CHOSEN BY HIS FATHER.
We will now consider the claim that the president of the "Reorganized" Church was appointed by his father. They base their claim on the testimony of the following witnesses: (1) the statement of the president of the "Reorganization," (2) the statement of Lyman Wight, (3) the statement of James Whitehead, (4) the statement of John S. Carter, (5) and the statement of William Smith.
The president of their church declares that he was blessed in Liberty Jail, twice afterwards before the fall of 1843, and again publicly in the Grove at Nauvoo. (True Succession, p. 40). However, he is very careful in the wording of his statement and deals with glittering generalities. All he dare tell us is that the "promise and blessing of a life of usefulness to the cause of truth was pronounced upon his head." Lyman Wight declares that the Prophet blessed his son in Liberty Jail in 1839 as his successor. In another place he states that this blessing was given shortly after they came out of Liberty Jail. (See Succession, pp. 51-2). So you see that Lyman Wight contradicts himself. We will further examine his statement. Sidney Rigdon, Caleb Baldwin and Alexander McRae were fellow prisoners with the Prophet Joseph, Patriarch Hyrum and Lyman Wight in Liberty. If any such blessing or ordination, or whatever you desire to call it, had taken place at that time these brethren would have known something of it. Moreover, Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdon were counselors to the President, and in such an appointment they would in all reason have been called on to assist in such blessing; an account of it would have been made on the records of the Church. In other words it would have been done in an official way, and not in a corner. These fellow prisoners with the Prophet and Patriarch, even including Lyman Wight, knew nothing of such an appointment, calling or ordination while in Liberty prison. No record of such a thing was made. Again, that such a blessing did not take place, either in or shortly after they came out of that prison, is quite evident from the fact that Sidney Rigdon, August 8, 1844, while making his claim to the "guardianship" of the Church, declared that there could be no successor to Joseph Smith. It is also quite evident that this expression was an afterthought on the part of Lyman Wight from the fact that on that memorable 8th of August, 1844, he voted to sustain the Twelve Apostles as the presiding quorum and Presidency of the Church, (History of the Church, for August 8, 1844). If such a thing had taken place Sidney Rigdon and Lyman Wight would most certainly have remembered it on that day. But they were not only ignorant of such a thing, but each took a course diametrically opposed to this alleged blessing. The entire lives of Caleb Baldwin and Alexander McRae also protest against the statement of Lyman Wight.[4]
The testimony of James Whitehead is as follows:
"I recollect a meeting that was held in the winter of 1843, at Nauvoo, Ill., prior to Joseph Smith's death, at which the appointment was made by him, Joseph Smith, of his successor. His son Joseph was selected as his successor. Joseph Smith did the talking. There were present Joseph and Hyrum Smith, John Taylor, and some others who also spoke on the subject; there were 25 I suppose at the meeting. At that meeting Joseph Smith, the present presiding officer of the complainant church, was selected by his father as his successor. He was ordained and anointed at that meeting. Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch, anointed him, and Joseph, his father, blessed him and ordained him and Newel K. Whitney poured the oil on his head, and he was set apart to be his father's successor in office, holding all the powers that his father held. I cannot tell all the persons that were present, there was a good many there. John Taylor and Willard Richards, they were two of the Twelve, Ebenezer Robinson was present, and George J. Adams, Alpheus Cutler, and Reynolds Cahoon. I cannot tell them all; I was there too."
Newel K. Whitney, John Taylor, Willard Richards and Reynolds Cahoon all remained with the Church and came with the Twelve to Utah. Their entire lives protest against this falsehood of James Whitehead. They deny that any such ordination ever took place. Ebenezer Robinson also denies it and after the martyrdom, he followed Sidney Rigdon, and later joined the Whitmerites. If George J. Adams was present on such an occasion, he soon forgot it, for after the martyrdom, he followed James J. Strang and acknowledged him as the legal successor to the Prophet Joseph Smith, and was the very man who crowned Strang "king" on Beaver Island. Alpheus Cutler also denied that any such thing as this occurred. I shall read his testimony. This is the statement of Abraham Kimball, his grandson:
Father Cutler said:
"I know that Brigham Young is Joseph Smith's legal and lawful successor, and always did know it. But the reason I am where I am, I could not be led but must lead. I have run my race and must meet my fate, and I know what my doom is, as I died once as dead as any one dies. And I went to the land of spirits, and saw the crown I should wear if I remained faithful and the condemnation I should meet if I failed. I begged to stay. I was informed I could not remain now, but must return and warn sinners to repent. And the first word I spoke on returning was to Sidney Rigdon, who was bending over me, 'Sidney, repent of your sins or you will be damned.' He then continued. 'I know that Mormonism is true. I know that Heber C. Kimball is your father, and Isaac's and he is a good man. Now I want you to take Isaac and return to your father, and remain true to Mormonism and never yield the point, for it will save and exalt you in the kingdom of God and all who will live it to the end of their days.' He then wept like a child, which caused my eyes to moisten. After recovering himself he continued by saying: 'Now my boy, I want to ask one favor of you, and that is that you will never reveal what I have told you today to the people I lead while I live as you boys are going away and I depend on the people for my support.' I promised him I would do as requested. He then released me to go visiting."
