Nauvoo Expositor

NAUVOO, ILLINOIS, JUNE 7, 1844.

We give th is week to th e follow ing Pream ble, his atributes [sic]. It speaks a language which is heard Resolutions and Affidavits, of the Seceders from the amidst the roar of A rtill ery , as w ell as in the silence Church at N auvoo.-- T he r equ est is complied with of m idn igh t: i t spe ak s a language understood by the on account of their deeming it very important that incarcerated spirit, as wel l as he w ho is unfettered the pu blic sh ou ld k no w the tr ue cause of their and free; yet to those who w ill not see, it is dark, dissenting, as all manner of falsehood is spread my steriou s, and secret as th e grave. abroad in rel ati on to th e sch ism in th e C hu rch . In We believe that all men, professing to be the our subsequent numbers several affidavits will be ministers of God, should keep steadily in view, the published, to substantiate the facts alleged. Hereafter, honor and glory of God, the salvation of souls, and no further Church proceedings will appear in our the am eliorati on of man's condition: and among col um ns, except in the fo rm of brief their cardinal virtues ought to be found those of communications.--ED. faith, hope, virtue and charity; but with Joseph Smith, and many other official characters in the Pream ble. Church, they are w ords w itho ut an y meanings attached-worn as ornaments; exotics nurtured for It is with the greatest solicitude for the salvation of display; virtues which, throwing aside the existence the Human Family , and of our own souls, that we of a God, the peace, happiness, welfare, and good have this day assembled. Feign would we have order of society, require that they should be slumbered, and "like the Dove that covers and preserved pure, imm aculate and uncorroded. conceals the arrow that is preying upon its vitals," We most solemnly and sincerely declare, God this for the sake of avoiding the furious and turbulent Day being w itn ess of the t ru th and sincerity of our storm of persecution which will gather, soon to designs and statements, that happy will it be with bu rst upon ou r heads, have cover ed and concealed th ose wh o examine and scan Joseph Smith's that which, for a season, has been brooding among pretensions to righteousness; and take counsel of the ruins of our peace: but we rely upon the arm of hum an affairs, and of the experience of times gone Jehovah, the Supreme Arbiter of the world, to by. Do not y ield up tranquilly a superiority to that whom we th is day, and upon this occasion, appeal man which the reasonableness of past events, and the for the rec tit ud e of o ur inten tio ns. laws of our country declare to be pernicious and If that God w ho gave bounds to the mighty deep, diabolical. W e hope man y item s of doctrine, as now and bade the ocean cease--if that God w ho organized taught, some of which, however, are taught secretly, the physical world, and gave infinity to space, be our and denied openly, (which we know positively is the front guard and our rear ward, it is futile and vain case,)and others publicly , considerate men will treat for man to raise his puny arm against us. God will with contempt; for we declare them heretical and inspire his ministers with courage and with damnable in th eir in fluence, though they find many understanding to consummate his purposes; and, if dev otees. How shall he, who had drank of the it is necessary, he can snatch them from the fiery poisonous draft, teach virtue? In the stead th ereof, furnace, or the Lion's den; as he did anciently the when the criminal ought to plead guilty to the court, three H ebrew s from the former, and Daniel from the the court is obliged to plead guilty to the criminal. latter. We appeal to hu manity and ask, what shall we do? As for ou r acquaintance w ith the C hur ch of Jesus Shall we lie supinely and suffer ou rselves to be C hr ist of L att er D ay Sain ts, we kn ow , no m an or set metamo rphosed into beasts by the Sy ren to ngue? We of men can be more thoroughly acquainted with its amsw er that our country and our God requ ire that rise, its organization, and its history, than we have we should rectify the tree. We have called upon him every reason to believe w e are. W e all verily believe, to repent, and as soon as he shewed fruits meet for and many of us know of a surety, that the religion of repentance, we stood ready to seize him by the hand the Latter Day Saints, as originally taught by Joseph of fellowship, and throw arou nd him the mantle of Smith, which is contained in the Old and N ew protection; for it i s the salv ati on of soul s w e desi re, Testam ent s, Book of Covenants, and Book of and not our own aggrandizement. Mormon, is verily true; and that t he pu re pri ncipl es We are earnestly seeking to explode the vicious set forth in those books, are the immutable and prin ciples of Joseph Smith, an d tho se wh o practice eternal principles of Heaven, and speaks a langu age the same abominations and whoredoms; which we which, when spoken in truth and virtue, sinks deep verily kno w are not accordant and consonant with into the heart of every honest man.--Its precepts are the principles of Jesus Ch rist and the A postles; and invigo rating, and in every sense of the word, tend to for that p urp ose, and w ith that end in view , with an dignify and ennoble man's conceptions of God and eye single to the glory of God, we have dared to gird on the armo r, and w ith G od at our h ead, we m ost portion of th e glo be, as th ey supposed, to glo rify solemnly and sincerely declare that the sword of God, that they might thereby stand acquitted in the truth shall not depart from the thigh, nor the great day of God Al mighty . But what is tau ght th em buck ler from the arm, until we can enjoy th ose on their arrival at this place?- They are visited by glorious privileges which nature's God and our some of the Strikers, for we know not w hat else to country's law s have guarantied to us-freedom of call them, and are requested to hold on and be speech, the liber ty of the press, and the right to faithful, for there are great blessings awaiting the w orship God as seemeth u s good.-W e are aw are, righteous; and that God has great mysteries in store however, that we are hazarding every earthly for those wh o lov e the lord, an d cling to br other blessing, particul arl y propert y ,an d pr obabl y life Joseph. They are also notified that Brother Joseph itself, in striking this blow at tyranny and oppresion: will see them soon, and rev eal the m ysteries of yet notw ithstanding we m ost solemnly declare that H eaven to their full understanding, which seldom no man, or set of men combined, shall, with fails to inspire them with new confidence in the impunity , violate obligations as sacred as many Prophet, as w ell as a great anxiety to kn ow wh at which have been violated unless reason, justice and God has laid up in store for them, in return for the virtue have become ashamed and sought the haunts great sacrifice of father of mother, of gold and silver, of the grave, th ough our lives be th e forfeiture. which they gladly left far behind, that they might be Many of us have sought a reformation in the gathered into th e fold, and num bered among the church, without a public exposition of the chosen of God.--They are visited again, and what is enormities of cr im es pr acticed by its l eaders, the result? They are requ ested to m eet bro ther thinking that if they would hearden to counsel, and Joseph, or som e of the T welve, at som e insulated shew fruit meet for repentance, it w ould be as point, or at some particularly described palce on the acceptable with G od, as though they were expo sed bank of the Mississippi, o r at som e room , w hich to pu blic gaze, wears upon its fron t--Positively NO Admittance. The harmless, inoffensive, and unsuspecting "Fo r t he pr ivate pat h, th e secr et acts o f men, If creatu res, are so devoted to the Prophet, and the noble, for the noblest of their lives." cause of Jesus Christ, that they do not dream of the deep laid and fatal scheme which prostr ates but our petitions were treated with contempt; and in hap piness, and ren der s death itself desireable; but many cases the petitioner spurned from their they meet him, expecting to receive through him a presence and particularly by Joseph, w ho would blessing, and learn the will of the Lord concerning state that if he had sinned, and was guilty of the them , and w hat awaits the faithful follower of charges we would charge him with, he w ould not Joseph, the Apostle and Prophet of God, W hen in make acknow ledgment, but would rather be the stead thereof, th ey are told, after having been damned; for it would detract from his dignity, and sworn in on e of the m ost solem n manners, to never wou ld consequently ruin and prove the overthrow divulge what is revealed to them, with a penalty of of the Chur ch. W e would ask h im on th e other death attached that God Almighty has revealed it to hand, if the overthrow of the Church was not him, that she should be his (Joseph' s) Spiritu al w ife; inevi table, to w hich he often