For The Prophet.

The  Apostates  and  Murderers.

Why does The Prophet not reply to the slanders and abuses which are heaped upon the saints by apostates, murderers, and their accomplices and those who apologize for murder.

Are the Saints so ignorant as not to know that, they are accused by certain public journals of stealing, robbery, bogus making, polygamy, adultery, and all other crimes?

Why do they not reply to these gross charges? These questions naturally arise in the minds of some of our brethren and friends. Therefore we shall proceed to answer the inquiry once for all.

In the first place, then, we neither have time nor means to reply to such a constant flood of foul and malicious falsehoods as are continually poured forth in torrents upon the heads of the Saints.

In the second place, the people who publish them, and those who patronize such publications, do not want the truth, but would sooner have a lie, as their express object is to procure the murder of all the men, women and children of the Saints, which they verity believe they can do effectually, by working upon the credulity of a prejudiced world.

In the third place, those who love the truth and hate a lie, will readily see the corrupt, unfeeling, cruel, partial, unjust, envious and hateful spirit which is breathed forth and manifested in such publications, and will know by their common sense, as well as by the spirit manifested before their eyes that a large community of people gathered into society from all classes, countries and ranks of life, would have more conscience, more moral virtue than to be guilty of such crimes as are charged to our entire people, at home and abroad.

As a fourth and last reason for our silence on these subjects, we would remind the public that all our actions, precepts, doctrines, principles and publications are a direct reply to these slanderous abuses. They all speak with a voice of thunder, that we, as a people, aim at innocence, virtue and truth, while at the same time one has only to read the publications of our enemies, to learn from themselves, that they aim at murder and destruction...

P. P. PRATT

(under construction)

Notes: (forthcoming)