John Taylor's sermon on his treason and hatred of the United States of America - August 23, 1857
In listening to the remarks made by President Kimball this morning, I
felt myself very much edified, very much instructed, and very much
blessed. In fact, where the Spirit of the Lord is, and the oracles of
God dwell, there must of necessity be truth, intelligence, and
certainty. Many of those things, as he justly remarked, that seem light
and trivial, and of little importance to many, are pregnant with
meaning, are full of interest, and are of the utmost importance to the
Saints that dwell in these valleys, and to the world of mankind, if
they would only pay attention to and be governed by them. (1)
Mankind are, more or less, fond of paraphernalia, show, pomp, and
parade; but the kingdom of God does not always come with "observation,"
as the Scripture says. The great and precious principles of eternal
truth, like pearls and precious gems, are often hid from the view of
the human family. (2)
What is the reason that the world of mankind do not appreciate the
principles that are so plain and so manifest to us? How is it that all
of our friends, relatives, and associations, and the neighbourhoods
where we have resided have not fallen in with the Gospel of Jesus
Christ? Why is it that all these things have not been received and
appreciated by the millions of the human family who have had precisely
the same opportunities that we have had? It is because they do not
appreciate them - because they cannot see and understand. The light
shone in darkness and it comprehended it not; but to those who received
it, it was life and salvation. (3)
Why is it that a swine cannot discern the value of pearls, and tramples
them under its feet? Because it does not understand, - it has not the
intelligence, and does not comprehend the difference between the filth
that surrounds it and precious gems. You might cast a precious jewel at
a hog, and it would turn and rend you; but throw that to a man of
understanding and intelligence, and he would ask for more. That is the
difference. God has so ordained that strait shall be the gate, and
narrow the way that leads to life; and but few there are that find it."
(4)
If the men of the world, if the princes and potentates of the earth, if
the statesmen and great men among the nations could comprehend things
as we comprehend them, could understand the Gospel as it has been
revealed to us, - if they could know anything of our high calling's
glorious hope, and of the principles that animate our bosoms, they
would, many of them, lay down their honors and their thrones, and come
down and ask for admission into this kingdom. But they have got to
receive the kingdom of God like a little child, just the same as you
and I, or they cannot enter it; they have got to enter by the door into
the sheepfold; and hence there is a test for every man to try him by;
and hence the difference between us and them, and therefore a
difference in regard to our views and position, which necessarily
produce a difference in our feelings. They think differently, they
speak differently, they look upon things in a different point of view
to what we do. They look upon us as being enthusiastic, foolish, wild,
and visionary, and among the rest as being polluted; and they would,
forsooth, sympathize with us, some of them, and think we are in the
most dreadful position of any people under the face of the heavens -
that we are degraded and fallen. But they know not the spirit that
animates our bosoms; they know not the hope that God has inspired in
our hearts; they know not the things pertaining to the kingdom of God;
they are as ignorant of them and of their own destiny as the brute
beast which is "made to be taken and destroyed." (5)
It was a very correct figure that the Apostle made use of formerly,
when he spoke of men being as ignorant as brute beasts, which were made
to be taken and destroyed. Man, holding a relationship with things that
have been, with things that are, and with things that are to come,
being an eternal being, having existed before, existing now, and
destined to exist while endless ages shall endure, - when he
understands his relationship to God, how he is associated with his
progenitors, the position in which he stands to the Church and kingdom
of God on the earth, the blessing he is able to seal on his posterity,
worlds without end, and the great things he is destined to enjoy if
faithful, - there is as much difference between his views and the world
of mankind in general as there is between midnight darkness and the
light of the sun in its meridian glory. (6)
Men that are in darkness do not understand why it is that we think as
we do, that we act as we do, that we endure as we do, that men can be
united as we are, that people will leave their homes and traverse seas,
oceans, deserts, mountains, plains, and sterile wastes, in order to
meet with a people so much despised by a great majority of mankind.
They do not know why it is, because they do not understand the counsels
of God. How is it in relation to them? They have no revelation, no
knowledge of God; and hence they are like the brute beasts, and know
nothing but what they know naturally, as beasts obtain their knowledge,
&c. They know nothing of their own position, or of their
relationship to God; they know nothing about their progenitors, of
their own destiny in the future, of what is within their reach while
here on the earth, or how to secure blessings on their posterity; in
fact, they are ignorant of all the great and vital principles which
have a tendency to animate, enliven, and give vitality and power to all
the acts of the sons of God; and hence they are like the brute beasts. (7)
You can take an ox, or a hog, and put it into a stable, and feed it,
and it will get fat there. What for? For the knife. If you could only
give it a little revelation - if you could only make that ox or hog
understand that it was being prepared to be killed and eaten, I wonder
how fat you could make it? It is just so with the world; they are
ignorant of their position, and they glory in their own shame, just as
much as a hog does in wallowing in the mire; and they are just as
ignorant of their destiny. This is the position of the world, and that
is the reason why you see things as they are - why there is so much
darkness; and I only wonder there is so much light among them as there
is. You wonder why men act so much like fools. I wonder they have as
much intelligence as they have; and the only reason why they have so
much is, that the Spirit of God is not entirely withdrawn from them. (8)
In regard to principles of science, mechanism, &c., they possess a
great deal of information; but they do not know that "every good and
perfect gift' proceeds from God, and they won't acknowledge it or him;
and hence the little light they enjoy relative to religious matters, in
relation to eternity, to their present real position and destiny, and
to the things which God has communicated to us. Is it to be wondered
at, then, that men acting in that way should feel strange and act
strangely? You cannot expect the conduct of a gentleman to proceed from
a brute beast; you cannot expect anything but a grunt from a hog: it is
their nature; and it is the nature of the wicked to act as they have
done and as they are doing; and if you see animosity, hatred, evil,
strife, vicious feelings, bad practices, lasciviousness, corruption of
every grade, and every kind of abomination prevailing, it is because of
their nature. One of those little hymns composed by Watts for children
describes it right: - "Let dogs delight to bark and bite, for God hath
made them so: Let bears and lions growl and fight; it is their nature
too." Not desirous to retain God in their knowledge, they have given
themselves up to every kind of evil, and are led captive by the Devil;
and the Scriptures say, "His servants ye are whom ye list to obey." (9)
Now, what is it that enlightens our minds? We were like them precisely.
