In reading Brooke Adams story in the Salt Lake Tribune about Betty Jessop, daughter of Carolyn Blackmore, writer of the book "Escape"
http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_11559735
I didn't want the comments underneath the article by Maggie to be missed. If you haven't read them, they are interesting. First in how genuine and intelligent she shows to be, and second in how she reacts to such bitterness from the other comments. I can learn a lesson! I have come to the conclusion that those people actually do believe the ridiculous stories from Flora and Carolyn, and WANT their imaginary tales to be true. Here is what Maggie had to say, but if you want to read the others, you have to go to the article. *The Comments are here
(*you may have to click the words "show negative comments" under the title, they don't favor comments that are not disparaging the FLDS people)
Maggie Jessop: 1/26/2009 10:30:00 PM
"I know Betty Jane very well. She happens to be my sister. She has done an outstanding job on her book, especially for one so young. I have enjoyed helping her write her experiences that have served to strengthen her faith and determination, and in doing so, it has strengthened mine as well.
I noticed that several commentators seemed to have misunderstood the quote in this article where I said that our Father, Merril Jessop, instructed us in the rules for Betty's book. Actually, if you knew my father, you would know that he is a lover of freedom, and he expects his children to choose the right and stand up for truth. He encourages people to think and feel with their hearts and not be swayed by public opinion or fear of the majority ruling. A more accurate way to describe my father's request for me to help Betty with her book would be to say that he gave us several suggestions. You bet I am going to listen to him because I have no reason not to. When people have good and wise parents, they sure ought to be able to get good advice from them and be benefited thereby. No one is so smart that they cannot use a little advice from their honorable father or mother. Merril Jessop has always given me wise counsel and expects me to speak the truth without fear. I feel it a privilege to assist Betty in presenting her side of the story by abiding by our father's suggestions to only speak the pure truth and not slam Carolyn. Truth will speak for itself. Time is a friend to the innocent, and in time, the truth shall be known by all. From one who personally knows Merril Jessop, I have never heard him express a single negative comment against Carolyn for her colorful tales. Not ever."
Maggie Jessop: 1/26/2009 10:54:00 PM
"40,
Actually, I have written several articles about my experiences during the YFZ Raid. They are found on Truth Will Prevail, the FLDS site. Yes, I am a very real person, and I have very real feelings. What I experienced in having my children taken from me is almost indescribable. Yet, I know that all experience will contribute to a deeper and wiser character, and I really appreciate that. How thankful I am for the gift of forgiveness the Lord has freely given to me. In addition to the awful pain I felt at the hurt and sorrow that was inflicted on innocent children, I used to feel hot and indignant when I would read about how they considered the FLDS women as brainless twits. But now, I just laugh. When you know your own innocence, you are able to be silent and just smile. I have found in my experience that when people are loud and verbose about their supposed injuries, they are hiding something, generally a guilty conscience. Truth really doesn't need a lot of defense, but error has to continually be defending itself in order to convince everyone. It is interesting to see how many people are so easily convinced that error is truth."
Maggie Jessop: 1/26/2009 11:14:00 PM
"Thank you, Prof, 40, Katch, and Poly for your thoughtful comments. Yes, it is past my bedtime, but how can I go to bed when there are such nice people to speak to? My children are doing quite well, as long as they don't see any police officers, guns, buses, or really chubby people. It takes a lot of time and love to heal from an experience like that, but the Lord is willing and able to do it for us, so we just take it one day at a time.
Some are back at the Ranch; some are not. Some attorneys say it is dangerous to go back; others say they wouldn't ever try anything so foolish again. We just do the best we can until we find something better.
I have been treated quite well, I think. It is not the same living away from the Ranch. We were so spoiled there, so well taken care of. We didn't know how we actually lived with the "luxuries of life" so much. This whole thing has been turned into a positive experience for us because when one realizes how blessed one is, they can't help but increase in gratitude. Once in a while, someone out here in the city says something rude or accuses us of evils they have heard we are guilty of, but they seem to calm down a bit after they get used to having us for neighbors and realize that we are very harmless people and would rather give them a fresh loaf of bread than quarrel. Life is very good to us. I am happy, and I expect tomorrow to be better than today."
Maggie Jessop: 1/26/2009 11:24:00 PM
"Katch,
I think it isn't so much someone's heftiness that is appalling to our children, but more when they let their bulges exceed the scanty confines of inadequate clothing. For the children to see flabby flesh oozing from t-shirts and shorts was like seeing a UFO, I suppose. Oh, well, what's done is done. It won't do any good to feel bad about it. We just want to go forward. But thank-you, Katch, for your concern for the children."
Maggie Jessop: 1/26/2009 11:32:00 PM
"Thanks Poly for the reminders. I do have a lot of duties, and I find them very pleasant. I do know a wee babe named Merril, and he sometimes needs a fixin', but I guess I'll just let his mother take care of that."
Maggie Jessop: 1/26/2009 11:38:00 PM
"40, I am aware that often people are mistaken for their true thoughts and intentions. I really appreciate my experiences because it has taught me to be careful in judging others, for it may just be misunderstanding. I would rather think well of people and give them the benefit of the doubt.
Poly, I guess I don't know what you mean by drone, but I had a chuckle when you wondered if I am a guy pretending to be a woman. Actually, it would be very difficult, I think, for a guy to pretend to be me. It would probably be easier for me to pretend to be a guy. Regardless of what it may appear, I am Maggie, and I am a gal."
Maggie Jessop: 1/26/2009 11:50:00 PM
"Blackbird,
You are mistaken, but that's all right. I am not out to prove you wrong. If you are comfortable with that, it's up to you.
Poly,
I don't really spend time worrying about the indictments. People aren't bad just because others say they are bad. The Savior was accused by the Jews of all manner of evil, and they even killed Him, but that didn't change the fact of His innocence. I am sure that if you really knew the men who have been indicted, you would feel differently. But if you didn't, that really doesn't matter.
Katch,
I understand that a dame and a broad are terms more appropriate for those who choose to use raw language and frequent inappropriate residences or businesses. I prefer to think of myself as a gal, a girl, a woman, a lady. I like to think of things that bring me self-respect.
40,
Have a wonderful night's rest."
Maggie Jessop: 1/26/2009 11:59:00 PM
"Poly, Katch, Philo, you are mistaken, but that's all right. I do wish you might know the truth, but it is evident by your tone of voice, you don't appear to be interested in it. I am not interested in quarreling, and I don't feel too bad about you thinking what you do. It has always intrigued me how some people are so incredibly wise as to have deep opinions about something they know nothing about. Maybe you should go to bed and you'll feel better in the morning. Have a wonderful night's rest."
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Prophet Leroy S Johnson Said
February 3, 1963 in Salt Lake City
(The beginning of the UEP, The 1953 raid attorneys, opposition still, other fundamentalist groups, preparing for the coming of the Lord)
...
"It is an easy thing, my brothers and sisters, to grieve the Spirit of God. But it is a hard thing to regain the favor of the Lord after we have once grieved His Spirit. It requires complete repentance from the thing which we have committed in order to gain His Spirit again and to be favored of Him. So it is a very dangerous thing to grieve the Spirit of God.
"The first order that the Priesthood tried to establish in Short Creek was the United Trust. Some of the men who put in all their possessions, their land, especially, when they saw a good chance to draw it out, drew it out and asked for their deeds back. After they had received them back, one or two wanted to come back into the work again. When the United Effort Plan was presented to them, they wanted to come back. But you know, it was the hardest thing in the world for those men to part with the deeds to their property again. Several who drew their land out and took their deeds out never were able to return. There was only one man, that I know of, that returned, and it took him a year or more of continual effort and continual tutoring under the hand of President Barlow before he could bring himself to a point where he could re-enter this work. He has been a very faithful man since, but he said to me several times that he never wanted to go through that ordeal again. One of the worst ordeals that he ever undertook was to re-enter this work after he had once pulled out of it. So it is a mighty hard thing, my brothers and sisters, to regain the favor of the Lord after we have once lost His confidence. It requires a complete repentance of our sins in order to do so. This man, before he was able to come back into the work, applied for baptism and was rebaptized and had hands laid upon his head for the reception of the Holy Ghost again. He told me several times that he feared very much for his safety in this work because of the temptations that came to him. So we can see that it is a mighty hard thing for us to dilly dally along with the principles of righteousness when we have once had an understanding of them.
