October 1891
The Deseret Weekly. "General Conference." October 10, 1891: pg. 497-509.
GENERAL CONFERENCE
President Wilford Woodruff
President Joseph F. Smith
President George Q. Cannon
Afternoon Session. Sunday, Oct. 3
President Lorenzo Snow
Apostle Franklin D. Richards
President Wilford Woodruff
Apostle John W. Taylor
Overflow Meeting
Apostle Heber J. Grant
Bishop O. F. Whitney
Apostle A. H. Lund
Elder B. H. Roberts
A Priesthood Meeting
Presidents George Q. Cannon
Joseph F. Smith
Wilford Woodruff
Second Day. Morning Session. Monday, October 5th
Apostle Francis M. Lyman
Apostle Heber J. Grant
Apostle Mariner W. Merrill
Second Day. Afternoon Session. Oct. 5th
Apostle Moses Thatcher
President Wilford Woodruff
President George Q. Cannon
Third Day. Morning Session. October 6th
Elder Charles W. Penrose
President Woodruff
Apostle Moses Thatcher
Elder Franklin S. Richards
Elder John T. Caine
President George Q. Cannon
Brother John Clark
President Woodruff
Afternoon Session
President George Q. Cannon
Apostle Anton H. Lund
Apostle Abraham H. Cannon
Hon. John T. Caine
Committee Report. Misrepresentations of the Utah Commission Denounced
Mr. Charles Ellis
Elder B. H. Roberts
Hon. John T. Caine
Declaration by the First Presidency of the Church
The Authorities
Elder Jacob Gates
Patriarch Lorenzo Young
President George Q. Cannon
President Wilford Woodruff
GENERAL CONFERENCE
President Wilford Woodruff
President Joseph F. Smith
President George Q. Cannon
Afternoon Session. Sunday, Oct. 3
President Lorenzo Snow
Apostle Franklin D. Richards
President Wilford Woodruff
Apostle John W. Taylor
Overflow Meeting
Apostle Heber J. Grant
Bishop O. F. Whitney
Apostle A. H. Lund
Elder B. H. Roberts
A Priesthood Meeting
Presidents George Q. Cannon
Joseph F. Smith
Wilford Woodruff
Second Day. Morning Session. Monday, October 5th
Apostle Francis M. Lyman
Apostle Heber J. Grant
Apostle Mariner W. Merrill
Second Day. Afternoon Session. Oct. 5th
Apostle Moses Thatcher
President Wilford Woodruff
President George Q. Cannon
Third Day. Morning Session. October 6th
Elder Charles W. Penrose
President Woodruff
Apostle Moses Thatcher
Elder Franklin S. Richards
Elder John T. Caine
President George Q. Cannon
Brother John Clark
President Woodruff
Afternoon Session
President George Q. Cannon
Apostle Anton H. Lund
Apostle Abraham H. Cannon
Hon. John T. Caine
Committee Report. Misrepresentations of the Utah Commission Denounced
Mr. Charles Ellis
Elder B. H. Roberts
Hon. John T. Caine
Declaration by the First Presidency of the Church
The Authorities
Elder Jacob Gates
Patriarch Lorenzo Young
President George Q. Cannon
President Wilford Woodruff
GENERAL CONFERENCE
The Sixty-second Semi-annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, convened at 10 a. m., on Sunday, October 4th, 1891, in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, President Wilford Woodruff presiding.
There were on the stand: Of the First Presidency, Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith; of the council of the Twelve Apostles: Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Francis M. Lyman, Heber J. Grant, John W. Taylor, Mariner W. Merrill, Anton H. Lund and Abraham H. Cannon; Patriarch, John Smith; of the Presiding Council of the Seventies: Seymour B. Young, C. D. Fjelsted, B. H. Roberts and George Reynolds; of the Presiding Bishopric: William B. Preston and John R. Winder.
There were also numbers of Presidents of Stakes and of other leading brethren from various parts of Utah and surrounding region.
The Conference was called to order by President George Q. Cannon.
The choir and congregation sang the hymn commencing:
How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word.
The opening prayer was offered by Apostle M. W. Merrill.
On the mountain tops appearing,
Lo! the sacred herald stands!
was sung by the choir.
The Sixty-second Semi-annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, convened at 10 a. m., on Sunday, October 4th, 1891, in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, President Wilford Woodruff presiding.
There were on the stand: Of the First Presidency, Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith; of the council of the Twelve Apostles: Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Francis M. Lyman, Heber J. Grant, John W. Taylor, Mariner W. Merrill, Anton H. Lund and Abraham H. Cannon; Patriarch, John Smith; of the Presiding Council of the Seventies: Seymour B. Young, C. D. Fjelsted, B. H. Roberts and George Reynolds; of the Presiding Bishopric: William B. Preston and John R. Winder.
There were also numbers of Presidents of Stakes and of other leading brethren from various parts of Utah and surrounding region.
The Conference was called to order by President George Q. Cannon.
The choir and congregation sang the hymn commencing:
How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word.
The opening prayer was offered by Apostle M. W. Merrill.
On the mountain tops appearing,
Lo! the sacred herald stands!
was sung by the choir.
The conference was addressed by President Wilford Woodruff
as follows: I want to say to my friends this morning that I am a very happy man. My heart is filled with gratitude to God my Heavenly Father for the blessings that I enjoy. It is over seven years since the Presidency of this Church and as many of the Twelve Apostles have occupied this stand until today, and I feel that we have all reason to thank God for and rejoice in His name for the blessings and privileges that we enjoy this glorious morning. Turning to Apostle Snow the speaker asked: Is there any law against a man telling what is in his heart if he has no evil in it?
Apostle Snow replied that he knew of none.
President Woodruff—Brother Snow says that he does no know of any such law, and therefore I say God bless President Harrison for exercising his official clemency in liberating President Joseph F. Smith, and I am thankful that Brother Smith is with us today. I say also God bless every other man, whether he be Jew or Gentile, Catholic or Protestant, judge or jury man, who has lent his name to this and not only liberated President Smith but many of our brethren who have the privilege of sitting here with us on this occasion. I hope there is no harm in that thought or feeling; for that is the way I do feel at this time. My heart is full of gratitude and blessing to my fellowmen for all the good they have done. Everything that leads to good and to do good is of God; and everything that leads to evil and to do evil is said to be of the wicked one. I feel that all of us have reason to rejoice before the Lord for the deliverance and blessings which He has wrought among us. I rejoice in the union which exists among us as a Presidency of this Church and the twelve apostles. These are bodies of men who of all men under heaven should be united in the work of the Lord in which we are engaged. I do not believe there ever has been a body of men in any age of the world who, as a general thing, are more united and happy than are these today; and while we are here assembled together I hope and trust that we may have the inspiration of Almighty God with us in our teachings, in our instructions, in our counsels. We shall call upon our brothers to address us, and I say in the name of the Lord, let us all have peace.
as follows: I want to say to my friends this morning that I am a very happy man. My heart is filled with gratitude to God my Heavenly Father for the blessings that I enjoy. It is over seven years since the Presidency of this Church and as many of the Twelve Apostles have occupied this stand until today, and I feel that we have all reason to thank God for and rejoice in His name for the blessings and privileges that we enjoy this glorious morning. Turning to Apostle Snow the speaker asked: Is there any law against a man telling what is in his heart if he has no evil in it?
