| Governor
Dunklin hopes for a compromise between the Mormons and Jackson county
citizens. Failing that, he will have to enforce the law. He must remain
out of negotiations to retain impartiality. Law is on the side of the
Mormons, but they cannot enter the state armed without his consent. |
| Zion's Camp, having
marched across Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, has just crossed the Mississippi
river into Missouri. On the 5th church officials in Clay county had written
the governor for a
military order of protection. |
| |
¶ |
City of Jefferson,
June 6, 1834 |
|
Copy
in Mormonism unvailed, 172–175,
also in Millennial Star, vol.
15 no. 5 (January 29, 1853), 70–71.
Attorneys William T. Wood, Amos Rees, Alexander W. Doniphan, and David
R. Atchison of Liberty, Clay county represent the Mormons. |
| Received
letter |
¶ |
Dear Sir: I was pleased
at the receipt of your letter, concurred in by Messrs. Ress, Atchison, and
Donaphin, on the subject of the Mormon difficulties. |
|
| Favors
any comprise the parties agree upon |
|
I should be gratified,
indeed, if the parties could compromise on the terms you suggested, or,
indeed, upon any other terms satisfactory to themselves. |
|
| Cannot
enforce compromise |
|
But I should travel
out of the line of my strict duty, as chief executive officer of the government,
were I to take upon myself the task of effecting a compromise between the
parties. |
|
| If
I had known … |
|
Had I not supposed it
possible, yes, probable, that I should, as Executive of the State, have
to act, I should, before now, have interfered individually, in the way you
suggest, or in some other way, in order, if possible, to effect a compromise.
|
|
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| Must
remain impartial |
|
Uncommitted as I am,
to either party, I shall feel no embarrassment in doing my duty; though
it may be done with extreme regret. |
|
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| Duty
to urge compromise but not advise |
|
My duty in the relation
in which I now stand to the parties, is plain and straight forward. By an
official interposition, I might embarrass my course, and urge a measure
for the purpose of effecting a compromise, and if it should fail, and in
the end, should I find it my duty to act contrary to the [173] advice
I had given, it might be said, that I either advised wrong, or acted wrong;
or that I was partial to one side or the other, in giving advice that I
would not, as an officer, follow.
|
|
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| If
Mormons insist on returning my duty is plain |
|
A more clear and indisputable
right does not exist, than that the Mormon people, who were expelled from
their homes in Jackson county, to return and live on their lands, and if
they cannot be pursuaded as a matter of policy, to give up that right,
or to qualify it, my course, as the chief Executive officer of the State,
is a plain one. |
|
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| Constitution
guarantees equal protection |
|
The Constitution of
the United States declares,—"That the citizens of each State shall
be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens in the several
States." |
|
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| State
cannot prevent their return |
|
Then we cannot interdict
any people who have a political franchise, in the United States, from emigrating
to this State, nor from choosing what part of the State they will
settle in providing they do not trespass on the property or rights of others.— |
|
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| Right
of self-defense |
|
Our State Constitution
declares that the people's "right to bear arms, in defence of themselves,
and of the State, cannot be quesioned.' |
|
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| State
l aw requires men to be armed |
|
Then it is their constitutional
right to arm themselves. Indeed, our militia law makes it the duty of every
man, not exempt by law, between the ages of 18 and 45, to arm himself with
a musket, rifle, or some firelock, with a certain quantity of amunition,
&c. |
|
|
| Freedom
of religion |
|
And again, our Constitution
says, ‘that all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship
Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences.' |
|
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| Eccentric
religion the problem |
|
I am fully persuaded
that the eccentricity of the religious opinions and practices of the Mormons,
is at the bottom of the outrages committed against them. |
|
|
| Freedom of religion |
¶ |
They have the
right constitutionally guaranteed to them, and it is indefeasible, to believe
and worship Jo Smith, as a man, an angel, or even as
the true and living God, and to call their habitation Zion,