"The Lord is very good to us. He has provided for our needs, both spiritually and temporally. I had the privilege the other day of visiting our attorneys that fought our cases through the courts in the days of the raid of '53. When we hired these attorneys, there were three of them in the firm. They had one secretary taking care of the work of the three attorneys, and they were soliciting for cases to keep their firm alive. They were barely making enough to pay their expenses and get food enough to take care of their needs. Today, they have seven secretaries and have added one more lawyer to their firm, making four of them, and they have seven office rooms. These office rooms are filled with law books. It would surprise you to go into them. Mr. Kinney told me the other day, "I want you to know that we know the cause of our expansion." He said, "Until we took the case of the Short Creek people, we were hardly able to live. Today we can't take care of the business. We have to hire outside help to come in. We have women who are searching the books continually for us. We had to add a new office the other day in order to provide for another set of law books. We could keep another secretary going, too."
"They got a call from a man in Texas who is the head of a big firm there that was deeply in trouble. He called Mr. Kinney and wanted to know if his firm would take his case. He said, "Haven't you any lawyers in Texas? You are too far away. We don't want to take your case." He said, "Listen, Mr. Kinney, we want somebody that can win our case. Anybody that can win a case like you won in '53 when you fought the polygamous case in the court can win any case that comes up before them, and we want somebody who can win." Mr. Kinney had just returned from Texas where he had fought their case and won it for them. Such cases as that have brought those men out of the kinks, you might say.
"Whenever I go to Phoenix I call them. The next move I have to make is to go to the office where they can see me, possibly take me out to dinner, if I will go with them. He told me the other day that he was never going to take another group case unless it was the Short Creek people. "If they ever come into court again, " he said, "I want their case. And, Mr. Johnson, the next time we take your case, we will do just what you asked us to do before, which we thought we couldn't do."
"When Mr. Kinney took the case before, I told him that the first thing I wanted them to do was to fight this case from the standpoint that we were not law-breakers. He said, "No, Mr. Johnson, we can't. You have broken the constitutional law." I said, "No, Mr. Kinney, we have not broken the constitutional law. We have broken no law of this land or of God. Until we can get a law firm that will take our case and fight it from that standpoint, we will never win the case." But the other day he told me if he ever took our case again, he would fight it from the standpoint that we were not law-breakers. He said, "We are not afraid. The reason I told my firm that I would never take another group case unless it was yours is because in the Short Creek case, when it first came to us, I drew a long breath and told my partners here that we had taken on something that was going to stifle the firm because there were so many women involved. Any case we take where there are women involved, we have trouble. It takes three phones in this office to answer the calls from women. One wants the case fought this way and one that way. But in your case, we had one man to deal with. That was you. If we had any problem come up, we told you what it was. You went and met with your people and came back with the answer, and that was it. I have never had a more pleasant case in my life. And the other boys will tell you the same thing."
"When the others found out I was in Mr. Kinney's office, they all had to come in and shake my hand and welcome me back to the city. And they left this word, "If any of your people ever come to Phoenix, we want you to give us a call--either come to the office or call us on the phone and let us know you are here."
"Some time ago we understood there was a movement on foot to try to come in and pick up some of our people down there. I made a trip to Phoenix and asked the lawyers if I could leave a retainer fee and have them keep their ears to the ground so that if they heard any rumors about picking up our people, they could let us know about it so we could prepare for it. They said, "We don't need a retainer fee. All it takes is a telephone call, and we will be on the job." I don't blame them for that. We only left $50,000 in their hands, so I think we have a little interest coming.
"Be that as it is, we still need to be humble in our efforts to obey the Gospel. I will tell you, it is a mighty big job to try to fight our way through so much opposition as this people has. We had threats come to us such as this in 1944, "If you don't join up with us, you are going to be cut off at the pockets." That is one thing. Another thing is that we are imposters, because we won't join up with some of the offshoots of the Church that feel we have less Priesthood than somebody else has. But we are glad for all these things because the fire is taken away from us. The Church now is about to fight some of these offshoots because they have carried the fight to the Church, and we have kept our mouths shut as far as the Church is concerned. We are trying to establish the principles of righteousness in the hearts of men that God can use. We might say a few things here that sound like we are fighting the Church teeth and toenails, but we have kept the commandments of the Lord in this. The Lord has said to agree with your adversary quickly that he might not turn and rend you. So we are trying to agree with those who persecute us insofar as we don't have to displease the Lord in doing so. If we have to stand and face the enemy, we will do it. But if the Lord has another offshoot from the Church to take the fire away from us while we do our work, that is all right, because we want to get our work done. We want to keep alive in the hearts of this people the necessity of preparation.
"In my study of the revelations the Lord gave to the Prophet Joseph Smith, time and time again, I see that He has instructed the people to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord; prepare to meet the bridegroom. Our message to you today is to prepare to meet the bridegroom and to be prepared to meet our dear Savior when He comes to make up His jewels; because we have that promise that if we will prepare ourselves, He will choose from among the people those who are worthy to carry on His work. The great urge that the Lord is pushing onto His servants at the present time is the need for preparation. We have to have more who are not afraid to stand up for that which is right in face of all opposition. We have to stand our ground. We have had to in the past, and we will have to again."
...
(The beginning of the UEP, The 1953 raid attorneys, opposition still, other fundamentalist groups, preparing for the coming of the Lord)
...
"It is an easy thing, my brothers and sisters, to grieve the Spirit of God. But it is a hard thing to regain the favor of the Lord after we have once grieved His Spirit. It requires complete repentance from the thing which we have committed in order to gain His Spirit again and to be favored of Him. So it is a very dangerous thing to grieve the Spirit of God.
"The first order that the Priesthood tried to establish in Short Creek was the United Trust. Some of the men who put in all their possessions, their land, especially, when they saw a good chance to draw it out, drew it out and asked for their deeds back. After they had received them back, one or two wanted to come back into the work again. When the United Effort Plan was presented to them, they wanted to come back. But you know, it was the hardest thing in the world for those men to part with the deeds to their property again. Several who drew their land out and took their deeds out never were able to return. There was only one man, that I know of, that returned, and it took him a year or more of continual effort and continual tutoring under the hand of President Barlow before he could bring himself to a point where he could re-enter this work. He has been a very faithful man since, but he said to me several times that he never wanted to go through that ordeal again. One of the worst ordeals that he ever undertook was to re-enter this work after he had once pulled out of it. So it is a mighty hard thing, my brothers and sisters, to regain the favor of the Lord after we have once lost His confidence. It requires a complete repentance of our sins in order to do so. This man, before he was able to come back into the work, applied for baptism and was rebaptized and had hands laid upon his head for the reception of the Holy Ghost again. He told me several times that he feared very much for his safety in this work because of the temptations that came to him. So we can see that it is a mighty hard thing for us to dilly dally along with the principles of righteousness when we have once had an understanding of them.
"The Lord is very good to us. He has provided for our needs, both spiritually and temporally. I had the privilege the other day of visiting our attorneys that fought our cases through the courts in the days of the raid of '53. When we hired these attorneys, there were three of them in the firm. They had one secretary taking care of the work of the three attorneys, and they were soliciting for cases to keep their firm alive. They were barely making enough to pay their expenses and get food enough to take care of their needs. Today, they have seven secretaries and have added one more lawyer to their firm, making four of them, and they have seven office rooms. These office rooms are filled with law books. It would surprise you to go into them. Mr. Kinney told me the other day, "I want you to know that we know the cause of our expansion." He said, "Until we took the case of the Short Creek people, we were hardly able to live. Today we can't take care of the business. We have to hire outside help to come in. We have women who are searching the books continually for us. We had to add a new office the other day in order to provide for another set of law books. We could keep another secretary going, too."
