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Letter to Citizens of Missouri, 8 March 1844

Source Note

JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to citizens of , 8 Mar. 1844. Featured version published in “A Friendly Hint to Missouri,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 13 Mar. 1844, vol. 1, no. 46, [2]. For more complete source information, see the source note for Notice, 26 Aug. 1843.

Historical Introduction

Sometime in late February or early March 1844, JS commissioned his scribe to write an open letter to the citizens of encouraging them to make restitution with the . The letter was likely prompted by a recent resurgence in hostility between the Saints and their Missouri neighbors. In December 1843, news reached , Illinois, of the kidnappings of Latter-day Saint and his son . In the wake of these events, the Nauvoo City Council passed new legislation that was directed at Missouri’s repeated attempts to extradite JS and that bolstered the city’s police force. As they had done in 1840, Latter-day Saints once again petitioned the federal government for redress for wrongs incurred in Missouri and requested the protection of federal troops. The letter that JS commissioned Phelps to write on his behalf was a continuation of the Saints’ efforts to publicize their grievances with Missouri.
had apparently completed a draft of the letter by 8 March 1844, when he read it in a meeting that the and the held in JS’s . Titled “A Friendly Hint to Missouri,” the letter called upon the “worthy people” of to repent and make reparations for the damages and losses the Saints suffered when they were expelled from the state in 1839. Citing atrocities such as the massacre near the , the letter implored the citizens of Missouri to “Wash yourselves, make you clean, lest your negligence should be taken by the world, from the mass of facts before it, that you are guilty!” The letter was written in first person as if from JS’s perspective and included his printed signature.
No draft version of the letter has been located, but it was published in the newspapers. It appeared in the 13 March issue of the Nauvoo Neighbor and in the 15 March issue of the Times and Seasons. The Neighbor version is featured here.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See “Joseph Smith Documents from 1 January through 15 May 1844.”

  2. [2]

    See Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 30 Oct. 1839–27 Jan. 1840; and Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 16 Dec. 1843–12 Feb. 1844.

  3. [3]

    See General Joseph Smith’s Appeal to the Green Mountain Boys, 21 Nov.–ca. 3 Dec. 1843; and Letter to Thomas Ford, 1 Jan. 1844.

  4. [4]

    JS, Journal, 8 Mar. 1844.

  5. [5]

    See “Part 3: 4 November 1838–16 April 1839.”

  6. [6]

    “A Friendly Hint to Missouri,” Times and Seasons, 15 Mar. 1844, 5:473–474.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Letter to Citizens of Missouri, 8 March 1844
Letter to Citizens of Missouri, 8 March 1844, as Published in Times and Seasons History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page [2]

A FRIENDLY HINT TO .
One of the most pleasing scenes that can transpire on earth, is, when a sin has been committed by one person against another, to forgive that sin: and then, according to the sublime and perfect pattern of the Savior, pray to our Father in heaven, to forgive also. Verily, verily such a friendly rebuke is like the mellow zephyr of summer’s eve: it soothes; it cheers and gladdens the heart of the humane and the savage.— Well might the wise man exclaim: “a soft answer turneth away wrath:” for men of sense, judgment, and observation, in all the various periods of time, have been witnesses, figuratively speaking, that water not wood, checks the rage of fire.
Jesus said, “blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called the children of God;”— wherefore if the nation, a single state, community, or family ought to be greatful for any thing, it is peace. Peace, lovely child of heaven; peace, like light from the same great parent, gratifies, animates and happifies the just and the unjust, and is the very essence of happiness below, and bliss above. He that does not strive with all his powers of body and mind: with all his influence at home and abroad, and to cause others to do so too, to seek peace, and maintain it for his own benefit and convenience, and for the honor of his state, nation and country, has no claim on the clemency of man; nor should he be entitled to the friendship of woman, or the protection of government. He is the canker worm to gnaw his own vitals, and the vulture to prey upon his own body; and he is as to his own prospects and prosperity in life, a felo-de-se of his own pleasure. A community of such beings are not far from hell on earth, and should be let alone as unfit for the smiles of the free; or the praise of the brave. But the peace maker, O give ear to him! for the words of his mouth, and his doctrine, drop like the rain, and distil as the dew; they are like the gentle mist upon the herbs, and as the moderate shower upon the grass. Animation, virtue, love, contentment, philanthrophy, benevolence, compassion, humanity, and friendship, push life into bliss, and men a little below the angels, exercising their powers, privileges and knowledge, according to the order, rules and regulations of revelation, by Jesus Christ, dwell together in unity: and the sweet odour that is wafted by the breath of joy and satisfaction from their righteous communion, is like the rich perfume from the consecrated oil that was poured upon the head of Aaron; or like the luscious fragrance that rises from the fields of Arabian spices; yea more, the voice of the peace maker
Is like the music of the spheres,
It charms our souls, and calms our fears;
It turns the world to paradise,
And men to pearls of greater price.
So much to preface this friendly hint to the State of , for notwithstanding some of her private citizens and public officers, have committed violence, robbery, and even murder, upon the rights and persons of the ; yet, compassion dignity, and a sense of the principles of religion, among all clases; and honor and benevolence, mingled with charity by high minded patriots, lead me to suppose, that there are many worthy people in that , who will use their influence and energies to bring about a settlement of all those old difficulties; and use all consistent means, to urge the , for her honor, prosperity and good name, to restore every person, she or her citizens have expelled from her limits, to their rights, and pay them all damage! that the great body of high minded and well disposed southern and western gentlemen and ladies; the real peace makers of a western world, will go forth, good Samaritan like, and pour in the oil and the wine, till all that can be healed, are made whole; and after repentance, they shall be forgiven; for verily the scriptures say: “Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons that need no repentance.”
Knowing the fallibility of man; considering the awful responsibility of rejecting the cries of the innocent; confident in the virtue and patriotism of the noble minded western men, tenacious of their character and standing; too high to stoop to disgraceful acts, and too proud to tolerate meanness in others; yea, may I not say without boasting, that the best blood of the west, united with the honor of the illustrious fathers of freedom, will move, as the forest is moved by a mighty wind, to promote peace and friendship in every part of our wide spread, lovely country. Filled with a love almost unspeakable, and moved by a desire pleasant as the dew of heaven, I supplicate not only our Father above, but also the civil, the enlightened, the intelligent, the social and the best inhabitants of ; they that feel bound by principles of honor, justice, moral greatness, and national pride, to arise in the character of virtuous freemen from the disgrace and reproach that might inadvertently blur their good names, for want of self preservation. Now is the time to brush off the monster, that, incubus like, seems hanging upon the reputation of the whole . A little exertion, and the infamy of the evil will blacken the guilty only; for is it not written, “The tree is known by its fruit?”
The voice of reason, the voice of humanity, the voice of the , and the voice of heaven seem to say to the honest and virtuous, throughout the State of ; Wash yourselves, make you clean, lest your negligence should be taken by the world, from the mass of facts before it, that you are guilty! Let there be one unison of hearts for justice, and when you reflect around your own firesides, remember that fifteen thousand, once among you, now not, but who are just as much entitled to the privileges and blessings you enjoy as yourselves; like the widow before the unjust judge, are fervently praying for their rights. When you meditate upon the massacre at , forget not that the constitution of your holds this broad truth to the world: that none shall “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, but by the judgment of his peers, or the law of the land.” And when you assemble together in towns, counties or districts, whether to petition your legislature to pay the damage the saints have sustained in your , by reason of oppression, and misguided zeal; or to restore them to their rights according to republican principles and benevolent designs, reflect, and make honorable, or annihilate, such statue law as was in force in your , in 1838; viz: “If twelve or more persons shall combine to levy war against any part of the people of this , or to remove forcibly out of the , or from their habitations, evidenced by taking arms and assembling to accomplish such purpose, every person so offending shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for a period not exceeding five years, or by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars: and imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months.”
Finally, if honor dignifies an honest people; if virtue exalts a community; if wisdom guides great men; if principle governs intelligent beings; if humanity spreads comfort among the needy; and if religion affords consolation by showing that charity is the first, best and sweetest token of perfect love: then, O ye good people of , like the woman in scripture who had lost one of her ten pieces of silver, arise, search diligently till you find the lost piece, and then make a feast and call in your friends for joy.
With due consideration
I am the friend
of all good men,
JOSEPH SMITH.
, Ill., March 8, 1844. [p. [2]]
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Letter to Citizens of Missouri, 8 March 1844
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Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Proverbs 15:1.

