| 409 feelings some of the time, but I did succeed in keeping silence tolerably well. Himself, Mr. Jamieson, and Mr. Linn summoned all the energies of their minds to impress upon the assembly that Joe Smith, as he called him, led the people altogether by revelation, in their temporal, civil, and political matters, and by this means caused all the 'Mormons' to vote the whole hog ticket on one side, except two persons. But when I got an opportunity of speaking I observed that Joseph Smith never led any of the church in these matters, as we considered him to have no authority, neither did he presume to exercise any of that nature; that revelations were only concerning spiritual things in the church; and the Bible being our standard, we received no revelations contrary to it. I also observed that we were not such ignoramuses, perhaps, as he fain would have people believe us to be; and some other things on this subject. I then told him that every man exercised the right of suffrage according to his better judgment, or without any ecclesiastical restraint being put upon him; that it was all false about a revelation on voting; and the reason of our voting that ticket was in consequence of the democratic principles having been taught us from our infancy that they ever believed and extended equal rights to all; and that we had been much persecuted previous to that time, many threatenings being made from the counties round about, as well as among us, who took the lead in political affairs. It was true we advised our brethren to vote this ticket, telling them we thought that party would protect our rights, and not suffer us to be driven from our lands as we had hitherto been, believing it to be by far the most liberal party; but in that we were mistaken, because when it came to the test there were as many Democrats turned against us as Whigs; and indeed less liberality and political freedom was manifested by them; for one Whig paper came out decidedly in our favor.
"I made these remarks partly from motives which I may at another time explain to you. He laid great stress on the trials at Richmond, and a constitution, that he said Avard and others (who were in good standing in the 'Mormon' Church at this time) swore to; then went on to relate what
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