Minutes of June 16, 1836

Mormon History 1830-1844

Minutes of June 16, 1836

Perserved Harris disfellowshipped for not adequately contributing to the support of the poor. Isaac McWithy is charged with the same offense but pleads he hadn't been notified and has contributed generously. No action taken.
Date	June 16, 1836	Kirtland council
Location	Kirtland, Ohio.
Description	High Council met …
[Presiding]	[First Presidency]
Clerk	Sylvester Smith
Counselors present	Joseph Coe Cyrus Smalling William Smith Noah Packard Lyman Sherman Thomas Burdick John Smith Jared Carter H. Sherwood Joseph Kingsbury John Johnson Josiah Butterfield
Open	Prayer by Sidney Rigdon.
Charge	Counselors were charged according to the Law of God.
Preserved Harris charged	Joseph Smith charges Perserved Harris with "want of benevolence to the poor and charity to the Church."	Preserved is Martin Harris' brother.
Only contributed $50	Bishop Newel K. Whitney does not know that Perserved has made any contributions for the poor or for the church, though once he contributed $50 for Zion.
Counselors appointed	Three counselors are assigned to speak on each side.
Jared Carter: Preserved hasn't contributed enough	Jared Carter, a member of the building committee for the Lord's House, says Preserved has donated "too little for one who knows & intends to do his duty in this respect," and has not contributed for the poor.
Preserved has a reputation for not helping	There is a general complaint against him in the Church from spiritual men, men of God—[he] knows that some individuals have suffered for want of assistance, and he has not heard them thank God for Brother Harris' liberality as they did for the liberality of others.
Leonard Rich: Preserved doesn't help get wood	Leonard Rich: lives near Brother Fisher, who lives mostly on the charity of the Saints. Many have helped him get wood, but not Preserved—even though there were many public calls for help.
Poor are generous	The poor are the most generous. He once gave a half dollar to help Elder Marsh. Many poor people gave much more.
He gave $35	Joseph Coe: Perserved gave $35 since May, but that is not proportional to his circumstances and the need.	"Preserved Harris, Martin's brother, put his property into the common fund. His wife, who was a superior woman, made a party and invited the Mormon leaders, who came; she received and treated them very courteously, and induced them to restore herself and husband the property they had put in." �Mrs. H. W. Wilson�s Statement,� Naked Truths 1, no. 2 (Apr. 1888): 3, col. 2.
J. Hampton	J. Hampton: tried to obtain a cow for Brother Fisher. Preserved didn't donate anything.
Counselors speak	Joseph Smith [no remarks recorded].
	Joseph Coe: Charge not sustained.
Joseph: I have proved the charge	The accusor [Joseph] calls on Newel K. Whitney "to say whether the Church was not poor." Newel answers in the affirmative. Joseph says, "I have sustained the charge."
Other counselors	J. Carter, C. Smalling, H. G. Sherwood, William Smith	No remarks recorded
Joseph accuses	When the counselors finish, the accusor:
The sin of want of charity	spoke concerning the sin of a want of charity to the the poor and quoted several instances to prove the fact, &c such as feed the hungry, clothe the naked administer to the wants of the widow and fatherless, &c.
Proposed Preserved donate to Zion	He also testified that himself in CO. with Pres. O. Cowdery did once call on Brother Harris for a donation to assist the poor & gave him a plan which (to me said he) was the most noble. Which was to send up money to help build up Zion, purchase land &c.
Preserved says wife won't allow	He referred us to his wife, we could not reconcile her to the plan which we laid before her. He said that he had promised her that if she would come to this place, he would Settle down and not remove again, & therefore he could not help us as we wished in building Zion.
Preserved's defense	Preserved speaks in his own defense:
Did what he could	… says he has a considerable property in his hand has helped the poor some, got his property by hard work. Some that are liberal with others property do not labor to get much to give to the poor themselves; he may have failed in some things, but has done as he felt before God.
	The case is submitted.
Frederick's remarks Must build Zion Rich must contribute	President Frederick G. Williams: the case is important, for the church is poor but Zion must be built. We can't do that unless the rich help "… the heads of the church have to suffer and are now suffering under severe embarrassments and are much in debt." The charges against Preserved Harris "are fully sustained."
Sidney's remarks Duty of Saints to offer all	[President Sidney Rigdon:] said many things concerning the law of God upon the subject of property, showing clearly that it is the duty of the saints to offer their all to the will of God for the building up of the Kingdom & for the sustenance of the poor … & he that is not willing to make this sacrifice cannot be considered a saint of the most High God & unworthy of the fellowship of the Saints. …