Apostle Snow replied that he knew of none.
President Woodruff—Brother Snow says that he does no know of any such law, and therefore I say God bless President Harrison for exercising his official clemency in liberating President Joseph F. Smith, and I am thankful that Brother Smith is with us today. I say also God bless every other man, whether he be Jew or Gentile, Catholic or Protestant, judge or jury man, who has lent his name to this and not only liberated President Smith but many of our brethren who have the privilege of sitting here with us on this occasion. I hope there is no harm in that thought or feeling; for that is the way I do feel at this time. My heart is full of gratitude and blessing to my fellowmen for all the good they have done. Everything that leads to good and to do good is of God; and everything that leads to evil and to do evil is said to be of the wicked one. I feel that all of us have reason to rejoice before the Lord for the deliverance and blessings which He has wrought among us. I rejoice in the union which exists among us as a Presidency of this Church and the twelve apostles. These are bodies of men who of all men under heaven should be united in the work of the Lord in which we are engaged. I do not believe there ever has been a body of men in any age of the world who, as a general thing, are more united and happy than are these today; and while we are here assembled together I hope and trust that we may have the inspiration of Almighty God with us in our teachings, in our instructions, in our counsels. We shall call upon our brothers to address us, and I say in the name of the Lord, let us all have peace.
President Joseph F. Smith
next addressed the assemblage. He said that, agreeable to the request of President Woodruff, he arose to speak to the Saints for a short time that morning, according to the inspiration that he might receive and the strength and assistance that might be given him of the Lord. Of himself he felt very weak and incapable of addressing so vast a congregation as he now saw before him; he felt exceedingly humble in the sight of God.
He desired to add his acknowledgements, and also his thankfulness, to those expressed by President Woodruff, in that he was permitted to meet with the Latter-day Saints that morning. He was deeply grateful to his Heavenly Father for the privilege of meeting with them in conference in that Tabernacle for the first time in seven and a half years. To Him be given the glory and honor for every blessing that they had received; and he was also thankful to the President of the United States for exercising clemency towards him and again giving him his franchise and his citizenship in the community in which he lived. He was also most grateful to his friends who gave their influence and their assistance to this end. He need not name them, for they well knew the work that they had done. He fully acknowledged their kindness under God, and would endeavor to act consistent with the circumstances in which he was placed, and the condition in which the people of God were placed, in order that he might be able to continue his usefulness in the midst of the people at large.
He desired to say that his faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ had undergone but one change since he met with the Saints there before. They might ask what the change was. His answer was this: “The change that has come upon my faith sine I had the privilege of last meeting with you is that my faith is as much strong, as much more fervent, as much more determined as it is possible for it to have grown in the laps of seven and a half years. That is the only change that has come upon my faith in regard to the principles of the Gospel. He loved the Gospel a little better than he did a few years ago; he loved his brethren a little better he was trying a little harder to be a better man today than was the case a few years ago; and he was endeavoring to the best of his understanding and ability to live a little nearer unto the Lord now than he did a number of years ago. These were the changes that had come upon him during his exile, during his absence from the people and from his home. He trusted that he might continue in this direction, to grow and develop in faith, in understanding, in humility, and in all the graces of the Gospel until “the perfect day.”
He desired to exhort his brethren and sisters to do likewise, to be just as faithful as it was possible for them to be, from this time henceforth and forever. They had received the truth, inasmuch as they had embraced the Gospel that had been restored to the earth in this dispensation through the Prophet Joseph Smith. They were engaged in the right cause, they were walking in the right path, inasmuch as they were endeavoring to follow the precepts of that Gospel. Let them continue in that path; let the Spirit of the Lord expand their hearts and minds, enlarge their understanding, quicken their perceptive faculties, extend their sympathy and love, and increase their faith and diligence in the performance of all the duties which devolved upon them as Latter-day Saints. All would then be well with them. The Kingdom of God was the kingdom of righteousness, Christ Himself being the “chief corner stone,” and the Latter-day Saints were His subjects; for the acknowledged no king but King Emanuel. He was their King, Lawgiver, and Ruler; He was their Dictator; because he dictated to them by the influences of His Holy Spirit. He inspired their hearts to do that which was right and righteous in His sight; He reproved them when they did wrong; He showed them, through the influences of His Holy Spirit, the right course—the righteous way, and He inspired their hearts to walk to that way. The Kingdom of God was established upon the earth and Christ, their head, was King. He had said that they should be subject to kings, and to emperors, and to presidents and rulers in the midst of the children of men, and to the powers that be, and to the laws that are, until He comes “whose right it is to reign,” and “subdues all things unto Himself.”
This was the work in which they were engaged; this was the hope that inspired their hearts; this was the desire that was before them—that they might be subject to the powers that be, that they might work righteousness in their day and age, that they might be faithful in the discharge of every duty devolving upon them as men and women occupying a position in the community in which they lived; that they might be pure-minded, honorable, truthful, honest and sincere in all they undertook.
While they acknowledged God as their head, while they acknowledged Christ as their Ruler, King, Lawgiver and Preceptor, still they were subject, and always had been subject to the governments under which they welt, and they expected to yield obedience unto the laws which existed, when those laws were made for the government of the children of men and for the establishment of peace and good order in the midst of the world. Where good government did not exist in this their great and glorious country it was not because the form of government was not good. It was not because, as a rule their laws were not intended to be good; but it often happened because those laws were not properly administered, or because the administration of the law was entrusted to those who were not just in their hearts.
These were circumstances that they could not control. They were creatures subject to these conditions, and must yield obedience to them. They must honor this law of God and also the law of men, and seek to be good citizens. It was the right of every individual within the sound of his voice, and throughout the world, to exercise his or her own judgments as to what was good and what was evil; and so long as every man or woman did, according to the light which he or she possessed, that which was right and avoided that which was wrong, they might continue to plead with God that the errors and evils and wrongs which existed amongst us might cease and righteousness reign in their stead. It was the duty of every one to pray to God that justice might be administered and truth upheld and sustained in the midst of the children of men everywhere.
As Latter-day Saints they believed in the Son of God, for they were Christians in every sense of the word. In believing this they did not alone depend upon that which was written in the Bible; they had not to depend entirely upon their faith in this matter. It was true they read the Bible, that they read the testimony of the ancient Apostles in the New Testament: they read the record of the Nephites on this continent, and they believed their testimony. But over and above that, great than all this, they ha in their hearts the inspiration of God to man, teaching us that these things are true and that God lived, that Jesus is His Son, that He died for the world, that his blood cleanses us from all sin, through our obedience to the principles of the Gospel, and through our fidelity to the principles of righteousness in our lives. That was why it was impossible for a man who had once received the testimony of Jesus Christ to forsake God and join the various “Isms” which existed in the world to-day. They might depart from this Gospel, from religion, from Christ, from the knowledge of God, from the faith of the Gospel of the Son of God, but they became infidels. This had been proven, and was known to be the fact. How careful then, they ought to be who had the privilege of knowing the truth for themselves.
