unable, however, to unite
on any plan, and the mob becoming the worse for liquor, the affair
broke up in a "Missouri row."
The secret of their failure in accomplishing anything was this: A few
of the brethren, learning that such a meeting was being held, met for
secret prayer, and petitioned the Father to frustrate the plans of this
ungodly mob, who were seeking their destruction. The Lord, in view
of the fact, doubtless, that this people were partially repenting of
the evils for which they had been reproved, in his mercy heard their
prayers, and thwarted the designs of their enemies. But the angry
clouds of the threatened persecution had been merely drifted aside,
not driven from the horizon; and in a few months they assumed a more
threatening aspect than on their first appearance.
The sectarian priests inhabiting Jackson and the surrounding counties
were earnestly engaged in fanning the flames of prejudice, already
burning in the public mind. The Rev. Finis Ewing, the head and front
of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, published this statement: "The
'Mormons' are the common enemies of mankind and ought to be destroyed."
The Rev. Pixley, who had been sent out by the Missionary Society to
Christianize the savages of the west, spent his time in going from
house to house, seeking to destroy The Church by spreading slanderous
falsehoods, to incite the people to acts of violence against the saints.
Early in July, a document was in circulation known as the "Secret
Constitution," setting forth the alleged grievances of the mob, and
binding all who signed it to assist in "removing the 'Mormons.'" The
document set forth the following: The signers believed an important
crisis was at hand in their civil society, because a pretended
religious sect--the "Mormons"--had settled in their midst. The civil
law did not afford them a sufficient guarantee against the threatening
evils, and therefore they had determined to rid themselves of the
"Mormons," "peaceably if they could, forcibly if they must;" and for
the better accomplishment of this object, they had organized themselves
into a company--pledging to each other their "bodily powers, their
lives, fortunes, and sacred honors!"
The saints are represented as being the very dregs of that society from
which they came; and also as being poor, "idle, lazy, and vicious."
They are accused of claiming to receive direct revelation from God; to
heal the sick by the laying on of hands; to speak in unknown tongues by
inspiration; and, in short, "to perform all the wonder-working miracles
wrought by the inspired apostles and prophets of God;" all of which,
the document claims, "is derogatory of God and religion, and subversive
of human reason."
The signers of this document also accuse the saints of sowing
dissensions and inspiring seditions among their slaves. They further
charge that the "Mormons" had invited "free people of color" to
settle in Jackson County; and state that the introduction of such a
caste among their slaves, would instigate them to rebel against their
masters, and to bloodshed.
The "Mormons" are also charged with having openly declared that God
had given them the land of Jackson County; and that sooner or later
they would possess it as an inheritance. The document then concludes
by saying that if after timely warning, and receiving an adequate
compensation for what property they could not take with them, the
saints shall refuse to leave the county, such means as might be
necessary to remove them were to be employed; and calls a meeting
of the signers to convene at the court-house in Independence on the
twentieth of July, to consult on subsequent movements.[B]
[Footnote B: The document of which the foregoing is a summary was
published in the December number (1833) of the Evening and Morning
Star.]
It may not be amiss here to notice the charges made against the saints:
The statement made by the mob that the "civil law did not afford them
a sufficient guarantee against the threatening evils" of which they
complained, is good evidence that the saints, although they may have
fallen far short of coming up to the full requirements of the high
moral and spiritual laws of the gospel of Jesus Christ, had violated
none of the laws of man--it is an acknowledgement that they lived above
that law.