replied, that we wou ld for it was right anciently,and God w ill tolerate it all go to Hell together, and convert it into a heaven, again: bu t w e m ust keep those pleasures and blessings by casting th e Devil out; and say s lie, Hell is by not form the w orld, for until there is a change in the means the place this world of fools suppose it to be, government, w e w ill end ang er o ur selv es by but on the contrary , it is quite an agreeab le place: to practicing it-but we can enjoy the blessings of Jacob, which we would now reply, he can enjoy it he is David, and other s, as well as to be deprived of them , determ ined not to desist from his evil ways; bu t as if we do not expose ourselves to the law of the land. for us, and ours, we w ill serve the Lord our God! She is thunder-struck, faints recovers, and refuses. It is absurd for men to assert that all is well, while The Prophet damns her if she rejects. She thinks of wicked and corrupt men are seeking our destruction, the great sacrifice an d of the m any thousand m iles by a perversion of sacred things; for all is not well, she has traveled over sea and land, that she might while whordoms and all manner of abominations are save her soul from pendin g ruin, and replies, God's practi ced under the cloak of religion. Lo! the wolf is will be done and not mine. The Prophet and his in the fold, array ed in sheep's clothing, and is devotees in this w ay are gratified. The next step to spreading deat h an d devast ati on am on g th e sain ts: avoid public exposition from the common course of and w e say to the w atchm en st and ing upon the th ings, they are sent away for a time, until all is well; w all s, cry aloud and spare not, for the day of the after w hich t hey ret ur n, as fro m a lo ng v isit . T ho se Lord is at hand-a day cruel both with wr ath and whom no power or influence could seduce, except fierce anger, to lay the lan d desolate. that which is wielded by some individual feigning to It is a n otorious fact, t hat many females in be a God, must realize the remarks of an able writer, foreign clim es, and in coun tries to us unk now n, even when he says, "if woman's feelings are turned to in the m ost distant regions of the Eastern ministers of sorrow , where shall she look for hem isphere, have been induced, by the sound of the consolation ?" Her lot is to be w ooed an d w ant h er gospel, to forsake friends, and embar k u pon a voy age heart is like some fortress that has been captured, across waters that lie stretch ed over the greater sacked, abandoned, and left desolate. With her, the desire of the heart has failed-the great charm of love the criminal, if there is any hope of existence is at an en d; sh e neglects al l th e cheerful reformation: but there is a point bey ond w hich exerci se of life, which gladen the spirits, quicken the forbearance ceases to be a virtue. pulses, and send the tide of life in healthful currents The next important item which presents itself for through the vei ns. H er r est is broken. T he sw eet our considerat ion, is the attempt at Po litical pow er refreshment of sleep is poisoned by melancholy and influence, which we verity believe to be dream s; dry sorrow drin ks her bloo d, un til her preposterous and absurd. We believe, it is enfeebled frame sinks under the slightest external inconsistent, and not in accordan ce with the injury. Look for her after a little while, and you find christian religio n. W e do no t believ e that G od ever friendship weeping over her untim ely grave; and raised up a Prophet to christianize a world by wondering that o ne w ho but so recently glow ed political shhemes and intrigue. It is not the w ay God with all the radia nce of h ealt h an d beauty , shou ld so captiv ates the heart of the unbeliever; but on the speedily be brought down to darkness and despair, contrary, by preaching truth in its own native you will be told of some wintry chill, of some casual simplicity, and in its ow n original purity , unadorn ed indisposition that l aid her low! But no one knows of with anything except its ow n indigen ou s beaut ies. the mental malady that p revio usly sapped her Joseph may ple ad h e ha s been injured, abused, and strength, and made h er so easy a pray to the spoiler. his petitions treated with contempt by the general She is like some tender tree, the pride and beauty of government, and that he only desires an in fluence of the grove-graceful in its form , bright in its foliage, a political character that will warrant him redress of but with the worm praying at its heart; we find it grievances; but we care not-the faithful followers of wither ed when it should be most luxuriant. W e see Jesus must bear in this age as well as Christ and the it droop ing its branches to the earth, and shedding Ap ostles did anciently; although a frowning world leaf by leaf until w asted and per ished away , it falls in may have crushed him to the dust; although the stillness of the forest; and as we m use over the unpitying friends m ay have passed him by ; although beautiful ruin, w e strive in vai n to recol lect the bl ast hope, the great comforter in aaffliction, may have or thunder-bolt that could have smitten it with bu rst forth and fled from his trou bled bosom; y et, in decay. But no one k no w s the cau se except the foul Jesus there is a balsom for every wound, and a fiend who perpetrated the diabolical deed. cordial to assuage an agonized min d. Our hearts have mourned and bled at the Among the many items of false doctrine that are wretched and miserable condition of females in this taught the Church, is the doctrine of m any Go ds, place; many orphans have been the victims of misery one of the most direful in its effects taht has and wretchedness, through the influence, that has characterized the world for many centuries. We been exerted over them, under the cloak of religion know not what to call it other than blasphemy, for and afterwards, in consequence of that jealous it is most unquestionably , speaking of God in an dispositon which predominates over the minds of impious and irreverent manner. It is conten ded that some, have been turned upon a wide world, there are innumerable gods as much above the God fath erl ess and motherless, destitute of friends and that presides over this universe, as he is above us; and fortu ne; and robbed of that which nothing but death if he varies from the law unt o w hich he is subjected, can restore. he, with all his creatures, will be cast down as w as Men solace themselves by saying the facts Lucifer: thus holding forth a doctrine which is slumber in the dark caverns of midnight. But Lo! it effectually calculated to sap the very foundation of is sudden day , and the dark deeds of foul fiends shall our faith, and now, O Lord! shall we set still and be be exposed from the house-t ops. A departed spirit, silent, while thy name is thus blasphemed, and thine once the resident of St. Louis, shall yet cry aloud for Honor, power and glory , brought into disrepute? See vengean ce. Isaiah c 43, v 10; 44, 6-8; 45, 5,6, 21, 22; and book of It is difficult--perhaps impossible--to describe the Covenants, page 26 and 39. w ret chedness of females in this place, without In the dark ages of Poperty, when bigotry, wounding the feelings of the benevolent, or shocking superstition, and tyranny held universal sw ay over the delicacy of the refined; but the truth shall come the empire of reason, ther was some semblance of to the world. The remedy can never be applied, justice in the inquisitiorial deliberations; which, un less the disease is kno wn. T he sy mp athy , ever however, might have been dictated by prudence, or anxious to relieve, cannot be felt before the misery is the fear of consequences; but we are no longer forced see n.--T he charity that kindles at the tale of woe, can to appeal to tho se states that are now situated under never act with adequate efficiency, till it is made to the influence of Popery for examples of inju stice, see the polllution and guilt of men, now buried in cruelty and oppression-we can appeal to the acts of the death-shades of heathenism.