But all this arrangement and subordination does not suffice to prevent disaffection in the church. This will arise, and results in differences, schisms, and divisions.
Not to notice smaller matters of difference, three systematic and organized attempts have been made by large bodies of Mormons, since their arrival in Utah, to throw off their allegiance to Brigham Young. They have all been met and treated by him with a fierce bitterness, indicating how thoroughly he is alarmed by such movements.
The third of these is now in progress, and promises to be successful.
The first of the "apostasies," as they are called by the Mormons, was headed by Gladden Bishop, in 1852-53, and his followers were called "Gladdenites."
Some idea of the manner in which they were met by
Brigham, and of his mode of dealing with apostates generally, may be gathered from the following extracts from a sermon preached by him in March, 1853:—
"I will ask, What has produced your persecutions and sorrow? What has been the starting-point of all your afflictions? They began with apostates in your midst; those disaffected spirits caused others to come in, worse than they, who would run out and bring in all the devils they possibly could. That has been the starting-point and grand cause of all our difficulties, every time we were driven. I am coming to this place,—I am coming nearer home. . . . Do we see apostates among us now? We do.
"When a man comes right out like an independent devil, and says, 'Damn Mormonism and all the Mormons,' and is off with himself to California, I say he is a gentleman by the side of a nasty, sneaking apostate, who is opposed to nothing but Christianity. I say to the former, 'Go in peace, sir, and prosper if you can.' But we have a set of spirits here, worse than such a character. When I went from meeting last Sabbath, my ears were saluted with an apostate, crying in the streets here. I want to know if any one of you who has got the spirit of Mormonism in you, the spirit that Joseph and Hyrum had, or that we have here, would say, 'Let us hear both sides of the question. Let us listen and prove all things.' What do you want to prove? Do you want to prove that an old apostate, who has been cut off from the church thirteen times for lying, is anything worthy of notice? I heard that a certain picture-maker in this city, when the boys would have moved away the wagon in which this apostate was standing, became violent with them, saying, 'Let this man alone; these are saints that you are persecuting.' [Sneeringly.]
"We want such men to go to California, or anywhere they choose. I say to those persons, 'You must not court persecution here, lest you get so much of it you will not know what to do with it. Do not court persecution.' We have known Gladden Bishop for more than twenty years, and know him to be a poor, dirty curse. Here is sister Vilate Kimball, brother Heber's wife, has borne more from that man than any other woman on earth could bear; but she won't bear it again. I say again, you Gladdenites, do not court persecution, or you will get more than you want, and it will come quicker than you want it.
"I say to you, Bishops, do not allow them to preach in your wards. Who broke the roads to these valleys? Did this little nasty Smith, and his wife? No. They stayed in St. Louis while we did it, peddling ribbons, and kissing the gentiles. I know what they have done here,—they have asked exorbitant prices for their nasty, stinking ribbons. [Voices, 'That's true.'] We broke the roads to this country.