As to the saints being the dregs of the society from which they
came--it is untrue; they had a respectable standing in the society from
which they came, and that society was far in advance in civilization
and enlightenment of the people of western Missouri. This is an old
and oft repeated charge against the early members of The Church--this
charge that they were of the "dregs of the society from which they
came," and I repeat again that it is not true. I know the usual method
of defense is to concede the charge, and then quote the well-known and,
I may add also, the well-worn passage from Paul's writings, where, in
speaking of the early Christians, he says: "For ye see your calling,
brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty,
not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of
the world, * * * the weak things of the world, * * * and base things
of the world, and things which are despised, * * * and things which
are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should
glory in his presence." [C] But however complete such an answer may
have been in the days of Paul with reference to the Christians of the
first century; and however satisfying it may be now in some particulars
as to the character of the early membership of The Church, so far
as the charge, that the early members thereof were of the "dregs of
that society from which they came," is concerned, there is a better
course to pursue, a more direct and perfect answer, a more complete
argument; and that better course, that more complete answer, is to
deny _in toto_ the charge. I do deny it. It is not true. Nobler men
and women than those who first embraced the gospel of the Son of God
in this last dispensation are not to be found; nobler spirits were not
on earth. It counts for nothing that in the main they were poor in
this world's goods. It is of little moment that they were not famous
for learning in the schools of men. I care nothing about their not
being regarded as constituting "polite society," having neither the
leisure nor the means to cultivate the special graces supposed to go to
the making of "polished" gentlemen and ladies. But honesty of heart,
purity of motive, nobility of soul, righteousness of life, devotion to
God--all characteristics and all attributes which go to the making of
a people worthy in the sight of God, may exist quite apart from all
that man considers essential to entitle certain of their fellow-men
to be considered as forming "good society;" and these attributes the
early members of The Church possessed. The Smiths, the Whitmers, the
Cowderys, the Johnsons, the Pages, the Corrills, the Knights, the
Partridges, the Pratts, the Morleys, the Rigdons, the Whitneys, the
Gilberts, the Allens; and a little later, the Youngs, the Snows, the
Kimballs, the Taylors, the Richardses--and a host of others whose names
do not appear so prominently in the very early history of The Church,
were a class of people of whom both The Church and God might well be
proud. So far removed were they from being the dregs of society that
they were the very choicest part of it; respected and honored because
possessed of those cardinal virtues which always command respect,
however fallen the material fortunes, or humble the station or calling
of those who possess them. Nor is this general statement concerning
the respectability of the early members of The Church to be weakened
because some of them were unhappily overcome of the world, the flesh
and the devil. It is not to be supposed that all who start in the way
of salvation will be equal to the task of persevering to the end. The
inherent weakness of human nature forbids us to hope for that. The
innate weakness of many of the saints was made apparent. The gospel
is calculated to do that. "If men come unto me I will show them their
weakness," [D] is the word of the Lord in the Book of Mormon, and
indeed it is self-evident that if men are to be perfected--and that is
the mission of the gospel--then it is necessary that their defects be
pointed out to them; for the first step in reformation is to learn in
what particular direction reformation is needed. All that can be said,
then, against some of the early saints of this dispensation is that
they manifested some of the sinfulness common to humanity, and much of
that weakness which is the heritage of the sons of Adam; and some of
them--many of them if you will--were not quite equal to the great task
of overcoming that sinful nature, that human frailty. Meantime, their
future is in the hands of God, and he alone will judge them. To the
world we may say: "Who art thou that judgeth another man's servants? To
his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up; for
God is able to make him stand." [E]
[Footnote C: I Cor. chap. I.]
[Footnote D: Ether 12:27.]
[Footnote E: Rom. 14:4.]
The charge of idleness comes with a bad grace from the slave-holders of
Missouri. Especially so since the charge is made against people chiefly
from New England; who, whatever other faults they may possess, can
never be truthfully charged with idleness. In addition to the saints
who settled in Missouri having been trained from childhood to habits of
industry in their former homes, they had received an express command
from God to labor, and the idler was not to eat the bread nor wear the
garment of the laborer,[F] and unless the idler repented, he was to be
cast out of The Church.[G]
[Foonote F: Doc. & Cov. Sec. 42:42.]
[Footnote G: Ibid, Sec. 75:28.]
The saints in Missouri, it is true, claimed to receive revelations
from God through the Prophet Joseph Smith; and they also enjoyed the
gifts of tongues, and of healing the sick through the anointing with
oil and the prayer of faith, in fulfillment of the promises of the
Lord;[H] but how all this can be "derogatory of God and true religion,"
when these blessings of revelation and the enjoyment of the spiritual
gifts enumerated are the same as those that were possessed by the
primitive Christians, which they were encouraged to "desire," [I] and
have ever been regarded as a crowning glory of the early Church; or how
they could be "subversive of human reason," can only be comprehended
by a Missouri mob, seeking a vain excuse for the destruction of an
unoffending people.
[Footnote H: St. James 5:14, 15.]
[Footnote I: 1 Cor. 14:1.]
