Mormon History, Sep 27, 1845

[Hosea Stout Diary] Saturday Morning. Sept 27th. I arose about 7 â€" I immediately went on the Parade ground and attended to the Organization of the Teams for an expedition under the command of Col Herriman for Laharpe & Camp Creek this took the greater part of the morning.I then went home after a short stay I returned to my Marquee where I learned from Gen Rich that a meeting of the Old police and officers of the 2 cohort was to be held at the Masonic Hall at 3 o clock P M also to raise 6 Horsemen to assist Capt Egan at Carthage also to notify the Col of the meeting at the Masonic Hall.dispatched R Cliff to call them together â€" I then rode down to the Hall.The meeting was addressed by Amasa Lyman in the absence of the Lieu Gen whose appropriate remarks prepared us for the still further remarks of our Gen who presently made his appearance and addressed us as follows
News has reached us from Squire Bedell & Capt Rose who had started to see the Governor â€" that they met Gen
l Hardin with about 200 men at Rushville and that to morrow noon he would be in Carthage â€" so much for this now for my subjectTo the Police & officers I would say â€" I have been asked for counsel what we should do and how things would be done and conducted & report as reached me of feelings existing among these bodies of men â€" It may be all comprehended in this there is an evident lack of humility & faith among you â€" you have partaken to much of the spirit of the world not that I would say you have disobey counselyou have shown yourselves ready at all times to do this â€" but I can for see that a reckless spirit is creeping in among you that should one of your best friends come across you without thought or mediation you would up & shoot him and thereby rid of one good man and he fall a sacrifice to your envy hatred & malice this is wrong it must not be â€" I know it is my duty to
discern between truth & error â€" it also our duty to discern and discriminate in the s
ame way we ought to be able to understand the rights & liberties of one another and not seek to infringe upon another and by so doing we move every man in his own sphereOn the contrary I leave it to you whether you have not giving way to folly in many instances and have shown yourselves departing from the spirit of God and nourishing the spirit of folly â€" for instance when I passed through the street I will see some 6 or 7 men of the Old Police talking & making fun highly amused themselves â€" strangers passing them unheeded and I will walk up to them and tell them that a stranger has just passed them I have no sooner spoken to them than they are gone instantly to see the stranger and his business there but why should they need the spur and need to be told of their duty continually they should ever be on the look-out all over town and seeing every stranger in town and why he is here for you are the
safe guard of this peopleAfter orders had been given to the old police I h
ave gone to the Temple and found them mixed with strangers when the orders were for all strangers to be kept from the Temple SquareI am aware that your Unity is great you are attached to one another and are ready to obey my counsel and have done as I have said & counseled yet I have said and now foreseen that by following in this way it will lead you to be the deadly enemy of each other in one year from this timeit as already led you to the ardent spirits and I know this from your breath when I have met you and I know that the Spirit of God cannot rest upon a man who is filled with Whiskey for the kingdom of God cannot be built up by Unholy things for purity must exist in the upholders of this kingdom and we must now cleanse ourselves from every impure thing nor need a man expect for the conferring of blessings & powers from God who is now habitually used to the things which are unholy and impure â€" we must
arrive to all blessings & powers by our good works â€" you must tr
y to be united in all your movement hard feelings must cease it will not do they must cease and let the principle of love and charity take placethis must be done and we must attend to our prayers and be humble and attend to your family duty and by so doing a good spirit will take place of a spirit of folly & malice for I know if we are allowed to stay here the winter it will be a miracle indeed for the enemies are seeking to annoy us & aggravate us to retaliation & should we have to do it will have a great amount of sufferingswe must let your prayers be offered continually to God that we may be sustained here this winter â€" If hardness does creep in among you I know what course to pursue with you we shall have to take you into the Temple & there give you your endowment together and send you on a five years missions to the Islands of the sea and that would soften our hearts and we would find it necessary to call on the
name of the Lord least we be devoured by our enemies &
where there is not a Latter Day Saint on the land â€" this will I know make a man come to his feelings and he would see the necessity of steadying yourselves by the Wisdom of God cause you to act manfully â€" carefully & prayerfully â€" I want every man to know his place and know enough to act in his own place and sphere and let me tell you that I and those in connection with me will counsell with me with me [sic] will watch over you and so let those who are under you be counselled by you and so all things move in harmony and in good order & I pray that God will forgive you and let your hearts be humbled one towards anotherleave off your whiskey â€" I am and ever intend to be the Master of my passions & not the subject thereof so you must be the master of your passions â€" and not be the slave of passions in themselves so degrading & entirely debasing â€" some may say I am in the habits of taking snuff and Tea yet I am no slave to these
passions and can leave these off if t
hey make my brother affronted â€" if ever we live to see the kingdom of God set up we shall see the judgment poured out upon that man who seeks to overthrow the kingdom for righteousness shall be put to line â€" I would also caution you against using the name of God in vain it as been used to much and will be with us like the Ancients of old they forbade them the frequent use of the same â€" for I tell you the time is coming when that man uses the name of the Lord is used the penalty will be affixed and immediately be executed on the spot why should we use it in our private & public conversation â€" the Ancients have giving us an example of reverencing then had for the name of the Deity by calling the priesthood not after God but after Melchisedecit must by held sacred nor must it be the common practice from this time & henceforth â€" if we do not purify ourselves we shall yet be devoured by our enemies â€" even if we are gathered into the wilderness he
will there destroy t
hem either by famine or by Indians who will be brought upon us & thereby destroyed let Col Scott â€" see the artillery placed in a secure place & kept from sight &c &c â€" God bless you all amen â€"
Returned from the meeting to the parade ground attended to the raising of 6 men horsemen for Carthage â€" to the relief of Capt Egan already stationed there â€" after which took supper from thence I went home

[source: Diaries of Hosea Stout]