The Life of Joseph Smith, the Prophet

by George Q. Cannon

CHAPTER LXI.

THE FIRST AND ONLY ISSUE OF THE NAUVOO 'EXPOSITOR'—ITS MURDEROUS PURPOSE—REMOVAL OF A NUISANCE AND ERADICATION OF ITS CAUSE—TRIAL OF THE MAYOR AND OTHERS, AND THEIR ACQUITTAL IN AN HONEST COURT— GATHERING OF THE MOBS—THREATS OF EXTERMINATION—NAUVOO UNDER MARTIAL LAW.

The publishers deem it a sacred duty they owe to their country and their fellow-citizens to advocate, through the columns of the Expositor, the unconditional repeal of the Nauvoo city charter.

This was one of the statements in the prospectus for a newspaper to be issued at Nauvoo by the Laws, Higbees and Fosters. These men had been excommunicated from the Church for their personal impurity and for plotting murder. With their wickedness exposed to the gaze of the world they had no longer any reputation at stake; they associated with gamblers, counterfeiters and thieves; and their great desire was, by every means in their power, fair or foul, to injure their former brethren.

The charter of a city is inestimable to the citizens. Without it rapid advancement is difficult if not impossible. Nauvoo had grown into prominence, and gave promise of becoming an important commercial and industrial center. The apostates knew well the vital point at which to direct their blow. Not only would they paralyze every industry by securing the repeal of the charter, but they would turn the city over to the dictation of hostile county and state officials; so that financial ruin and personal distress would be inflicted upon many of the people. To this end, they leagued themselves with kindred spirits whose evil efforts they could rely upon. The class of allies which they secured is shown by the fact that one of their associates was known to them, and was afterwards proved, to be a fugitive murderer.

Among the minor purposes avowed in this prospectus for the issuance of the newspaper, was the advocacy of the pure principles of morality. This was a high sounding pretense to create favor abroad. The Laws, the Higbees and the Fosters cared nothing for morality, except to abuse it. With them it was but a cloak. They had become accustomed to use it for a covering for vile purposes. This was not the first time nor this the last, when evil men—cast out by the Church for sexual sin—made great pretense in print of their morality and sought to charge offenses upon men faithful and pure.

They announced that they would exercise "the freedom of speech in Nauvoo, independent of the ordinances abridging the same;" and that the end would justify the means. The only restriction upon speech in Nauvoo was the forbidding of slander and immorality, and unless these men had intended to work evil with their paper they need not have promised to transgress the law.

But their purpose was not to convince the people of Nauvoo; it was to create sentiment abroad and to this end slander and falsehood were necessary. They were not the first men shrewd enough to see that the publication, within any city, of statements adverse to the community would be accepted abroad as current fact. Their plan was devised with satanic ingenuity: If the Expositor were allowed to print its defamations and falsehoods unchecked, the world would believe that all they said was true, and overwhelming sentiment would be created against Nauvoo and its people; if their press was stayed in its crime, they would cry that freedom of speech was assailed—and nothing appeals more quickly to the sympathy of Americans than this same cry, whether it is uttered sincerely or only by wretches who want license to traduce and defame innocence.

There was no disposition to restrain these publishers from printing their paper in Nauvoo. Their announcement was made on the 10th of May, 1844; they brought press and materials into the city, and began their work with as much protection and safety as any other publisher there. On the 7th of June next, they were prepared to put forth the first number of the paper. All at once a fear came upon them. They knew the man whom they wished to make their chief victim—Joseph Smith; they knew his truth, dignity and strength; they knew that he would not supinely submit to the ruin of the city and the defamation of its good men and women by such wretches as these publishers were known to be; they knew that if they committed crime they would be called to answer for it if the Prophet lived. So on the very day that the paper was to come forth burdened with lies, Robert D. Foster went to the mansion and demanded a private interview with Joseph. He asked the Prophet to go away with him alone, pretending that he wished to return to the Church and wanted to confer upon that subject. Joseph refused to talk except in the presence of witnesses, for this man Foster had often before misrepresented the Prophet's words. Joseph said to him that there was but one condition upon which he might return and that was to repent and to make restitution as far as possible.

While they stood talking Joseph put his hand upon Foster's vest and said: "What have you concealed there?"