--Shall we then, the inquisitorial deliverations, which, however, how ever painful the sight, shrink from the migh t have been dictated by prudence, or the fear of contemplation of their real state? We answer, we w ill con sequ ences: but we are no longer forced to appeal not, if perm itted to live. As we have before stated, it to those states that are n ow situated under the is the vicious principles of men we are determined to influence of popery for examples of injustice, cruelty explo de. It is not that we have any private feelings to and oppression-we can appeal to the acts of the gra tify , or any private pique to settle, that has inquisitorial department organized in Nauvoo, by indu ced us to be thus plain; for we can respect and Joseph and his accomplices, for specimens of inju stice of the most pernicious and diabolical Resolved 1st, That we w ill not encourage the acts of character that ever stained the pages of the historian. any court in this church, for the trial of any of its It was in Rome, and about the twelfth century, members, which will not suffer th e accused to be when Pope Innocent III, ordered father Dominic to present and plead their own cause; we therefore excite the Catholic princes and people to extirpate declare our decided disapprobation to the cou rse her etics. But it is in this enli ghtened and intelligent pur sued last Thursday evening, (the 18th inst,) in nineteenth century, and in Nauvoo--a place the case of William and W ilso n L aw , an d M rs. professing to be the nucleus o the world, that Joseph William Law, and R.D. Foster, as being unjust Smith has established an inquisition, which, if it is and unauthorized by the laws of the Church, and suffered to exist, will prove more formidable and consequently null and void; for our law judgeth terrible to those who are found opposing the no man unless he be heard; and to all those who iniquities of Joseph and his associ ates, than ever the approbate a course so unw arran ted, Spanish inqu isiton did to hereti cs as they term ed unprecedented and so unjust, we w ould say them . beware lest the unjust m easure y ou m eet to your On thursday evening, the 18th of April, there brethren, be again meeted out to you. was a council called, unknow n to th e Chur ch, w hich Resolved 2nd, Inasmuch as we have for years borne tried, con dem ned , an d cu t off brother s Wm. Law , with the individual follies and iniquities of Joseph Wilson Law, and sister Law, (Wm's. w ife,) brot her Smith, H yrum Smith, an d many other official R. D. Foster, and one brother Smith, with whom we characters in the Church of Jesus Christ, are unacq uain ted; w hich we conten d is contrary to (conceiving it a duty inclumbent upon us so to the book of Doctrine and C ovenants, for our law bear,) and having labor ed w ith them repeatedly con dem nest no man until he is heard. We abhor and with all Christian love, meekness and humbility , protest against any council or tribunal in this yet to no effect, feel as if forbearanc e ha s ceased Church, which will not suffer the accused to stand in to be a virtue, and hope of reformation vain; and its midst and plead their ow n cause. If an Agrippa inasm uch as they have introduced false and wou ld suffer a Paul , w ho se eloquence surpassed, as it damnable doctrines into the C hur ch, such as a were, the eloquence of men, to stand before him, and plurality of gods above the God of this univer se plead his own cause, why should Joseph, with and his hab ili ty to fall w ith all his crea tio ns; the other s, refuse to hear individuals in their own plurality of wives, for time and eternity; the de fen ce?--W e answ er, it i s beca use the court fears the doctrine of lunconditional sealing up to eternal atrocity of its crim es will be exp osed to pu blic gaze. life, agai nst all cri mes except that o f sheding We wish the public to thoroughly understand the innocent blood, by a perversion of their priestly nature of this court, and judge of the legality of its authority and thereby forfeiting the holy acts as seemeth them good. priesthood, according to the word of Jesus; "If a On Monday, the 15th of April, brother R.D. man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch Foster had a notice served on him to appear before and is withered, and men gather them and cast the High C ouncil on Saturday following, the 20th, them into the fire, and they are burned." St. and answ er to ch arges prefered against him by Joseph John, xv .6. "W ho soev er t ran sgresseth and abideth Smith. On Saturday , wh ile Mr. Foster w as preparing not in the doctirne of Christ, hath not God, he to tak e hi s w itn esses, 4l in number, to the that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, hath both council-room, that he might make good his charges the Father and t he Son; if there come any unto agai nst Joseph, president M arks notified him th at the you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not trial had been on Thursday evening, before the 15th, into your hou se, neith er bid him God speed, for and that he was cut off from the Church; and that he that abideth him God speed is a partaker of his same council cut off the brother Law s', sister Law, evil deeds;" w e therefor e are constrained to anad brother Smith, and all w ithout their denou nce them as apostates from the pure and kn ow ledge. They w ere not notified, neither did th ey holy doctrines of Jesus Christ. dream of any such thing being done, for William Resolved 3rd, Th at we disapprobate and Law had sent Joseph and som e of the T welve, special discoun tenan ce every attempt to uni te church word that h e desired an investigation before the and state; and that we further believe the effort Church o General Conference, on the 6th of Ap'l. now being made by Joseph Smith for political The court, however, was a tribunal possessing no pow er and influence, is not commendable in the pow er to try Wm. Law, who w as called by special sight of God. Revelation, to stand as counsellor to the President of Resolved 4th, T hat th e hostile spirit and con duct the Church. (Joseph,) which was twice ratified by man ifested by Joseph Smith, and many of his General C on feren ces, assem bled at N auvoo, fo r associates tow ards Missouri and others inim ical Brigham Young, one of th e T w elv e, p resi ded, w ho se to his purposes, are decidedly at variance with the duty it was not but the President of the H igh true spirit of Christianity, and should not be Council-See Book of Doctrine and C ovanan ts, page encou raged by any people, m uch less by those 87. professing to be the ministers of the gospel of peace. Resolutions Resolved 5th, that while we disapprobate mallicious persecutions and prosecutions, we hold that all chur ch mem bers are alike am enable to the laws Resolved 11th, That w e con sider al l secr et so ciet ies, of the land; and that we furth er discou ntenance and combinations under penal oaths and any chicanery to screen them from th e just obligations, (professing to be organized for demands of the same. religious purposes,) to be anti-Christian, Resolved 6th, That we consider the religious hypocritical and corrupt. influence exercised in financial concerns by Resolved 12th, That we will not acknowledge any Joseph Smith, as unjust as it is unwarranted, for man as king of law-giver to the chu rch ; for C hr ist the Book of Doctrine and Covenants makes it the is our only king and law-giver. duty of the Bishop to tak e charge of the financial Resolved 13th, That we call upon the honest in affairs of the Church, and of all temporal matters heart, in the Church, and throughout the world, pertai ning to th e same. to vindicate the pure doctrines of Jesus Christ, Resolved 7th, That we discountenance and whether set forth in the Bible, Book of Mormon, disapprobate the attendance at houses of revelling or Boo k of C ovena nt s; and we hereby withdraw and dancing; dram-shops and theatres; verily the hand of fellow ship, fro m all tho se who believing they have a tendency to lead from paths practi ce or teach doctrines contrary to th e above, of virtue and holiness, to those of vice and until they cease so to do, an d show work s meet debauchery. for repentan ce. Resolved 8th, That we look upon the pure and holy Resolved 14th, That w e hereby notify all those doctrines set forth i n the Scriptures of Divine holding licences to preach the gospel, who know truth, as being the immutable doctrines of they are guilty of teachin g the doctrin e of other salvation; and he w ho abideth in them shall be Gods above the God of this creation; the saved, and he who abideth not in them can not plurality of wives; the unconditional sealing up inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. agai nst all crimes, save that of sheding innocent Resolved 9th, That we consider the gathering in bood; the spoiling of the gentiles, and all ot her haste, and by sacrifice, to be contrary to the will doc trines, (so called) which are contrary to the of God; and that it has been taught by Joseph laws of God, or to the laws of our country, to Smith and others for the purpose of enabling cease preaching, and to come and mak e them to sell propert y at m ost exh orbitan t prices, satisfaction, and have their licences renewed. not regarding th e welfare of the Church, but Resolved 15th, That in all our controversies in through their covetousness reducing those who defence of truth and righteousness the weapons had the means to give employm ent to the poor, of our w arfare are not carnal but migh ty through to the necessit y of seek ing labor for them selv es; God to the pulling down of the strong holds o f and thus the wealth which is brought into the Satan; that our strifes are not against flesh, blood, place is swallowed up by the one great throat, nor bones; bu t against principalities and power, from whence there is no return, wh ich if it had agai nst spiritual wickedness in high places and been economically disbur sed am on gst the whole therefore we w ill not use carnal weapons save in would have render ed all com fortable. our ow n defence. Resolved 10th, That, notwithstanding our extensive acquaintance with the financial affairs of lthe A ffidavits. Church, we do not kn ow of any prop erty which in reality belon gs to the C hur ch (except the I hereby certify th at Hy rum Smith did, (in his office) Tem ple) and we therefore consider the injunction read to me a certain written document, w hich he said laid upon the saints compellin g them to pu rch ase was a revelation from God, he said that he was with property of the Trustee in trust for the Church, Joseph wh en it w as received. H e afterw ards gave m e is a deceptio n practiced upon them; and that we the document to read, and I took it to my house, and look upon the sending of special agents abroad to read it, and showed it to my wife, and returned it collect funds for the T emple and other purposes next day . Th e revelation (so called) authorized as a humbug practiced upon the saints by Joseph certain men to have m ore w ives than one at a tim e, and others, to aggrandize themselves, as we do in this world and in the w orld to come. It said this not believe that t he m onies and propert y so was the law, and commanded Joseph to enter into collected, ahave been applied as the donors the law.