Is there any man here who knew anything about God until it was revealed
to him? Is there a man or woman here who understood even the first
principles of the Gospel of Christ until they were revealed to them? I
have travelled a great deal, and been in different nations, and I have
never yet met with a man that did. To what are we indebted for that
knowledge? To the administration of an angel, which made manifest the
order of God to Joseph Smith, and he revealed it unto others to that we
are indebted for the first principles of the Gospel. Can you find
anybody, anywhere, in any part of the earth, who professes to teach
religion, that will tell the people to repent of their sins, be
baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of them, and
receive the imposition of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost? And who
dare promise them that they shall receive it in its power, as the
Apostles did formerly? I cannot. I have not met with such a people, nor
have you. (10)
I was well versed in the Scriptures myself when this Gospel came along,
but I was as ignorant as a brute about these things, and so is
everybody else. I have not come in contact with a man who understood
correct principles in relation to the principles of the Gospel, or who
knew the way to enter into the kingdom of God. Who could know it
without God revealing it? And it is to that revelation that we are
indebted for the intelligence we have received concerning these
matters, and to the spirit of prophecy and revelation that has been
communicated with it. (11)
Brother Kimball said he did not profess to be a Prophet of God. I bear
testimony that he is a Prophet of God; and why do I do that? Because I
have known many things that I could relate here, that I heard him
prophesy years ago, that have been fulfilled to the very letter. And I
bear testimony of it on another ground: any man that has the testimony
of Jesus has the spirit of prophecy; for "the testimony of Jesus is the
spirit of prophecy? so says the old Bible; and consequently, such a man
is a prophet. (12)
Concerning the first principles of the Gospel, at first they came by
revelation; they were communicated to a young man who did not possess
what is termed worldly wisdom, education, or intelligence; but he came
and told it out just as God told it to him. Was there anybody that
could controvert it? No. It was not because it was in the Bible that he
taught it, but because God had communicated it to him; and he went and
told the things which he had received. Did you ever meet with a man
anywhere that could controvert the principles Joseph Smith taught? Did
you ever find a theologian, or priest, of any description, that could
contradict these things successfully? Did I? I never did. I have never
met with a man under the heavens that could successfully contradict one
principle of it - never; NO, NEVER; and I do not expect ever to be able
to. (13)
Why is it that people cannot contradict it? Because it is the eternal
truth of heaven, and emanated from the great Eloheim, and is one of
those eternal principles of truth which God has communicated to the
human family; and truth, like God, is unchangeable, and cannot be
controverted. Darkness flees before it, and error hides its head
wherever it appears. It was so in regard to the first principles of the
Gospel, and it has been so in regard to principles that have been
revealed and communicated from time to time, both by Joseph Smith, by
President Young, by brother Kimball, and by all the authorities of this
Church who have been inspired by the Holy Ghost. (14)
In relation to the position we now occupy, the things that were spoken
this morning are as correct, as true, and as incontrovertible as
anything that could be adduced by any man - I do not care where he
comes from, nor what may be his intelligence, - I do not care whether
he is king, president, potentate, or statesman, of any description, or
what his intellectual qualifications: it matters not. The principles
that were spoken here are, in and of themselves, correct; and I want to
speak a little in relation to some of these things, in order that men
who have not examined them may understand them more minutely. You
believe the principles because you heard them, of course; and so do I;
so do we all; and every truth recommends itself to the minds of the
human family; yet, at the same time, we are not all of us at all times
prepared to judge of the correctness of all these matters. (15)
The things we have heard this morning might sound to some croakers and
ignoramuses, who have never examined the subject, and do not understand
principle, like treason, as though we were in open rebellion against
the United States and opposed to the Government we are associated with
- as though we were going to trample down all law, rule, and order. No
such thing. We are the only people in these United States, at the
present time, who are sustaining them. I can prove this, and that it is
others who are trampling them under foot, and not us. Whilst they are
committing acts, themselves, that are treasonable in their nature, and
pursuing a course opposed to the Constitution and the very genius of
the institutions of the United States, they want to lay the sin at our
doors that they themselves are guilty of. (16)
Would I, as a citizen of the United States, come out in rebellion
against the United States, and act contrary to my conscience? Verily
no. Would brother Young? Verily no. Would brother Kimball, or brother
Wells? Verily no. Are they not true patriots - true Americans? Do they
not feel the fire of '76 burning in their bosoms? Assuredly they do.
Would they do a thing that is wrong? No; and they will also see that
others do not do it. That is the feeling, the spirit, and principle
that actuate them. There are thousands of you who are Americans, who
have been born in this land, whose fathers fought for the liberties we
used to enjoy, but have not enjoyed for some years past. There are
thousands of such men here who feel the same spirit that used to burn
in their fathers' bosoms - the spirit of liberty and equal rights – the
spirit of according to every man that which belongs to him, and of
robbing no man of his rights. Your fathers and grandfathers have met
the tyrant when he sought to put a yoke on your necks; as men and true
patriots, they came forward and fought for their rights and in defence
of that liberty which we, their children, ought to enjoy. You feel the
same spirit that inspired them; the same blood that coursed in their
veins flows in yours; you feel true patriotism and a strong attachment
to the Constitution and institutions bought by the blood of your
fathers, and bequeathed to you by them as your richest patrimony. (17)
There are others of you that have taken the oath of allegiance to the
United States; and some of you, not understanding correct principles,
may, perhaps, feel qualms of conscience, and think, probably, that if
we undertake to resist the powers that are seeking to make aggression
upon us, we are doing wrong. No such thing. You let your conscience
sleep at ease; let it be quiet: it is not us who are doing wrong; it is
others who are committing a wrong upon us. What was the case in
Missouri? Let me draw your attention briefly to some of the
circumstances that have transpired in our history as a people. Whom did
we interfere with in the State of Missouri? Did we rebel against the
United States, or against the State in which we lived? Verily no; and I
am at the defiance of that State and Congress, with all the world at
their backs, to prove that we did rebel in one iota. Did they give unto
us the protection of American citizens? They did not; and they perjured
themselves in not doing it. They perjured themselves before God and all
honest men. Whom did we rebel against in Illinois? (18)
Let me mention one circumstance in the State of Missouri. How much land
did we purchase there from the United States, and pay for, which they
promised to warrant and defend us in the possession of? Did they
protect us in the right they guaranteed unto us? No; they allowed us to
be robbed and plundered with impunity. And how many suffered death in
consequence of their recklessness, carelessness, and barefaced
iniquity? Thousands. I have seen their condition when many thousands
were driven from their lands and homes, were persecuted harassed, and
driven like felons without redress, robbed, plundered, imprisoned, and
put to death; and thousands of men, women, and children wandered
houseless and homeless exiles in their own land, and fugitives flying
from the rage of a lawless rabble, infuriated banditti, and
bloodthirsty miscreants and murderers. I saw then a whole people robbed
and disfranchised, and this too in the middle of winter. Did the State
authorities yield us any redress? No. They were foremost in the mob.