"They got a call from a man in Texas who is the head of a big firm there that was deeply in trouble. He called Mr. Kinney and wanted to know if his firm would take his case. He said, "Haven't you any lawyers in Texas? You are too far away. We don't want to take your case." He said, "Listen, Mr. Kinney, we want somebody that can win our case. Anybody that can win a case like you won in '53 when you fought the polygamous case in the court can win any case that comes up before them, and we want somebody who can win." Mr. Kinney had just returned from Texas where he had fought their case and won it for them. Such cases as that have brought those men out of the kinks, you might say.
"Whenever I go to Phoenix I call them. The next move I have to make is to go to the office where they can see me, possibly take me out to dinner, if I will go with them. He told me the other day that he was never going to take another group case unless it was the Short Creek people. "If they ever come into court again, " he said, "I want their case. And, Mr. Johnson, the next time we take your case, we will do just what you asked us to do before, which we thought we couldn't do."
"When Mr. Kinney took the case before, I told him that the first thing I wanted them to do was to fight this case from the standpoint that we were not law-breakers. He said, "No, Mr. Johnson, we can't. You have broken the constitutional law." I said, "No, Mr. Kinney, we have not broken the constitutional law. We have broken no law of this land or of God. Until we can get a law firm that will take our case and fight it from that standpoint, we will never win the case." But the other day he told me if he ever took our case again, he would fight it from the standpoint that we were not law-breakers. He said, "We are not afraid. The reason I told my firm that I would never take another group case unless it was yours is because in the Short Creek case, when it first came to us, I drew a long breath and told my partners here that we had taken on something that was going to stifle the firm because there were so many women involved. Any case we take where there are women involved, we have trouble. It takes three phones in this office to answer the calls from women. One wants the case fought this way and one that way. But in your case, we had one man to deal with. That was you. If we had any problem come up, we told you what it was. You went and met with your people and came back with the answer, and that was it. I have never had a more pleasant case in my life. And the other boys will tell you the same thing."
"When the others found out I was in Mr. Kinney's office, they all had to come in and shake my hand and welcome me back to the city. And they left this word, "If any of your people ever come to Phoenix, we want you to give us a call--either come to the office or call us on the phone and let us know you are here."
"Some time ago we understood there was a movement on foot to try to come in and pick up some of our people down there. I made a trip to Phoenix and asked the lawyers if I could leave a retainer fee and have them keep their ears to the ground so that if they heard any rumors about picking up our people, they could let us know about it so we could prepare for it. They said, "We don't need a retainer fee. All it takes is a telephone call, and we will be on the job." I don't blame them for that. We only left $50,000 in their hands, so I think we have a little interest coming.
"Be that as it is, we still need to be humble in our efforts to obey the Gospel. I will tell you, it is a mighty big job to try to fight our way through so much opposition as this people has. We had threats come to us such as this in 1944, "If you don't join up with us, you are going to be cut off at the pockets." That is one thing. Another thing is that we are imposters, because we won't join up with some of the offshoots of the Church that feel we have less Priesthood than somebody else has. But we are glad for all these things because the fire is taken away from us. The Church now is about to fight some of these offshoots because they have carried the fight to the Church, and we have kept our mouths shut as far as the Church is concerned. We are trying to establish the principles of righteousness in the hearts of men that God can use. We might say a few things here that sound like we are fighting the Church teeth and toenails, but we have kept the commandments of the Lord in this. The Lord has said to agree with your adversary quickly that he might not turn and rend you. So we are trying to agree with those who persecute us insofar as we don't have to displease the Lord in doing so. If we have to stand and face the enemy, we will do it. But if the Lord has another offshoot from the Church to take the fire away from us while we do our work, that is all right, because we want to get our work done. We want to keep alive in the hearts of this people the necessity of preparation.
"In my study of the revelations the Lord gave to the Prophet Joseph Smith, time and time again, I see that He has instructed the people to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord; prepare to meet the bridegroom. Our message to you today is to prepare to meet the bridegroom and to be prepared to meet our dear Savior when He comes to make up His jewels; because we have that promise that if we will prepare ourselves, He will choose from among the people those who are worthy to carry on His work. The great urge that the Lord is pushing onto His servants at the present time is the need for preparation. We have to have more who are not afraid to stand up for that which is right in face of all opposition. We have to stand our ground. We have had to in the past, and we will have to again."
...
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Prophet John Taylor said:
(In his last public address, February 1, 1885. This was almost six years after The Supreme Court overturned the First Amendment by upholding the George Reynolds decision, and three years after the "British Style" Edmunds Act was passed. He was in hiding until he died July 25, 1887)
................
“In relation to this anomalous form of proceeding they are now copying the example of Russia, which is generally considered an arbitrary government, and where despotism has been supposed to reign supreme; they have in that nation a place called Siberia, to which they banish men, under a despotic rule, without much formality of trial. I was hardly prepared to-day to suppose that we needed an American Siberia under the form and in the name of liberty and the rights of men. But this is the fact. We have herein America to-day an American Siberia in Detroit, to which place, upwards of two thousand miles from their homes, men are banished for a term of years; and what for? Because they have the temerity to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience, and cannot fall down and worship before the Moloch of an effete Christianity.
“These extraordinary proceedings that have been going on in this Territory, in Arizona and in other places, simply exhibit the very principle that Brother Snow has been speaking of. I need not tell you about affairs that have transpired here. You are quite as well acquainted with them as I am, and ought to be better: for I have been away from here for about four weeks visiting the Saints in our southern settlements, and we have had a most pleasant visit. Outside of these extraordinary proceedings, we found the people prospering very well, with pleasant homes and bright prospects before them. We had with us several of our best brethren, and we visited many of our settlements in that district of country, the residents of which were very much gratified at our appearance in their midst, and for the counsels they received. But I found that such had been the outrages committed that it was impossible almost for any man standing in an honorable position to maintain his position unless he broke the law by resisting the officers, and they thought it not prudent to do so, and so did I. It may suit others to violate the law, to trample upon human rights, and desecrate the sacred term of liberty, and this is frequently done by the arbiters and minions of the law in the name of justice; but we profess to be governed by higher, by nobler and more exalted principles, and to move on a higher plane; and if Jesus could afford to endure the attacks of sinners against Himself, we, if we have the Gospel that we profess to have, ought to be able to endure a little of the same thing. There is nothing new in these affairs, nothing strange in this at all.
"Many of you have had much to do with these matters. Some of these gray-headed men that I see before me know a little more about those matters than some of the younger portion do. Many of you have been driven from your homes, robbed of your property, dispossessed of your possessions and had to flee from your homes to these mountain valleys, and seek an asylum among the red savages which was denied you by your so-called Christian brethren. Before you came here you were banished from the State of Missouri into the State of Illinois. What for? Because you had the audacity to worship God according to the dictates of your own consciences. I have had to flee from blood-thirsty bandits time and time again. Brother Snow had to do it, and many of you gray-headed men and women have had to do it. What for? Because of polygamy? No, there was no such thing then alleged. What for? Because you had the hardihood, in this land of freedom, to worship God according to the dictates of your own consciences. For this crime you had to leave your homes, and you were despoiled and robbed and plundered, and had to flee as exiles into another land. I had to do it; you have had to do it. You fled from Missouri to Illinois, and then from Illinois to this land, and why? Why did you leave Illinois and come here? Did you injure anybody? No. They killed your Prophets, and I saw them martyred, and was shot most unmercifully myself, under the pledge of protection from the Governor, and they thought they had killed me; but I am alive yet by the grace of God (sensation). Why had you to leave? Because they murdered your Prophets, and wanted to possess themselves of your property; murder and spoliation generally go together. And because they killed them, they accused you of doing some wrong, said you must leave your homes, and there was nobody found in all that wide land to check the outrages of those red-handed assassins, to administer justice and to preserve you in your rights. I do not know any other reason; I never did know any other, and never expect to be informed of any other.