-And also that he should administer to expected, but have been used for speculative other s. Several other items were in the revelation, pu rposes, by Joseph, to gull the saints the better sup porting th e above doctr ines. on their arrival at N auvoo, by buy ing the lands WM. LAW in the vicinity and selling again to them at State o f Illi no is, tenfold advance; and further that w e verily Hancock County, believe the appropriations said to haave been I Robert D. Foster, certify that the above certificate subscribed by shar es for the building of the was sworn to before me, as tr ue in substance, this Nauvoo House to have been used by J. Smith fourth day of May A.D . 1844. and Lym an Wight, for other purposes, as out of ROBERT D. FOSTER J.P. the mass of stock already taken, th e building is far from being fin ished even to th e base. I certify that I read the revelation referred to in the above affidavit of my husband, it sustained in strong terms the doctrine of more wives that one at a tim e, intend to be governed in our editorial duties. Many in this world, and in the next, it authorized some to questions and surmises are made by those who have to the nu mber of te n, and set forth that those sup pose we will come in conflict with some of their women who w ould not allow their husbands to have darling schemes of self-aggrandisement. Others, more more wives than one should be under condemnation hon est, desire to know whether our object is to before God. advocate any particular religious tenets, or any JANE LAW favorite measures of either of the po litical parti es of the country. To all such qu estion s w e answer to the negative. Free toleration in religious sentiments, we deem compatib le with the organization of our Sworn and subscribed befoore me this fourth day of government, and should not be abridged. On the May , A.D . 1844. other hand, we believe religious despotism to be ROBET D. FOSTER, J.P. incom patible with our free institutions. What w e conceive to be despotism, engendered by an To all whom it may Concern: assumption of power in the name of religion, we shall have occasion to show bereafter. In relation to Forasm uch as the pu blic m ind h ath been m uch polit ics, whatever our own views may bbe upon the agitated by a cour se of procedure in the Church of federal measures that no w, or may h ereafter agitate Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, by a number of the country, the Expositor will not be the exponent persons declaring aginst certain doctrines and th ereof, and all the strife and party zeal of the two practi ces therein, (am ong w hom I am One,) it is but great antagonistical parties for the success of their meet that I should give my reasons, at least in part, respective candidates for the Presidency, w e shall as a cause that hath led me to declar e my self. In the remain neutral, and in an editorial capacity , inactive. latter part of the summ er, 1843, the Patriarch, An ther party, however, has sprung up in our midst, Hyrum Smith, did in the High Council, of which I the leader of wh ich, it w ould seem, ex pects, by a was a member, introduce w hat he said was a flour ish of Quixotial chivalry, to take, by storm, the revelation given through the Prophet; that the said Presidential chair, an d di stribut e am on g hi s faithfu l Hyrum Smith did essay to read the said revealtion in sup orter s, the office of gov ernor in all the different the said Cou ncil, that according to his reading there States, for the purpose, we presume, of more was contained the following doctrines; lst the sealing effectually consolidating the government. This party up of persons to eternal life, against all sins, save that we may be disposed to treat w ith a little levity, but of sheding innocent blood or of consenting thereto; nothing more. As it respects the local questions 2nd, the doctrine of a plurality of wives, or marrying which may arise in our own county, and the virgins; th at "David an d So lomon had many w ives, candidates for the legislature from this county , we yet in this they sinned not save in the matter of reserve the ri ght to expatiate upon the respective Uriah. This revelation with other evidence, that the claims--not on account of their politics--be they w hig aforesaid heresies were taught and practiced in the or dem ocr at, bu t on ac cou nt of a combination which Church; determined me to leav e th e office of fi rst we believe has for its object the utter destruction of counsellor to the president of the C hurch at the rights of the old citizens of the county, who have Nauvoo, inasm uch as I dared not teach or administer borne the heat and burden of the day; w ho have such laws. And further deponent saith not. labor ed hard as pioneers of the county; who have rights that should be respected by every principle of AU STIN COW LES. honor and good faith, and whosd w ishes should be State of Illinois, }ss. consul ted in the choice of officers, and not have men Hancock Cou nty, } imposed upon them, who are obnoxious, for good and sufficient reason s. In r elat ion to su ch u estion s, To all whom it may con cern I h ereby cert ify that the we intend to express our mind freely, as our duty above certificate was sworn and subscribed before dictat es, regardless of consequences. If a fair and me, this fourth day of May , 1844. honorable course be taken by the dominant party at ROBERT D. FOSTER, J.P. Mauvoo, we w ill have nothing to battle against; but if they do not pursue that course, we shall be prepared for the w arfa re. W e m ust con fess, however, THE EXPOSITOR. if we are to judge of the future by the past, we have little to expect from that quarter: but apart from FRIDA Y, JU NE 7, 1844 local political considerations, we have a high and more noble duty to perform. We shall spread the SYLVESTER EMMO NS, Editor banner to the breeze for a radical reform in the city of Nauvoo, as the depar ture from moral rectitude, Introductory and the abuse of power, have become intolerable. We shall speak our, and spare not, until certain In greeting our patrons with the first number of the grievances are redressed or corrected; until honor, Expositor, a remark is necessary for the expression of virtue, and reputation shall tak e their accustomed some views, and certain principles by which we hab ita tio ns, and be respected; until we teach m en that no exclusive privileges can be allowed to any revolutionary measures that come to our notice, frm individu al under our form of government; that the any source. We would not be worthy of the name of law of the land, based upon the revealed laws of an American citizen, did we stand by and see, not heaven, are paramount to all other earthly only the laws of the State, but the laws of the U nited con siderat ions; and he w ho sets the laws at defiance, States set at defiance, the authorities insulted, and evades their operation, either by direct or fugitiv es from justice fleeing for refuge, asking and indirect mean s, pu rsu es a course subversive of the receiving protecti on from the au th oriti es of Nauvoo, best inter ests of the country, and dangerous to the for high cri mes com mited aga inst the government of well-being of the social compact. T hat th ere does the United States, the Mayor of a petty incor porated exi st an order of thin gs with the systematic elements town interposing his authority, and demanding the of organization in our m idst--a system which, if right of trial for the fugitive on the merits of the exposed in its naked deformity, would make the case, by virtue of a writ of Habeas Corpus, issued by virtuous mind revolt with horror; a system in the the Municipal C ou rt of N auvoo. It is to o gr oss a exerci se of which lays prostrate all the dearest ties in burlesque upon common sense--a subterfuge too low our social relations--the glorious fabric upon which to indicate an y thing but a corrupt motive.