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Show 136 iments by a vote of four to one. This encouraged the Mormons to carry on the public relations campaign. Upon hearing this news, Hosea Stout was prompted to write in his diary: "The tide of feelings seemed to be turning in our favor."^ It could be argued that the entire move south and the White Mountain Expedition were only a part of this great propaganda effort. In reality, the "Big Move" may have eventually become such; but, as it was first conceived and undertaken, the move was far more than political. Brigham Young's early attempts at secrecy, his private conversations, and his urgent March 21 letter to George W. lean speak for the serious intentions of the prophet. In a conversation with Apostle Smith on April 12, President Young remarked, "I do not feel the least gloom over this city.. .and if this storm works off we must make permanent calculations to store our grain & prepare our huts in the Desert; so that the people could scatter up and run there on foot if necessary. "^ (Italics mine.) There can be little doubt that Brigham Young was serious, at least for a time, in removing Zion to a new gathering place somewhere in the interior deserts of the Great Basin. |
