TO THE ELDERS AND CHURCHES
ABROAD.
"The Twelve," on their late mission to the
eastern states, discovered that the publications
at Nauvoo, were very little patronized by the
saints and branches, in the various sections of
the country where they passed, while the com-
mon newspapers of the day received a liberal
support, by those who pretend 'to hunger and
thirst after righteousness.' They feel justified
therefore, in reprobating such a course, as det-
rimental to the general good of the whole
church, that shows a lack of charity in the el-
ders.
'Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of
thistles?'
Nauvoo at present, is the seat of the Firs[t]
Presidency; the place of the gathering for all
saints, and the great centre of the world for
pure religion, revelation, truth, virtue, knowl
edge and every thing else preparatory to the
coming of the Son of Man; the best news, the
best people, and the best plan of salvation mus[t]
be there, Wherefore,
Resolved, Unanimously, that the travelling
elders are hereby instructed to use due dili-
gence in obtaining subscribers for the 'Times
and Seasons,' and 'Nauvoo Neighbor,' and for-
ward the pay, by safe hands, to the publishers
at Nauvoo; that the saints and the world may
receive 'line upon line, and precept upon pre-
cept; here a little and there a little,' together
with such extracts of translations and revela-
tions, as the Presidency of the church may di-
rect, for the edification of the whole body of
the church, in righteousness.
Done in council, at Nauvoo, November,
1843.
BRIGHAM YOUNG,
President of the Twelve.
WILLARD RICHARDS, Cl'k.
Will the elders and members of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, unto whom
the above resolution may come, or into whose
hands it may fall, permit me, as an humble
servant of Jesus Christ, to urge the necessity
and importance upon you of giving diligent
heed to the council offered in the foregoing
resolution of circulating the Times and Sea-
sons and Neighbor far and wide, to the extent
of your influence. Shall I say that we have
struggled through many difficulties until the
present time, to maintain the press and circu-
late our periodicals to the churches abroad,
for the benefit? I could say it in truth, but
if I had no other motive in view, than my own
personal pecuniary benefit, I would not call
your attention to this subject, I would remain
in silence. But the motive that stimulates me
to action upon this subject, is of far more im-
portance than my own temporal good. We as
a people, have been called to pass through
scenes of a peculiar nature and events of a sin-
gular character, for the last few years of our
lives. A mighty struggle has been made by
certain powers on earth, to crash the voice of
those scenes and events in the dust, that they
should not be heard by man. But a voice is
destined to be heard, it can, it must, and shall
be heard, as by the voice of thunders, until it
penetrates the ears of the wise and good, friends
and foes, Judges and Councellors, Governors
and Presidents, Kings and Princes, saying, to
all that hear, that oppressed American citizens
are asking for those blessings, rights and priv-
ileges to be restored unto them, which God has
destined for all his rational offspring, and
which the constitution of the United States,
and each state guarantee unto all her citizens;
but have been unconstitutionally, unlawfully,
unjustly, and inhumanly taken from them by
the blood stained state of Missouri. Let me
ask you then ye elders of Israel, where is the
mouth peace of this voice that is to speak un-
til the ears of man shall hear, and their hearts
shall feel, if it is not in Nauvoo? If this be the
case, then let duty be the mainspring of your
actions. Foster not those engines that would
trample your rights in the dust with impunity,
turn a deaf ear to the cry of the oppressed,
and seek to hush the voice of the innocent blood
of the saints that has been poured out like
water upon the ground, for the word of God
and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The period has arrived when that veil of false
hood and misrepresentation that has been
drawn like a dark curtain over America to co-
ver the black deeds of Missouri in the unhal-
lowed persecutions against the saints, must be
drawn back, that the world may have a view
of the scene. But few heretofore have been
made to believe the truth as it has existed, in
scenes that have transpired in that state.
Every engine that could be employed, has been
put in operation to prejudice the minds of com-
munity against us as a people and lay the blame
upon the saints, in order to draw a veil over
the black deeds of Missouri; but the blood of
the innocent cries from the ground, and that
cry will not only be heard by man, but it will
continually enter into the ears of that God who