| 717 had been cruelly murdered by a lawless banditti. When I received the news beyond doubt that they were dead, language can not express the feelings I then had. In solemn silence I withdrew by myself and my grief found vent in a flood of tears. The whole train of events connected with the history of their lives came rushing to my mind; their privations, their persecutions, the scourgings, imprisonments, and mobbings they had received while endeavoring to establish the principles of eternal truth on the earth once more, were all remembered by me in that dreadful hour. Is this indeed the boasted land of liberty, of equal rights, and religious toleration? Look at yonder proud flag with its stripes and stars! gracefully has it floated in the breeze of every clime, saying to the menials of other lands, "I overshadow a land which is an asylum for the oppressed of all nations." Yonder, on its mountains, in its valleys, on its wide spread prairies, is liberty religious and political. There the laws which make every man free and equal, with the privilege of worshiping [worshipping] God as he pleases, hold their supremacy.
Oh ye Americans! take down that flag, nail it to its staff no longer: it is sheer hypocrisy; liberty exists only in name; your laws are powerless when exerted in the Saints' defence [defense]; your prairies have been drenched with the blood of Saints, men, women, and children: even those noble patriots who fought for your liberties, have not escaped. Your prisons have been stained with the blood of prophets, martyred for the truth of heaven, for the testimony of Jesus. Your soil has drunk the blood of Saints as the rains of heaven; while all eternity has wept o'er the scene, and yet you boast of liberty.
Oh tell it not in Europe, publish it not in Asia, let not the children of Ham know of your folly lest they have you in derision; for savages could not but contemplate your cold blooded assassins with horror, and your cruel deeds would cast a shade of darkness over the blackest deeds of the tyrants of ancient lands. Although you have killed the Prophet Joseph, here ends your boasted triumph: the immortal conqueror of death, Jesus Christ, has passed the same way before him, and has opened the gates to eternal life; "for it became Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings;" "for if we suffer with Him, we shall reign with Him."
I was much pleased to learn that the Twelve had taken the presidency of the church. I believe under their supervision the church will prosper, and God will bear it off victorious; and I will say with all my heart, roll on thy work thou King of Saints; bring in everlasting righteousness, fill the earth with thy knowledge and glory, make an end of sin, bid dire commotion cease, avenge the wrongs of thy Saints, and let peace and harmony pervade the earth. Amen.
Yours, as ever,
E. M. WEBB.
From the New York Prophet.
CHURCH GOVERNMENT.
Book of Covenants, second edition, page 109, you will find the following. "And inasmuch as a president of the high priesthood shall transgress, he shall be had in remembrance before the common council of the church, (which is the bishop) who shall be assisted by twelve counsellors [counselors] of the high priesthood, and their decision upon his head shall be an end of controversy concerning him." Elder Rigdon was a president of the high priesthood, but was summoned to appear before the above tribunal charged with trying to overthrow the church in a secret clandestine manner, when in public he disavowed any such intention.-It was, therefore, for clothing himself with falsehood virtually, that he might be the better able to accomplish a wicked design, for which he was called in question. He did not appear, but sent word to the conference that he was sick; yet the conference had evidence that he was well and able to attend if he would. It was not the wish of the conference that he should be silent on that occasion, and make no defence [defense], but it was his own choice, and the choice of his friends, and yet his friends and prophets can put their names to a circular testifying to as great a falsehood as men could tell upon that subject, "that he was not allowed the privilege of trial, and of making his defence [defense]" The charges against him were sustained by a cloud of witnesses, and he was cut off from the church legally, by the highest tribunal, and delivered over to the buffeting of satan; this was sanctioned by all the quorums of authority in the church, and by the whole congregation, except five or six persons, and the Book of Covenants says that "this shall be an end of controversy concerning him." Those, therefore, who cleave to him as a spiritual guide under these circumstances, must, in our humble opinion, be wilfully [willfully] stupid. But to such as have been murmuring against Joseph and the church, and have become tired of serving the Lord, this will afford them a plausible
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