Did the United States? No. (19)
Many of my brethren around me also witnessed these things, and know the
misery, destitution, and death caused by those bloodhounds, when they
first fled to Nauvoo, resting where the mud was knee deep – the only
position they could get - with three or four little sticks put up, and
a counterpane thrown over them, and there left to die. Brother Wells
was in Nauvoo at the time. After the excitement was over, there was not
enough of well folks to wait on the sick. I was off on a mission to
England at this time, and all my family were sick; and my son George,
who has been away and returned with me, being quite a little boy, not
able to draw water, and nobody in the house able to get it, had to go
and wait at the well, with a little bucket, for somebody to come and
draw him a little water to carry home to the sick, to quench the
parching tongue and allay the raging fever occasioned by these Missouri
demons. (20)
Brother Brigham, brother Kimball, George A. Smith, and the Twelve here,
and everybody, almost, was down sick; and in this condition, feeble,
faint, and half dead, they started off on a mission, because we were
commanded to go. We went to fulfil the word of the Lord. Did the United
States step forward and yield us any redress? No; but they stood there,
and were willing to see us imposed upon and robbed of our property and
rights; and we have obtained no redress for it to the present day. Who
are the transgressors? Are we? Martin Van Buren, the then President of
the United States, acknowledged the injustice done to us when he said,
"Your cause is just, but we can do nothing for you." And we endured it.
(21)
We staid in Illinois, lived there as peaceable citizens, and had a city
charter, and under its protection improved our city, and had in a short
time, by our energy, industry, and enterprize, built one of the best
cities in the western country, and had one of the most peaceable
societies that existed anywhere, without exception. The first thing
they did to aggravate us was to rob us of our city charter; and this
very Judge Douglas, of whom we have heard so much as being our friend,
was one of the first movers for its repeal. The first time I ever met
with him was in an hotel in Springfield, Illinois, the time they were
trying Joseph Smith before Judge Pope. He told me then that they had a
right to do it, and that the Judges had decided so. I said, I did not
know anything about the Judges. I did not know who he was at the time,
and it would not have made much difference if I had. I told him, It is
no matter to me what the judges decided about charters; the Legislature
had given us our charter for perpetual succession; and for them to take
away a charter with these provisions proved them either to be knaves or
fools. They were knaves if they did it knowingly, to give what they
knew they had not power to do; and if they did not know it, they were
fools for giving us a thing they had not power to give. Did they do it?
Yes. And that State robbed us of the rights of freemen; and the only
chance we had then, when they sent their scamps and rogues among us,
was to have a whittling society and whittle them out. We could not get
them out according to law, and we had to do it according to justice;
and there was no law against whittling, - so we whittled the scoundrels
out. (22)
I remember that one of the legislators who had annulled our charter,
named Dr. Charles, went to President Young, and says he, "Mr. Young, I
am very much imposed upon by the people around here; there are a lot of
boys following me with long knives, and they are whittling after me
wherever I go; my life is in danger." Brother Young replied, "I am very
sorry you are imposed upon by the people: we used to have laws here,
but you have taken them away from us: we have no law to protect you.
"YOUR CAUSE IS JUST, BUT WE CAN DO NOTHING FOR YOU." Boys, don't
frighten him, don't." They deprived us of the rights of law to protect
ourselves, and in doing it, they deprived us of the power of protecting
them; and we could not help them when they wanted help. [Voice: "We
still have whittling societies."] Yes, we still have whittling
societies, as brother Kimball says. (23)
Why did we leave Nauvoo? Had we killed anybody? Had we broken any law?
Had we trampled upon the rights of any people? Had we done anything
that the laws of the United States or of that State could interfere
with us for? If we had, they would pretty soon have dragged us up. The
people wanted us to leave; and because the people were dissatisfied -
because there were a lot of religious enthusiasts, political aspirants,
blacklegs, and scoundrels, who wanted to possess our property, all
bound together to rob us of our rights, we must go away, of course.
Judge Douglas, General Harding, Major Warren, and some of the prominent
men from Springfield met together in my house in Nauvoo, and these men
could go to work and talk deliberately (and there was no less than two
United States' Senators among them at the time,) about removing
thousands of people, and letting them be disfranchised and despoiled,
as coolly as they would cut up a leg of mutton. [Voice: "And you told
them of it."] Yes, I did. (24)
Now, then, whom did we injure? What law did we break? Whose rights did
we trample upon? Did we dispossess anybody of his land, rob anybody,
interfere with anybody's rights? Did we transgress any estate's law,
national law, or any other law? We did not; and they never have been
able to prove one item against us, and we stand clear. We maintained
the law and tried to make it honourable. What must we go away for? Why,
they had murdered our Prophet and Patriarch under the sacred pledge of
the Governor of the State and of his officers, all combined, and we
could obtain no redress; and because they had done one injury, they
must heap a thousand on the back of it. That is the only reason I know
of. They were murderers, and sanctioned the practice, and those men
have got to atone for these wrongs yet. [Voices: "Amen."] The debt has
got to be paid. [Voice: "Douglas is not a bit better than the rest of
them."] Not a particle. (25)
What is our position at the present time? Why are we here, gentlemen
and ladies? Answer me, ye sons of the ancient patriots - ye sons of
those fathers who fought for the rights and liberties this nation
boasts so much of. Answer me - Why are you here? Because you could not
go anywhere else - because you could not be protected in those rights
that your fathers bled and died for. That is the reason you are here,
gentlemen. We are here, because we are exiled and disfranchised,
because we are robbed of our rights, because we could not possess equal
rights with other American citizens - rights that the Constitution
guaranteed to every citizen of the Union. We had to fly from the face
of civilization, and found a refuge among the red men of the forest; we
had to seek that mercy from the hands of the savage that Christian
civilization denied us. We are talking now about rights, laying aside
religion. If we come to talk about the kingdom of God, that is another
matter. We are talking now about our rights as American citizens, or
rather our wrongs, - the rights we have been robbed of. We are here,
then, under these circumstances. Have we broken any law here? No. I
defied the whole Eastern country, when I was there, to prove that we
have broken any law, and have not found a man that dare take up the
gauntlet - not one, because they could not do it. Why could they not?
Because we have done no wrong. (26)
What did we do on the road here? Right in the midst of difficulties, in
the midst of exile, when we were journeying to this place, this
Government called upon us for 500 soldiers to go and fight their
battles, when they were literally allowing us to be driven from our
homes and to be robbed of millions of property without redress. Did we
send the soldiers? We did. Was it our duty to comply with such a
requisition at such a time, and under such circumstances? I don't know.
I think it was one of those works of supererogation which the Roman
Catholics talk about. I do not think any law of God or man would have
required it at our hands; but we did it; and I suppose it was wisdom
and prudent, under the circumstances, that we should take that course,
because our enemies were seeking to entangle and destroy us from the
earth. They laid that as a trap, thinking to catch us in it; but it did
not stick. (27)
What did we do when we came here? We framed a Constitution and a
Provisional Government, and reported our doings to the United States
again, right on the back of all the insults, robbery, and fraud which
we had endured. We still went constitutionally to work. Afterwards, we
petitioned for a Territorial Government. Did they give it to us? They
did. Is there any step that we have taken that is contrary to law?