“The history of these things is quite familiar to you as Latter-day Saints, and you do not think it anything strange. Some of our young people think that the present proceedings are very remarkable. But many of us, gray-headed folks, have seen plenty of such proceedings, and have had many experiences of this kind; they are nothing new to us at all. And did we ever expect them to get better? We have not so understood it. We are told in the Scriptures, and we have kept teaching it all the while, that "the wicked would grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." That is doctrine which I have believed in for the last 50 years and I have had a good deal of testimony and practical confirmation on that point. We expect that these things will transpire. We have been told about secret organizations that should exist, and they are beginning to permeate these United States, and are laying the foundation for disruption, disintegration and destruction. It is not necessary that Congress and the Judiciary should set examples of tyranny and violation of Constitutional law, and attack the fundamental principles of free government and the rights of man; for there is plenty of that kind of spirit abroad; yet men who profess to be the conservators of the peace and the maintainers of law join in these nefarious, unholy, tyrannical and oppressive measures. There are any number who are ready to follow in their footsteps, and the whole nation to-day is standing on a volcano; but they do not seem to comprehend it. Well, are we surprised? I am not. It is strictly in accordance with my faith: it is strictly in accordance with the Old Testament Scriptures; and it is strictly in accordance with the Book of Mormon; it is strictly in accordance with the revelations given to us by Joseph Smith, and all these events that have been predicted will most assuredly transpire. But I suppose it is necessary that "judgment should first begin at the house of God," and if it does, "where will the wicked and the ungodly appear," when it comes upon them? We are told that the wicked shall slay the wicked. We need not trouble ourselves about the affairs of the nations, the Lord will manipulate them in His own way. I feel full of sympathy for the nation in which we live, and for other nations, in consequence of the troubles with which they are beset and which are now threatening them; yet they do not seem to comprehend the position. I know a little of some of the things that will transpire among them, and I feel sorry.
"Do you feel sorry for yourself? Not at all, not at all. Do you feel sorry for your people? Not at all, not at all. The Lord God has revealed unto us great and eternal principles which reach beyond this earth into the eternal heavens, and which have put us in possession of light and truth and intelligence, and promises and blessings that the world are ignorant of and do not and cannot comprehend. I feel every day to bless the name of the God of Israel, and feel like shouting, "Hosanna! Hosanna!! Hosanna!!! to the God of Israel, Amen and Amen," Who will rule among the nations of the earth, and manipulate things according to the counsel of His own will. These are my feelings in regard to these matters. But then I feel interested in the welfare of my brethren and sisters, and when I see their rights interfered with and trampled ruthlessly under foot, I feel that there is something at work that ought not to be, and yet that is quite necessary to teach us some of the principles of human nature, that we may be able to discern between the good, the virtuous, the upright and the holy; and the impure, the foolish, the vindictive, the corrupt, the lascivious, and those who are trampling under foot the laws and principles of eternal truth. God has revealed unto us certain principles pertaining to the future which men may take objection to. He has revealed unto us certain principles pertaining to the perpetuity of man and of woman; pertaining to the sacred rights and obligations which existed from the beginning; and He has told us to obey these laws. The nation tells us, "If you do we will persecute you and proscribe you." Which shall we obey? I would like to obey and place myself in subjection to every law of man. What then? Am I to disobey the law of God? Has any man a right to control my conscience, or your conscience, or to tell me I shall believe this or believe the other, or reject this or reject the other? No man has a right to do it. These principles are sacred, and the forefathers of this nation felt so and so proclaimed it in the Constitution of the United States, and said "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Now, I believe they have violated that, and have violated their oaths, those that have engaged in these things and passed that law, and those that are seeking to carry it out. Congress and the President of the United States and the Judiciary, and all administrators of the law are as much bound by that instrument as I am and as you are, and have sworn to maintain it inviolate. It is for them to settle these matters between themselves and their God. That is my faith in relation to this matter. Yet by their action they are interfering with my rights, my liberty and my religion, and with those sacred principles that bind me to my God, to my family, to my wives and my children; and shall I be recreant to all these noble principles that ought to guide and govern men? No, Never! No, NEVER! NO, NEVER! I can endure more than I have done, and all that God will enable me to endure, I can die for the truth; but I cannot as an honorable man disobey my God at their behest, forsake my wives and my children, and trample these holy and eternal obligations under foot, that God has given me to keep, and which reach into the eternities that are to come. I won't do it, so help me, God. [Here the speaker vigorously struck the book on the desk, and the large audience responded with a loud "Amen."]
"The Constitution expressly says that no law shall be passed impairing the obligation of contracts. But we have entered into covenants and contracts in our most sacred places, and that, too, in many instances, before there was any law prohibiting the same, and yet the attempt is now being made to give the Edmunds law an ex post facto application and to punish us for these contracts which were not criminal, even from the standpoint of our enemies, at the time they were formed. I myself married my wives long before there was any law upon the subject, and many of you did the same, yet by an ex post facto application of laws since enacted the attempt is now made to punish us as criminals. I have never broken any law of these United States, and I presume that some of you, whom our enemies now seek to incriminate and drag into court as violators of law, can say the same. Under the present system of things in this Territory, harlotry and adultery are vindicated sustained and unblushingly protected, and honorable and virtuous wedlock is trampled upon, condemned and punished. Well, what will you do? I will obey every Constitutional law so far as God gives me ability. What else will you do? I will meet these men as far as I can without violating principle, and I have done it. When this infamous Edmunds law was passed, I saw that there were features in that which were contrary to law, violative of the Constitution, contrary to justice and the rights and the freedom of men. But I said to myself I will let that law take its course; I will place myself in accordance with it, so far as I can. Did I do it? I did. I remember talking to Mr. Pierrepont, who was Attorney-General under President Grant's administration. He with his son called upon me. They dined with me, and perhaps I can explain my views on this subject by repeating our conversation as well as any other way. I have a sister keeping my house for me—the Gardo House. When Mr. Pierrepont came in, I said: "Mr. Pierrepont, permit me to introduce you to my sister, who is my house-keeper. It is not lawful for us to have wives now”. And when the Edmunds law was passed I looked carefully over the document, and saw that if I was to continue to live in the same house with my wives that I should render myself liable to that law. I did not wish—although I considered the law infamous—to be an obstructionist, or act the part of a Fenian, or of a Nihilist, or of a Kuklux, or communist, or Molly Maguire, or any of those secret societies that are set on foot to produce the disintegration of society and disturb the relations that ought to exist between man and man, between man and woman, or man and his God. I desired to place myself in obedience or in as close conformity as practicable to the law, and thought I would wait and see what the result would be; and that if the nation can stand these things I can or we can. These are my feelings.
"Men and nations and legislators often act foolishly, and do things that are unwise, and it is not proper that a nation should be condemned for the unwise actions of some few men. Therefore I have sought to place myself in accord with that law. I said to my wives: "We are living in this building together. We were quite comfortably situated, and we might so have continued, but I said to them that under the circumstances it will be better for me or for you to leave this place; you can take your choice. They had their homes down here which they now inhabit; which were quite comfortable. So I said to them, you can go there and I will stay here, or you can stay at the Gardo House and I will go there or somewhere else; for I wish to conform to this Edmunds law as much as I can. I am always desirous to let everything have its perfect working. We talk sometimes about patience having its perfect work. If we have laws passed against us I like to see them have a fair opportunity to develop and see what the result will be. These were my feelings then, and they are my feelings to-day.
"Well, do you think, then, that the people have been outraged? I most certainly do. The usage has been in all legal trials among all civilized nations to presume that all men are innocent until proven guilty; but we now have test oaths introduced, which is another violation of the Constitution and by which an attempt is being made to hold all men guilty until they prove themselves innocent. Again: there is a usage which has existed among the civilized nations, and in this nation also, that a man must be tried by a jury of his peers, selected from the vicinage, but the juries selected for our courts are composed to-day of our bitter persecutors and our most relentless enemies, and in many instances selected from the lowest and most debased men who can be found or picked up from the gutters. We also have another class of courts improvised for the occasion in the shape of "U. S. Commissioners' courts," which are operated and run after the order of the ancient notorious "Star Chamber." Such institutions provoke the contempt of all honorable men, and the parties assuming such offices place themselves in a position to be despised of their fellows. I might enumerate many other outrages, but time will not permit on this occasion. No man's liberties are safe under such administration. What will be the result? The result will be that those that sow the wind will reap the whirlwind. When men begin to tear down the barriers and tamper with the fundamental principles and institutions of our country, they are playing a very dangerous game, and are severing the bonds which hold society together, and the beginning of these irregularities is like the letting out of water. The next step that followed the Edmunds Act, was the introduction of a test oath. The legislation already provided was not good enough for some of our officials here and another portion of the Constitution must be broken to introduce a test oath without any authority. I think this was introduced by our Governor. Then comes another class of men called Commissioners, rather a new idea in American Government. Yet it was thought necessary that extraordinary operations should be entered into in relation to the Mormons. Why? Because it is necessary that they should be dealt with differently from anybody else.