After enlarging upon the subject of faith in God, the speaker went on to say that during his exile he enjoyed perfect liberty; because the Gospel of Jesus Christ was the Gospel of liberty, and whoever received it was free indeed, though he be in chains, in bondage or in prison. It made no difference as to that. He was free because God had made him so, and there was no freedom greater than this. Those of their brethren who had been in prison for conscience sake were free men, even though restricted of their liberty for the time. Why was he free? Because he owed no man, so far as he knew; because he did not entertain malice in his heart toward any man. He was no man’s debtor to his knowledge, and, according to the best of his ability he never wronged or injured anyone. If he had, let that man come and show him wherein he had wronged him, and, God being his helper, he would make it right to the last farthing. He had endeavored to live within the pale of the kingdom of God—the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that would make all men free, inasmuch as they would receive the truth.
His brethren and sisters would excuse him if he displayed a little fervor and enthusiasm—they might call it fanaticism if they pleased. What did he care. So that he was satisfied and knew that God had spoken to him, that he had received the truth, it made no difference. And if they had received the truth, could they be less fervent than he? No. Yet with all his thankfulness, with all his fervency, faith and confidence in the work in which they were engaged, he was not as earnest, devout, and thankful as he should be. There was still room to grow, to improve and enlarge his usefulness from day to day and from hour to hour, and he intended to try and improve upon each opportunity.
They must be subject to the powers that be, subject to the authorities of the Priesthood and of the Church; subject to their counsels of righteousness. They would only counsel them in that which was good in the sight of God. It was not an exhibition of freedom or manhood for men to disobey the words of God and the righteous counsels of His chosen servants. A man was a coward indeed who would do so. There was no cowardice in a man obeying at all times righteous counsel when it came from the Presidency of the Church, from the Apostles, from their Presidents of Stakes, from their Bishops, and Teachers, and from those who were authorized to teach, instruct, and counsel the people of God. It was manly, it was noble, it was independence of spirit for a man to hearken to such counsel and to be obedient to such men. It was brave; for the world was looked upon the Latter-day Saints with scorn and contempt, and thought they were deceived. But they were not. The finger of scorn was sometimes pointed at them because they said they were not ashamed to listen to the counsels of those good men who led and instructed them. But the people had proved them; they knew their principles, how they had guided the Saints in the past, they knew their integrity, their honor, their worth, their fortitude; and could therefore well afford to be guided by them in all things and be united with them. It was manly and Godlike to do so; not to do it was cowardly.
Would any man dare to tell him he was a coward when he listened to good counsel, not matter from whom it came? It took courage to do as they had done; and that was why the Latter-day Saints were independent men. They were chosen and uplifted of God because they dared to obey the truth, to acknowledge in the presence of the whole world that Jesus was the Christ and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the living God. They dared and proposed to continue to do this to the end of their time, knowing that it was right, and did not intend to shrink from that duty, God helping them.
In conclusion the speaker exhorted the Saints to be faithful, humble, and diligent in the performance of all their duties, never wavering nor faltering in the least, but remaining steadfast in the principles of the Gospel. Then God would bless and prosper them and their children after them, from generation to generation.
next addressed the assemblage. He said that, agreeable to the request of President Woodruff, he arose to speak to the Saints for a short time that morning, according to the inspiration that he might receive and the strength and assistance that might be given him of the Lord. Of himself he felt very weak and incapable of addressing so vast a congregation as he now saw before him; he felt exceedingly humble in the sight of God.
He desired to add his acknowledgements, and also his thankfulness, to those expressed by President Woodruff, in that he was permitted to meet with the Latter-day Saints that morning. He was deeply grateful to his Heavenly Father for the privilege of meeting with them in conference in that Tabernacle for the first time in seven and a half years. To Him be given the glory and honor for every blessing that they had received; and he was also thankful to the President of the United States for exercising clemency towards him and again giving him his franchise and his citizenship in the community in which he lived. He was also most grateful to his friends who gave their influence and their assistance to this end. He need not name them, for they well knew the work that they had done. He fully acknowledged their kindness under God, and would endeavor to act consistent with the circumstances in which he was placed, and the condition in which the people of God were placed, in order that he might be able to continue his usefulness in the midst of the people at large.
He desired to say that his faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ had undergone but one change since he met with the Saints there before. They might ask what the change was. His answer was this: “The change that has come upon my faith sine I had the privilege of last meeting with you is that my faith is as much strong, as much more fervent, as much more determined as it is possible for it to have grown in the laps of seven and a half years. That is the only change that has come upon my faith in regard to the principles of the Gospel. He loved the Gospel a little better than he did a few years ago; he loved his brethren a little better he was trying a little harder to be a better man today than was the case a few years ago; and he was endeavoring to the best of his understanding and ability to live a little nearer unto the Lord now than he did a number of years ago. These were the changes that had come upon him during his exile, during his absence from the people and from his home. He trusted that he might continue in this direction, to grow and develop in faith, in understanding, in humility, and in all the graces of the Gospel until “the perfect day.”
He desired to exhort his brethren and sisters to do likewise, to be just as faithful as it was possible for them to be, from this time henceforth and forever. They had received the truth, inasmuch as they had embraced the Gospel that had been restored to the earth in this dispensation through the Prophet Joseph Smith. They were engaged in the right cause, they were walking in the right path, inasmuch as they were endeavoring to follow the precepts of that Gospel. Let them continue in that path; let the Spirit of the Lord expand their hearts and minds, enlarge their understanding, quicken their perceptive faculties, extend their sympathy and love, and increase their faith and diligence in the performance of all the duties which devolved upon them as Latter-day Saints. All would then be well with them. The Kingdom of God was the kingdom of righteousness, Christ Himself being the “chief corner stone,” and the Latter-day Saints were His subjects; for the acknowledged no king but King Emanuel. He was their King, Lawgiver, and Ruler; He was their Dictator; because he dictated to them by the influences of His Holy Spirit. He inspired their hearts to do that which was right and righteous in His sight; He reproved them when they did wrong; He showed them, through the influences of His Holy Spirit, the right course—the righteous way, and He inspired their hearts to walk to that way. The Kingdom of God was established upon the earth and Christ, their head, was King. He had said that they should be subject to kings, and to emperors, and to presidents and rulers in the midst of the children of men, and to the powers that be, and to the laws that are, until He comes “whose right it is to reign,” and “subdues all things unto Himself.”
This was the work in which they were engaged; this was the hope that inspired their hearts; this was the desire that was before them—that they might be subject to the powers that be, that they might work righteousness in their day and age, that they might be faithful in the discharge of every duty devolving upon them as men and women occupying a position in the community in which they lived; that they might be pure-minded, honorable, truthful, honest and sincere in all they undertook.
While they acknowledged God as their head, while they acknowledged Christ as their Ruler, King, Lawgiver and Preceptor, still they were subject, and always had been subject to the governments under which they welt, and they expected to yield obedience unto the laws which existed, when those laws were made for the government of the children of men and for the establishment of peace and good order in the midst of the world. Where good government did not exist in this their great and glorious country it was not because the form of government was not good. It was not because, as a rule their laws were not intended to be good; but it often happened because those laws were not properly administered, or because the administration of the law was entrusted to those who were not just in their hearts.
These were circumstances that they could not control. They were creatures subject to these conditions, and must yield obedience to them. They must honor this law of God and also the law of men, and seek to be good citizens. It was the right of every individual within the sound of his voice, and throughout the world, to exercise his or her own judgments as to what was good and what was evil; and so long as every man or woman did, according to the light which he or she possessed, that which was right and avoided that which was wrong, they might continue to plead with God that the errors and evils and wrongs which existed amongst us might cease and righteousness reign in their stead. It was the duty of every one to pray to God that justice might be administered and truth upheld and sustained in the midst of the children of men everywhere.