There is not? They have appointed our Governor, our Secretaries, our
Judges, our Marshals; they have done to us the same in this matter as
they have done with other Territories. I do not believe in their right
constitutionally to appoint our officers. Still they have done it, and
we have submitted to it. And they have sent some of the most cursed
scoundrels here that ever existed on the earth. Instead of being
fathers, they have tried every influence they could bring to bear in
order to destroy us. (28)
Such have been our protectors. These have been the men who have been
sworn to fulfil their public duties; but they have foresworn themselves
in the face of high heaven. What law have we transgressed? None. They
trump up every kind of story that it is possible to conceive of, but
have always been and are now unable to substantiate any of their
barefaced assertions; and I declare it before you and the world, that
this people are the most peaceable, law-abiding, and patriotic people
that can be found in the United States. (29)
What have they been doing in Kansas, in California, in Oregon? What in
Cuba, in Nicaragua, and at present in New York, if you please? They
have been filibustering in Cuba and in Nicaragua; and officers of every
grade and condition, both civil and military, have winked at it and
suffered those things to go on, right under their noses. The position
of affairs in Kansas has been anything but flattering; it has been
North against South, and South against North, and Kansas has been the
battle-ground. The people there are not, perhaps, much worse than the
rest of the people; they are principally emigrants from the North and
South, who are arrayed against each other, whilst Kansas is the
greatest Sebastopol, where the battle is fought. The inhabitants there
are the representatives of Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern
civilization and Christianity, all combined. Are they traitors? O, no!
They are only a little excited. We must try and get a Governor who will
try and compromise matters between the parties, and we will get things
straightened out by-and-by. They send one Governor - he fails; and
another, and he fails; and they have sent another; but whether he will
fail or not, time must determine. (30)
What are they doing in New York? The Legislature of New York passed
laws interfering with the city of New York, and the city is in
rebellion against the State of New York, and it was raging at the time
I left. The State says, "I won't submit," and the city says, "I won't
submit." And they had two different classes of officers there to
regulate matters in the emporium of the United States: it is the
mercantile emporium at least. They are very peaceable; they are good
citizens; there is no harm in that; it is only a little family trouble
that we have to settle; and in doing so, we must use any pacific
measure we can. What is the matter with us? Have we broken any law?
James Gordon Bennett, a man who is quarrelling with everybody, comes
out at last, and says, "The Mormons" have the advantage of us, and they
know it." And out of all he could hatch up and scrape together against
the "Mormons," there is only one thing that seems even in his eyes to
supply any pretext for hostilities against them, and that is, the
charge of burning some 900 volumes of United States' laws; and this
charge is also false. Bennett is one of the most rabid "Mormon" eaters
you can find, with the exception of Greeley. (31)
What are they sending an army here for? I had thought things were a
little different until I got here; but I have found, in conversing with
President Young, that he knows more about things as they exist in the
Eastern country than I did, who had just come from there. I had read
all the newspapers, examined the spirit of the times, and tried to get
at all the information I could; and I find, from the information I have
received since them, that he understood things more correctly than I
did. I thought it was a kind of a pacific course which the
Administration was taking, in order to pacify the Republicans, that
they might have a reasonable pretext to have fulfilled their duties;
for I do know that they were apprised of the unreliable character of
some of their informants. When I heard that the troops now on their way
here had sealed orders, were coming with cannon, and had stopped the
mail, it argued that there was the Devil behind somewhere. (32)
I will give you my opinion about their present course. The Republicans
were determined to make the "Mormon" question tell in their favour. At
the time they were trying to elect Fremont, they put two questions into
their platform - viz., opposition to the domestic institutions of the
South and to polygamy. The Democrats have professed to be our friends,
and they go to work to sustain the domestic institutions of the South
and the rights of the people; but when they do that, the Republicans
throw polygamy at them, and are determined to make them swallow that
with the other. This makes the Democrats gag, and they have felt a
strong desire to get rid of the "Mormon" question. (33)
Some of them, I know, for some time past, have been concocting plans to
divide up Utah among the several Territories around; and I believe a
bill, having this object in view, was prepared once or twice, and came
pretty near being presented to Congress; but that was not done. Now,
they go to work and send out an army with sealed orders, and, if
necessary, are prepared to commit anything that the Devil may suggest
to them; for they are under his influence. They wish now to steal the
Republicans' thunder, to take the wind out of their sails, and to
out-Herod Herod. Say they, "We, who profess to be the friends of the
Mormons,' and support free institutions, squatter sovereignty, and
equal rights, will do more to the 'Mormons than you dare do; and we
will procure offices by that means, and save our parties;" and, as
Pilate and Herod could be made friends over the death of Jesus, so they
go to work and plan our sacrifice and destruction, and make up friends
on the back of it. They would crucify Jesus Christ, if he were here, as
quick as the Scribes and Pharisees did in his day, and the priests
would help them. President Young says they shall not come here and
destroy us; and I say, Amen. [The congregation shouted, "Amen."] (34)
I have not quoted a great deal of Scripture to-day, but I will quote
some. It says there was the opening of the "first seal;" so we will
open this seal for them. We will declare their orders - a thing they
have not manhood to do. They are too sneaking and underhanded, and have
not manliness enough to declare their mind to a handful of people - the
poor, pusillanimous curses. We dare do it; and, I thank God, that I
live among a people that dare; for I do despise this sneaking,
miserable, cowardly tribe, that are obliged to act under-handed in all
their ways. Why? For fear of something to come. We dare declare our
intentions, and risk the consequences. (35)
Now, I want to touch upon a principle which I spoke about awhile ago.
We have submitted to their sending officers here; that is all right
enough, if we have a mind to. We are citizens of the United States, and
profess to support the Constitution of the United States; and wherein
that binds us, we are bound; wherein it does not, we are not bound.
They have sent Judge after Judge, and many times we have been without
them: their loss, however, was not felt. They have sent their officers,
and we have treated them well; and for the good treatment we have
received curses, bitterness, wrath, lying, and destruction in return.
They have sought to destroy our reputation - to rob us of our rights.
They have sought to injure us in every possible way that men could be
injured, as patriots, Christians, and moral men. They have lied about
us in every conceivable way. (36)
We have borne it and borne it over and over again. Are we bound to bear
it for ever? That is the question that necessarily arises. Are we bound
to suffer their abuse and oppression continually? And if we are, upon
what principle? If there is any man in this congregation, or anywhere
else, that will show me one principle or one piece of instruction or
authority in the Constitution of the United States that authorizes the
President of the United States to send out Governors and Judges to this
Territory, I would like to see it. I cannot find such authority. I will
admit that a usage of that kind has obtained - that it is quite
customary for the President of the United States, by and with the
consent of the Senate, to appoint Governors, Judges, Marshals,
Secretaries of State, and all of those officers that you have had here.