"Now, I have seen some of my brethren shot to pieces in cold blood and under the protection of the State Government, and the promise of the Governor made to myself and Dr. John M. Bernhisel, who is sometime ago dead. In Missouri a great deal of that thing was done. In Georgia lately, and in Tennessee acts of the same kind have been perpetrated. Now, I want to know if anybody can tell me—here is a large congregation, and many thousands of you acquainted with our history—I want to know if any one of you can tell me of any individual that was ever punished according to law for killing a Mormon. Speak it out, if you know it. I do not know of any such thing. Brother Snow says there is not an instance on record. Well, I would rather be on the side of the Mormons in that case than on the side of those who are their persecutors and murderers, for they have got something to atone for yet, which we have not under those circumstances. We have got through with our part of it. The other is not through with yet. There are eternal principles of justice and equity that exist in the bosom of God, and He, in His own time, will manipulate these things according to the counsel of His own will; and with what measure men mete, as sure as God lives, it will be measured to them again, pressed down and running over.
"Very well, what would you advise us to do? Are we suffering any wrongs? Yes. Well, what would you do? I would do as I said some time ago. If you were out in a storm, pull up the collar of your coat and button yourself up, and keep the cold out until the storm blows past. This storm will blow past as others have done; and you will see that many of the miserable sneaks who are active in those measures, and who are crawling about your doors, and trying to spy into your houses, etc., will be glad to crawl into their holes by-and-by. Well, what will you do? Get angry? No, not at all. Let these men have their day and pursue their own course; we will protect ourselves from them as well as we can.
"Why, some of our folks in the South were actually trying to seek an asylum in another land away from the persecutions of free America, and I do not know but that we shall have a lot of pilgrim Fathers again here in this country, fleeing, not from England by way of Holland, nor from France, nor from any of those countries where they used to persecute people and proscribe them for their religion, but from America, "The land of the free, the home of the brave, and the asylum for the oppressed"—fleeing from there because of their religious sentiments. What an idea! Who could have thought of it? People say that history repeats itself. It is so doing in our day. Well, what would you do? Observe the laws as much as you can. Bear with these indignities as much as you can. But it would not be well for these men to perform their antics anywhere else than among the Saints, or they would dangle to the poles, lots of them, by the neck, if they attempted any such acts. No people would endure these things as the Latter-day Saints do. Will you endure them? Yes, a little longer. Wait a little longer. And after you have borne with a good deal, then endure "as seeing Him that is invisible," and cultivate those principles that Brother Snow has so beautifully set before us, and feel, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you." Well, what would you do? Would you resent these outrages and break the heads of the men engaged in them, and spill their blood? No. Avoid them as much as you possibly can—just as you would wolves, or hyenas, or crocodiles, or snakes, or any of these beasts or reptiles; avoid them as much as you can, and take care they do not bite you. [Laughter.] And get out of the way as much as you can. What? won't you submit to the dignity of the law. Well, I would if the law would only be a little dignified. But when we see the ermine bedraggled in the mud and mire, and every principle of justice violated, it behooves men to take care of themselves as best they may. That is what I have told people while I have been in the south—to take care of their liberties, to put their trust in the living God, to obey every Constitutional law, and to adhere to all correct principles. But when men tamper with your rights and with your liberties, when the cities are full of spies and the lowest and meanest of men are set to watch and dog your footsteps; when little children are set in array against their fathers and mothers, and women and children are badgered before courts, and made to submit, unprotected, to the gibes of libertines and corrupt men; when wives and husbands are pitted against each other and threatened with pains, penalties and imprisonment, if they will not disclose that which among all decent people is considered sacred, and which no man of delicacy, whose sensibilities had not been blunted by low associations, would ever ask; when such a condition of affairs exists, it is no longer a land of liberty, and it is certainly no longer a land of equal rights, and we must take care of ourselves as best we may, and avoid being caught in any of their snares. I cannot think that this crusade is aimed entirely at us; from many circumstances that have transpired, I have been led to believe that whilst we are made the victims, these proceedings are introduced as a political ruse, for the purpose of embarrassing the incoming administration. What would you do? Would you fight them? No. I would take care of myself as best I can, and I would advise my brethren to do the same. Would you resist law? No. As I said before, I can stand it if they can. It is for us to do what is right, to fear God, to observe His laws, and keep His commandments, and the Lord will manage all the rest. But no breaking of heads, no bloodshed, no rendering evil for evil. Let us try and cultivate the spirit of the Gospel, and adhere to the principles of truth. Let us honor our God, and be true to those eternal principles which God has given us to hold sacred. Keep them as sacredly as you would the apple of your eye. And while other men are seeking to trample the Constitution under foot, we will try to maintain it. We have prophecies something like this somewhere; that the time would come when this nation would do as they are now doing—that is, they would trample under foot the Constitution and institutions of the nation, and the Elders of this Church would rally around the standard and maintain those principles which were introduced for the freedom and protection of men. We expect to do that, and to maintain all correct principle. I will tell you what you will see by and by. You will see trouble, trouble, trouble enough in these United States. And as I have said before I say to-day, I tell you in the name of God, Woe! to them that fight against Zion, for God will fight against them. But let us be on the side of human liberty and human rights, and the protection of all correct principles and laws and government, and maintain every principle that is upright and virtuous and honorable, and let the world take the balance if they want, we don't want it. We will cleave to the truth, God being our helper, and try to introduce principles whereby the will of God will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And we will obey every institution of man for the Lord's sake so far as we can without violating our consciences and doing things that are wrong and improper."
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“In relation to this anomalous form of proceeding they are now copying the example of Russia, which is generally considered an arbitrary government, and where despotism has been supposed to reign supreme; they have in that nation a place called Siberia, to which they banish men, under a despotic rule, without much formality of trial. I was hardly prepared to-day to suppose that we needed an American Siberia under the form and in the name of liberty and the rights of men. But this is the fact. We have herein America to-day an American Siberia in Detroit, to which place, upwards of two thousand miles from their homes, men are banished for a term of years; and what for? Because they have the temerity to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience, and cannot fall down and worship before the Moloch of an effete Christianity.
“These extraordinary proceedings that have been going on in this Territory, in Arizona and in other places, simply exhibit the very principle that Brother Snow has been speaking of. I need not tell you about affairs that have transpired here. You are quite as well acquainted with them as I am, and ought to be better: for I have been away from here for about four weeks visiting the Saints in our southern settlements, and we have had a most pleasant visit. Outside of these extraordinary proceedings, we found the people prospering very well, with pleasant homes and bright prospects before them. We had with us several of our best brethren, and we visited many of our settlements in that district of country, the residents of which were very much gratified at our appearance in their midst, and for the counsels they received. But I found that such had been the outrages committed that it was impossible almost for any man standing in an honorable position to maintain his position unless he broke the law by resisting the officers, and they thought it not prudent to do so, and so did I. It may suit others to violate the law, to trample upon human rights, and desecrate the sacred term of liberty, and this is frequently done by the arbiters and minions of the law in the name of justice; but we profess to be governed by higher, by nobler and more exalted principles, and to move on a higher plane; and if Jesus could afford to endure the attacks of sinners against Himself, we, if we have the Gospel that we profess to have, ought to be able to endure a little of the same thing. There is nothing new in these affairs, nothing strange in this at all.
