7^th Thursday March 1844

A vast assembly of Saints met at the
Temple of the Lord at 9 oclock AM by a
special appointment of President Smith
for the purpose of advancing the progress
of the Temple &c. The quorum of the
Twelve were present Temple commitee &
six or eight thousand Saints. The corrister was
called to the stand by president Young. A Hymn was
then sung & prayer by P. P. Pratt followed by a Hymn
Elder Young arose and said the Patriarch was near
he came & took the stand & remarked the object
of the meeting was to stir up your minds by way
of rememberence it is necessary to have a starting
point is to build the temple with the assistance

of the Sisters we expect to get the nails & glass
& with the assistance of the Brethren we expect to
do the rest. I will proclaim in publick & in private
that the Sisters bought the glass & nails by penny
subscription. Chuse ye this day wholm ye will
serve. [Joshua 24:15]

We shall call upon this vast multitude
for a sdonation to buy powder & fuse rope ^to blast the rocks in the quarry^ We
want the brethren to do as much as the Sisters.

We do not intend to finish the Nauvoo House
this season but to finish the Temple this summer
or the walls of it & get the roof on by December
& do of the inside next winter & about a year
from this spring we will dedicate it we can
do any thing we undertake we have power & we
can do great things. In 5 years to come the work
will progress more than it has for 10 years past
Isaiah said we should perform a marvelous work
and a wonder [Isaiah 29:14] I dont wonder He said so if he
saw this vast multitude & I think this people is
abundantly able to build this temple & much depends
upon it our endowments & sealing powers & many
blessings depend upon it.

The Prophet arived &
took the stand and arose in the midst of the ^Saints &^
said (Orson pratt come & take your post) & further
remarked I do not know whether the object
of the meeting has been told or not I apologize for not
comeing sooner. I have had so much on my mind
since I saw you that I hardly know whare to
begin or to say but one of the grand objects that
I had in view in calling this meeting was in making
a few remarks relative to the laws & ordinances
and building the temple. the reason I want to
speak of the laws is the officers have difficulty
in administering the laws. We are republican &
wish to have the people rule but rule in righteousness

Some would complain with what God himself
would do. the laws are enacted by peteition and
they can all be repealed if they wish it but the
people ought not to complain of the officers but
to complain of the law makers. I am instructed
by the City Council to tell this people that if you do
not like any law we have passed we will repeal it
for we are ayour servants. Any that complain of
our rights and charters it is because they are
wicked the devil is in them. the reason I called
it up is we have a simple gang of fellows who
does not know whare their elbows or head is if
you preach virtue to them they will oppose that if
you preach the Methodist God to them they will oppose
that or any thing els & if their is any case tried
they want it appealed to Carthage. Mr Boswicks case
had to go to Carthage our Lawyers will send any
thing to Carthage. I want to know if the citizens
will sustain me when my hands are raised to heaven
for the people. I will areign the person before the
people that act against the interest of the city &
I will have the voice of the people which is republican
and as likely to be the voice of God. And as long as
long as long as I have a tongue to speak I will expose
the iniquity of the Lawyiers and wicked men
I fear not their boiling over nor there boiling over
nor the boiling over of Hell their thunders & forked
lightning. I despise the man that will betray you with
a kiss. Here is Hiram kimball has set at naught
the ordinances of the city. By saying that He owns
the wharf & steem boats need not pay them.
wharefore this body is the highest court what appeal
to Carthage I would not appeal there if i died a
thousand deaths. kimball nor Morrison does not
own the wharfage Water Street runs along the

beach, & belongs to the city & not individuals
I will reprove the lawyers & docters any how
Jesus did & evry prophet has & if I am a prophet
I shall do it, at any rate I shall do it for i profess
to be a prophet. The laws & Constitution of the
United Statese has ceded up the right to corperate
cities to regulate all wharfage of shiping & steem
Boats &c all laws of taxation is subject to the
city & not individuals. And I want from this
time forth evry fool to stay at home & let the steem
Boats & captain alone and let the peace officers alone
How can we keep off mobs & keeping innocent Blood
from being shed. By striking a blow at evry thing tha[t]
rises up in disorder & I will war an eternal war with
those that oppose me inwhile I am labouring in behalf
of the city. A man has been writing to the New York
Tribune I will not mention his name. He says
that much has been appropriated for the building the
Temple that has been spent for other purposes
But I pledge myself that any man that has paid any
old shoes, harnesses, horses, or any thing els if he will
come I will show him on Book that evry farthing
has gone on Book & been appropriated for the
building of the Temple if not so I will pledge
my head for a foot ball that this is true. their
are men in our midst who are trying to build up themse-
lves at our expense & others in our midst that are
watching for iniquity & will make a man an offender
for a word. But I will rest myself & give way for
others. President Hyram Smith arose and made
some singular remarks quite romantic compared
the Lawyiers to polewags & wiglers & toads He said
they would dry up next fall. these characters
He thought was made in gigard making time
when it was cheaper then in soul making time

A Brother of Dr Foster threatend the myayor
& the mayor fined him $10.