--Such hum an hap piness i s based --min isters to the w orst acts, whether comm itted in a private or public passions of our nature, and throws us back into the capacity, will be held up to public scorn. An benighted region s of the dark ages, we have the independent Press is bound by every sense of duty, greatest reason to believe. to lay before the public every attack upon their The question is asked, will you bring a mob upon right s: we, therefore, in the exercise of our duty , us? In answer to that, w e assure all concern ed, that expect the support and the aid of our fellow citizens we will be among the first to put dow n anything like in ou r enter prise. an illegal force being used against any man or set of men. If any one has become amenable to the law, w e We hope all those who intend subscribing for the w ish to have him tried impartially by th e laws of his "Expositor," will forward their names as soon as country. We are among the num ber w ho believe that possible; Edit ors, Postmasters, and others, to whom there is virtue and integrity enough in the the Prospectus, and paper may be sent, will confer a administrators of the law, to bring every offender to favor upon us, by noticing, exchanging, and justice, and to protect the innocent. If it is necessary circulating the sam e, in thei r respectiv e vo cations, to make a show of force, t o ex ecute legal process, it and forwarding accordingly. will create no sym pathy in that case to cry out, we In consequ ence of th e im portanc e of t he cause in are mobbed. There is such a thing as persons being which we have engaged, and the assuran ces w e have deceived into a false sympathy once, who, the second received from different sources, w e have concluded tim e, will scrutinize very closely, to know who, or to issue one thousand copies of the first number of which par ty , ar e th e per secutors. It is not always the the pap er, that all w ho w ish, m ay be su pplied, and first man w ho cries out, stop thief, that is rob bed . It further, that none may plead ignorance of our is the upright, honest, considerate and moral com plain ts, or exonerate them selves from an inter est precepts of any class that w ill be r espected in this or in our behalf. We do not wish, or expect, the any other enlightened age--precepts which have for publicatin of the "Exp ositor " to pr ove a matter of their end the good o f mankind, and the pecuniary profit, neither do we believe the public establishment of fundamental tru ths. O n the other will suffer it t o prove a loss. It is a subject in w hich hand, paradoxical dogmas, new systems of we are all interested, more particularly the citizens of government, new codes of mo rals, a new this county , and surrounding country ; the case has administration of the laws by ignorant, unlettered, assumed a formidable and fearful aspect, it is nt the and corrupt men, must be frowned down by every destiny of a few that is involved in case of lover of his country. The well-being of society commtion, but that of thousands, wherein demand it at our han ds. O ur cou nt ry , by w ho se laws necessarily the innocent and helpless would be we are prorected, asks us for a manifestatin of that confou nded with the criminal and guilty. We have pat riotism w hich sh ou ld i nspire every Am erican anxiously desired, and strenuously advocated a citizen--the interests of the State of Illinois require it, peaceable red ress of the injuries that have repeatedly and as a citizen of Illinois, we intend to respond to been inflicted upon us, and we have now the means the vo ice of duty, and stan d the h azard o f the die. in our hands, thro ugh which we can peaceably and We believe that the Press should not be the honorably effect our object. For ou rselves, we are medium through which the private character of any firmly reso lved n ot to qu it t he fi eld, till our efforts individu al should be assailed, delineated, or exposed shall be crowned with success. And we now call to public gaze: still, whoever acts in an official upon all, who prize the liberty of speech,the liberty character, who sets himself up as a public teacher, of the pr ess, the righ t of conscience, and the sacred and refo rmer of morals and religio n, and as an rights of American citizenship, to assist us in this aspirant to the hi ghe st office in the gift of the people undertaking. Let us stand up and boldly and of this glorious republic ..... institutions he publicly fearlessly oppose ourselves to any and every condemns, we assert and maintain the right of encroachment, in w hatever form it may appear, canvassing all the pu blic acts and animadvertin g, whether shaped in superstitious domination r civil with terms of the severest reproach upon all the usurpation. The public abroad have not been informed in relation to facts as they really existed in the prisoner was produced in the tim e specified. A our midst, many have sup posed that all was rumor, wr it of Habeas Corp us was issued, and th e prison er and having no organ through which to speak, our taken from the Marshal and brought before the silence has b een to them sufficien t proof. Mu nicipal court of Nauvoo for trial. The court The facts have been far otherwise, we adjou rned until thursday, the 30th ult., w hen he w as havew atched with painful emotion the progress of tried, and discharged, as a matter of course. In the events in this city, for some time past, until we were interval, however, application had been made to sick w ith the sigh t; i njur t u pon injur y has been Judge Pope, of the District court of the U nited States repeated, insult has been added to insult till for the State of Illinois, who issued his warrant, forbearance has ceased to be virtuous, and we now directed to the Un ited States Marshal, who sent his have the proud privilege, we have long wished for, of deputy to make a second arrest, in the case the oth er defending ou rsel ves against their foul aggressions and officer did not succeed in taking him from the city. aspersions and of informing the public of things as Smith was found by the Illinois Marshal and they really are. We intend to tell the hole tale and by arrested, when it becam e necessary for the high all honorable means to bring to light and ju stice, corporate powers of the city again to interpose their those who have long fed and fattened upon the authority. Th e poten t writ was again issued--the pur se, the property , andthe character of inju red prison er taken from the Marshal--a trial had, during inno cence;--y es, we w ill speak, and that too in which, the attorney s for Smith relieved themselves of thu nder tones, to the ear s of those who have thus an insup portable burthen of legal k now ledge, w hich ravaged and laid waste fon d hopes, brigh t prospect s, completely overw helm ed the learned court, and and virtuou s principles, to gratify an un hallo wed resulted in the triumphantacuittal of the prisoner, ambition. W e are aw are of the critical position we w ith a ju dgem ent for cost s agai nst the U . States. occupy, in view of our immediate location; but we entertain no fears, our purpose is fixed [ ] our arm is Now we ask if the executive and judicial auth orities nerved for the conflict, we [ ] upon ouor rights, and of Illinois deem it politic to submit to such a state of we will m aintain those r igh ts, whatever may be the things in similar cases? Can, and will th e constituted consequ ence; let no man or set of men assail us at the auth orities of the federal government be quiescent peril of their lives, and we hereby give notice to all under such cir cum stan ces, and allow the paramount par ties, that w e are the last in att ack, but the first and laws of the U nion to be set at defiance, an d rendered forem ost in defen ce. W e w ou ld b e am on g th e last to nugatory by the action of a court, having no more proboke the spirit of the public abroad than co-ordinate powers, with a common justice of un necessarily, but we have abundant assurance, in the peaace? If such an order of things is allowed to case of emergen cy, that we shall be all ther e. exist, there i s every reason to believe that Nauvoo will become a sink of refuge for every offender who An individu al, bearing the cognomen of Jeremiah can carry in spoils enough to buy protection. The Smith, who has evaded the officers for som e tim e, people of the State of Illinois will, consequently, see has taken refu ge in t he cit y of N au vo o. It appears he the necessity of repealing the charter of Nauvoo, is a fugitiv e from justice for the offence of procuring when such abuses are practiced under it ; and by four thousand dollars from the United States virtue of said chartered authority, the right of the Treasury at the city of Washington, under false wr it of Habeas Corpus in all cases arising under the preten ces. A bill of indictment was found in the city ordinance, to give full scope to the desired District of Columbia against him, and a warrant jurisdiction. The city cou nci l have passed ordin anc es, issued for his arrest. The Marshal of Iowa Territory giving the Municipal court authority to issue the got intelligence of his being in this place, and writ of Habeas Corp us in