"Now, Mr. Wilcox (E. S. Wilcox) and friends, I am in a shape that I may be called to meet my God any minute, as disease is praying upon my poor body and I am near a skeleton, and my flesh may soon be devoured by worms; but I bear testimony to you before my God that the statement I have made of Alpheus Cutler's confession is correct as near as I can word it."—Saints' Herald, Vol. 52:255.
You see that each of these men named by James Whitehead give the lie to his declaration by their entire lives, but this is not all. Joseph Smith of the "Reorganized" Church denies it himself. While he states that he was blessed by his father, in his testimony under oath in the Temple lot suit, he said:
"No, sir, I did not state that I was ordained by my father; I did not make the statement. I was NOT ordained by my father as his successor—according to my understanding of the word ordained, I was not"—Plaintiff's Abstract, Page 79, Par. 126.
Thus the testimony of James Whitehead is worthless. John S. Carter said the Prophet chose his son at a public meeting in Nauvoo on a Sunday, "not long before Joseph was killed." (True Succession, page 48). Yet none of the people knew of this. Nothing was said of it during the trouble with Sidney Rigdon. And William Marks, president of the Nauvoo Stake, would most likely be present at the public meetings held on Sundays in Nauvoo. Yet he supported the claim of Sidney Rigdon to be the guardian when the latter declared that there could be no successor. It is a little strange that such an appointment could be made at a public meeting and all the people—just a few months later—be ignorant of it. Where were the people the day this public meeting was held? How much easier it would have been for Sidney Rigdon to have said, August 8, 1844: "I want to be appointed 'Guardian' until young Joseph grows up," instead of declaring that no successor could be appointed! How easy it would have been for Lyman Wight to have said, "I was present when Joseph blessed his son in Liberty prison, as his successor," or for James Whitehead and John S. Carter to have declared that young Joseph had been ordained as his father's successor in a public meeting in Nauvoo shortly before the martyrdom, and thus have reminded the people of it. How strange that such an important occurrence should slip the minds of the entire people on such a vital occasion? But they did not think of it. The truth is it was an afterthought on the part of these men.
Another thing which is peculiar: There were too many "appointments" and "ordinations" of this "successor" which makes the thing look suspicious. It is hardly reasonable to suppose that the Prophet, "appointed," "blessed," and "ordained" his son to this office every few days. If such a thing had taken place it would have been done in the proper way and manner in the presence of the presiding officers of the Church and a proper record of it would have been made and filed away. But the records of the Church are silent and it is quite significant that Lyman Wight, James Whitehead, John S. Carter and even Joseph of the "Reorganization" himself had "forgotten" this "appointing" or "ordination" at the most critical moment for it to have been mentioned—August 8, 1844.
William Smith stated that the right of Presidency was by lineage, and therefore he supported the son of the Prophet in 1850, or even in November, 1845. (True Succession, p. 17). Yet William Smith knew of no appointment or ordination of young Joseph, although he was one of the Apostles, and would have been sure to have known had such a thing taken place. In May, 1845, he stated that the Twelve were the proper authorities to lead the Church. (Times and Seasons, 6:904). He was excommunicated in the following October and it was not till after his excommunication that he advocated the right of young Joseph. Furthermore, William Smith claimed that he was himself ordained by his brother to lead the Church (Roberts' Succession, pp. 103-105.) And he also followed James J. Strang and accepted him as the "successor" until excommunicated from that cult.
Now, can we put any credence in the testimonies of such men as Lyman Wight, James Whitehead, John S. Carter, and William Smith? Most assuredly not.
That the Prophet did not choose his son is quite evident also from the following testimony given by reliable witnesses and at the proper time: