| 217 whether we refer to their judges or officers, military or civil; their governors, legislators, priests, people or editors. Holding fraudulently, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property, the plunder of legalized banditti, and their garments yet dripping with the blood of the innocent, with administrators too corrupt to award justice, and a legislature too dishonest to refund their ill gotten gain; we repeat it again-of all people in the world, they ought to be the last to say any thing about Mormonism.
We have observed, that for some time, the editors and legislators have been silent on this subject: and we presume if this featherless goslin had waited till he had been better informed, he would also have been dumb; but now to the point. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, peoples, and tongues, and let it penetrate the ears of all mankind, that a young spright, having only bustled a few weeks in an editorial atmosphere, an editor (?) of Missouri, has in the bright hallucinations of his editorial manomani, pronounced the Times and Seasons to be a "semi monthly issue of trash" but why is it so? Wherein is there any thing that is foolish, weak, ludicrous, evil, or injurious?-Our worthy editor has not told us. But is it not enough that he has said it! Bow therefore, O ye nations with respectful deference, to his ip si-dixit, for he is a worthy scion, of a famous stock. He further states, without adducing one solitary testimony, "if any sober enquirer [inquirer], who really can look through the veil that hides hypocrisy, will examine that journal, he will probably come to the same conclusion that we have." We are at a loss to know whether the worthy editor knows the meaning of hypocrisy or not; as he has not assigned any reason why the Times and Seasons are hypocritical. To stir up his 'pure mind, by way of remembrance,' we will refer him to an instance or two. When an organized Missouri mob, under the direction of the governor of that state, went to Far West, ostensibly for the purpose of restoring order, and sustaining the law; but in reality for the purpose of robbing, plundering, and murdering, we should call it an act of 'hypocrisy.' When Judge King called a court, professedly for the purpose of trying according to law and evidence, a number of persons, who had been taken under mob law, and thrust into prison; but for the real purpose of condemning them without evidence, and not allowing them to bring any of their witnesses into court; the whole of the examination being exparte, under pretence [pretense] of law; we should call it an act of 'hypocrisy.' When the legislature, knowing these facts, having been memorialized on the subject, yet to screen their iniquity, published a book from the record of those exparte documents, and called it a true record of facts, published by authority, we should call it an act of 'hypocrisy.' When the legislature of Missouri, after knowing that the Mormons had been robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars, voted two thousand dollars "for the relief of the suffering poor," merely for the sake of hiding their corruption, we should call it an act of 'hypocrisy.' We wonder whether our immaculate editor, who can see so clearly through the "veil of hypocrisy," ever discerned these things? And lastly, when an editor undertakes to call things "trash," and applies the epithet of "hypocrisy" to things of which he can give no account, nor render any reason why they are so, we think that he means to deceive the public, and call it an act of 'hypocrisy.'
We next have given to us a communication, signed "A Mormon," as a specimen of Mormon literature. If our space would admit, we should be glad to compare it with some of the official documents of the dignitaries of Missouri. We would indeed produce some precious specimens of Missouri literature. The following, one example out of many, written by a justice of the peace, we give "verbatim, et literatim, et punctuatim; et spelatim."
"I Adam Black a justice of the peace of Davis County do here by sertify [certify] to the People caled [called] mormin [Mormon] that he is bound to suport [support] the consticution [constitution] of this State & the United States & he is not attached to eny [any] mob nor willnt [will not] attach his self to eny [any] such people and so long as they will not molst [molest] me I will not molest them.
ADAM BLACK, J. P.
This the 8 day of august 1838"
Our worthy editor next advises a Mormon to read his Bible. We will give him a quotation. Perhaps he can "see through the vail [veil]." Isa. 29:1, "Woe to Ariel-to-"Ariel." But he tells us that he is to be aided by some judicious commentary. Perhaps the Rev. Isaac McCoy, a missionary of the Baptist order, who was one of the foremost of the mob in Jackson county, and held a tar bucket while some men were being tarred and feathered, would be able to write a very able commentary. Or the redoubtable Bogart, a Methodist minister, of mobocratic memory, who, after killing numbers of the Saints, killed a Missourian, and preached his way to Texas, might write a good commentary. Or if they failed, the Rev. Sessiel Wood, or Jabbot Hancock,
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