But it is a thing that is not authorized by the Constitution, - much
less to force them upon us by an armed soldiery. There is no such
authority existing. (37)
I wish to quote to you one little thing. If I had the Constitution
here, I would read it to you. It is to the effect, "That the powers not
delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by
it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the
people." No matter, therefore, whether the people live in States or
Territories, they possess constitutional privileges alike. The most
that is said in regard to Territories and the authority of the
President and Congress is, that "The Congress shall have power to
dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the
territory or other property of the United States." That is speaking of
it as land; and some of the most prominent statesmen of the United
States have so construed it. It is property as land - territory as land
they have a right to interfere with, not territory as regards the
people. (38)
I published this in the "Mormon" long ago, and said the Missouri
compromise was unconstitutional. By-and-by, the United States' Judges
gave the same decision. I gave mine, however, before they gave theirs.
It is a true principle, they have not the authority. If they have it at
all, it is in the people ceding it to them, and not what they possess
by the Constitution of the United States. They have sent scoundrels
amongst us from time to time. If they had sent decent men, would we
have opposed them? No: we would have respected them. But will we submit
to such infernal scoundrels? Never; no, never!! So far as right is
concerned, then, they have no right to appoint officers for this or any
other Territory; and I will defy any man to prove that there is any
such right in the Constitution. (39)
I conversed with a Judge Black, who was coming up to Nebraska Territory
on a steam-boat, - an intelligent man, a Democrat, of course. When
talking about these principles to him, which he acceded to, I put my
hand on his shoulder, and said, "Judge, what are you doing here?" "I am
here," said he, "according to the usage that has obtained; but if the
people do not want me, all they have to do is to express it, and I will
go away again." I wish we had only half such decent men as that sent
here. He tried to take another tack, which is this: He pointed out in
the Constitution where the Supreme Court of the United States was made
one of the branches of the Government, and the President has the
appointment of its Judges. That is true - he possesses the power to
appoint the greater, but not the less. How do you make that appear?
Simply because one is mentioned in the Constitution, and the other is
not. The United States' Supreme Court is a co-ordinate branch of the
Government, and there is provision made by the Constitution for the
election and appointment of its officers. This is not the case in
regard to the officers of a Territory. Out of courtesy we, as citizens
of the United States, may say, "Mr. President, if you have a mind to
appoint discreet persons to fill those offices, all well and good; but
if you don't, you had better take them back; for we won't have them: we
stand on our reserved rights as citizens of the United States." (40)
We are not lacking for men in the United States, at the present time,
who want to make it appear that the United States have a right to lord
it over the Territories, the same as the British Government used to do
over their colonies. Thousands of you before me were citizens of the
United States, where you came from. You had the right of franchise -
had a right to say who should be your Governor, and who should be your
Municipal and State officers. You came out here by thousands or by tens
of thousands. By what right or upon what principle are you
disfranchised? Can anybody tell me? Say some, "You need not have come
out here unless you had a mind to." Of course not. But we had a mind
to; we were American citizens before we came out, and we have
transgressed no law in coming; and by what rule are we deprived of our
citizenship? If we had a right then to vote for anything, we have a
right now; and nobody has a right to cram this or that man upon us
without our consent, - much less have they a right to dragoon us into
servility to their unconstitutional exactions. (41)
What was the great cause of complaint at the time the Constitution was
framed? In the declaration of Independence, it was stated that the
people had rulers placed over them, and they had no voice in their
election. Read that instrument. It describes our wrongs as plainly as
it did the wrongs the people then labored under and discarded. Our
Government are doing the very things against us that our fathers
complained of. "They send armed mercenaries among us, to subjugate us,"
&c. What is our Government doing? The same thing. As American
citizens and patriots, and as sons of those venerable sires, can we,
without disgracing ourselves, our fathers, and our nation, submit to
these insults, and tamely bow to such tyranny? We cannot do it, and we
will not do it. We will rally round the Constitution, and declare our
rights as American citizens; and we will sustain them in the face of
High Heaven and the world. (42)
No man need have any qualms of conscience that he is doing wrong. You
are patriots, standing by your rights and opposing the wrong which
affects all lovers of freedom as well as you; for those acts of
aggression have a withering, deadly effect, and are gnawing, like a
canker-worm, at the very vitals of religious and civil liberty. You are
standing by the Declaration of Independence, and sustaining the
Constitution which was given by the inspiration of God; and you are the
only people in the United States this time that are doing it - that
have the manhood to do it. You dare do it, and you feel right about the
matter as the vox populi. According to the genius and spirit of the
Constitution of the United States, we are pursuing the course that
would be approved of by all high-minded, honourable men; and no man but
a poor, miserable sneak would have any other feeling. (43)
I lay these things before you for your information, that you may feel
and act understandingly. I have carefully criticized these matters, and
examined the views of many of those who are said to be our greatest
statesmen on this subject; for I have desired to comprehend the powers
of the Government and the rights of the people; and I have watched with
no little anxiety the encroachments of Government and the manifest
desire to trample upon your rights. It is for you, however, to maintain
them; and if those men that are traitors to the spirit and genius of
the Constitution of the United States have a mind to trample underfoot
those principles that ought to guarantee protection to every American
citizen, we will rally around the standard, and bid them defiance in
the name of the Lord God of Israel. (44)
In doing this, we neither forget our duties as citizens of the United
States, nor as subjects of the kingdom and cause of God; but, as the
Lord has said, if we will keep His commandments, we need not transgress
the laws of the land. We have not done it; we have maintained them all
the time. When we talk about the Constitution of the United States, we
are sometimes apt to quote - "Vox populi, vox Dei;" that is, The voice
of the people is the voice of God. But in some places they ought to
say, VOX POPULI, VOX DIABOLI; that is, the voice of the people is the
voice of the devil. (45)
We are moved by a higher law. They talk sometimes about a higher law in
the States. Greeley is a great man to talk about a higher law, which
means, with him, stealing niggers. We do not care anything about that.
We want to do something better - something higher and more noble. That
is rather too low for us; consequently they need not be afraid of our
stealing their niggers: we will let them have all the benefits of them
as one of the grand institutions of Christians, together with the
amalgamating process as another of the institutions of Christianity.
And another grand institution they have among them is prostitution. (46)
Well, thank God, we do not know anything about such things. A very
respectable gentleman in Philadelphia said to me a while ago, in
talking over some of these matters - "Suppose a Mahommedan should come
into the city of Philadelphia" - that is one of the puritanical cities,
where they profess to be so good, the city of brotherly love - and walk
through our streets in the evening, and see a number of ladies walking
alone, being informed that it was usual for respectable ladies to be
protected, he would necessarily enquire what was the meaning of this.
