Mormon History
Mormon Plot to Control Illinois - 1842
Sangamo Journal – July 2, 1842
E X T R A.
THE MORMON PLOT AND LEAGUE, BY WHICH THOMAS FORD
AND JOHN MOORE HOPE TO BE ELECTED GOVERNOR
AND LIEUT. GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS.
Such has been the demand for that number of our paper containing the evidence upon which we found the charge, that the leaders of the Van Buren party of this State, have entered into a plot and league to obtain the votes of Joe Smith's subjects for their candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, that we feel it our duty to re-publish the Documentary evidence in the case, and other facts, showing the dangerous nature of this corrupt and scandalous coalition. And first the acts of Incorporation, for the benefit of the Mormons, smuggled through the Legislature without reading, by the leaders of the party.
Property secured to Joe Smith in perpetual succession.
The 10th
section of the act incorporating the Nauvoo House Association, is in the
following words:
"And whereas Joseph Smith has furnished said Association with ground on to erect
said House, it is further declared that said Smith and his heirs, shall hold by PERPETUAL SUCCESSION a suite of rooms in
the said House, to be set apart and conveyed in due form of law." (see Acts of
1841, page 132.)
Thus the principle of HEREDITY
SUCCESSION, so odious to freemen, was
established by the last Van Buren Legislature, for the benefit of Joe Smith.
Further Extraordinary Chartered Powers.
The Act incorporating the City of Nauvoo,
provides for the establishment of a University, conferring upon its officers
legislative powers equal to those possessed by the Legislature itself. Section
25 of the same Act provides for the establishment of a military force, to
the officers of which is given the "LAW
MAKING POWER," with no restriction
except the Constitution of the United States and of this State. The entire
section reads as follows:
"The City Council may organize in
inhabitants of said city subject to military duty, into a body of independent
military men, to be called the "Nauvoo Legion," the court martial of which shall
be composed of the commissioned officers of said Legion, and constitute the
law-making powers with full powers and authority to make, ordain, establish, and
execute all such laws and ordinances as may be considered necessary for the
benefit, government, and regulation of said Legion; Provided, said court
martial shall pass no law, or act repugnant to, or inconsistent with the
constitution of the United States, or of this State. The said Legion shall
perform the same amount of military duty as is now, or may be hereafter required
of the regular militia of the State, and shall be at the disposal of the Mayor,
in executing the laws and ordinances of the city corporation, and the laws of
the State, and at the disposal of the Governor, for the public defence, and the
execution of the laws of the State, or of the United States, and shall be
entitled to their proportion of the public arms; and provided also, that
said Legion shall be exempt from all other military duty."
It is under this section that Jose Smith has been made Lieutenant General -- an
office never before held but by one individual in this country -- WASHINGTON
and under which appointment Joe Smith claims that in time of war, he is the head
of the army of the United States!! -- It will be seen also that thisĘsection
does not require the officers or the troops composing the mormon military force
to make oath to support the Constitution of the United States!! Section 27 of
the same act says:
"The City Council shall have power to
provide for the punishment of offenders by imprisonment in the county or city
jail in all cases when such offenders shall fail or refuse to pay the fines and
forfeitures which may be recovered against them."
Thus power is given the city council to pass laws which may confine men in PRISON FOR LIFE,
for any breach of their ordinances. How the City Council have used this power,
may be seen by this -- the first ordinance -- passed by this extraordinary
corporation:
"Sec. 1st. Be it ordained by the City
Council of the city of Nauvoo, that the Catholics, Presbyterians,
Methodists, Baptists, Latter-Day Saints, Quakers, Episcopalians, Universalists,
Unitarians, Mohammedans, and all other religious sects, and denominations,
whatever, shall have free toleration, and equal privileges, in this city, and
should any person be guilty of ridiculing, abusing, or otherwise depreciating
another, in consequence of his religion, or of disturbing, or interrupting, any
religious meeting within the limits of this city, he shall on conviction thereof
before the Mayor, or Municipal Court be considered a disturber of the public
peace, and fined in any sum not exceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisoned
not exceeding six months, or both, at the discretion of said Mayor, or Court.
Sec. 2nd. It is hereby made the duty of all municipal officers to notice and
report to the Mayor, any breach or violation of this or any other ordinance of
this city that may come within their knowledge, or of which they may be advised;
and any officer aforesaid is hereby fully authorized to arrest all such
violators of rule, law, and order either with or without process.
Sec. 3d. This ordinance to take effect and be in force, from and after its
passage/
Passed, March 1st. 1841
John C. Bennett, Mayor.
James Sloan, Recorder."
Thus any citizen who in passing through Nauvoo, may think proper to speak with
contempt of Joe Smith, may be arrested with or without process and be
imprisoned SIX MONTHS
or compelled to pay a fine of FIVE
HUNDRED DOLLARS!!
How this incorporation was procured.
The manner in which this Union of Church and State, was effected, may be thus explained. SIDNEY H. LITTLE, Esq., whig, elected Senator by the Mormons of Hancock County, introduced the charter into the Senate. This he did at the desire of his constituents. It does not appear that he had any thing further to do with it. On motion of Mr. Richardson, it was read the first time in the Senate -- then referred to the committee on the Judiciary -- reported back by Mr. Snyder and passed. The same bill was brought up in the House on motion of Mr. Dodge, reading dispensed with on motion of Mr. Turney, and bill referred to the Judiciary Committee -- then reported back by Mr. Kitchell, and on motion of Mr. Oliver read by its title and the bill passed!! -- So that this act embracing the most extraordinary powers, by the management of the leaders of the Van Buren party, was passed through both Houses WITHOUT having been read!
The motives that governed the Van Buren leaders in their extraordinary acts.
In a reported speech made by Major Hicks, (a
member of the last legislature, and belonging to the Van Buren party), at the
Court House in Jefferson County, we find the following statement:
"Mr. Hicks said, 'he had examined the
charters granted to the Mormons -- that he was opposed to all such
incorporations, and was about to oppose these, but was persuaded to let them
pass by his democratic friends, who assured him that if they could get these
bills through, the Mormons would vote for their candidates at the next election,
and as he had differed on some other occasions from his democratic friends,
which had given offence, he was induced to abandon his opposition to these bills
and let them pass.'"
This statement is confirmed by a letter from Joe Smith, published in the Nauvoo
"Times and Seasons." of the 6th May, 1841 -- an extract from which thus reads:
To the editors of the Times and Seasons:
Gentlemen, -- I wish through the medium of your paper to make known, that on
Sunday last I had the honor of receiving a visit from the Hon. Stephen A.
Douglass, Justice of the Supreme Court and Judge of the Fifth Judicial District
of the State of Illinois * * * who addressed the assembly and expressed his
satisfaction at what he had seen and heard respecting our people, and took that
opportunity of returning thanks to the citizens of Nauvoo, for conferring upon
him the freedom of the city, stating that he was not aware of rendering us any
services of sufficient importance to deserve such marked honor. Judge
Douglass has ever proved himself friendly to this people, and interested himself
to obtain for us our several charters, holding at the time the office of
Secretary of State.
I am, very respectfully, yours, &c.
JOSEPH SMITH,"
Further information of the part taken by Judge Douglass in this matter may be
found in other facts. The military powers claimed by Joe Smith produced a
controversy between him and the militia officers of Hancock county. Some law
proceedings were instituted, or proposed to be, by the militia officers last
spoken of, and Judge Douglass appointed Major General Bennett, Master in
Chancery, Joe Smith thereupon issued the following order:
As will be seen by the following opinion
of Judge Douglass, of the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, than whom no
man stands more deservedly high in the public estimation, as an able and
profound jurist, politician and statesman; the officers and privates
belonging to the Legion, are exempt from all military duty, not required by the
legally constituted authorities thereof, they are therefore expressly
inhibited from performing any military service not ordered by the general
officers, or directed by the court martial."
This order was followed by a legal opinion by Judge Douglass, prejudicing a case which in all probability would have come before his court for trial! We will only add, under this head, that Joe Smith was discharged by Judge Douglass from arrest under a State warrant issued upon the requisition of the Governor of Missouri, in which State Smith was indicted for murder, arson, &v., and a singular incident of granting a new trial to two Mormons, convicted of larceny by a jury, and the entry of a nolle presequi by the State's Attorney, a political friend of the Judge....