“Those who sought power in high places resorted to murder to gain that power. In so doing, they weakened the internal structure of the Nephite government, giving the Lamanites a decided advantage over the Nephites (see Hel. 1:18–20). The violent acts of murder by those in secret combinations were hard to prevent because the Nephites themselves were in a degraded state … .
“The Gadianton band never succeeded in their plans to overthrow the government when the Nephites were experiencing periods of spiritual growth in their society” (Black, 400 Questions and Answers, 168) .