“The Twelve, to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in , Greeting: Beloved Brethren— We wish to present briefly, one important item, for your serious consideration. Our beloved President Joseph Smith, is now delivered from the prosecution and oppression from without, by which he has been bound, and also, by the same process has been relieved of his property, so that he has nothing now to hinder his devoting his time to the history of the Church, and the Spiritual interest thereof, except he has to spend his time in gathering food for his family. This is the point brethren, whether you will do your duty in supplying the President with food, that he may attend to the business of the [HC 5:279] church, and devote his whole time to the Spiritual affairs thereof, or shall he attend to your business, by running here and there for a bushel of wheat or a pound of Beef and Pork while the Revelations to the Church cease? This Question is for the Church to answer: therefore we call upon the brethren in , at this time, for immediate relief, you are all well aware that we do not raise wheat, corn, beef, pork, tallow, lard, butter, eggs and provisions, and vegetables in the such as you all use, which you are all well acquainted with. And we are the same kind of beings in as in the Country; and what you raise and eat in we would eat in if we could get it, our President not excepted— And every thing which is required to fill a Larder in is required in this place, and by this you may know what is wanting by our President to prosecute the Lord’s work and bring about your Salvation, not excepting cotton or woollen goods or groceries. Brethren we hope you will give an immediate answer to this by loaded teams or letter— Feb. 18. 1843. [B[righam] Young]. Prest. . Clerk.”

“ Ill. Feb. 19. 1843 Mr. Alfred Ed Stokes— Dear Sir— In obedience to your request, I send you one number of each of the papers published in this place. I am well aware, that designing men, for sinister purposes, have put in circulation reports con[HC 5:280]cerning the people here, which are so monstrous, that it is a matter of surprise how any rational being could profess to believe them at all. If I were to even profess to believe such incredible and ridiculous nonsense about any people, I should consider the public would have sufficient cause to scorn me, as the mere tool of corrupt and foul slanderers, but any thing to stop the progress of that, which cannot be done by fact and scripture truth. That man must have a large stock of moral courage, who dare, in any wise, profess belief in such outlandish representations as are made in the public papers concerning the people of , and circulated orally by wicked and designing men. The old stale story about common stock, in defiance of fact and truth, it would appear by your letter, and that of your friend Evans, is professedly believed by the people in the vicinity of Waynesville, . This falsehood was invented by an ignorant blockhead, by the name of Matthew Clapp, who for want of any other means to stop the progress of truth, in its more incipient stages, invented this falsehood, and finding it took with persons [p. 1472]