Mormon History, Mar 22, 1847

[Minutes, Quorum of Twelve] Monday, March 22. 1847 1"P.M. Meeting of the Officers of both Divisions-Present[:] Pres[iden]ts [Heber C.] Kimball, [George A.] Smith, [Amasa] Lyman-[Willard] Richards, [Ezra T.] Benson, [Brigham] Young, I[ssac]. Morley, A[lpheus]. Cutler-Councellors & officers-
G. A. Smith called to order & opened the meeting by stating the objects before it-[A] many are willing to build up the K[ingdom] of God if they can build it their own way-[T]he establishment of this p[eo]pl[e] is retarded just one year by the fear & doubts of the bre[thre]n-
[W]e ought not attempt to do much for fear we do nothing at all-[L]ast year we called on the Saints to do just what we are going to do this year-I feel anxious that the Pioneer Co[mpany]. shall go & do a good bus[iness]: & the next Co[mpany]. rush strait thro -& I do not want these Co[mpanie]s. to be fettered by persons who are not able to keep themselves-I would rather leave my family here 12 months & go to the Mountains & grow a cabbage or a turnip, than to take my family there to starve to death-
A. Lyman is perfectly well satisfied that the feelings of the people are at War with their interest-& if they carry there feelings out-in 5 or 6 years they will find it out as clear as I now see it-[H]ave we as a people reflected, are we come here to serve ourselves or obey the commandments of God? [O]ur Glory & Honor will be, to do what God wants us to do! [I]f a man holds on to his old rusty harness or sickly mule, his intentions are to raise his own grain, work for his own personal aggrandizement,-& stretches himself out on his narrow contracted stinking picayune? [H]e is so cursed, stingy & mean as to want the creature to go tail foremost-[N]o man will ever get a blessing until he is worthy of it; the man who dies here is a 100 miles nearer Paradise & 1000 years nearer the blessing-[I]f the people were contented & willing to remain here, & loose the shackles from off the Pioneers, then they could begin to go up in peace.
H. C. Kimball[:] I feel as tho my family are now in better Quarters for Winter & Summer than any where between here & the Mountains-[T]hey will be just as healthy, safe & strong here as in the Great Basin-[I]f we go fettered as we have been we shall see more sorrow than we have yet seen-[I]f we go as Wise Men, to /we/ put the seed in the ground & prepare for our families, I have been chained up once, & the Twelve are chained up again-
Winslow Farr made a few remarks, we are all as well off here as 400 miles further-
C[ornelius]. P. Lott would like to see the Twelve go off, & the rest [are] satisfied to stay here, we should see the good in the end of it-
G. A. Smith said his Father gave it as his opinion that to stay here another winter, would expedite the entire removal of the Saints-about 2 years in 5 years-& advised going thro the Mountains this Season.
H[enry]. G. Sherwood thinks [it] best for families to stay here two years, unless councilled to go in one year-I want to go unfettered by my family & prepare for them-
A. Cutler[: A]s I profess to have a head-I feel to stay or go just as I am councilled to, & [I am] willing to leave all my Children here. I had rather stay here & risk it-
The Indian came here as a red man to join the Pale face Man-/& I go as a Red man, to the mountains/ & I am going to stick as close to this man s /Brigham/ heels as a good servant can stick to his Master.
J[ohn]. D. Lee is willing to turn all his means, to assist the Twelve, without being commanded to do it-
Tarleton Lewis-[M]y property & means is at the disposal of the Council, & I am ready to go, or stay.
H[enry]. Herriman had a great deal [and would] rather stay than go. [L]et the Pioneers go & prepare a place. [W]e can live here & prepare ourselves.
I. Morley[: A]ll are willing to comply with what is wanted-all have shot at a mark-& all shot well-
B. Young has ill health-I have been learning whether the mark is set up or no[t]-
[A]ccording to the manifestation of the Spirit I am going to leave my famiy here, prepare a place & then come back for them myself. [T]his p[eo]pl[e] is trying to place the fetters on me again-I am going to take my Pioneer Wagons & prepare for myself & my own family-just like the rest of the brethren here-We shall prepare for ourselves & our families here. I suggest sending only two men to a Wagon-I want O[rson]. Pratts two horses to be got into Camp-[I]t is a perfect disgrace to think a Wife [as] greater than God Almighty-I want to raise more horses-[I]f the Twelve cannot fit themselves out, they are not fit to be Twelve. I am going to raise my provisions over the Mountains-& have my Families raise their sauce here-[I]f I take my family-all the 12 [may] want theirs to go-& if they go, other men [may] want to take their families also. [M]y council to you is [to] take care of yourselves, if you dont send seeds a head, you may just lug your feed along, until you can raise it. [S]ome men think if they put in a peck of Beans, they can have a year & [a] halfs living over the Mountains-[I]f any of the Twelve take their families, they may, but I shall not take my family-I shall take about 5 of my Wagons with Seeds & go over the mountains-[to] raise grain & build houses for my own family. I want 20 to 30 teams to carry Flour for my family-if I take them-but it is too big to take them along-[I]f any of the Twelve think of my going to take their Families I wont do it-I want to pick up one hundred families to go in the Spring, certain[ly],-
I am going to find the Spot, this Season-[I]f the large families stay here, what hinders them assisting the Pioneers[? T]hose who will work let them work together-& those who will not work, let them be together. I dont want those who work to distribute their substance to the 4 winds-
[W]hen we get to our home every man will have to work for himself. [T]here are some men who are a curse to us, who will not work. [W]e can go to work & select the small families,-I am going to have a positive notion to have these houses picketed in it. I would rather live in a Wagon than on the surface of the ground-[I]f you live on the ground you will have the black leg & Canker. [Y]ou will never be without law or officers, you can catch all the thieves [?] [W]hen a man has to be chastised, let them pay the expence of the police-put a Municipal power on the Bishops & its done-I mean to be over in time to plant this little yellow corn, & sauce-[I]f there s no stopping place for us, there will be none for any one else-[T]ake on such of the Soldiers Wives as can be comfortably done. We calculate to come back next fall-[R]aise a host of grain there for us & yourselves. I want you to fence in this place-
B. Young proposed to have the garden close to the Creek-& the garden s allotted off-& have the inside of Winter Quarters a perfect Green-& clean-
We have got to select men-(6 to 10) [-] to go & plant & raise corn for the Indians-& that will save ours-Motioned that next Monday be the day to commence moving the houses into a line-Sec[onde]d. & Car[rie]d.
Motioned that the Captains of 100s select men to remove them, [the] 25 men from [the] first division-All said I [aye]-
Motioned that also 25 more from the 2nd Division-Carried.
[Ditt]o the Prest[ident]s. & Councillors be the Committee to fix the line-Carried.
Dismissed at 20 min[utes] past 4-

[Minutes, Quorum of Twelve]

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