As Latter-day Saints they believed in the Son of God, for they were Christians in every sense of the word. In believing this they did not alone depend upon that which was written in the Bible; they had not to depend entirely upon their faith in this matter. It was true they read the Bible, that they read the testimony of the ancient Apostles in the New Testament: they read the record of the Nephites on this continent, and they believed their testimony. But over and above that, great than all this, they ha in their hearts the inspiration of God to man, teaching us that these things are true and that God lived, that Jesus is His Son, that He died for the world, that his blood cleanses us from all sin, through our obedience to the principles of the Gospel, and through our fidelity to the principles of righteousness in our lives. That was why it was impossible for a man who had once received the testimony of Jesus Christ to forsake God and join the various “Isms” which existed in the world to-day. They might depart from this Gospel, from religion, from Christ, from the knowledge of God, from the faith of the Gospel of the Son of God, but they became infidels. This had been proven, and was known to be the fact. How careful then, they ought to be who had the privilege of knowing the truth for themselves.
After enlarging upon the subject of faith in God, the speaker went on to say that during his exile he enjoyed perfect liberty; because the Gospel of Jesus Christ was the Gospel of liberty, and whoever received it was free indeed, though he be in chains, in bondage or in prison. It made no difference as to that. He was free because God had made him so, and there was no freedom greater than this. Those of their brethren who had been in prison for conscience sake were free men, even though restricted of their liberty for the time. Why was he free? Because he owed no man, so far as he knew; because he did not entertain malice in his heart toward any man. He was no man’s debtor to his knowledge, and, according to the best of his ability he never wronged or injured anyone. If he had, let that man come and show him wherein he had wronged him, and, God being his helper, he would make it right to the last farthing. He had endeavored to live within the pale of the kingdom of God—the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that would make all men free, inasmuch as they would receive the truth.
His brethren and sisters would excuse him if he displayed a little fervor and enthusiasm—they might call it fanaticism if they pleased. What did he care. So that he was satisfied and knew that God had spoken to him, that he had received the truth, it made no difference. And if they had received the truth, could they be less fervent than he? No. Yet with all his thankfulness, with all his fervency, faith and confidence in the work in which they were engaged, he was not as earnest, devout, and thankful as he should be. There was still room to grow, to improve and enlarge his usefulness from day to day and from hour to hour, and he intended to try and improve upon each opportunity.
They must be subject to the powers that be, subject to the authorities of the Priesthood and of the Church; subject to their counsels of righteousness. They would only counsel them in that which was good in the sight of God. It was not an exhibition of freedom or manhood for men to disobey the words of God and the righteous counsels of His chosen servants. A man was a coward indeed who would do so. There was no cowardice in a man obeying at all times righteous counsel when it came from the Presidency of the Church, from the Apostles, from their Presidents of Stakes, from their Bishops, and Teachers, and from those who were authorized to teach, instruct, and counsel the people of God. It was manly, it was noble, it was independence of spirit for a man to hearken to such counsel and to be obedient to such men. It was brave; for the world was looked upon the Latter-day Saints with scorn and contempt, and thought they were deceived. But they were not. The finger of scorn was sometimes pointed at them because they said they were not ashamed to listen to the counsels of those good men who led and instructed them. But the people had proved them; they knew their principles, how they had guided the Saints in the past, they knew their integrity, their honor, their worth, their fortitude; and could therefore well afford to be guided by them in all things and be united with them. It was manly and Godlike to do so; not to do it was cowardly.
Would any man dare to tell him he was a coward when he listened to good counsel, not matter from whom it came? It took courage to do as they had done; and that was why the Latter-day Saints were independent men. They were chosen and uplifted of God because they dared to obey the truth, to acknowledge in the presence of the whole world that Jesus was the Christ and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the living God. They dared and proposed to continue to do this to the end of their time, knowing that it was right, and did not intend to shrink from that duty, God helping them.
In conclusion the speaker exhorted the Saints to be faithful, humble, and diligent in the performance of all their duties, never wavering nor faltering in the least, but remaining steadfast in the principles of the Gospel. Then God would bless and prosper them and their children after them, from generation to generation.
President George Q. Cannon
said he had listened, as no doubt all present had, with exceeding great pleasure to the testimony borne by President Joseph F. Smith. He felt that this was a time when they, as a people, could rejoice and be thankful unto God. This Conference would be a memorable one; for when they thought of the many changes that had occurred there was great reason for thanksgiving and giving praise to their Father in Heaven for His kindness and mercy unto them. He was satisfied that no power but that of God could have wrought the changes they had witnessed or delivered them as they had been delivered. Hence it seemed to him that this general Conference was a fitting occasion on which to join with all their hearts in thanking God, as a people, for that which He had done for them; and they might rest assured that He would yet continue to fulfil the many promises given unto His chosen ones.
It was a glorious thought that in the midst of affliction, sorrow, and trials that they had a Friend so powerful as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, dreary prospect before them, indeed, if it were not for the consolation that God had given them upon this point. God had called them to endure trials and to pass through tribulation. The hearts of His people had been wrung in anguish; their faith had been tested to the fullest extend; and had it not been for the promises of God and the faith given unto them they would have fainted by the wayside. But in the midst of their peculiar circumstances He had been near unto them; He had comforted their hearts, He had whispered peace, He had been on their right hand and on their left, and they had proved Him to be the God whom they declared Him to be; and those who were faithful would yet see the outpouring of His power, a bestowal of heavenly gifts, and an increase of heavenly manifestations such as they had never before witnessed.
He knew and could bear testimony that God was pleased with the Latter-day Saints and had accepted of their offerings; He had recognized their fidelity to His cause, their determination to do that which was required of them. There were many things yet to be accomplished and they would be done in the good time of the Lord. Brother Joseph F. Smith had told them that morning that he thanked God for the testimony he had received. It was something they should all be thankful for—that their great Creator, in the midst of the darkness, gloom and uncertainty which prevailed over the earth had condescended to reveal Himself to a few humble individuals who had sought to do His will; for though the Latter-day Saints numbered thousands, yet they were but few compared with the great family of man. They could not, however, pride themselves with the reflection that this blessing was for them alone; Go was just as willing to remove doubt and uncertainty from every other heart as He had been to remove it from theirs. He was not a partial God; but when they saw how the inhabitants of the earth wandered and indulged in all manner of speculation concerning God and eternity and then reflected upon what God had revealed to the Latter-day Saints, it should fill them with inexpressible joy and thanksgiving for the mercy that He had shown unto them, and for the light and intelligence which He had poured out upon them as members of His Church.