Being informed that these were prostitutes, he would necessarily
enquire what was the meaning of this. Being informed that these were
prostitutes, he would very naturally say, "Then I suppose this is one
of the institutions of Christianity?" This is the conclusion he would
come to at once. Well, so it is; and this niggerism in the South is
about the same kind of thing, only a change of colour. (47)
These are all moral, all legal, all truly Christian. Men east may have
one or a dozen misses, keep part of their children;, and turn the other
out as paupers. In the South, they buy them body and soul, prostitute
them at pleasure, and sell their own children. Yet these men talk of
our morals, and send out armies to chastise us for our corruptions,
when God knows, and they know, that they are a thousand times more
corrupt than we are. We are not taking any steps contrary to the laws
and the Constitution of the United States, but in every thing we are
upholding and sustaining them. Gentlemen, hands off: we are free men;
we possess equal rights with other men; and if you send your sealed
orders here, we may break the seal, and it shall be the opening of the
first seal. (48)
In relation to the kingdom of God, that is another matter. You before
me understand about it - its laws, priesthood, principles, and
influences, and the things that are about to transpire. God has set his
hand to accomplish His purposes, to roll on His great designs, and
bring to pass the things spoken of by all the holy Prophets since the
world began, that should take place in the latter days, to establish
His kingdom on the earth, that shall become mighty and prevail over all
other kingdoms. You know all about this. We are established here, and
have the oracles of God in our midst, and the principles of truth
revealed. This is the kingdom of God. The stone cut out of the mountain
without hands has got to roll forth and become a great mountain, and
fill the whole earth. (49)
Satan has held dominion, and rule, and power, over the human family,
for generations and generations; and God is gathering together a little
nucleus here - a band of brethren clothed upon with the Holy Priesthood
and the Spirit of God, by which they will be able to roll back the
cloud of darkness that has overwhelmed the inhabitants of the earth,
and plant the principles of truth, and establish the kingdom of God.
That is what we are engaged in, and what we mean to accomplish by the
help of the Lord; and in regard to any little thing that may be
transpiring around us, in regard to their little armies they are
sending here, great conscience! It is comparatively nothing; there will
be thunder and lightning and the bellowing of earthquakes, in
comparison with that, before we get through. Thrones will be cast down,
and desolation, war, and bloodshed will spread abroad in the earth, and
desolate nations and empires, and God will turn and overturn until the
kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and His
Christ, and he will reign for ever; and we are going to have part in
it, and our children and our children's children. (50)
It is for us to act as the sons of the living God, magnify our calling,
honour our God and His Priesthood, and live as men and as God's true
children on the earth, accomplish His purposes here, and then join with
the redeemed that have gone before to help to roll on weightier matters
in the upper world. (51)
I do not know but I have been talking long enough. I feel well. I am
happy. All is right; and if it thunders, let it thunder; let the
lightnings flash and the earthquakes bellow; let them rage: there is a
God in heaven that can hold the children of men, and He will do it, and
His work will spread, His kingdom increase, and His power be made
manifest among us and among all nations, and Zion will spread and go
forth, and every creature in the heavens, and on the earth, and under
the earth will be heard to say, "Blessing and power, might and majesty
be ascribed to Him that sitteth upon the throne and to the Lamb for
ever and ever." (52)
Brethren, God bless you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. (53)
1) Where the Spirit of the Lord dwells will be the testimony of Jesus Christ.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the
Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will
testify of Me.” John 15:26.
2) John Taylor twisted the Word of God since the LDS church is not the kingdom of God.
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God
would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not
come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’
For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21.
3) The Gospel of Jesus Christ was not the message of John Taylor.
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to
you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you
are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless
you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I
also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third
day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then
by the twelve. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
4) Jesus Christ was not the message of John Taylor.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6.
5) The kingdom of God concerns Jesus Christ not a bogus church based in Utah.
So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his
lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of
God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and
the Prophets, from morning till evening. Acts 28:23.
6) The brute beasts of Mormonism were never citizens of heaven.
Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk,
as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you
often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the
cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly,
and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for
the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body
that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working
by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Philippians
3:17-21.
7) The brute beasts of Mormonism never knew Jesus Christ.
You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest
you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the
error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever.
Amen. 2 Peter 3:17-18.
8) Mormon hate sermons led to the wholesale murder of non-Mormons a few weeks later.
Still in Zion he preached war and rebellion, vengeance and ultimate
redemption. On August 5, as the Fancher Train lodged nearby, the
prophet issued a proclamation to the citizens of Utah declaring “we are
invaded by a hostile force who are evidently assailing us to accomplish
our overthrow and destruction.” An order went out to all outlying
settlements to hoard their grain, and to “report without delay any
person in your District that disposes of a Kernal of grain to any
Gentile merchant or temporary sojourner.” The result of this “violent
and treasonable proclamation,” a Utah resident wrote several years
later, “was to incite the people to revenge and bloodshed.” American
Massacre, page 115.
9) Mormon hate sermons led to the wholesale murder of non-Mormons a few weeks later.
George A Smith was sent south to personally deliver the orders to
church leaders along the southern route to California in the
communities of Provo, Springville, Nephi, Fillmore, and Parowan.
Accompanied by William H. Dame and Dame’s assistant, James H.
Martineau, Smith toured every settlement in the area. Dame reported to
Wells that he had made an inventory of the weapons available: “Muskets,
99; Rifles, 190; Colt’s Revolvers, 17; Pounds of Powder, 192 1⁄4;
Pounds of Lead, 335 1⁄2; Swords, 24.” Further, Dame wrote Wells, “the
command feel calm, quiet, and willing to act upon any command that may
be given and any orders from head Quarters will be cheerfully obeyed.”
American Massacre, pages 115-116.
10) The brute beasts of Mormonism never preached the Christian message.
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,
not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no
effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1
Corinthians 1:17-18.
11) The brute beasts of Mormonism never had a testimony of Jesus Christ.
And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that
you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who
have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is
the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10.
12) Saved people will listen to Jesus Christ instead of Mormon false prophets.
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to
the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His
Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He
made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express
image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power,
when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of
the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as
He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews
1:1-4.
13) The Gospel of Jesus Christ was first preached by Jesus Christ not Joseph Smith.
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching
the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Mark 1:14-15.
14) The Mormon murder message is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I say, rather than that apostates should flourish here, I will
unsheath my bowie knife, and conquer or die. [Great commotion in the
congregation, and a simultaneous burst of feeling, assenting to the
declaration.] Now, you nasty apostates, clear out, or judgment will be
put on the line, and righteousness to the plummet. [Voices, generally,
"go it, go it."] If you say it is right, raise your hands. [All hands
up.] Let us call upon the Lord to assist us in this, and every good
work. Sermon delivered by Brigham Young on March 27, 1853.
15) The brute beasts of Mormonism never preached the wisdom of God.
