| 607 he represents them correctly, are Strangites; that is, they identify themselves in the church under the claims of James J. Strang. It will be further seen that Mr. Hickey offers terms of "peace," and those terms are that we shall indorse [endorse] the letter which Mr. Strang claimed to have received from Joseph Smith creating him his successor, and "indorse" [endorse] the "administration" of James J. Strang. If those whom Mr. Hickey represents, those who met in conference near Horton [Kansas] according to the notice lately appearing in the Herald, are really of this opinion it proves only this, so far as the Reorganization is concerned, that they accept identity with the Reorganization upon the demand that the Reorganization shall accept and indorse [endorse] Mr. Strang and his administration; which would mean the acceptance of the "Book of the Law," published by Mr. Strang, a phase of polygamy, a kingdom with an earthly king, and those whom he ordained into office with the offices he bestowed upon them. All this, if we understand the force of the word indorse [endorse] used by Elder Hickey.
On behalf of the Reorganization we state that we do not accept these terms.
The Reorganization does not indorse [endorse] the so-called appointment of James J. Strang; does not indorse [endorse] the administration of Mr. Strang; does not accept the Book of the Law published by him and does not accept the office of king or viceroy found in the administration of Mr. Strang, nor the men ordained by him in the offices unto which he ordained them by virtue of such ordination.
The Reorganization is not prepared to offer any terms of compromise in which the abandonment of the principles upon which we believe the church of Christ was established and built, and as found in the books of the church, would be demanded, or would follow as a consequence. Neither will the Reorganized Church accept any man, or any number of men upon terms offered by them, which involves a like surrender of principle. We might have made terms of peace with some, years before this, had we been willing to yield a principle here or a doctrine there; the Book of Covenants to one and the Book of Mormon to another; a point here and a point there; but this we could not do, and have not done.
We do not propose now to be compromised with these people in Kansas upon the terms proposed. The names signed to the notice are not on the church record of names of the Reorganization as members or as elders. Elder L. D. Hickey is not an accredited minister for the church, and known to the heads of the church as having been legally ordained, and has no authority to represent the Reorganization. He has not to our knowledge ever been received into the fellowship of the church; and if he has ever asked to be acknowledged upon his baptism of 1842, by the Reorganization, we are not aware of it. He states specifically that he has identified the body over which Young Joseph presides as the church, and does so identify that body now; but does not indorse [endorse] the "doctrine preached by many of the elders" of the church, and demands an acceptance of Mr. Strang and his administration. He does not say what the doctrine
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