The great bulk of mankind at the present time seemed to have very little hope concerning the future. He was very much struck with the writing left by Boulanger, the French general, who suicided in Belgium a few days ago. His closing words were that he “went to nothingness,” died without hope, looked upon himself as going to annihilation. That, at least, was the only interpretation that could be put upon his last expressions. What a future for a man to contemplate—a man in the image of God, full of the attributes—though perhaps undeveloped—but still the attributes of Deity! Only imagine that by blowing his brains out he thought to end his existence for ever and become a clod of the earth! This was not, however, an exceptional belief; it was too general in the world today. God had not left the Latter-day Saints to be a prey to these dreadful feelings, but had implanted within them principles which gave them correct ideas concerning the future, the object of their creation, the purpose of which our Father had in sending us here. With them it was life eternal; there was no limit to the blessings that God intended to bestow upon His people if they would only continue faithful. But He would still try them; they would still have to pass through the furnace of affliction, as many had already; and be tried as gold that was seven times purified; they would have to pass through the deep waters. Poverty, privations, and persecutions might yet be their lot; but if they endured these things and remained faithful to the end glory and blessings unlimited would be their share. He besought them to have unwavering confidence in God and let their faith he strong, for by the exercise of faith they could accomplish wonders. The things they had endured of late should increase rather than diminish their faith in God and His willingness to save them.
When they sought for gifts and blessings from God, let them not do so in order to satisfy their own requirements merely, and that they might be able to say “I am better than my fellowmen.” If they asked for gifts, let them also pray for grace and strength commensurate therewith, so that they might bear them meekly and humbly, realizing that they were not ours, after all, but the gift of God, who could at any moment withdraw them from us. The nearer we live to God the more the spirit of testimony would rest upon us, and everything connected with our religion was then made simple and plain. No man or woman in this Church could grow in the work of God who did not constantly commune with Him and constantly have answers to their prayers.
President Cannon next remarked that there were many subjects which might be talked upon at this Conference, and many upon which the Saints needed instruction. The two or three days now before them were scarcely sufficient to get their hearts as mellow as they should be. They came to Conference with their minds absorbed and clouded with various business affairs. They should forget these, and enter heartily and prayerfully into the important work in which they professed to engage. Let them forget their anxieties and business cares and concentrate their thoughts entirely upon the work of the Lord.
That was the first day of their Conference, and he hoped to see it close as it had begun, with crowded congregations—the people hungering for the Word of God and desirous to hear the counsel of His servants. If they came together in that spirit, he knew they would not go away unsatisfied, but would be thankful for the good they had received.
The choir sang: Pilgrims Chorus.
Benediction was pronounced by Patriarch John Smith.
said he had listened, as no doubt all present had, with exceeding great pleasure to the testimony borne by President Joseph F. Smith. He felt that this was a time when they, as a people, could rejoice and be thankful unto God. This Conference would be a memorable one; for when they thought of the many changes that had occurred there was great reason for thanksgiving and giving praise to their Father in Heaven for His kindness and mercy unto them. He was satisfied that no power but that of God could have wrought the changes they had witnessed or delivered them as they had been delivered. Hence it seemed to him that this general Conference was a fitting occasion on which to join with all their hearts in thanking God, as a people, for that which He had done for them; and they might rest assured that He would yet continue to fulfil the many promises given unto His chosen ones.
It was a glorious thought that in the midst of affliction, sorrow, and trials that they had a Friend so powerful as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, dreary prospect before them, indeed, if it were not for the consolation that God had given them upon this point. God had called them to endure trials and to pass through tribulation. The hearts of His people had been wrung in anguish; their faith had been tested to the fullest extend; and had it not been for the promises of God and the faith given unto them they would have fainted by the wayside. But in the midst of their peculiar circumstances He had been near unto them; He had comforted their hearts, He had whispered peace, He had been on their right hand and on their left, and they had proved Him to be the God whom they declared Him to be; and those who were faithful would yet see the outpouring of His power, a bestowal of heavenly gifts, and an increase of heavenly manifestations such as they had never before witnessed.
He knew and could bear testimony that God was pleased with the Latter-day Saints and had accepted of their offerings; He had recognized their fidelity to His cause, their determination to do that which was required of them. There were many things yet to be accomplished and they would be done in the good time of the Lord. Brother Joseph F. Smith had told them that morning that he thanked God for the testimony he had received. It was something they should all be thankful for—that their great Creator, in the midst of the darkness, gloom and uncertainty which prevailed over the earth had condescended to reveal Himself to a few humble individuals who had sought to do His will; for though the Latter-day Saints numbered thousands, yet they were but few compared with the great family of man. They could not, however, pride themselves with the reflection that this blessing was for them alone; Go was just as willing to remove doubt and uncertainty from every other heart as He had been to remove it from theirs. He was not a partial God; but when they saw how the inhabitants of the earth wandered and indulged in all manner of speculation concerning God and eternity and then reflected upon what God had revealed to the Latter-day Saints, it should fill them with inexpressible joy and thanksgiving for the mercy that He had shown unto them, and for the light and intelligence which He had poured out upon them as members of His Church.
The great bulk of mankind at the present time seemed to have very little hope concerning the future. He was very much struck with the writing left by Boulanger, the French general, who suicided in Belgium a few days ago. His closing words were that he “went to nothingness,” died without hope, looked upon himself as going to annihilation. That, at least, was the only interpretation that could be put upon his last expressions. What a future for a man to contemplate—a man in the image of God, full of the attributes—though perhaps undeveloped—but still the attributes of Deity! Only imagine that by blowing his brains out he thought to end his existence for ever and become a clod of the earth! This was not, however, an exceptional belief; it was too general in the world today. God had not left the Latter-day Saints to be a prey to these dreadful feelings, but had implanted within them principles which gave them correct ideas concerning the future, the object of their creation, the purpose of which our Father had in sending us here. With them it was life eternal; there was no limit to the blessings that God intended to bestow upon His people if they would only continue faithful. But He would still try them; they would still have to pass through the furnace of affliction, as many had already; and be tried as gold that was seven times purified; they would have to pass through the deep waters. Poverty, privations, and persecutions might yet be their lot; but if they endured these things and remained faithful to the end glory and blessings unlimited would be their share. He besought them to have unwavering confidence in God and let their faith he strong, for by the exercise of faith they could accomplish wonders. The things they had endured of late should increase rather than diminish their faith in God and His willingness to save them.
When they sought for gifts and blessings from God, let them not do so in order to satisfy their own requirements merely, and that they might be able to say “I am better than my fellowmen.” If they asked for gifts, let them also pray for grace and strength commensurate therewith, so that they might bear them meekly and humbly, realizing that they were not ours, after all, but the gift of God, who could at any moment withdraw them from us. The nearer we live to God the more the spirit of testimony would rest upon us, and everything connected with our religion was then made simple and plain. No man or woman in this Church could grow in the work of God who did not constantly commune with Him and constantly have answers to their prayers.
President Cannon next remarked that there were many subjects which might be talked upon at this Conference, and many upon which the Saints needed instruction. The two or three days now before them were scarcely sufficient to get their hearts as mellow as they should be. They came to Conference with their minds absorbed and clouded with various business affairs. They should forget these, and enter heartily and prayerfully into the important work in which they professed to engage. Let them forget their anxieties and business cares and concentrate their thoughts entirely upon the work of the Lord.
That was the first day of their Conference, and he hoped to see it close as it had begun, with crowded congregations—the people hungering for the Word of God and desirous to hear the counsel of His servants. If they came together in that spirit, he knew they would not go away unsatisfied, but would be thankful for the good they had received.
The choir sang: Pilgrims Chorus.
Benediction was pronounced by Patriarch John Smith.
Afternoon Session. Sunday, Oct. 3.
