Most of the Mormons stopped at Quincy, across the Mississippi River in Illinois, where the citizens extended charity and sympathy. There was a chronic border friction between Missouri and Illinois, and the “Suckers” welcomed the chance to demonstrate a nobility of character foreign to the despised “Pukes.” More important, a presidential election was in the offing, and the Democratic Association, which controlled the votes in the Quincy area, was eager to make friends with this huge new voting bloc.