The charge of sowing dissensions and inspiring seditions among the
slaves, and inviting free people of color to settle in Jackson County,
has no foundation in truth. The July number of the _Evening and Morning
Star,_ for 1833, contains an article on "Free People of Color," and
publishes the laws of Missouri relating to that class of people. "Free
people of color" were negroes or mulattoes who were set free through
the kindness of their masters, or who, by working extra hours, for
which they were sometimes allowed pay, were able at last to purchase
their liberty. Concerning such people the Missouri laws provided that:
If any negro or mulatto come into the State of Missouri, without a
certificate from a court of record in some one of the United States,
evidencing that he was a citizen of such State, on complaint before any
justice of the peace, such negro or mulatto could be commanded by the
justice to leave the State; and if the colored person so ordered did
not leave the State within thirty days, on complaint of any citizen,
such person could be again brought before the justice who might commit
him to the common jail of the county, until the convening of the
circuit court, when it became the duty of the judge of the circuit
court to inquire into the cause of commitment; and if it was found
that the negro or mulatto had remained in the State contrary to the
provisions of this statute, the court was authorized to sentence such
person to receive ten lashes on his or her bare back, and then order
him or her to depart from the State; if the person so treated should
still refuse to go, then the same proceedings were to be repeated,
and punishment inflicted as often as was necessary until such person
departed.
And further: If any person brought into the State of Missouri a free
negro or mulatto, without the aforesaid certificate of citizenship,
for every such negro or mulatto the person offending was liable to a
forfeit of five hundred dollars; to be recovered by action of debt in
the name of the State. The editor of the _Star_ commenting upon this
law said:
Slaves are real estate in this and other states, and wisdom would
dictate great care among the branches of The Church of Christ on this
subject. So long as we have no special rule in The Church, as to
people of color, let prudence guide; and while they, as well as we,
are in the hands of a merciful God, we say: shun every appearance of
evil.
Publishing this law, and the above comment, was construed, by the old
settlers, to be an invitation to free people of color to settle in
Jackson County! Whereupon an extra was published to the July number of
the _Star_ on the sixteenth of the month, which said:
The intention in publishing the article, "Free People of Color," was
not only to stop free people of color from emigrating to Missouri, but
to prevent them from being admitted as members of The Church.[J] * * *
* To be short, we are opposed to having free people of color admitted
into the State.
[Footnote J: In making the statement that it was the intention of the
_Star_ article not only to stop "free people of color" emigrating to
Missouri, but also to "prevent them from being admitted as members
of The Church," the editor of the _Star_ goes too far; if not in his
second article, explaining the scope and meaning of the first, then
in the first article; for he had no business to seek to prevent "free
people of color" from being admitted members of The Church. And in
forming a judgment of this matter the reader must remember that it is
the statement of the editor of the _Star,_ and by no means represents
the policy of The Church. As a matter of fact there were very few if
any "free people of color" in The Church at that time. The "fears" of
the Missourians on that head were sheer fabrications of evil-disposed
minds.]
But in the face of all this the mob still claimed that the article
was merely published to give directions and cautions to be observed
by colored brethren, to enable them upon their arrival in Missouri,
to "claim and exercise the rights of citizenship." "Contemporaneous
with the appearance of this article"--the above article in the
_Star_--continued the charge published in the _Western Monitor_--"was
the expectation among the brethren, that a considerable number of this
degraded caste were only waiting this information before they should
set out on their journey." [K] And this base falsehood was used to
inflame the minds of the old settlers against the saints.
[Footnote K: Western Monitor for the 2nd of August, 1833.]
That the saints may have said the Lord would yet give them the land of
Missouri for their inheritance, is doubtless true; but that they were
to obtain it in any other than a legal way never entered their minds.
They had been commanded of the Lord to purchase [L] the land for an
inheritance. Besides, the elders stationed in Zion about this time,
addressed an epistle to the churches abroad, in which they alluded to
the gathering of ancient Israel, and pointing out the difference in
their circumstances and those by which the saints now were surrounded.
Ancient Israel had been compelled to obtain the lands of their
inheritance by the sword. "But," the address adds, "to suppose that
we can come up here, and take possession of this land by the shedding
of blood, would be setting at naught the law of the glorious gospel
and also the word of our Great Redeemer: and to suppose that we can
take possession of this country without making regular purchases of
the same, according to the laws of our nation, would be reproaching
this great republic, in which most of us were born, and under whose
auspices we all have protection." [M] Nothing then can be clearer than
that while the saints may have said that Missouri would eventually be
the land of their inheritance, they were expecting to obtain it in a
perfectly legitimate manner--by purchase.
[Footnote L: Doc. & Cov. Sec. 57:3, 5.]
[Footnote M: Evening and Morning Star, July, 1833.]
I have been particular in examining the charges made against the saints
by their enemies in Jackson County, in order that my readers may know
that wherein the things charged were not in and of themselves innocent,
and no cause for offense whatever, they were utterly without foundation
in truth.