The choir and congregation sang:
Now let us rejoice in the day of salvation,
No longer as strangers on earth need we roam;
God tidings are sounding to us and each nation,
And shortly the hour of redemption will come.
Prayer by Elder Seymour B. Young.
Singing by the choir:
Jesus, once of humble birth,
Now in glory comes to earth;
Once He suffered grief and pain,
Now He comes on earth to reign.
The sacrament of the Lord’s supper was administered, the priesthood of the First ward, Salt Lake City, officiating.
The choir and congregation sang:
Now let us rejoice in the day of salvation,
No longer as strangers on earth need we roam;
God tidings are sounding to us and each nation,
And shortly the hour of redemption will come.
Prayer by Elder Seymour B. Young.
Singing by the choir:
Jesus, once of humble birth,
Now in glory comes to earth;
Once He suffered grief and pain,
Now He comes on earth to reign.
The sacrament of the Lord’s supper was administered, the priesthood of the First ward, Salt Lake City, officiating.
President Lorenzo Snow
addressed the conference. He said, in substance, that as his voice was not sufficiently strong to make all the vast congregation hear, his remarks would be brief. He would at least bear testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is of God. Most of the Saints ha realized their anticipations regarding the manifestations they expected when they embraced the Gospel. There might be a few, however, who had not to the fullest extent they had wished. There were some that could bear testimony that they received a knowledge of this work before they obeyed it. But as a general thing, this understanding had come subsequent to obedience. This was the case with him. He had a good opportunity to investigate and satisfy himself of the truth of the Gospel. He was acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, the Patriarch, and others over fifty-five years ago. He became satisfied that if there was any truth in the claims of any religion, the principles taught by those men were correct. Consequently, he acted upon this belief, although he knew he would have to face opposition. The bright worldly prospect then before him would have to be renounced. But he concluded that if the ancient Gospel and its powers and gifts had been restored, it would be an excellent thing to obey the divine message. After having been baptized and received the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by those having divine authority, he obtained a most perfect knowledge. The heavens were opened above him, and so long as memory lasted he could not forget that testimony or have any doubt as to the divinity of what is called “Mormonism.” His faith, however, did not rest alone upon the manifestation he had describe, but for fifty-five years and over he had received many demonstrations of the divine character of the work of Go. All faithful Latter-day Saints who wished to know from whence they came, what they were here for and whither they were hastening, these matters would, if they diligently searched, be made perfectly plain to them. They would realize the force of the parable of the Savior in reference to the man who found a treasure and sold all he had to obtain it; also the saying of Christ to the young man whom he told to give up all his worldly possessions and follow him. When Zion existed in its glory its people would be one. The time was near at hand when the Saints must again endeavor to do away with the class distinctions which have grown up in their midst, and become one in all things.
addressed the conference. He said, in substance, that as his voice was not sufficiently strong to make all the vast congregation hear, his remarks would be brief. He would at least bear testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is of God. Most of the Saints ha realized their anticipations regarding the manifestations they expected when they embraced the Gospel. There might be a few, however, who had not to the fullest extent they had wished. There were some that could bear testimony that they received a knowledge of this work before they obeyed it. But as a general thing, this understanding had come subsequent to obedience. This was the case with him. He had a good opportunity to investigate and satisfy himself of the truth of the Gospel. He was acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, the Patriarch, and others over fifty-five years ago. He became satisfied that if there was any truth in the claims of any religion, the principles taught by those men were correct. Consequently, he acted upon this belief, although he knew he would have to face opposition. The bright worldly prospect then before him would have to be renounced. But he concluded that if the ancient Gospel and its powers and gifts had been restored, it would be an excellent thing to obey the divine message. After having been baptized and received the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by those having divine authority, he obtained a most perfect knowledge. The heavens were opened above him, and so long as memory lasted he could not forget that testimony or have any doubt as to the divinity of what is called “Mormonism.” His faith, however, did not rest alone upon the manifestation he had describe, but for fifty-five years and over he had received many demonstrations of the divine character of the work of Go. All faithful Latter-day Saints who wished to know from whence they came, what they were here for and whither they were hastening, these matters would, if they diligently searched, be made perfectly plain to them. They would realize the force of the parable of the Savior in reference to the man who found a treasure and sold all he had to obtain it; also the saying of Christ to the young man whom he told to give up all his worldly possessions and follow him. When Zion existed in its glory its people would be one. The time was near at hand when the Saints must again endeavor to do away with the class distinctions which have grown up in their midst, and become one in all things.
Apostle Franklin D. Richards.
was the next speaker. He expressed his desire to bear his testimony to his fellow-men concerning the truth of the Gospel as given to the world in these last days. He rejoiced exceedingly that God had sent His servants to the land of his nativity to testify of the glorious work that had been established. It was fifty-three years ago last June that he obeyed the message. The speaker had previously commenced the work of searching the scriptures in order to learn the truth and he had not ha to wait long till he found it. In the latter part of the same year the Lord had revealed it to him, and from that day till now, he had never, not even in the darkest hours of trials, had a doubt as to its genuineness. He had found it out through obedience to the principles laid before us this morning and by the reception of the Holy Spirit and the experience of His power, both in soul and in body. He was sorry that he had not been able to do more than he had for the advancement of the kingdom of Go and the salvation of his fellowmen. The Lord had blessed him from time to time with spiritual gifts and he knew certainly that the work in which he was engaged was the work of the most high God.
We need never have any doubt concerning this work. The man who was honored as the instrument of introducing it into the world was a servant of God. He received it from Jesus Christ, our Savior.
The speaker testified that he knew that the Redeemer lives and that He will stand on the earth in the latter days. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. He appeared in his spiritual body to the brother of Jared and to Moses, and he came in the fulness of time and took upon him a body of flesh and bones, and became like man in all respects, but he was a perfected type, and He is the great and glorious Being who has the control of the affairs connected with this Gospel. The inhabitants of the earth will have to hear Him. Blessed be God, our Father, for the knowledge we have received of Him. There is not an earthly monarch from Nimrod to Nebuchadnezzar, and the old Roman Emperors, or the Czars and Sultans and Pharaohs and other mighty men who have ruled with power in the world and who have gone in the spirit world but will have to acknowledge that Jesus came to save the human race, when He brings them out of their graves.
He said that he who believes in the Father also believes in Him, and, “if you do not believe, you shall die in your sins.” That has been the condition of the past ages. But Christ came to save them. We must all lay our bodies down in the dust, but the day shall come when we shall rise again, and then shall every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. Blessed are they who have already received this knowledge. We do not know how to be thankful enough for this great blessing. We have all to be tried. Abraham was tried till every hope seemed to be cut off. His only child was laid on the altar, but the Patriarch still believed that God was mighty to raise him from the dead. Many of us have been similarly tried, when we have seen our children on a bed of sickness. We have called the Elders to administer to them, but all hope seemed gone and we thought all was over, when God finally restored the beloved ones to us. God’s children are of little account before they have been tried and have faithfully endured. When we have learned to take everything as it comes and yet have the first determination, “I and my house will serve the Lord;” when we can give up everything and do this as it behooves the servants of God, then we are prepared to receive the things back again as ours, which are not so now. Let us, then, go on and keep the commandments of God. We need more of the Spirit of the Lord, if we wish to see our way through all trials and difficulties. May God grant us the glorious privilege to attain unto perfect manhood and become like our Savior, Jesus Christ.