the Holy Land, or even Heaven itself. Indeed, there is nothing so
absurd or ridiculous, that they have not a right to adopt as their religion,
so that in its exercise, they do not interfere with the rights of others. |
|
|
| |
¶ |
It is not long
since an impostor assumed the character of Jesus Christ, and attempted to
minister as such; but I never heard of any combination to deprive him of
his rights. |
|
|
Citizens'
duty to compromise
Would visit, but must act officially |
¶ |
I consider it
the duty of every good citizen of Jackson and the adjoining counties, to
exert themselves to effect a compromise of these difficulties, and were
I assured that I would not have to act in my official capacity in the affair,
I would visit the parties in person, and exert myself to the utmost to settle
it. |
|
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| Best
for Mormons to sell out |
|
My first advice would
be to the Mormons to sell out their lands in Jackson county, and to settle
somewhere else, where they could live in peace, if they could get a fair
price for their lands, and reasonable damages for injuries received. |
|
|
| Or
if citizens would obey the law |
|
If this failed, I would
try the citizens and advise them to rescind their illegal resolves of last
summer; and agree to conform to the laws in every particular, in respect
to the Mormons. |
|
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| Next,
split the land |
|
If both these failed,
I would then advise the plan you have suggested, for each party to take
separate territory and confine their members within their respective limits,
with the exception of the right of egress and regress upon the highway. |
|
|
In
the end, a question of law
Must not become involved |
|
If all these failed,
then the simple question of legal right would have to settle it. It is this
last that I am afraid I shall have to conform my action to in the end. And
hence the necessity of keeping myself in the best situation to do my duty
impartially. |
|
|
| Cannons
prohibited |
¶ |
Rumor says that each party
are preparing themselves with cannon.—That would be illegal. It is
not necessary for self-defence, as guaranteed by the Constitution. And as
there are no artillery companies organized in this State, nor field pieces
provided by the public, any preparations of that kind will be considered
as without right; and in the present state of things, would be understood
to be with a [175] criminal intent. |
|
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| Other counties must remain out |
|
I am told that the people
of Jackson county expect assistance from the adjoining counties, to oppose
the Mormons in taking or keeping possession of their lands. I should regret
it extremely, if any should be so impruden[t] as to do so; it would give
a different aspect to the affair. |
|
|
| Military
parades permissible |
¶ |
The citizens of Jackson county
have a right to arm themselves and parade for military duty in their own
county independent of the commander-in-chief; but if the citizens march
there from other counties, with arms, without orders from the commander-in-chief
or some one authorized by him, it would produce a very different state of
things. |
|
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| Mormons
can return armed only with governor's permission |
|
Indeed, the Mormons
have no right to march to Jackson county in arms, unless by order or permission
of the commander-in-chief. Men must not "levy war" in taking possession
of their rights, any more than others should in opposing them in taking
possession. |
|
|
| Appointment
as governor's aid |
¶ |
As you have manifested a deep
interest in a peaceable compromise of this important affair, I presume you
will not be unwilling to be placed in a situation, in which, perhaps, you
can be more serviceable to these parties. I have therefore taken the liberty
of appointing you an Aid to the commander-in-chief, and hope it will be
agreeable to you to accept. In this situation you can give your propositions
all the influence they would have, were they to emanate from the Executive,
without committing yourself or the commander-in-chief in the event of a
failure. |
|
|
| Stay
in touch |
¶ |
I would be glad if you or
some other gentleman who joined in your communication, would keep a close
correspondence with these parties, and by each mail, write me. |
|
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| State's
reputation |
¶ |
The character of the State
has been injured in consequence of this unfortunate affair: and I sincerely
hope it may not be disgraced by it in the end. |
|
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| |
¶ |
With high respect, your obedient
servant, |
|
|
| Signed |
¶ |
DANIEL DUNKLIN.
|
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|
Zion's
Camp
Missouri 1834
|