Discourse Chapter 1 In the year one thousand eight hundred thirty there appeared on the public arena a small band of religious reformers commonly called Mormon fanatics. Their leader Joseph Smith claimed to have communed with heavenly messengers and to have been divinely commissioned to enlighten the world upon points of doctrine. His message was to the effect that all other forms of worship was false and must therefore come to naught which position ran parallel with John the Baptist and counter to the Ministers of the present age. That broad assertion at once placed himself and followers in opposition to those who adhered to the faith of their fathers which declared that God is no respecter of persons. In spite of the opposition encountered however the Mormon propaganda spread rapidly and the Gospel net as it was termed gathered in of all kinds-in common parlance-good bad and indifferent or an amalgamation so varied and unique as to attract public attention. So fascinating did the new order become that thousands flocked to its standard and laid their all upon the alter of sacrifice thus swelling the ranks and filling the coffers with wealth necessary for the development of their plans in empire building. Had they been left unmolested that section of country would have been benefitted very materially but the spirit of religious intolerance swayed the public mind to such degree that hundreds of Mormon converts were driven from their homes. It remains established truth that ignorance in its blindness will grasp at a phantom if only presented in pleasing and attractive form while prejudice will scatter truth to the four winds. “0 consistency thou art a jewel.” The query arises why people claiming to be followers of the humble Nazarene should allow malevolence to take the place of reason. The question of cause and effect may claim our attention later. It is a notable fact that with each succeeding year the tree (Mormon Church) extended its fruitful branches and in 1837 found their missionaries proselyting in England where they succeeded in converting nearly one thousand the first year. Emigration became one of the cardinal features and in less than two years two hundred and fifty left their native land to augment the ever increasing numbers in America. So phenomenal was their growth and so unpopular their system of religion that jealous rivalry took the shape of bitter antagonism. Many disgraceful scenes were enacted in the state of Missouri 1838-1839. Joseph Smith and other leaders were condemned to be shot, considerable property was destroyed and about fifteen thousand of the rank and file were compelled to abandon all their earthly possessions and travel two or three hundred miles in a destitute condition. Upon regaining their liberty the heads of the church appealed to the president of the United States for redress and received for reply “your cause is just but the government can do nothing for you.” Whatever stricture may be passed upon crime so wantonly committed and that is under a guise of religion it must be apparent that a people thus left to the mercy of mob rule suffered unjustly and their future did not appear very bright.
In view of the fact that the highest tribunal of the land had failed to intervene so must we rest that matter with the judge of all earth and continue by briefly noting events as they transpired in the state of Illinois in 1840-1845. With headquarters in that state the first Mormon Temple was built in the city of Nauvoo which marked the progressive spirit of those despised devotees. The seeds sown in Missouri soon lost fruit however to the bitter disappointment and amazement of the faithful ones gathered there. Prudence suggests the wisdom of refraining from entering into detail of the many acts of violence witnessed there nor is it my purpose to arouse adverse sentiment in the minds of my readers. Suffice it to state that their Temple was destroyed together with millions of dollars of other property which is proof sufficient that they could not remain in that region with any degree of peace and safety. The climax was finally reached when on the twenty seventh of June, 1844, their leader Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were shot in Carthage jail. It then became necessary for the Quorum of Apostles to place themselves at the head of the Church with Brigham Young as their president. Threats of extermination saluted their ears on every hand and it became evident that the only alternative left to them was to again abandon their homes and seek refuge in lands remote. Resolutions were passed to send out a number of pioneers to locate a suitable place for that purpose and after securing all the wagons available nearly one thousand persons commenced their weary journey of a thousand miles or more across the trackless western wilds.
Arriving at Council Bluffs in the state of Iowa after making two or three hundred miles of roads and bridges they spent the winter of 1846-47 near the Missouri river where they mustered a battalion of five hundred volunteers to assist the U. S. Army in the war with Mexico. 1847-48 marks one of the greatest achievements in the history of the Mormon Church during which time about two thousand wagons with families, implements and provisions arrived in the great Salt Lake valley. It needs no stretch of imagination to grasp the situation there or recount the many hardships endured enroute suffice it to state that they considered themselves highly favored in being led to a haven of rest notwithstanding the barren aspect presented in the new country. During the year 1849 members of the Mormon Battalion rejoined their families after discovering gold in California which caused a wild rush of emigration to pass through the Territory of Utah. That year saw also the dawn of a provisional form of government designated “The State of Deseret” with Brigham Young governor and with an area of 225,000 square miles destined ere long to become an important state in the Union. Having thus briefly outlined the organization, progress and exodus of the most peculiar association of religious worshipers of the nineteenth century and who unfurled the starry banner on ensign peak as a token of their loyalty to their country we will drop the curtain before the first act of that interesting drama in the hope that the interest thus awakened may continue through succeeding chapters. “Know this that every soul is free to choose his life and what he’ll be.” Query is liberty license?