The choir sang an anthem.
was the next speaker. He expressed his desire to bear his testimony to his fellow-men concerning the truth of the Gospel as given to the world in these last days. He rejoiced exceedingly that God had sent His servants to the land of his nativity to testify of the glorious work that had been established. It was fifty-three years ago last June that he obeyed the message. The speaker had previously commenced the work of searching the scriptures in order to learn the truth and he had not ha to wait long till he found it. In the latter part of the same year the Lord had revealed it to him, and from that day till now, he had never, not even in the darkest hours of trials, had a doubt as to its genuineness. He had found it out through obedience to the principles laid before us this morning and by the reception of the Holy Spirit and the experience of His power, both in soul and in body. He was sorry that he had not been able to do more than he had for the advancement of the kingdom of Go and the salvation of his fellowmen. The Lord had blessed him from time to time with spiritual gifts and he knew certainly that the work in which he was engaged was the work of the most high God.
We need never have any doubt concerning this work. The man who was honored as the instrument of introducing it into the world was a servant of God. He received it from Jesus Christ, our Savior.
The speaker testified that he knew that the Redeemer lives and that He will stand on the earth in the latter days. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. He appeared in his spiritual body to the brother of Jared and to Moses, and he came in the fulness of time and took upon him a body of flesh and bones, and became like man in all respects, but he was a perfected type, and He is the great and glorious Being who has the control of the affairs connected with this Gospel. The inhabitants of the earth will have to hear Him. Blessed be God, our Father, for the knowledge we have received of Him. There is not an earthly monarch from Nimrod to Nebuchadnezzar, and the old Roman Emperors, or the Czars and Sultans and Pharaohs and other mighty men who have ruled with power in the world and who have gone in the spirit world but will have to acknowledge that Jesus came to save the human race, when He brings them out of their graves.
He said that he who believes in the Father also believes in Him, and, “if you do not believe, you shall die in your sins.” That has been the condition of the past ages. But Christ came to save them. We must all lay our bodies down in the dust, but the day shall come when we shall rise again, and then shall every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. Blessed are they who have already received this knowledge. We do not know how to be thankful enough for this great blessing. We have all to be tried. Abraham was tried till every hope seemed to be cut off. His only child was laid on the altar, but the Patriarch still believed that God was mighty to raise him from the dead. Many of us have been similarly tried, when we have seen our children on a bed of sickness. We have called the Elders to administer to them, but all hope seemed gone and we thought all was over, when God finally restored the beloved ones to us. God’s children are of little account before they have been tried and have faithfully endured. When we have learned to take everything as it comes and yet have the first determination, “I and my house will serve the Lord;” when we can give up everything and do this as it behooves the servants of God, then we are prepared to receive the things back again as ours, which are not so now. Let us, then, go on and keep the commandments of God. We need more of the Spirit of the Lord, if we wish to see our way through all trials and difficulties. May God grant us the glorious privilege to attain unto perfect manhood and become like our Savior, Jesus Christ.
The choir sang an anthem.
President Wilford Woodruff
then addressed the congregation. In the year 1833 he had heard the first Gospel sermon. In the first year after having embraced the Gospel, he had held the office of a Teacher. In the second year he was ordained a Priest. The following year he became an Elder and the next he was ordained a member of the quorum of the Seventies. For about fifty-two years he had been a member of the quorum of the Twelve.
The speaker would say that during this time, he had endeavored to preach the Gospel to the world, and in so doing had traveled enough to go round the world six times, yet he had not tried to preach or to minister in the ordinances of the Kingdom of God, except by the power of Jesus Christ. And now after having labored so many years he felt still as much dependent on the Holy Spirit as ever, and on the faith and prayers of the Saints. There never was a Prophet on the earth who could instruct the children of men except by the power of the Priesthood.
The speaker then very strongly refuted some of the slanders that have been hurled against the people of God, even by prominent men who have visited the Territory. He made an eloquent appeal for the liberty of conscience. The Latter-day Saints accord to all men freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their consciences, and we ask for ourselves only what we are willing should be enjoyed by others. The speaker wished the blessings of God to rest abundantly on the Conference, and all the people.
then addressed the congregation. In the year 1833 he had heard the first Gospel sermon. In the first year after having embraced the Gospel, he had held the office of a Teacher. In the second year he was ordained a Priest. The following year he became an Elder and the next he was ordained a member of the quorum of the Seventies. For about fifty-two years he had been a member of the quorum of the Twelve.
The speaker would say that during this time, he had endeavored to preach the Gospel to the world, and in so doing had traveled enough to go round the world six times, yet he had not tried to preach or to minister in the ordinances of the Kingdom of God, except by the power of Jesus Christ. And now after having labored so many years he felt still as much dependent on the Holy Spirit as ever, and on the faith and prayers of the Saints. There never was a Prophet on the earth who could instruct the children of men except by the power of the Priesthood.
The speaker then very strongly refuted some of the slanders that have been hurled against the people of God, even by prominent men who have visited the Territory. He made an eloquent appeal for the liberty of conscience. The Latter-day Saints accord to all men freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their consciences, and we ask for ourselves only what we are willing should be enjoyed by others. The speaker wished the blessings of God to rest abundantly on the Conference, and all the people.
Apostle John W. Taylor
was the next speaker. He was grateful for the privilege of meeting with the saints in conference, especially as he was in a position to hear all that had been said, to the truth of which he could bear testimony. He had also greatly enjoyed the musical exercises. This is one of the most pleasant parts of divine worship. We flatter ourselves that we are growing in grace. But let us ask where are many of our sons and daughters today? Do they honor the Sabbath day? Those who do observe this ordinance will be blessed. We should comply with this sacred law. The Apostle Paul referring to our day, said that many people would be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. The pleasure resorts in this county were more numerously patronized on the Sabbath than any other day. This practice was not confined to Salt Lake City. The same condition existed largely in the various towns and settlements throughout the Territory. The Lord would overrule and sanctify to the good of the young people many things which they could not now understand, if they would be diligent and faithful. They had a great work to perform. God called upon all men to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Those who bore this message should keep themselves in purity if the young have sinned let them repent and the Lord would forgive them. They should keep out of saloons, for it was sinful to eat and drink with the drunken. They should refrain from the use of tobacco and other things which the revelations of the Lord said were not good for man. The revelations of the Lord Jesus Christ were given daily through His servants to His people. The greatest desire of the Saints should be to do the will of our Heavenly Father and keep His commandments. May we have wisdom, firmness and faith sufficient to enable us to endure unto the end. The day of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is at hand. Those who will stand at that time will be those who are free from the sins of the world. The speaker bore testimony to the work of God and its final triumph.
The choir sang: Awake! O my soul.
Benediction by Bishop William B. Preston.