"Many of you have had much to do with these matters. Some of these gray-headed men that I see before me know a little more about those matters than some of the younger portion do. Many of you have been driven from your homes, robbed of your property, dispossessed of your possessions and had to flee from your homes to these mountain valleys, and seek an asylum among the red savages which was denied you by your so-called Christian brethren. Before you came here you were banished from the State of Missouri into the State of Illinois. What for? Because you had the audacity to worship God according to the dictates of your own consciences. I have had to flee from blood-thirsty bandits time and time again. Brother Snow had to do it, and many of you gray-headed men and women have had to do it. What for? Because of polygamy? No, there was no such thing then alleged. What for? Because you had the hardihood, in this land of freedom, to worship God according to the dictates of your own consciences. For this crime you had to leave your homes, and you were despoiled and robbed and plundered, and had to flee as exiles into another land. I had to do it; you have had to do it. You fled from Missouri to Illinois, and then from Illinois to this land, and why? Why did you leave Illinois and come here? Did you injure anybody? No. They killed your Prophets, and I saw them martyred, and was shot most unmercifully myself, under the pledge of protection from the Governor, and they thought they had killed me; but I am alive yet by the grace of God (sensation). Why had you to leave? Because they murdered your Prophets, and wanted to possess themselves of your property; murder and spoliation generally go together. And because they killed them, they accused you of doing some wrong, said you must leave your homes, and there was nobody found in all that wide land to check the outrages of those red-handed assassins, to administer justice and to preserve you in your rights. I do not know any other reason; I never did know any other, and never expect to be informed of any other.
“The history of these things is quite familiar to you as Latter-day Saints, and you do not think it anything strange. Some of our young people think that the present proceedings are very remarkable. But many of us, gray-headed folks, have seen plenty of such proceedings, and have had many experiences of this kind; they are nothing new to us at all. And did we ever expect them to get better? We have not so understood it. We are told in the Scriptures, and we have kept teaching it all the while, that "the wicked would grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." That is doctrine which I have believed in for the last 50 years and I have had a good deal of testimony and practical confirmation on that point. We expect that these things will transpire. We have been told about secret organizations that should exist, and they are beginning to permeate these United States, and are laying the foundation for disruption, disintegration and destruction. It is not necessary that Congress and the Judiciary should set examples of tyranny and violation of Constitutional law, and attack the fundamental principles of free government and the rights of man; for there is plenty of that kind of spirit abroad; yet men who profess to be the conservators of the peace and the maintainers of law join in these nefarious, unholy, tyrannical and oppressive measures. There are any number who are ready to follow in their footsteps, and the whole nation to-day is standing on a volcano; but they do not seem to comprehend it. Well, are we surprised? I am not. It is strictly in accordance with my faith: it is strictly in accordance with the Old Testament Scriptures; and it is strictly in accordance with the Book of Mormon; it is strictly in accordance with the revelations given to us by Joseph Smith, and all these events that have been predicted will most assuredly transpire. But I suppose it is necessary that "judgment should first begin at the house of God," and if it does, "where will the wicked and the ungodly appear," when it comes upon them? We are told that the wicked shall slay the wicked. We need not trouble ourselves about the affairs of the nations, the Lord will manipulate them in His own way. I feel full of sympathy for the nation in which we live, and for other nations, in consequence of the troubles with which they are beset and which are now threatening them; yet they do not seem to comprehend the position. I know a little of some of the things that will transpire among them, and I feel sorry.
"Do you feel sorry for yourself? Not at all, not at all. Do you feel sorry for your people? Not at all, not at all. The Lord God has revealed unto us great and eternal principles which reach beyond this earth into the eternal heavens, and which have put us in possession of light and truth and intelligence, and promises and blessings that the world are ignorant of and do not and cannot comprehend. I feel every day to bless the name of the God of Israel, and feel like shouting, "Hosanna! Hosanna!! Hosanna!!! to the God of Israel, Amen and Amen," Who will rule among the nations of the earth, and manipulate things according to the counsel of His own will. These are my feelings in regard to these matters. But then I feel interested in the welfare of my brethren and sisters, and when I see their rights interfered with and trampled ruthlessly under foot, I feel that there is something at work that ought not to be, and yet that is quite necessary to teach us some of the principles of human nature, that we may be able to discern between the good, the virtuous, the upright and the holy; and the impure, the foolish, the vindictive, the corrupt, the lascivious, and those who are trampling under foot the laws and principles of eternal truth. God has revealed unto us certain principles pertaining to the future which men may take objection to. He has revealed unto us certain principles pertaining to the perpetuity of man and of woman; pertaining to the sacred rights and obligations which existed from the beginning; and He has told us to obey these laws. The nation tells us, "If you do we will persecute you and proscribe you." Which shall we obey? I would like to obey and place myself in subjection to every law of man. What then? Am I to disobey the law of God? Has any man a right to control my conscience, or your conscience, or to tell me I shall believe this or believe the other, or reject this or reject the other? No man has a right to do it. These principles are sacred, and the forefathers of this nation felt so and so proclaimed it in the Constitution of the United States, and said "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Now, I believe they have violated that, and have violated their oaths, those that have engaged in these things and passed that law, and those that are seeking to carry it out. Congress and the President of the United States and the Judiciary, and all administrators of the law are as much bound by that instrument as I am and as you are, and have sworn to maintain it inviolate. It is for them to settle these matters between themselves and their God. That is my faith in relation to this matter. Yet by their action they are interfering with my rights, my liberty and my religion, and with those sacred principles that bind me to my God, to my family, to my wives and my children; and shall I be recreant to all these noble principles that ought to guide and govern men? No, Never! No, NEVER! NO, NEVER! I can endure more than I have done, and all that God will enable me to endure, I can die for the truth; but I cannot as an honorable man disobey my God at their behest, forsake my wives and my children, and trample these holy and eternal obligations under foot, that God has given me to keep, and which reach into the eternities that are to come. I won't do it, so help me, God. [Here the speaker vigorously struck the book on the desk, and the large audience responded with a loud "Amen."]
"The Constitution expressly says that no law shall be passed impairing the obligation of contracts. But we have entered into covenants and contracts in our most sacred places, and that, too, in many instances, before there was any law prohibiting the same, and yet the attempt is now being made to give the Edmunds law an ex post facto application and to punish us for these contracts which were not criminal, even from the standpoint of our enemies, at the time they were formed. I myself married my wives long before there was any law upon the subject, and many of you did the same, yet by an ex post facto application of laws since enacted the attempt is now made to punish us as criminals. I have never broken any law of these United States, and I presume that some of you, whom our enemies now seek to incriminate and drag into court as violators of law, can say the same. Under the present system of things in this Territory, harlotry and adultery are vindicated sustained and unblushingly protected, and honorable and virtuous wedlock is trampled upon, condemned and punished. Well, what will you do? I will obey every Constitutional law so far as God gives me ability. What else will you do? I will meet these men as far as I can without violating principle, and I have done it. When this infamous Edmunds law was passed, I saw that there were features in that which were contrary to law, violative of the Constitution, contrary to justice and the rights and the freedom of men. But I said to myself I will let that law take its course; I will place myself in accordance with it, so far as I can. Did I do it? I did. I remember talking to Mr. Pierrepont, who was Attorney-General under President Grant's administration. He with his son called upon me. They dined with me, and perhaps I can explain my views on this subject by repeating our conversation as well as any other way. I have a sister keeping my house for me—the Gardo House. When Mr. Pierrepont came in, I said: "Mr. Pierrepont, permit me to introduce you to my sister, who is my house-keeper. It is not lawful for us to have wives now”. And when the Edmunds law was passed I looked carefully over the document, and saw that if I was to continue to live in the same house with my wives that I should render myself liable to that law. I did not wish—although I considered the law infamous—to be an obstructionist, or act the part of a Fenian, or of a Nihilist, or of a Kuklux, or communist, or Molly Maguire, or any of those secret societies that are set on foot to produce the disintegration of society and disturb the relations that ought to exist between man and man, between man and woman, or man and his God. I desired to place myself in obedience or in as close conformity as practicable to the law, and thought I would wait and see what the result would be; and that if the nation can stand these things I can or we can. These are my feelings.
