| 406 The next day he wrote as follows:-
"WASHINGTON CITY, February 21,1840.
"Dear Brethren:-I have just returned again from the committee room. Mr. Linn and Mr. Jamieson made some remarks, to which I replied. Mr. Linn is much more mild and reasonable (mostly perhaps from policy) than Mr. Jamieson, who related a long lingo of stuff, which he said was proven before the legislature, which amounted to about this: that Joseph Smith gave the 'Mormons' liberty to trespass on their neighbors' property; also told them that it all belonged to them, as they were Israelites. Upon the strength of this they became the aggressors. I replied that the Jackson County people in their declaration of causes that induced them to unite in order to drive the 'Mormons,' the crime of stealing or trespassing was not mentioned; and there was no docket, either clerk's or justice's, that could show it, in Jackson, Clay, Caldwell, or in Daviess Counties; and that no man ever heard such teaching or doctrine from Joseph Smith or any other 'Mormon;' that we held to no such doctrine, neither believed in any such thing.
"I mentioned some things contained in our Book of Doctrine and Covenants; Government and Laws in General. I told them we had published long ago our belief on that subject. Some things I recollected, which were that all persons should obey the laws of the government under which they lived, and that ecclesiastical power should not be exercised to control our civil rights in any way; particularly that ecclesiastical power should only be used in the church, and then no further than fellowship was concerned. I think they injured their cause to-day. There is another appointment for them on the morrow at ten o'clock. Their friend they said was sick, consequently could not attend to-day. Mr. Linn said he thought it would be time enough to take it up in Congress when they could not get justice from the State, and that he was confident there was a disposition in the State of Missouri to do us justice, should we apply; that the reason of their refusing to investigate before was, the trials of the prisoners were pending; and further said (when speaking of the trials before Judge King) that he understood
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