For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we
preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the
Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians
1:22-24.
16) The brute beasts of Mormonism were guilty of numerous crimes during this era.
In Manti, a party led by Bishop Warren Snow seized a young man who
was engaged to a woman Snow wanted to take for a plural wife. Accusing
his rival of sexual misconduct, Snow and the others castrated him “in a
brutal manner, tearing the chords right out,” one witness later
recalled, “and then took the portion severed from his victim and hung
it up in the schoolhouse on a nail, so it could be seen by all who
visited the house afterwards.” Rumors of slayings pervaded the realm
yet none of the crimes were ever reported in the Deseret News, nor was
anyone brought to justice, “although what they had done was common
knowledge in their settlements,” according to David Bigler. American
Massacre, pages 106-107.
17) Brigham Young’s declaration of forbidding the U.S. army from entering Utah on 9/15/1857 was treason.
Definition of treason – violation of the allegiance owed to one’s
sovereign or state; betrayal of one’s country. Webster’s
Dictionary.
18) Mormons have been continually in rebellion against Missouri with their scripture.
And thus, even as I have said, if ye are faithful ye shall assemble
yourselves together to rejoice upon the land of Missouri, which is the
land of your inheritance, which is now the land of your enemies.
Doctrines and Covenants 52:42, June 7, 1831.
19) Mormons have been continually in rebellion against Missouri with their scripture.
Behold, I say unto you, the redemption of Zion (Independence,
Missouri) must needs come by power. Doctrines and Covenants 103:15,
February 24, 1834.
20) Mormon religious fanatics were expelled from
Missouri after their rabid sermons and scriptures had caused problems
for over seven years.
We this day proclaim ourselves free, with a purpose and a
determination that never can be broken – No never! No never! No never!
Sidney Rigdon sermon delivered on July 4, 1838.
21) Consequences from ordained violence is not persecution.
As Joseph neared the end of his speech, all the pent-up hatred that
he had so long suppressed broke forth with unexpected violence. “If the
people will let us alone,” he cried, “we will preach the gospel in
peace. But if they come on us to molest us, we will establish our
religion by the sword. We will trample down our enemies and make it one
gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. I will be
to this generation a second Mohammed, whose motto in treating for peace
was ‘the Alcoran or the Sword,’ So shall it eventually be with us –
‘Joseph Smith or the Sword!’” No Man Knows My History, pages
230-231.
22) The state of Illinois had mistakenly allowed a religious dictatorship to be established.
Despite the undertones of disaster that were rumbling in and about
Nauvoo, he seemed to be riding securely astride the world. He was not
only candidate for President, but also mayor of Nauvoo, judge of the
municipal court, merchant of the leading store, hotel-keeper, official
temple architect, real-estate agent, contractor, recorder of deeds,
steamboat owner, trustee in trust for all the finances of his church,
lieutenant-general of the Nauvoo Legion, spiritual advisor and Lord’s
communicant to the true church, King of the new Kingdom of God, and
husband of almost fifty wives. No Man Knows My History, page 366.
23) Mormon murder was ordained by Joseph Smith and continued by Brigham Young.
Practically every member of the Legion, he continued, had taken the
Danite oath, swearing to defend the prophet whether right or wrong.
Twelve of the most ruthless Danites had been set apart as Destroying
Angels, whose business it was to spy out the prophet’s enemies and
assassinate them at midnight, garbed in white robes, and wearing a wide
red sash about their waists. No Man Knows My History, pages
314-315.
24) Mormon murder was ordained by Joseph Smith and continued by Brigham Young.
When, therefore, in May 1842 word came to Nauvoo that Boggs had
been shot by an unknown assailant, “it went through the city as if a
great prophecy had been fulfilled.” A writer in the Wasp who signed
himself Vortex commented indiscreetly on May 28: “Boggs is undoubtedly
killed according to report; but who did the noble deed remains to be
found out.” Certain observers in Nauvoo noted that Joseph’s sinister
bodyguard Porter Rockwell, who had been absent for some weeks, returned
to the city just two days after the news of the shooting. He admitted
to friends that he had just come from Missouri. No Man Knows My
History, page 323.
25) All opposition to Joseph Smith in Nauvoo was promptly eliminated illegally.
Calling together the city council, he ordered a trial, not of the
apostates, but of the Expositor itself. It was strange, highhanded
proceeding. There were no jury, no lawyers, no witnesses for the
defense. The councilors simply stood up, one after another, and accused
the editors of seduction, pandering, counterfeiting, and thievery. The
prophet went so far as to say that the apostate Joseph H. Jackson had
been proved a murderer before the city council. No Man Knows My
History, page 377.
26) Religious fanatics such as John Taylor are habitual liars.
“It is well. If you had not done it, I would have gone out there,”
and he swept his arm to the west, “and would have raised up a mightier
people.” Then drawing his sword from the scabbard, Joseph thrust it
heavenward and shouted in a voice that carried over the ranks of the
army and down the city streets: “I call God and angels to witness that
I have unsheathed my sword with a firm and unalterable determination
that this people shall have their legal rights, and be protected from
mob violence, or my blood shall be spilt upon the ground like water,
and my body consigned to the silent tomb!” No Man Knows My History,
page 379.
27) The Mormon Battalion was a means for Brigham Young to get rid of extra men and be paid for their services.
The Mormon Battalion had marched from Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe
and then on to San Diego, many of them ill with the fever they had
contracted at the Camp of Israel. "Bonaparte crossed the Alps," it was
said, "but these men have crossed a continent." In September 1846,
disturbed that battalion members had privately sent their salaries back
to their wives, Brigham Young dispatched John D. Lee Young, as Lee now
called himself, to follow the battalion to Santa Fe and intercept the
battalion payroll to be consecrated to the church. Calling it a most
"dangerous but responsible mission," Young entrusted Lee with
confidential correspondence to Kearny demanding that the U.S. Army
release all funds to Lee instead of to the individual soldiers. The
purpose of Lee's journey was so secret he was not allowed to tell his
wives where he was going or when he would return. American Massacre,
page 53.
28) Congress does have the constitutional right to appoint governors and judges in the territories.
An incorporated territory of the United States is a specific area
under the jurisdiction of the United States, over which the United
States Congress has determined that the United States Constitution is
to be applied to the territory's local government and inhabitants in
its entirety (e.g., citizenship, trial by jury), in the same manner as
it applies to the local governments and residents of the U.S. states.
Incorporated territories are considered an integral part of the United
States, as opposed to being merely possessions. Wikipedia
Encyclopedia.
29) Mormons did not recognize the separation of church and state.
The concept of separation of church and state refers to the
distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation
state. The term is an offshoot of the phrase, "wall of separation
between church and state," as written in Thomas Jefferson's letter to
the Danbury Baptists Association in 1802. The original text reads:
"...I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole
American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no
law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church
& State."[1] The phrase was quoted by the United States Supreme
Court first in 1878, and then in a series of cases starting in 1947.
Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
30) Dictatorial fanatical religion was not the issue in Kansas.
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of
violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery
"Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and
the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly
between 1854 and 1858. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
31) Dictatorial fanatical religion was not the issue in New York.
The Society expanded its political control even further by earning
the loyalty of the city's ever-expanding immigrant community, which
functioned as a base of political capital. The Tammany Hall ward boss
or ward heeler – "wards" were the city's smallest political units from
1686 to 1938 – served as the local vote gatherer and provider of
patronage. Beginning in late 1845, Tammany power surged with the influx
of millions of Irish immigrants to New York. From 1872, Tammany had an
Irish "boss," and in 1928 a Tammany hero, New York Governor Al Smith
won the Democratic presidential nomination. However, Tammany Hall also
served as an engine for graft and political corruption, perhaps most
infamously under William M. "Boss" Tweed in the mid-19th century.
Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
32) Dictatorial fanatical religion was the reason behind the Utah War.
As I have concluded to resign the office of justice of the supreme
court of the Territory of Utah, which position I accepted in A.D.,
1854, under the administration of President Pierce, I deem it due to
the public to give some of the reasons why I do so. In the first place,
Brigham Young, the governor of Utah Territory, is the acknowledged head
of the “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” commonly called
“Mormons;” and, as such head, the Mormons look to him, and to him
alone, for the law by which they are to be governed: therefore no law
of Congress is by them considered binding in any manner. Judge
Drummond’s letter of resignation, March 30, 1857.
33) Polygamy was never a western civilization ideal and was outlawed by the Morrill Act and signed into law by Abraham Lincoln.
Among the Saints natural law – God’s law – had greater force than
any man-made law, and they eventually challenged the very foundation of
the legal system of the United States. In their isolated mountain
sanctuary, the Saints codified their rejections of English common law,
and besides Louisiana, Utah became the only American territory not to
use some form of common law as the basis of its legal system. Blood of
the Prophets, pages 40-41.
34) John Taylor lied to the Mormon fanatics to fill them with hatred of the United States.
SIR: The Government of the United States have decided to form the
Territory of Utah into a Military Department, similar in all respects
to the Military Department of New Mexico, the Pacific, and other
geographical Military districts into which our country has been
subdivided; at the same time, the undersigned has been named to the
honor of commanding the troops assigned to the Department of Utah.
General Harney’s letter to Brigham Young dated July 28, 1857.
35) John Taylor taught open blasphemy since he equaled himself with Jesus Christ.
So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read
the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not
weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has
prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” Revelation
5:4-5.
36) John Taylor lied to the Mormon fanatics to fill them with hatred of the United States.
Fifthly. That the federal officers of the Territory are constantly
insulted, harassed, and annoyed by the Mormons, and for these insults
there is no redress. Judge Drummond’s letter of resignation, March 30,
1857.
37) The Constitution grants Congress the right to govern U.S. territories.
Under Article IV of the United States Constitution, territory is
subject to and belongs to the United States (but not necessarily within
the national boundaries or any individual state). This includes tracts
of land or water not included within the limits of any State and not
admitted as a State into the Union. The Constitution of the United
States states: The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and
make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or
other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this
Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the
United States, or of any particular State. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
38) John Taylor should have been hung for treason.
Congress possesses power to set territorial governments within the
territory of the United States. The power of Congress over such
territory is exclusive and universal. Congress legislation is subject
to no control, unless in the case of ceded territory. The U.S. Congress
is granted the exclusive and universal power to set a United States
territory's political divisions. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
39) John Taylor lied to the Mormon fanatics to fill them with hatred of the United States.
Sixthly. That the federal officers are daily compelled to hear the
form of the American government traduced, the chief executives of the
nation, both living and dead, slandered and abused from the masses, as
well as from all the leading members of the Church, in the most vulgar,
loathsome, and wicked manner that the evil passions of men can possibly
conceive. Judge Drummond’s letter of resignation, March 30, 1857.
40) It is impossible to have an honest dialog with slanderous religious fanatics.
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a
demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a
glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But
wisdom is justified by her children.” Matthew 11:18-19.
41) John Taylor lied to the Mormon fanatics to fill them with hatred of the United States.
Territories are subdivided into legally administered tracts, e.g.,
non-sovereign, geographic areas that have voluntarily come under the
authority of a government. A U.S. state is not a "sovereign state" as
viewed by international law, since the "Contract Clause" of the U.S.
Constitution restricts individual states from conducting foreign
relations. The District of Columbia is under the direct authority of
Congress, and was established from territory ceded by the states of
Maryland and Virginia, with all of the Virginia cession having since
been returned to that state. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
42) The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are separate documents with different purposes.
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established
precedents according to which a state or other organization is
governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the
entity is. When these principles are written down into a single or set
of legal documents, those documents may be said to comprise a written
constitution. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
43) 19th century Mormons were all traitors to the United States of America.
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more serious
acts of betrayal of one's sovereign or nation. Wikipedia
Encyclopedia.
44) 19th century Mormons were all traitors to the United States of America.
Oran's Dictionary of the Law (1983) defines treason as
"...[a]...citizen's actions to make war against, or seriously injure
the [parent nation]." Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
45) 19th century Mormons were not Christians but traitors.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there
is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are
appointed by God. Romans 13:1.
46) 19th century Mormons were not Christians but traitors.
Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of
God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers
are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid
of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the
same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be
afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s
minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Romans
13:2-4.
47) 19th century Mormonism incorporated prostitution into its religion.
Bennett’s tales of Danites and “Angels” were as nothing compared
with his account of the moral decadence in Nauvoo. Joseph, he declared,
had set up an elaborate system of prostitution for the special benefit
of the church hierarchy. The Mormon women inducted into this system
were divided into three classes. No Man Knows My History, page
315.
48) John Taylor taught open blasphemy since he equaled himself with Jesus Christ.
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of
the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and
see.” Revelation 6:1.
49) The kingdom of God concerns Jesus Christ not a bogus church based in Utah.
Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and
received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching
the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no
one forbidding him. Acts 28:30-31.
50) Deceiver John Taylor was a false prophet since the end of the world did not occur in 1858.
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one
deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’
and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.
See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass,
but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and
earthquakes in various places.” Matthew 24:4-7.
51) Children of the living God would never be traitors.
Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also
for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they
are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render
therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to
whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Romans
13:5-7.
52) Children of the living God would never be traitors.
Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the
Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to
those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the
praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing
good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet
not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. 1
Peter 2:13-17.
53) God will never bless traitorous religious fanatics.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they
shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the
earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for
they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain
mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are
the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those
who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil
against you falsely for My sake.” Matthew 5:3-11