all cases when the prisoner procuring the necessary papers for his arrest, is held in custody in N auvo o, no matter whether the proceeded to this place in search of him , abou t thr ee offender is committed in the State of Maine, or on weeks ago. After making inquiry, and becoming the continent of Europe, the prisoner being in the satisfied that he was secreted in Nauvoo, under the city under arr est. It is gravely con tended by the legal immediate protection of the Prophet, he said to him lum inaries of Nauvoo, that the ordin ances gives (the Prophet,) that he was authorised to arrest the them jurisdiction, not only jurisdiction to try the said J. Smith, for an offence committed by him validity of the writ, but to enquire into the merits of agai nst the U nited States gover nm ent, an d w ished to the case, and allow the prisoner to swear himself know where he was--to w hich the Pr ophet replied, clear of the chaa rges. If hi s ow n o ath is not that he knew nothing about him. T he Marshal said consider ed sufficient to satisfy the adverse party, he knew he was secreted in the city, and w as plenty of witnesses are ready to swear that he is to be determ ined to have him; and, unless he was given up, believed n oath, and that is to be considered he would have the aid of the Dragoons to find and sufficient by the court to put the uietus on all arrest him. Joseph Smith then replied, that was not foreign testimo ny and th e discharge o f the prisoner necessary; but, if the M arshal w ould p ledge his word follow s, as a necessary conseuen ce. and ho no r that he sh ou ld h ave the ben efit of a city wr it of Habeas Corpus, and be tried before him, he Joe. Sm ith -- The Presidency . wou ld produce the fugitive in half an hou r. A fter some hesitancy, the Marshal agreed to do so, w hen We find in the Nauvoo Neighbor of M ay 29th, a lengthy letter from Joseph Smith a candidate for the hell deserving, God forsaken villains. Our blood Presiden cy on his own hook, to Henry Clay, the boils while w e refer to these blood thirsty and Whig can did ate for th e sam e offi ce. It appears to be murderous prop ensities of m en, or rather demons in a new rule of tactics for tw o riv al candidates to enter hum an shape, who, not satisfied with practising their into a discussion of their respective claims to that dupes up on a credu lous and superstitiou s people, high office, ju st preceding an election. Smith charges must wreak their vengeance upon any w ho may dare Clay with shrinking from the responsibility of to come in contact with them. W e deplore the promising to grant whatever the Mormons might desperate state of things to which we are necessarily ask , if elected to the Presidency. Smith has not been brought, but, w e say to ou r friends, "keep cool," and trou bled with any inquiries of comm ittees as to what the whole t ale w ill be told. W e fully believe in measures he will reco mmend if elected; n ever th eless bringing these ini quit ies and enormities to light, and he has come out boldly and volunteered his views of let the majesty of violated law, and the voice of certain measu res which he is in favor of having injured innocence and contemned public opinion, adopted. On e is for the G eneral Government to speak in tones of thun der to these miscreants; but in pu rch ase the slaves of th e south and set them free, behalf of hundreds and thousands of unoffending that we can u nderstand. A nother is to pass a general citizens, whose only fault is religious enthusiasm , uniform land law, that certain ly requires the spirit of and for the honor of our own names and reputatin, interpretation to show its meaning as no explanation let us not follow their desperado measures, and accom panies it. Another which no doubt will be thereby dishonor ourselves in revenging our own very congenial to the candidate's nervous system, is w rongs. Let our motto be, "Last in attack, but first to open all the prison doors on the coun try , and set in defen ce;" and the resu lt cann ot prove ot her w ise the captives free. These with some other suggestions than honorable and satisfactory. equally as enlightened, ought to be sufficient to sati sfy any man that Joseph Smith is willing that his To C orresp on den ts. prin ciples shall be publicly known. If however any individual voter, who has a perfect right to know a In con sequ ence of a p ress of other duties in preparing candidate's principles, should not be satisfied, he may our first number for the press, we have not had time furth er aid his inquiries, by a reference to the record to examine several comm unications that have been to the grand inquest of Hancock County. forw arded for publication. We respect the motives of Martin Van Bur en i s charged with our friends in the interest they manifest in carrying no n-commita lism ; Henry Clay h as not been the man forward the w ork of refor m; bu t w e w ish it to be to answ er frank ly the qu estion w hether he would distinctly understood, that we cannot depart from restore to the Morm ons their lands in Missouri. the condition s set forth in the Prospectus; that is the Joseph Smith is the only candidate now before the chart by which we intend to navigate the people w ho se pr incip les are fully known; let it be "Expositor," carefully avoiding any thing that m ay rem embered there are documents the highest degr ee tend to diminish the interest or tarnish the character of evidence before the people; a committee of of its column s. We already feel that w e occupy an twenty-four, under the solemnity of th eir oat hs, unenviable position in view of the variety of have inquired into andreported upon his claims in opinions that exist, but, we stand committed as to due form of law. Shades of Washington and our course, and having faithfully and fearlessly Jefferson--Henry Clay the candidate of a powerful adhered to those terms, without par tia lit y to frie nds, party, is now under bonds to keep the peace; Joseph or personality to foes, we shall consider ourselves Smith, the candidate of another "powerful" party has honorably discharged of duty. two indictm ent s agai nst him, one for fornication and adultery, another for perjury . Ou r readers can mak e We offer an apology to our readers for the want th eir ow n co mment s. of arrangement and taste in our first number on account of our materials and press no t being in We have received the last number oof the order; the shrt tim e we have h ad to get a press and "Warsaw Signal;" it is rich with anti-Mormon matter, materials has precluded the possibility of getting the both editor ial and commu nicated. Amo ng other first number oout according to our wishes, and the things it contains a lengthy letter from J.H.Jackson, absence of th e Editor for sev eral day s preceding ur giving some itims in relation to his connection with first issue, renders this apology necessary. In our the "Mormon Prophet," as also his reasnos for the subsequent numbers we intend to maake good the same. It w ill be p erceiv ed that many of th e m ost insufficien cy by giving to our readers a good dark and damnable crim es that ever darkened hum an selection of miscellany, and an editorial of rich and character, which have hitherto been to the public, a interesting matter. mat ter of rumor and suspicion, are now reduced to indisputable facts. We have reason to believe, from PROP RIETO RS. our aquaintance with Mr. Jackson, and our own observation, that t he statem ents he m akes are true; and in view of these facts, w e ask , in the name of Circuit C ourt. heaven, where is the safety of our liv es and li ber ties, when pla ced at th e disposal o f such heaven daring, The May Term of the Circuit C ourt of this county occasion, our die is cast, and our fate is sealed; but if closed on the 30th ult. after a session of ten days. We successful, alike may Joseph Smith, Hy rum Smith, understand a large nu mber of cases w ere disp osed of, and their devoted followers, as w ell as th eir enemies, non e, however of a very important character. The expect that ju stice will be meted out. The present is cases wherein Joseph Smith was a party, were portentious of the great effort that is to be made transferred by a chang e of v enu e, to oth er co ur ts; upon that occasion, by Joseph for power; Hiram that of A. Sy mpson vs. J. Sm ith , for fal se Smith is already in the field as a candidate for the imprisonment, to Adam s County ; that of F. M. legislatu re, but will you support him, that same H igbee vs. J. Smith, for slander, and that of C. A. Hyrum Smith th e devoted follower and brother of Foster vw . Jseph Sm ith, an d J. W . Coolidge for false Joe, who feigned a revelation from God, directing imprisonment, and th at of A . Davis vs. Joseph the citizens of Hancock County to vote for J.P. Smith, and J. P. Green, for trespass, were all H oge, in preference to Cy rus Walk er, and by so transferred to the C ou nt y of M cDonough. The doing blasphem ing the name of God? Will you, Grand Jury found two bills against Smith, one for gentlem en of Hancock County, support a man like perjury, and another for fornication and adultery; on that, who