President Joseph Smiths views of the goverment
was then read, which was recieved with universal
applause Gen Smith is now nominated by the Saints
as a candidate for President of the U. S. A next electio[n]
An article was also read headed a voice of innocence
from Nauvoo. And a meeting of the female relief
society was oappointed to attend to the above writing
meeting adjourned 1 1/2 hours. During intermission
the Twelve met with the Seventies & they passed
a relsolution to build the Hall of the Seventies one
story higher for the presidency

Meeting commenced again at 2 oclok commenced by
singing & prayer by O. Pratt. sing a Hymn

President B Young arose and addressed the assembly
relative to different subjects as men have been
spoken of in their capacity. I wish to speak of the
duty of the claass of Lawyiers classing myself with
the lawyers in the House of Israel And when any
man who is a Lawyer will take a course to Break peace
instead of making it is out of the way of his duty
Any doctor of the Law should read the law and make
peace. The grand object we have before us is to
build the Temple this season. We have herd the
effects of slander & we want a cure & balm & I
carry one with me all the while & I want all to do
the same & I will tell you what it is. it is to mind
our own business & let others alone And suffer wrong
rather than to do wrong if any one takes your
property away let them alone have nothing to do
with them. A spirit has been manifest to divide
the Saints it was manifest in the last election
it was said if they did not look out the Saints

on the flat would beet the Saints on the Hill
Great God how such a thing looks that the Saints
should be afraid of beating one another in the
election or being beat I would ask who built up
this city would steem boats landed here if the
Saints had not come, or could you even the
speculators have soled their lands for any thing
here if the Saints had not come they might have
sold for a few bare & wolf skins but not for
money. Can these speculaters sell all their land
to the Saints for a great price & then go away &
enjoy it somewhare els I tell you nay, for know
it ye people that Israel is here & they are the
head and not the tail & the people must learn it
all those who have gone from us have gone
from the head to the tail. [Isaiah 9:14-15] But if any of you wish
to know how to have your bread fall butter
side up, butter it both sides & then it will fall
butter side up. Uppose this work & it will roll
over you. when did this work ever stop since it
began never. The ownly thing the Saints now
want to know is what does the Lord want of
us & we are ready to do it. Well then build the
temple of the Lord keep the law of God ye Saints
& the Hypocritt & Scroundral will flee out
of your midst & tremble for the fire of God
will be two hot for them. he made many
important remarks.

Elder Taylor followed
with an address upon political matters &c traced
the History of governments for many centuries
& traced the form of governments from ancient
days to the present time He spoke of our Charters
& General Smith being a candidate for the
Presidential chair & we must do what we
can to electing him we will not be cowards

in this thing. A coward is like an Ostrich he will
hide his head under cover & leaves his body out in
sight to be seen as we pass along so cowards
here after will be called an Ostrich. He also made
some remarks concerning the building of the
Temple. Elder Young remarked that He should
visit those who did not pay up their tithing you
will want a blessing in the temple when it is done

President Smith remarked in relation to
those who give in property for the temple we
want it brought to the proper source that it
may be put on the Church Book so that in
the endowment those whose mnames are on
Book shall have the prefference. As to politics
I care but little about the Presidential Chair. I
would not give half as much for the office as I
would for the one I now hold, but as the world
have used the power of Goverment to oppress & persecute
us, it is right for us to use it for the protection
of our rights. when I get hold of the eastern paper
& see how popular I am I am afraid myself that
I shall be elected. But if I should be, I would
not say that your cause is just & I could not
do anything for you. what I said in relation
to the annexation of texas is with some unpopular
the people are opposed to it. I will take this objection
away. the opposition is because it is filled up
with slavery. now I wish to turn the argument
it is the vary reason why it ought to be received
in order to watch over them of the greatest ^two^ evils
we should reject the greatest. The president of
Texas sayes if you do not receive us in the United
States we will go to the British this would certainly
be bad policy for this Nation the British are now through
out that whole country trying to bribe all they
can. How much better it is to be to a little expens

than to have the indians & British upon us & destroy
us all. We should grasp all the territory we can and I
know much that I do not tell I have had bribes offered
me, but I have rejected them. The government
will not receive any thing from me they are
self sufficient, but they must go to Hell & work
out their own salvation with fear & trembling.
as soon as texas was annexed I would liberate two
or three states & pay them for their slaves & let
them go to Mexico whare they are mixed blacks &c
I would also receive Canida & stand by them
& many other usful remarks He made

A collection was taken up to buy powder &
fuse rope about $60 dollars was recieved.
meeting closed & we returned to our homes