Charges sustained Disfellowshipped	As to the charges preferred against brother Harris it is the decision of this councel that they are fully sustained and that the hand of fellowship is withdrawn from him until he shall see that the course he is pursuing is contrary to the gospel of Jesus.
	The council sustains the decision of the presidency.
	Adjourn for an hour.
Council room	Meet in council room.
Isaac McWithy charged	Joseph Smith charges Elder Isaac McWithy with "a want of benevolence to the poor and charity to the church."
Six counselors	The six counselors who did not speak in the previous case are to speak in this case.
Newel K. Whitney: Saints generally don't support poor	Bishop Newel K. Whitney : Elder McWithy has never to the poor and "has not born[e] his proportion of the burden of the poor and this complaint is pretty general in the Church."
J. Hampton: Isaac rich but wouldn't help Poor more supportive	J. Hampton wanted to buy a cow for Brother Fisher, who had been seriously injured in a fall from a house and needed assistance. Isaac would not contribute. He was unable to raise the purchase price and commented " that he could more easily get two dollars from a poor man than one from the rich. He considered Eld. McWithy to be rich."
Josiah Butterfield	Josiah Butterfield: heard Isaac say he had brought $2,000 from the East.
Joseph Smith Sr.	Joseph Smith Sr.: gave Isaac a patriarchal blessing but received nothing from him for the poor.
Edmund Bosley	Edmund Bosley: believes Isaac is worth at least $2,000.
Leonard Rich	Leonard Rich: knew Isaac several years before he came into the church. "He has always been two covetous," though he has given small amounts on occasion.
	He had a considerable property or had given it to his unbelieving son, thinks that he does not deal with that liberally as a man of God should do.
	He once took a dollar from brother Hadlock for the use of a few dollars a little time but afterwards restored four dollars fearing the fulfilment of a prophecy delivered against him at the dedication, that requested security of him and Eld. Lyon for about $20. which he obtained of him for the expenses which they bore in taking care of Eld. Coltrin who had the small pox at Eld. Lyon's.
	The Elders frequently complained of his want of liberality.
Joel Haskins	Joel Haskins testifies he has only:
	one cow and works for bread. A brother lent a horse & waggon to him to go to Zion. The accused has never given him any bread or other things necessary. he lives in a small cabin on his [Isaac's] farm and occupys a little yard for vines, he knows not whether he will charge him for it or not. It is less than a quarter of an acre. He expects to pay him for pasturing a cow.
Isaac doesn't want to give all to church	Accused said he wished to be a steward over his own and rather felt indignant repugnant at the idea of giving all for the good of the church.
William Smith	William Smith: Isaac said he didn't believe a Saint "ever accused his enemies."
A. Brown	A. Brown: Isaac refused to help a poor brother, manifesting "a kind of angry spirit rather than a spirit of love; he frequently heard complaints "against him for not assisting the poor, he is considerable rich, he once gave Eld Green about six dollars considered him to be a covetous man."
Counselors: guilty	Counslors Joseph Kingsbury, Noah Packard, Joseph Smith Sr., Leonard Rich, Josiah Butterfield, Thomas Burdick agree the charges are proven.
Joseph	Joseph: called on Isaac with Oliver. He wouldn't donate for Zion. Asked him to sell his farm.
Offered to buy his farm	He at first seemed willing, he wished to build up Zion. He plead excuse in consequence of his liberality to the poor. We offered him $3000. for his farm. would give him $400. or 500. to take him to Zion and settle him there and obligation for the remainder with good security, and interest.
Cheated church	He went & told father Lyon that we demanded all his property a[nd] so we lost 4 or 500. dollars because the accused told him such a story he calculated to keep it himself.
Isaac McWithy: No notice	Isaac McWithy: This is the first time he had been called upon to clear himself before a High Council. It is "contrary to the rules of the Gospel before the council."
Joseph	The President decided that as the case was now before the council it could not now be urged but should have been made in the beginning.
Isaac: have given to poor, astonished	He [Isaac] plead that he had relieved the wants of the poor, and did so many good things that he was astonished that he should hear such things as he had heard today, because he did not give all the had got to one man. If he had done wrong he asked forgiveness of God and the church.
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