Richards had proposed that the Mormons be granted a “reserve” by the federal government in Wisconsin. The church’s published response also suggested possible locations in Oregon or Texas. (Council of Fifty, “Record,” 4 Feb. 1845; “Great Western Move,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 26 Feb. 1845, [1].)
Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.
On 28 January 1845 William Clayton similarly claimed that upon receiving Richards’s proposal, the leaders of the church decided to “set the think [thing] in aggitation in order to turn off the attention of the mobocrats until we can finish the Temple.” (Clayton, Journal, 28 Jan. 1845; see also the editorial note preceding the entry for 4 Feb. 1845.)
Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.
At an earlier meeting of the council, Spencer was assigned to write an introduction to the correspondence between George Miller and Richards, under Miller’s name. (Council of Fifty, “Record,” 4 Feb. 1845.)