Times and Seasons, 15 October 1842

Dear Sir: Necessity frequently compels us to resort to means for self defence, which propriety, gentleness, meekness, and honor would gladly omit. It was said by the Lord, after the flood, that “the imagination of man’s heart was evil from his youth,”—and every century’s, every year’s.—yea, every day’s experience, shows the continued reality of his prophetic declaration. Perhaps I am somewhat selfish, when I read the papers of the day and observe such a multiplicity of abuse, low cunning and hypocricy, so lavishly bestowed upon the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints;—when I say that it seems to me that the whole library of the regions of darkness and death was in the hearts of conspiring men to hinder, frustrate, or annihilate the closing dispensation of righteousness. I have a notable case in point, from the Quincy Whig of September 24, or properly speaking, the “Tools” who endeavor to manage that paper for official dignity. I shall have to take up the subject by piece meal, and make such remarks as the nature of the sophistical case may require. The first strain is thus:—

There is nothing very cunning in the above paragraph, though the sense, probity, and sagacity, &c., of heralding Mr. Smith into , and then, in the next breath, “place no confidence,” in their own statement, are lost, and leaves the minds of reflecting people as vacant of real information, as an unfurnished house is of furniture. Again hear:—

So much hypocrisy, so barefaced an attempt at wholesale murder, has not even been contemplated by any other paper in the , however servile, mean, debased, or licentious. Locate the Mormons in , only think of it! After the society have lost in some one or two millions of dollars, besides many valuable lives; after they have builded a in , at a cost of sixty or seventy thousand dollars; and after they have commenced a beautiful at an expense of at least two or three millions of dollars, in ; when their numbers in all parts of the world amount to probably between one and two hundred thousand persons, without the least possible chance, under the depreciated state of the currency, and the general stagnation of business, to dispose of any property, but never mind, go to ! Take your journey, men, women and children, on horses, mules and asses, for wagons will not pass over the these many years to come, and a passage round Cape Horn, of twenty thousand miles, would be too long a trip and too expensive; therefore go on horseback and muleback, and those who are fortunate enough to escape famine and flood, will have an excellent chance to fight among the thirty or forty tribes of Indians: and should any get to , there are from ten to twenty thousand, breeds of all nations; Americans, English, Russians, French, Spanish, New Hollanders, Otaheitans, Chinese, &c., who are every thing but refined society, and they will settle the matter of Mormonism forever, and we, the editors of the Quincy Whig and all that believe as we do, will live on the plunder you leave behind, as has our cotemporaries in . Go to , and “doubtless Government will do something right handsome for Joseph.” This probably would take place when the English, Russian and American Governments, after fifty or sixty years negociation, happen to make a treaty, and settle the national right of territory, but nevertheless, as the Latter Day Saints are likely to increase, go to ! Hear again—