Washington City Corner of Missouri & 3d. Street,

Dec 5th 1839.

Dear Brother Hiram. President and to the Honorable High Council of the Church of Jesus Christ, of latter day Saints. To whom be fellowship, love and the peace of Almighty God extended and the prayer of faith forever and ever​ Amen, Your fellow labourers, Joseph Smith Jr, Elias Higbee and Agents, as well as the servants that are sent by you, to perform one of the most arduous and responsible duties, and also to labour in the most honorable cause that ​ever​ graced the pages of human existance; and respectfully show by these lines, that we have taken up our cross thus far— and that we arrived in this City on the morning of the 28th. of November, and spent the most of that day in looking up a boarding house which we succeeded in in finding. We found as cheap boarding as can be had in this city.

On friday morning 29th we proceeded to​ the house of the President— We found a very large and splendid palace, surrounded with a splendid enclosure decorated with all the fineries and elegancies of this world we went to the door and requested to see the President; when we were immediately introduced into an upper apartment where we met the President and were introduced into his parlor, where we presented him with our Letters of introductions;— as soon as he had read one of them, he looked upon us with a kind of half frown and said, what can I do? I can do nothing for you,— if I do any thing, I shall come in contact with the whole State of Missouri— But we were not to be intimidated, and demanded a hearing and constitutional rights— Before we left him he promised to reconsider what he had said, and observed that he felt to sympathise with us on account of our sufferings,— Now we shall endeavor to express our feelings and views concerning the President, as we have been eye witnesses of his Majesty— He is a small man, sandy complexion, and ordinary features; with frowning brow and considerable body but not well proportioned, as his arms and legs— and to use his own words is quite fat— On the whole we think his he is without boddy or parts, as no one part seems to be proportioned to another— therefore instead of saying boddy and parts we say boddy and part, or partyism if you please to call it, and in fine to come directly to the point, he so much a fop or a fool, (for he judged our cause before he knew it,) we could find no place to put truth into him— We do not ​say​ the Saints shall not vote for him, but we do say boldly, (though it need not be published in the streets of Nauvoo, neither among the daughters of the Gentiles,) That we do not intend he shall have our votes—

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