"Men and nations and legislators often act foolishly, and do things that are unwise, and it is not proper that a nation should be condemned for the unwise actions of some few men. Therefore I have sought to place myself in accord with that law. I said to my wives: "We are living in this building together. We were quite comfortably situated, and we might so have continued, but I said to them that under the circumstances it will be better for me or for you to leave this place; you can take your choice. They had their homes down here which they now inhabit; which were quite comfortable. So I said to them, you can go there and I will stay here, or you can stay at the Gardo House and I will go there or somewhere else; for I wish to conform to this Edmunds law as much as I can. I am always desirous to let everything have its perfect working. We talk sometimes about patience having its perfect work. If we have laws passed against us I like to see them have a fair opportunity to develop and see what the result will be. These were my feelings then, and they are my feelings to-day.
"Well, do you think, then, that the people have been outraged? I most certainly do. The usage has been in all legal trials among all civilized nations to presume that all men are innocent until proven guilty; but we now have test oaths introduced, which is another violation of the Constitution and by which an attempt is being made to hold all men guilty until they prove themselves innocent. Again: there is a usage which has existed among the civilized nations, and in this nation also, that a man must be tried by a jury of his peers, selected from the vicinage, but the juries selected for our courts are composed to-day of our bitter persecutors and our most relentless enemies, and in many instances selected from the lowest and most debased men who can be found or picked up from the gutters. We also have another class of courts improvised for the occasion in the shape of "U. S. Commissioners' courts," which are operated and run after the order of the ancient notorious "Star Chamber." Such institutions provoke the contempt of all honorable men, and the parties assuming such offices place themselves in a position to be despised of their fellows. I might enumerate many other outrages, but time will not permit on this occasion. No man's liberties are safe under such administration. What will be the result? The result will be that those that sow the wind will reap the whirlwind. When men begin to tear down the barriers and tamper with the fundamental principles and institutions of our country, they are playing a very dangerous game, and are severing the bonds which hold society together, and the beginning of these irregularities is like the letting out of water. The next step that followed the Edmunds Act, was the introduction of a test oath. The legislation already provided was not good enough for some of our officials here and another portion of the Constitution must be broken to introduce a test oath without any authority. I think this was introduced by our Governor. Then comes another class of men called Commissioners, rather a new idea in American Government. Yet it was thought necessary that extraordinary operations should be entered into in relation to the Mormons. Why? Because it is necessary that they should be dealt with differently from anybody else.
"Now, I have seen some of my brethren shot to pieces in cold blood and under the protection of the State Government, and the promise of the Governor made to myself and Dr. John M. Bernhisel, who is sometime ago dead. In Missouri a great deal of that thing was done. In Georgia lately, and in Tennessee acts of the same kind have been perpetrated. Now, I want to know if anybody can tell me—here is a large congregation, and many thousands of you acquainted with our history—I want to know if any one of you can tell me of any individual that was ever punished according to law for killing a Mormon. Speak it out, if you know it. I do not know of any such thing. Brother Snow says there is not an instance on record. Well, I would rather be on the side of the Mormons in that case than on the side of those who are their persecutors and murderers, for they have got something to atone for yet, which we have not under those circumstances. We have got through with our part of it. The other is not through with yet. There are eternal principles of justice and equity that exist in the bosom of God, and He, in His own time, will manipulate these things according to the counsel of His own will; and with what measure men mete, as sure as God lives, it will be measured to them again, pressed down and running over.
"Very well, what would you advise us to do? Are we suffering any wrongs? Yes. Well, what would you do? I would do as I said some time ago. If you were out in a storm, pull up the collar of your coat and button yourself up, and keep the cold out until the storm blows past. This storm will blow past as others have done; and you will see that many of the miserable sneaks who are active in those measures, and who are crawling about your doors, and trying to spy into your houses, etc., will be glad to crawl into their holes by-and-by. Well, what will you do? Get angry? No, not at all. Let these men have their day and pursue their own course; we will protect ourselves from them as well as we can.
"Why, some of our folks in the South were actually trying to seek an asylum in another land away from the persecutions of free America, and I do not know but that we shall have a lot of pilgrim Fathers again here in this country, fleeing, not from England by way of Holland, nor from France, nor from any of those countries where they used to persecute people and proscribe them for their religion, but from America, "The land of the free, the home of the brave, and the asylum for the oppressed"—fleeing from there because of their religious sentiments. What an idea! Who could have thought of it? People say that history repeats itself. It is so doing in our day. Well, what would you do? Observe the laws as much as you can. Bear with these indignities as much as you can. But it would not be well for these men to perform their antics anywhere else than among the Saints, or they would dangle to the poles, lots of them, by the neck, if they attempted any such acts. No people would endure these things as the Latter-day Saints do. Will you endure them? Yes, a little longer. Wait a little longer. And after you have borne with a good deal, then endure "as seeing Him that is invisible," and cultivate those principles that Brother Snow has so beautifully set before us, and feel, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you." Well, what would you do? Would you resent these outrages and break the heads of the men engaged in them, and spill their blood? No. Avoid them as much as you possibly can—just as you would wolves, or hyenas, or crocodiles, or snakes, or any of these beasts or reptiles; avoid them as much as you can, and take care they do not bite you. [Laughter.] And get out of the way as much as you can. What? won't you submit to the dignity of the law. Well, I would if the law would only be a little dignified. But when we see the ermine bedraggled in the mud and mire, and every principle of justice violated, it behooves men to take care of themselves as best they may. That is what I have told people while I have been in the south—to take care of their liberties, to put their trust in the living God, to obey every Constitutional law, and to adhere to all correct principles. But when men tamper with your rights and with your liberties, when the cities are full of spies and the lowest and meanest of men are set to watch and dog your footsteps; when little children are set in array against their fathers and mothers, and women and children are badgered before courts, and made to submit, unprotected, to the gibes of libertines and corrupt men; when wives and husbands are pitted against each other and threatened with pains, penalties and imprisonment, if they will not disclose that which among all decent people is considered sacred, and which no man of delicacy, whose sensibilities had not been blunted by low associations, would ever ask; when such a condition of affairs exists, it is no longer a land of liberty, and it is certainly no longer a land of equal rights, and we must take care of ourselves as best we may, and avoid being caught in any of their snares. I cannot think that this crusade is aimed entirely at us; from many circumstances that have transpired, I have been led to believe that whilst we are made the victims, these proceedings are introduced as a political ruse, for the purpose of embarrassing the incoming administration. What would you do? Would you fight them? No. I would take care of myself as best I can, and I would advise my brethren to do the same. Would you resist law? No. As I said before, I can stand it if they can. It is for us to do what is right, to fear God, to observe His laws, and keep His commandments, and the Lord will manage all the rest. But no breaking of heads, no bloodshed, no rendering evil for evil. Let us try and cultivate the spirit of the Gospel, and adhere to the principles of truth. Let us honor our God, and be true to those eternal principles which God has given us to hold sacred. Keep them as sacredly as you would the apple of your eye. And while other men are seeking to trample the Constitution under foot, we will try to maintain it. We have prophecies something like this somewhere; that the time would come when this nation would do as they are now doing—that is, they would trample under foot the Constitution and institutions of the nation, and the Elders of this Church would rally around the standard and maintain those principles which were introduced for the freedom and protection of men. We expect to do that, and to maintain all correct principle. I will tell you what you will see by and by. You will see trouble, trouble, trouble enough in these United States. And as I have said before I say to-day, I tell you in the name of God, Woe! to them that fight against Zion, for God will fight against them. But let us be on the side of human liberty and human rights, and the protection of all correct principles and laws and government, and maintain every principle that is upright and virtuous and honorable, and let the world take the balance if they want, we don't want it. We will cleave to the truth, God being our helper, and try to introduce principles whereby the will of God will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And we will obey every institution of man for the Lord's sake so far as we can without violating our consciences and doing things that are wrong and improper."
Sunday, January 18, 2009
A prayer for our Prophet
O God, thou God who rules on high
Bow down thine ear to me
Listen, O, to my cry
Hear thou my fervent plea
Forgive the heartless wicked clan
That wish Thy servant harm
Protect him from the power of man
By Thy Almighty arm
Let unseen watchmen wait around
To shield thy servants head
Let all his enemies be found
Caught in the net they spread.
