History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

232
EXPULSION FROM NAUVOO.
culturists in the regions about, citizens of the United
States, driven beyond the border by other citizens: not
by reason of their religion alone, though this was made
a pretence ; not
for breaking the laws, though this was
made a pretence; not on account of their immorality,
for the people of Illinois and Missouri were not immaculate
in this respect; nor was it altogether on
account of their solid voting and growing political
power, accompanied ever by the claim of general inheritance
and universal dominion, though this last
had more to do with it probably than all the rest
combined, notwithstanding that the spirit of liberty
and the laws of the republic permitted such massing
of social and political influence, and notwithstanding
the obvious certainty that any of the gentile political
parties now playing the role of persecutors would
gladly and unscrupulously have availed themselves of
such means for the accomplishment of their ends. It
was all these combined, and so combined as to engender
deadly hate. It gave the Mormons a power in
proportion to their numbers not possessed by other
sects or societies, which could not and would not endure
it; a power regarded by the others as unfairly acquired,
and by a way and through means not in accord with
the American idea of individual equality, of equal
rights and equal citizenship. In regard to all other
sects within the republic, under guard of the constitution,
religion was subordinated to politics and government;
in regard to the Mormons, in spite of the
constitution, politics and government were subordinated
to religion.
And in regard to the late occupants of the place,
the last of the Mormon host that now lay huddled to
the number of 640 on the western bank of the river
32
in sight of the city : if the first departures from Nauvoo
escaped extreme hardships, not so these. It was the
32 A few months before, Nauvoo with the neighboring Mormon settlements
had contained some 20,000 saints, of whom in July about 15,000 were encamped
on the Missouri Iiiver, or were scattered through the western states in search
of employment.