  2. [2]

    See Matthew 5:9.

  3. [3]

    “Peace, lovely child of heaven” is a reference to “O peace! the fairest child of heaven,” which comes from James Thomson’s and David Mallet’s 1740 masque, Alfred, 10.

    Mallet, David and Thiomson, James. Alfred: A Masque. London: Printed for A. Millar, 1740.

  4. [4]

    See Matthew 5:45.

  5. [5]

    See Hebrews 2:7.

  6. [6]

    See Psalm 133:2; and Leviticus 8:12.

  7. [7]

    See Matthew 13:46.

  8. [8]

    See Luke 10:25–37.

  9. [9]

    See Luke 15:7.

  10. [10]

    See Luke 6:43–44.

  11. [11]

    See Isaiah 1:16.

  12. [12]

    JS, Sidney Rigdon, and Elias Higbee signed a memorial that was presented to the United States Senate on 28 January 1840 and that similarly gave fifteen thousand as the number of Latter-day Saints driven from Missouri in fall 1838. However, this estimate may more closely reflect the total church membership at the time, as the number of Saints expelled from Missouri was likely between eight and ten thousand. (Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 30 Oct. 1839–27 Jan. 1840.)

  13. [13]

    See Luke 18:1–8.

  14. [14]

    On 30 October 1838, more than two hundred Missouri vigilantes attacked approximately thirty Latter-day Saint families in the Caldwell County, Missouri, settlement of Hawn’s Mill. Ten Latter-day Saint men and boys were killed in the attack while another seven were fatally wounded. At least one woman and thirteen men and boys were also injured. None of the attackers was killed. (Joseph Young and Jane Bicknell Young, Affidavit, ca. 1839, pp. [38b]–39[a]; David Lewis, Affidavit, ca. 1839, pp. [40c]–[40d], in Sidney Rigdon, JS, et al., Petition Draft [“To the Publick”]; Baugh, “Call to Arms,” chap. 9, appendixes I–J; see also “Part 3: 4 November 1838–16 April 1839.”)

    Baugh, Alexander L. “A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1996. Also available as A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

  15. [15]

    Missouri Constitution of 1820, art. 13, sec. 9.

    Missouri Constitution, 1820. Record Group 5, Office of the Secretary of State. MSA.

  16. [16]

    This quotation is a conflation of sections of a Missouri statute. (See An Act concerning Crimes and Their Punishments [20 Mar. 1835], Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, p. 166, art. 1, secs. 4–5.)

    The Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, Revised and Digested by the Eighth General Assembly during the Years One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Four, and One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Five. . . . St. Louis: Argus Office, 1835.

  17. [17]

    See Luke 15:8–9.

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