claims to move in a different sphere, a the first of which Smith delivered himself up for sphere entirely above y ou, one who will trifle with trial, but the State not being ready , material the things of Gd, and feign converse with the witnesses bei ng a bsent, the case was deferred to the Divinity , for the sake of carrying an election? I will October term. unhesitatingly assume to my self the responsibility of answering in th e negativ e. I flatter myself you are The regul ar session of the Municipal Court of not so depraved, and so blinded to your ow n this City came off on Monday last. Th e cases of R . inter ests, as to support a man totally ignorant of the D. Foster, C. L. Higbee, and C. A. Foster, on laws of your country, and in every respect alien ated appeals from the M ay or's Court, w herein they h ad from y ou and y ou r int erests. each been fined in the su m of one hu ndred dol lar s, In suppor ting Hyrum Smith, y ou Citizens of "for the very enormous offence of refusing to assist H ancock County, are supporting Joseph Smith, for the notorious O. P. Rockw ell, and his "dignity" whom he (H y rum) goes teeth and toe nails, for John P. Green, in arresting a respectable and President of the U nited States. The question m ay peaceable citizen, without the regular process of ari se here, in voting for Joseph Smith, for wh om am pap ers) and of A . Spencer , w herein he was fined in I voting? You are voting for a man w ho contends all the same sum on a charge of assault and battery, governments are to be put down and the one were all taken up and gravely discussed; after the established upon its ruins. You are voting for an most mature deliberation, with the assistance of the enem y to y ou or gov ern ment , hear Ph elp s to Joe in ex-tingu ished City A ttorney , this honorable body his affidavit before Judge King of M issouri:--"Have conclu ded to dismiss the suit and issue a procedendo you come to the point to resist all law?" "I have," to th e low er court, w hich was accordin gly done. says Joe. You are voting for a sycophant, whose The cases referred to above, afford abundant attempt for power find no parallel in history. You reason both for complaint and comment. We intend are voting for a m an who refuses to suffer criminals as soon as our time will allow, to exp ress our v iew s to be brought to justice, but in the stead thereof freely upon this feature of Mormon usurpation; first, rescues them from the just demands of the law, by enact a string of ordinances contrary to reason and Habeas Corpus. Y ou ar e votin g for a man who common sense, and th en inflict the severest penal ties stands indicted, and who is now held to bail, for the for not observ ing th em. crim es of adultery and perjury ; two of th e gravest crim es know n to our law s. Query not then for We see that ou r friend the N eighbor, advocates whom y ou are votin g, it is fo r one o f the bl ack est the claims of Gen. Joseph Smith for the Presidency; and basest scoundrels that has appeared upon the we also see from teh records of the grand Jury of stage of hum an existence since the days of Nero, and H ancock Co. at their recent term, that the general is Caligula. a candidate to represent the branch of the state In supporting Hy rum Smith, then are you not government at Alton. We w ould respectfully sugg est supporting Joseph Sm ith? m ost assuredly ; pause then to the N eighbor, w hether the t wo offices are not my countrymen, and consider cooly, calmly and incompatible with each other. deliberately, wh at you do? Support not that m an who is spreading death, devastation and ruin NAUVO O, JUN E 5th, 1844 throughout you happy country like a tornado. Infinite are the gradations which mark this man's Citizen s Of H ancock Coun ty . attempts for power, w hich if no t ch eck ed soon , m ust not only shed a deleterious influence on the face of It is w ell kno w n to al l of y ou that t he A ugust this county, but on the face of the adjoining electing is fast approaching, and with it comes the cou nt ies. He is already proudly boasting that he is great and terrible conflict. It is destined to be a day beyond your reack; and I regret to think I am u nder pregnant w ith big even ts; for it will be the index to the painful necessity of admitting the fact. Is it not a the futur e. -- Shou ld w e be defeated upn that shame and a disgrace, to think we have a man in our midst , w ho w ill defy the laws of our country; the laws wh ich shed so gentle and nou rishing an Smith, as any thing but th e sa in t h e cla im s to b e -- influence upon our fathers, which fostered and and as a m an, to the last degree, corrupt in his morals protected them in their old age from insult and and religion. On W ednesday night, Mr. John P. aggression; shal l w e th eir son s, li e still a nd suffer Green, a Mormon elder, addressed a crow ded ho use Joseph Smith to light up the lamp of tyranny and in defence of "the Prophet." The principal portion of oppression in our m idst? God forbid, lest the the worthy elder's speech, while we were in the departed spirits of our fathers, cry from the ground hou se, was taken u p, in an apology for addressing the agai nst us. Let us ar ise in the majesty of our strength meetin g, and when he did come to the substance of and sweep the influence of tyrants and miscreants his address, he could only disprove the statements from the face of the land, as with the breath of made by the dissente rs , fro m his ow n k now le dg e -- heaven . The eagle that is now proudly borne to he said he had been a Mormon for the last twelve earth's remotest regions by every gale, w ill per ch years -- and had alway s been intimate with Smith, himself in the solitude of mid-night if we do not and that su ch doctrines as were ascribed to Smith by arouse from ou r lethar gy. his enemies, had never been taught to him. H e It is the w orst of absurdities for any individual to furth er said that Smith w as like a diamond, the more say there is a man in our midst who is above the he was ru bbed, th e brighter he appeared -- and he reach of violated law, and not lend a helping hand; strongly insinuated, that the characters of the all talk and nothing more will not accom plish that indiv idu als, who had assailed Smith on the second for your country and your God, which the acts of evenin g previous, wer e none of the best, & c. Washington did. Then gentlemen organize We think these Mormon Missionaries are your selves and prepare for the dreadful conflict in laboring under a mistake in one particular. It is not August; we go with you heart and hand, in the so much the particular doctrines, which Smith attempt to suppress this con tam inati ng influence upholds and pr actices, however abo minable they which is prostrating our fairest prospects, and may be in them selves, that our citizens care about -- spreadin g desolatio n throu ghou t our vale. Call into as it is the anti-republican nature of the organizatin, the field your best men under the solemn pledge to over which he has alm ost supr eme control -- and go for the undconoditional repeal of the Nauvoo which is trained and disciplined to act in acco rdance Charter, and you have our support; whether they be with his selfish will. T he spectacle presented in Whig or Democrat we care not; when a friend Smith's case of a civil, ecclesiastical and military presents us with a draught of cool water, we do not leader, united in one and the same person, with stop to inqu ire whether it is contained in a silver pow er over life and liberty, can never find favor in vase, a golden urn or a long handled gourd. We want the minds of sound and thinking Republicans. The no base seducer, liar and perjured representative, to day has gone b y when the precepts of Divine Truth, represent us in Springfield, but while Murrill could be propagated at the point of the sword -- or represents Tennessee in Nashv ill e, M un roe Edw ard s, the Bible made the medium of corrupt men to New York, in Sing Sing, Br. Joseph may have the gra tify their lu stfu l appetites and sordid extreme goodness to represent Illinois in Alton, if his desires--[Quin cy W hig. lawyers do no t succeed in quashing the indictments found against h im by the Grand Jurors of H ancock We have received from Nauvoo a Prospectus for County, at the M ay term 1844. a new paper, to be entitled the "Nauvoo Expositor." It is intended to b e the or gan of th e Refor med FRA NC IS M. H IGBEE. Mormon Church, which has lately been or ganized in that place, and to oppose the power of `the The Mormons. self-constit uted Monarch,' who has assumed the government of the Holy City . We care no more We last week gave some account of the dissensions aboout the N ew Church than the O ld o ne, as a and divisions which have sprung up in the holy city church; for we regard both with indifference. But if of Nauvo o -- grow ing out of the arbitrar y condu ct of it can be a means of humbling the haughty miscreant "the Prophet." -- Since then, the breach has become who rules in that city and exposing his rank still wider betw een the head of the church and his villi ani es, than we shall wish both