12th We got in an express this morning saying that ther
was some 900 troops on the way this side of
& some 12 government Baggage trains. Capt
came into the & President had a good deal
of conversation with him. He said to him I do not
want to fight the United States but if they drive
us to it we shall do the best we can & I will tell you
as God lives that we shall come off conquerer for
we trust in God. For God has set up his
on the Earth & it will never fall but it will stand
we shall do all we can not to fight but if they drive
us to it God will overthrow them. if they would let
us alone & say to the mobs now you may go & kill the
Mormons if you can but we will have nothing to do with it
this is all we would ask of them But for the Governm[en]t
of the United States to array their armies against us
it is to despicable & damnable for any honorable Nation
& God will have them in derission for doing it. The Govern-
ment has all the time endeavoured to destroy us in an under-
handed manner. But Now if they come against us
we will whip them all the time and you will see
that we will do it. The United States are sending their
armies to hold us still untill a Mob can come and
kill us and they have done this all time. we are the
supporters of the United States Constitution, & we love
the Constitution & Laws of the United States But it is
the corrupt Administration of those Laws which we
are suffering under & not the Laws. if the Laws had
been carried out in it would have hung Gov
Between the heavens & the Earth and all his friends
who was in the murdering & expelling the Saints from
the states they shot down the mormons whenever they
could. They killed & . Then when Col
came into with his armey He did not inq-
uire who killed Joseph Smith or Hiram or any of the
saints who had been killed but enquired for some missing
Man that we knew Nothing about & said he should Hold
me responsible for the life of that man. This has been the
course with the Government all the time. We got up a
Memorial or declaration to the of the United
States last winter the Declaration was then read to the
Capt Van Vleeit after hearing it he said I cannot
find any fault with it ownly it is couched in vary
strong language. President Young said that is what I
intended. And I will now ask capt Van Vleit if
Aug [Sep] 12, 1857
no was not the maine cause of the United States sending
thereir Armies against us "I think it is. There is not any
of the government officers which have been sent here
who have any interest with us But they haved tried
to destroy us. Capt said this is the case
with most men in the Territories they received their
offices as a steping stone to the senatorship, but they have
no interest for the people. This people have been lied about the
worst of any people I ever saw the greatest hold the world
have now upon you is they accuse you of Burning 900 vol
of the United States Statutes. who was one
of the owners of the Books which were burned denies their
being any Books of the United States being burned. I have
told the people all the time all I asked of them was to tell
the truth about us to pay their debts & steal Nothing they
are welcome to go their way. No if this government
has arived at that state that they will tri to kill
the people for their religion No honorable man
should be afraid of them. President then told
the story about the Quaker that a Yankey went to whip
the Quaker said that he was not the man that he wanted
He had not done any thing wrong but the man said He would
whip him any how so the Quaker laid down his hat & coat
& said lie there religion untill I whip this man & he did
whip him tremendiously. It will be so with the United States
if they insist in whiping us they will get awfully whiped
Capt Van Vleit we have treated all men as well as we
have you who have been sent here as officers of the U S
government. we wish still to treat them well and we
would like to ward off this Blow if we could But
the United States are determined to drive us to fight
we cannot do any thing but what the government will take
exception to it. They will kill us if they can I have prof
of this. They killed & in Jail not with stand-
ing the faith of the the Armey & the states was
pleged to protect them, & when they had killed them
they then got a writ for me I carried a large Bowye
knife with me and I said that any man that laid hands
upon my sholder and said Mr Young you are my prisioner
I would send that man to hell across lots & I have said
that all the time since and I say it now I have broaken
now law neither will I be taken by any United States
officers to be killed as they have killed Joseph. They did
once take a Bugus [Bogus] Brigham which was Brother
& took him to & did not find out his mistake
untill they got him there. Capt Van Vleit said that
I do not think that it is the intention of the Government to
take you but to instill a New Governor in this
President Young said I Believe that you tell the truth that
you believe this but you do not know their intentions as well
as I do. when you get away from here you will think
of a great many things which you have seen and heard
The people have all the time accused us of colleagueing with the
Indians against the Governm[en]t & they were much afraid
that would go amoung the Indians & they
watched to keep him away from them but now they
have driven us into their midst and now want you to
watch the signs of the times & you will see that God will
work against that Nations who are trying to destroy both
the Indians & Mormons the Government has become corrupt
& they are the ones who are breaking the of
the United [States] & if it is ever saved it will be saved by the
Mormons who are the Elders of Israel
