In contrast to the lawless actions of the anti-Mormon party and the Warsaw Signal, Joseph Smith joined Governor Ford that spring in an effort to establish more cordial relations among the the citizens of western Illinois. By May of 1844 the Latter-Day Saints were once again embroiled in an apparently irreconcilable conflict with their neighbors. There are many reasons for this: politically the Saints were alienated from nearly everyone else in Illinois, other communities were jealous of Nauvoo's economic growth and political autonomy, many people in Illinois feared the power of the Nauvoo Legion, the Masons were disturbed by alleged irregularities of the order in Nauvoo, and there was a general distaste among the people for peculiar Mormon doctrines and practices which had been misrepresented by John C. Bennet and others. Despite these factors, the saints still might have been able to maintain peace if it had not been for the apostacy developing within the Chuch. Unhappily, all signs pointed toward eventuall violence. On 29 May 1844, Thomas Sharp told his readers he "would not be surprised to hear of his [Joseph Smith's] death by violent means in a short time."