A SPEECH DELIVERED BY MR. GEORGE A. SMITH, IN THE TABERNACLE,GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOURTH OF JULY,1852
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As a humble private from the ranks of the Deseret mountaineers of theNauvoo Legion, I have the honor, though unexpectedly, to rise and offera few of our feelings in view of the great matters which have been presentedbefore us this day, and of the great events of which this is the anniversary.From the remarks of the gentlemen who have occupied this stand previousto my rising, we might think, that a people who have been driven, and whohave suffered so many difficulties, robbings; shaking of the ague, catchingbirds with hands, and for a time living on crickets, &c., that we wouldbe very lean and poor; but my friends, I think I am a pretty fair specimenof the privates who compose the Nauvoo Legion. The experiment has been triedof living in the deserts, of wandering among mountains, and of solving thephilosophical problem of almost living upon the air; and it has answeredexceedingly well.
It is with the greatest pleasure that I address you; for I can assureyou that the Nauvoo Legion view with the strictest jealousy, every violationof the provisions of the federal constitution; every infringement of therights of the people is regarded by the Nauvoo Legion with the most fieryindignation. Whenever the rights of a religious body are invaded-wheneverthe privileges of a civil community are trampled upon with impunity-wheneverany man in power, or any man out of power shall trample upon the provisionsof that legacy bequeathed us by our ancestors, there rises in us an unboundedindignation; for our fathers' legacy was sealed with their blood, and weare determined to maintain it inviolable. When an executive of a state risesup and assumes to himself a dignity and a power that no autocrat of allthe Russias dare presume to exercise, and issues a bloody order as did L.W. Boggs, for the utter extermination of all the "Mormons;" men,women, and children, that may belong to, or be in any way connected withthem, it raises the indignation of the Nauvoo Legion to an unbounded pitch.
What is more curious than all the rest; it frequently occurs in allgovernments that corruption arises among the people; the people become corrupt,and to a great extent, it must affect the government also; no matter howgood its form may be, the corruptions that arise among the body of the people,must in a great measure paralyze the head of the government. The Roman Catholicsin Philadelphia were attacked by a lawless mob, and thousands turned outto demolish their churches and dwellings, and murder their people, and theperpetrators of such deeds are suffered to go unpunished-this fills theNauvoo Legion with burning indignation. The legacy bequeathed to us by ourforefathers was a constitution which will protect every man in his civiland religious rights; and where this Legion is, woe to him that infringesupon these constitutional liberties. Being called upon without reflection,or time to prepare a speech; and not possessing the requisite talents forpreparing notes, I must give you what I have to say in an offhand style.
Men will rise up in distant countries, and say that the inhabitantsof these mountains are rebellious. Rebellious! against what? Against thepower of mobs, lawless robbery, and the infringement and violation of theconstitution of the United States-against the lawless destruction of propertyand life-against the deprivation of human beings of religious liberty-thatis what we are rebellious against; and the Nauvoo Legion are ready to rebelagainst every agression of this kind, as long as there is one drop of bloodleft in their veins.
These bayonets now before me have been carried upon the shoulders ofthese men to extend "the area of the American Liberty," over 4000miles, suffering almost every kind of distress and fatigue; sometimes travellingon foot over a hundred miles of desert, from water to water. Such a marchhas not been equalled by any body of infantry in the world; and GeneralKearney said, that there was no other set of troops in his army that couldendure such service.
Talk of rebellion! or want of loyalty! men might as well say the sundoes not shine, as to argue that this people are enemies to their country'sfreedom. There is a spirit of religious intolerance that has arisen in theminds of a great many men against this people in the present age; they say,"you shall think as I think, or damn you, we'll destroy you."General Joseph Smith, the commander of our Legion, was treacherously murdered,and his noble brother by his side also, while under the pledge of safetyof Governor Thomas Ford. The grandfather of that murdered general, (murderedwhile under the sacred pledge of the State of Illinois,) his paternal grandfather,I say, was at the elbow of Colonel Ethan Allen, at Ticonderoga, and withStark at Bennington; and his maternal grandfather was in the first navalbattle, and at the elbow of the first Commodore of the American navy, whenthe first naval battle was fought by Americans against Great Britain, andserved during the entire war. Why was he murdered? Because he thought differentfrom his neighbors. Religious toleration was not in accordance with thefeelings of narrow minded men; he must be butchered-basely murdered-andto accomplish it the faith of a sovereign state had to be pledged. We lovethe constitution of the United States in its organization; but we detestsouthern secession, and northern disunion, or anything that would be calculatedto destroy our glorious Union, and the institutions which have been sealedby the blood of our fathers.
Gentlemen, appearing as I appear in your midst, lean though I may be.(Mr. Smith now weighing 230 lbs.,) I will tell you that I have the honorof having descended from an officer of the revolution, who marched 150 milesunder the command of General Morgan, from the battle of the Cow Pens, withnothing to eat but the raw hide belt of his cartridge box. That cannot bethe cause of my fine appearance; but it must be the noble living my ancestorshave had, when fighting for the liberties we enjoy this day, in these mountains.And although I have passed through so many trials and afflictions to gethere, having been driven out of three dwelling houses in different states,by mob force; as many times deprived of my property; and having buried mostof my family from suffering on the plains; been three days at a time, withouttaking food, that there is now scarcely a hair left on my head between meand heaven; yet I am on hand, and with the Nauvoo Legion, rejoice that thereis a place amid the mountains where men are free to enjoy civil and religiousliberty and truth. Truth and Liberty forever! Amen.