C hur ch and Paper follow ers. The citi zen s have procured a press, and a hearty God speed! The gentlemen who have the will soon cmmence a paper, for the purpose of new paper in charge, have the reputation of being exposing Smith on his own ground and among his men of character and t alent; and have com men ced ow n people. Last week, individuals of the Mormon the work in w hich they are engaged, in real earnest. faith, (Messrs. Blakesley and Higbee,) representing We hope the public will encourage their effort. -- the dissenters, addressed a large nu mb er of our Upper Mississippian. citizens, in referen ce to the "flare up," at Nauvoo. We were not present, but have it from others who Extract From "Gen. Smiths View s." were, that t he dissenter s, made out that Joe Smith was pretty much of a rough customer, especially in "The peo ple m ay hav e fau lts b ut they never should relation to the "spiritu al wife" dictrine. Their w hole be trifled with. I think M r. Pitt's quotation in the aim was prin cipally against the chu rch -- of whi ch Bri tish Parliament of Mr. Prior's couplet for the they still claimed to be m embers. They painted hu sban d an d w ife, to app ly to the cou rse which the be as long as the W elchman's cart tongu e, king and ministry of England should pursue to the "peradventure" a little longer. then colonies, of the now U nited States, m ight b e a genuine rule of action for some of the breath made Prospectus Of The Nauvoo Expositor. men in high places, to use towards the posterity of that noble darin g peopl e. The undersigned propose publishing a Journal of the above title, which will appear on Friday of each "Be to her faults a little blind; week, on an Imperial sheet, with a new Press, and Be to her virtues very kind." materials of the best quality, and rendered worthy of the patronage of a discern ing an d an enlight ened "We have h ad dem ocrati c presidents; whig pub lic. president s; a pseudo democratic whig president: and The Expositor w ill be devoted to a general now it is tim e to have a president of the U nited diffusion of u seful knw ledge, a nd its columns open States; and let the people of the whole union, like the for the adm ission of all courteous communications inflexible Roman s, wh enever they find a p romise of a Religious, Moral, Social, Literary, or Political made by a candidate, that is not practiced as an character, withou t taking a decided stand in favor of officer, hurl the miserable sycophant from his either of the great Political parties of the country . A exaltation, as God did Nebuchadnezzar, to crop the part of its columns will be devoted to a few primart gra ss of the field, with a beast's heart among the object s, which the Publishers deem of vital cattle. importance to the public welfare. Their particular "Mr. Van Buren said in his inaugural address, that locality gives them a kn ow ledge of the many gross he went "into th e presidential chair the inflexible and abuses exercised under the pr etended authorities of uncompromising oppn ent of C ngr ess, to ab olish the Nauvoo C ity Charter, by the legislative slavery in the District of Columbia, against the auth orities of said city; and the insupportable wishes of the slave holding states; and also with a oppressions of the Ministerial powers in carrying out determination equally decided to resi st th e slight est the unjust, illegal, and unconstitutional ordinances of inter ference w ith it i n the st ates w here it exists." the sam e. T he p ub lish ers, therefore, deep it a sacred Poor little Matty made his rhapsodical sweep with duty they owe to their country and their fellow the fact before his ey es, that the state of New York, citizens, to advocate, through the columns of the his native state, had abolished slavery, withou t a Expositor, the UNCONDITIONAL REPEAL OF struggle or a groan. Great God, ow independent! THE NAUVOO CITY CHARTER; to restrain and From henceforth slavery is tolerated where it exists: correct the abuses of the Unit Pow er; to ward off the constitution or no constitution; people or no peop le; Iron Rod w hich is held over the devoted heads of the right or wrong; vox Matti; vox Diaboli: "the voice of citizens of Muavo and the surrounding country; to Matty " -- "the voice of the devil;" an d peradventure, advocate unm itigated disobedience to Political his great "Sub-Treasury" scheme was a piece of the Revel ati on s, and to censure and decry gross moral same mind: but th e man and his measures have such imperfections wherever foun d, eith er in the Plebian, a striking resemblance to the anecdote of the Patrician, or self-constituted Monarch; to advocate Welchman and his cart-tongue, that, when the the pure prin ciples of m orali ty , the pure principles constitution was so long that i t allowed slavery at the of truth; designed not to destroy, but strengthen the capital of a free people, it could not be cut off; but main-spring of God's moral government; to when it was short that it needed a Sub-Treasury, to advocat e, and exercise, the freedom of speech in save the funds of the nation, it could be spliced! Oh, Nauvoo, independent of the ordinances abridging granny what a long tale ou r puss has got! A s a Greek the same; to give free toleration to every man's migh t say, hy steron prot eron: Th e cart before the religious sentiments, and sustain all in worshiping horse: but his mighty whisk through the great God according to the mon ito ns o f their con scien ces, national fire, for the president ial chesnu ts, burnt the as guarantied by the Constitution of our country; locks of his glory with the blaze of his folly! and to oppose, with uncompromising hostility, any Union of Church and State, or any preliminary step The above we extract from the celebrated state tending to th e same; to sustain all, how ever hum ble, paper, entitled, "Gen. Smiths' views of the powers in their equal and cnstitutional right s, an d op pose and policy of the Government of the U nited States," the sacrifice of the Liberty, the Property, and the as a specimen of the original m atter it contains. -- H app iness of the many to the pride and ambition of With such astute penetrating views, such exalted and the few. In a word, to give a full, candid, and dignified sentiments, emanating from a candidate for succinct statement of facts as they exist in the city of the Presidency, Fath er M iller must be pron ounced a Nauvoo, fearless of wh ose parti cular case they may humbug, and the people of the nineteenth century apply, bei ng g overn ed by the law s of Editorial may look for the daw n o f a glo riou s era to bu rst cou rtesy , and the inherent dignity which is upon their astonished vision in th e fall of eighteen inseparable from honorable minds; at the same time hun dred and forty-four, an er a in w hich a Prophet exercising their ow n judgm ent in cases of flagrant only can tell whether granny's cat has a long tail or abu ses, or moral delinq uen cies; to use such terms and not; or whether the Greek` s cart will be before the nam es as they deem proper, when the object is of ho rse or otherwise; the constitution we presume will such high importance that the end will justify the mean s. We confidently look to an enlightened public gentleman, they feel assured that the N auvoo for aid in this great and indispensable effort. Expositor must and will sustain a high and The columns of the Expositor will be open to the honorable reputation. discussion of all matters of public interest, the productions of all correspondents being subject to Terms the decision of the Editor alone, who shall receive or reject at h is op tio n. N ati on al q uest ions w ill be in Tw o Dollars perannum in advance, Tw o Dol lar s and F ifty cents a t the expi ration of six m onth s, place, but no preference given to either of the Three Dollars at the end of the year. political parties. The Editorial department w ill Six copi es wi ll b e forwarded to one address for Ten dollars in contain the political news of the day , proceedings of advance; Th irteen copi es for Twen ty Dollars, & c. C on gress, election returns, &c., &c. Room will be Advertising and Job W ork i n all th eir vari eties, done on short noti ce, an d upo n the most satisfa ctor y t erm s. given for articles on A gri cul tu re, the M echani c A rts, All lett ers an d com mun icat ion s must be addressed t o "C har les A . Com mer cial transactions, & c. Foster, Nauvoo, Illinois," post paid, in order to insure attention. The publishers bind themselves to issue the paper weekly for one year, and forward fifty-two copies to William Law , each subscriber during the year. Orders should be Wilson Law , forw arded as soon as possible, that the publishers C har les Ivins, may kn ow what n um ber of cop ies to issue. The Franc is M . H igb ee, } Pub lish ers. publishers take pleasure in announcing to the pu blic, Chauncey L. H igbee, that they have engaged th e services of SY LV ESTER Robert D. Foster, EMMONS, Esq., wh o w ill have entire char ge of the Charles A. Foster. editorial department. From an acqu aintance with the dignity of character, and literary qualifications of this