Thy grace like prairie dews distilled
To all his needs apply
And let his upright heart be filled
With Spirit from on high
O, hide him in Thy secret fold
When on his path they tread
Safe as Elijah who of old
Was by the ravens fed
Bring his accusers deeds to light
And give Thy people rest
Eternal God gird up thy might
And succor the oppressed
The work is Thine Thy promise sure
Though Earth and hell oppose
Roll, roll it onward and secure
Thy Prophet from his foes
-Eliza R Snow
*Sent to me by one who calls themself "Sweety"
Bow down thine ear to me
Listen, O, to my cry
Hear thou my fervent plea
Forgive the heartless wicked clan
That wish Thy servant harm
Protect him from the power of man
By Thy Almighty arm
Let unseen watchmen wait around
To shield thy servants head
Let all his enemies be found
Caught in the net they spread.
Thy grace like prairie dews distilled
To all his needs apply
And let his upright heart be filled
With Spirit from on high
O, hide him in Thy secret fold
When on his path they tread
Safe as Elijah who of old
Was by the ravens fed
Bring his accusers deeds to light
And give Thy people rest
Eternal God gird up thy might
And succor the oppressed
The work is Thine Thy promise sure
Though Earth and hell oppose
Roll, roll it onward and secure
Thy Prophet from his foes
-Eliza R Snow
*Sent to me by one who calls themself "Sweety"
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Betty and her mother
It is too bad that CNN cannot be unbiased. Notice how they imply fear upon Betty and take "sides" with Carolyn.
It is Carolyn who is fearful, or she wouldn't need her silly "protection".
Keep your head up Betty! It can't be easy seeing your mother so bitter.
I wish nothing but happiness and peace for her in the end as well.
Monday, January 12, 2009
What Cheese said
From Brooke Adams blog
cheese said...
harley, there is a girl in Dallas who is hispanic. She has a baby from her live-in boyfriend who is also hispanic. She is 15 years old and he is 20 years old (more than 3 years older than her). They know who he is and he even admits that the child is his. Her parents were a party to this 'crime' because the man is living with them and the girl. The girl and her baby are not in a CPS jail.
Now there is another girl who is Caucasian, who is not even pregnant let alone already with a 'crime' to care for. And here's the stickler (drum roll).... SHE'S FLDS! AND THIS GIRL IS IN A CPS JAIL!
Now harley, in your great ability to be objective then consider the differences of these two girls and you come up with why she's in jail. Is it because she's white instead of hispanic? It can't be because her 'boyfriend' is more than 3 years older than her because the hispanic girls boyfriend is too! Is it because she has no little 'crime' to care for? Is it because she isn't pregnant that she's in custody? Remember when you were were watching Sesame Street harley? "One of these is different. One of these things is not the same. Now it's time to play our game." Remember, harley.
She's not in jail because she's white, that's no crime.
She's not in jail because she's pregnant, because she isn't.
About the only thing I can conclude is that she's in jail for exercising her First Amendment right to freedom of religion (be FLDS) and her right to freedom of thought and expression (purport). I'm cheese napolitano and that's the verdict!
3:11 PM
cheese said...
harley, there is a girl in Dallas who is hispanic. She has a baby from her live-in boyfriend who is also hispanic. She is 15 years old and he is 20 years old (more than 3 years older than her). They know who he is and he even admits that the child is his. Her parents were a party to this 'crime' because the man is living with them and the girl. The girl and her baby are not in a CPS jail.
Now there is another girl who is Caucasian, who is not even pregnant let alone already with a 'crime' to care for. And here's the stickler (drum roll).... SHE'S FLDS! AND THIS GIRL IS IN A CPS JAIL!
Now harley, in your great ability to be objective then consider the differences of these two girls and you come up with why she's in jail. Is it because she's white instead of hispanic? It can't be because her 'boyfriend' is more than 3 years older than her because the hispanic girls boyfriend is too! Is it because she has no little 'crime' to care for? Is it because she isn't pregnant that she's in custody? Remember when you were were watching Sesame Street harley? "One of these is different. One of these things is not the same. Now it's time to play our game." Remember, harley.
She's not in jail because she's white, that's no crime.
She's not in jail because she's pregnant, because she isn't.
About the only thing I can conclude is that she's in jail for exercising her First Amendment right to freedom of religion (be FLDS) and her right to freedom of thought and expression (purport). I'm cheese napolitano and that's the verdict!
3:11 PM
Friday, January 9, 2009
Historical Prospective (1839)
"During the last nine years the public mind has been constantly agitated, through all parts of our country, with the cry of "Mormonism, Delusion, Imposture, Fanaticism," & ect., chiefly through the instrumentality of the press. Many of the newspapers of the day have been constantly teeming .with misrepresentations, and slanders, of the foulest kind, in order to destroy the influence and character of an innocent society in its very infancy; a society of whose real principles many of them know nothing at all. Every species of wickedness has been resorted to, and all manner of evil has been spoken against them falsely: insomuch, that in many places, houses and ears are closed against them, without the possibility of being heard for a moment.
"Were this the only evil, we might have less Cause of complaint; but in consequence of this, we have been assaulted by mobs, some of our houses have been torn down or burned, our goods destroyed, and fields of grain laid waste. Yea, more, some of us have been stoned, whipped, and shot; our blood has been caused to flow, and still smokes to heaven, because of our religious principles; in this our native land, the boasted land of liberty and equal laws, while we have sought in vain for redress, while officers of State have been deaf to the voice of innocence, imploring at their feet for justice, and protection in the enjoyment of their rights as American citizens.
"Under these circumstances, what could be done? How were we to correct the public mind? We were few in number, and our means of giving information very limited; the columns of most of the papers were closed against us, their popularity being at stake the moment our principles were admitted. It is true we publish a monthly paper, in which our principles are clearly set forth; but its circulation is limited to a few thousands. Under these circumstances, had we the tongue of angels, and the zeal of apostles, with our hearts expanded wide as eternity, with the intelligence of heaven, and the love of God burning in our bosoms, and commissioned to bear as joyful tidings as ever was borne by Michael the Archangel from the regions of glory ; yet it would have been as impossible for us to have communicated the same to the public, as it was for Paul when he stood in the midst of Ephesus, to declare the glad tidings of a crucified and risen Redeemer; when his voice was lost amid the universal cry, of "great is Diana of the Ephesians."
"Go lift your voice to the tumultuous waves of the ocean, or try to reason amid the roar of cannon while the tumult of war is gathering thick around, or speak to the howling tempest while it pours a deluge over the plains; let your voice be heard amid the roar of chariots, rushing suddenly over the pavements; or what is still more foolish, converse with a man who is lost in slumber, or reason with a drunkard while he reels to and fro under the influence ,of the intoxicating poison, and these acts will convince you of the impossibility of communicating truth to that soul who is willing to make up his judgment upon popular rumor; or to be wafted gently down the current of public opinion, without stopping for a moment to listen, to weigh, to hear both sides of the question, and judge for himself.
"One of the greatest obstacles in the way of the spread of truth, in every age, is the tide of public opinion. Let one ray of light burst upon the world in any age, and it is sure to come in contact with the traditions and long established usages of men, and their opinions ; or with some religious craft, so that like the Ephesians they counsel together, what shall be done; their great goddess will be spoken against, her magnificence despised, her temple deserted; or what is still worse, their craft is in danger, for by this they have their wealth. Call to mind the apostles in contact with the Jewish Rabbles, or with Gentile superstitions; in short, at war with every religious establishment on the earth. Witness the popular clamor; "If we let them thus alone, all men will believe on them, and the Romans will come and take away our place and nation." "These men that turn the world upside down have come hither also." "What new doctrine is this, for thou bringest certain strange things to our ears?" "These men do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive and observe, being Romans." "What will this babbler say, he seems to be a setter forth of strange gods?" and many other such like sayings. Or, let us for a moment contemplate the events of later date: for instance, the Mother Church against the reformers of various ages; see them belied, slandered, degraded, whipped, stoned, imprisoned, burned, and destroyed in various ways; while the ignorant multitude were made to believe they were the very worst of men."
Sent to me to publish by one in the FLDS
Monday, January 5, 2009
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