The Tabernacle affording insufficient room for all the people, an overflow meeting was held in the Assembly Hall, beginning at 2 p.m.
was the next speaker. He was grateful for the privilege of meeting with the saints in conference, especially as he was in a position to hear all that had been said, to the truth of which he could bear testimony. He had also greatly enjoyed the musical exercises. This is one of the most pleasant parts of divine worship. We flatter ourselves that we are growing in grace. But let us ask where are many of our sons and daughters today? Do they honor the Sabbath day? Those who do observe this ordinance will be blessed. We should comply with this sacred law. The Apostle Paul referring to our day, said that many people would be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. The pleasure resorts in this county were more numerously patronized on the Sabbath than any other day. This practice was not confined to Salt Lake City. The same condition existed largely in the various towns and settlements throughout the Territory. The Lord would overrule and sanctify to the good of the young people many things which they could not now understand, if they would be diligent and faithful. They had a great work to perform. God called upon all men to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Those who bore this message should keep themselves in purity if the young have sinned let them repent and the Lord would forgive them. They should keep out of saloons, for it was sinful to eat and drink with the drunken. They should refrain from the use of tobacco and other things which the revelations of the Lord said were not good for man. The revelations of the Lord Jesus Christ were given daily through His servants to His people. The greatest desire of the Saints should be to do the will of our Heavenly Father and keep His commandments. May we have wisdom, firmness and faith sufficient to enable us to endure unto the end. The day of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is at hand. Those who will stand at that time will be those who are free from the sins of the world. The speaker bore testimony to the work of God and its final triumph.
The choir sang: Awake! O my soul.
Benediction by Bishop William B. Preston.
The Tabernacle affording insufficient room for all the people, an overflow meeting was held in the Assembly Hall, beginning at 2 p.m.
Overflow Meeting.
An overflow meeting was held in the Assembly Hall at 2 p.m. Apostle F. M. Lyman presided.
The choir and congregation sang: Now let us rejoice in the day of salvation, etc.
Prayer was offered by Elder Thomas E. Taylor, after which the choir sang: Jesus, once of humble birth, etc.
An overflow meeting was held in the Assembly Hall at 2 p.m. Apostle F. M. Lyman presided.
The choir and congregation sang: Now let us rejoice in the day of salvation, etc.
Prayer was offered by Elder Thomas E. Taylor, after which the choir sang: Jesus, once of humble birth, etc.
Apostle Heber J. Grant
was the first speaker. He said. It is a source of extreme satisfaction and comfort to meet with the Latter-day Saints in general Conference. The fact that so many people have been turned away from the doors of our buildings of worship today because of their overcrowded condition betokens a steady growth, expansion and interest in spiritual matters. At our morning services we were greatly blessed by the spirit of the Lord. I trust that we may be similarly favored this afternoon. It is impossible for us to worship properly without the Spirit of God. There is but one way to obtain and retain this invaluable blessing, and that is to obey the Father. There are trials and tribulations in all the walks of life, but they can be made easier by the comforting influence of the Holy Spirit. We sometimes are wavering and doubtful; this is because of the lack of proper exertion on our parts. Much of the trouble we have to endure is self-inflicted, and that carelessly. The pleasures of this life are but fleeting. We should seek for something more substantial and enduring—something higher and better. When we are brought before our Heavenly Father on the day of judgment we should be able to say that we have increased our talents a hundred fold. The talents which have been entrusted to our keeping are exceedingly valuable. We will be held responsible for the use to which we put them. Do not be deceived in believing that we can obtain any blessing without working for it.
was the first speaker. He said. It is a source of extreme satisfaction and comfort to meet with the Latter-day Saints in general Conference. The fact that so many people have been turned away from the doors of our buildings of worship today because of their overcrowded condition betokens a steady growth, expansion and interest in spiritual matters. At our morning services we were greatly blessed by the spirit of the Lord. I trust that we may be similarly favored this afternoon. It is impossible for us to worship properly without the Spirit of God. There is but one way to obtain and retain this invaluable blessing, and that is to obey the Father. There are trials and tribulations in all the walks of life, but they can be made easier by the comforting influence of the Holy Spirit. We sometimes are wavering and doubtful; this is because of the lack of proper exertion on our parts. Much of the trouble we have to endure is self-inflicted, and that carelessly. The pleasures of this life are but fleeting. We should seek for something more substantial and enduring—something higher and better. When we are brought before our Heavenly Father on the day of judgment we should be able to say that we have increased our talents a hundred fold. The talents which have been entrusted to our keeping are exceedingly valuable. We will be held responsible for the use to which we put them. Do not be deceived in believing that we can obtain any blessing without working for it.
Bishop O. F. Whitney
said: It is certainly an inspiring sight to see a congregation of this magnitude and kind assembled to worship God; and the inspiration is increased when we reflect that this gathering represents nearly all of the civilized nations the world. There are men and women in this audience who have come from the north and the south; the east and the west, with one common purpose in view—that of serving God. Like streams that flow to the ocean, they have found their way into the Church of Christ, which may be compared to a huge reservoir that is fed by mountain rivulets.
Snow falls from the heavens pure and white, and by the warmth of the earth is melted and formed into little rills which seek their level, but in so doing they become stained by the traces of the soil they carry with them to the reservoir. So with the Latter-day Saints, they came from heaven pure and stainless like the snow-flakes. Joseph Smith taught that the spirits of men were originally pure. It is coming in contact with the earth that stains and discolors our lives.
We profess to be, and are, the children of Abraham; not in a mystical or figurative sense, but in reality. Our progenitors were scattered through many nations, and we believe that God had a purpose in view in sprinkling the nations with their blood. The question may be asked: why was it necessary to sprinkle the nations with the blood of Israel? The answer is, that the blood might be a preservative. The children of Abraham are the salt of the earth. Salt is a preserving element. The children of Abraham, though widely scattered, are being steadily gathered. In response to the call of the servants of God, they come to Zion, “one of a city and two of a family” in fulfillment of prophecy. Why is this? It is because the spirit of God rests upon their minds and finds response in their hearts no matter to what nation they belong. This sprinkling of the blood of Israel among all nations, though a seeming calamity, will be the means of blessing all nations. God promised that through Abraham all the nations of the earth should be blessed. This was chiefly fulfilled in the birth and mission of the Savior, though only in part. If we are the children of Abraham we must do the works of Abraham. “We are the salt of the earth, but if the salt hath lost its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” We are also “the light of the world,” and “a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” Men do not “light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, where it gives light unto all that are in the house.” These are deep sayings, and worthy to ponder over in our most serious considerations. They are filled with the spirit and force of truth. Being Abraham’s children, we must do the works of Abraham. He was required to leave kindred and country and all the associations of youth. In this respect the Latter-day Saints have done the works of Abraham. Here are men and women from all parts of the world who have left their native lands, their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and other loved ones, to gather to Zion. Those of us who would not do this are not worthy of the blessings of the Lord. Many of us who have been born and reared in this mountain region have not been tried in this respect, but rest assured, those of us who have not been thus tried, will have the test applied in some other manner. God will pass us through the mill, that our harsher feelings may be ground away.
Abraham was given a child of promise. All his hopes were centered in that son; and yet he was called upon to sacrifice him. We read this flippantly, not understanding its full significance. The history we have of it is only brief. The Bible is but an abridgement of great events. We are not told of the terrible struggle this command cost Abraham; we do not read of the pathetic account of Sarah’s breaking heart while passing through this ordeal. Some will say, it is easy enough to do as Abraham did, when you know that God has commanded it. I do not believe but that Abraham was tested in this matter just as you and I might be now. How was he able to tell that his informant was not an angel of the Evil One? Satan can appear as an angel of light, and can deceive the natural eye. He can speak with the tongue of an orator, and thus deceive the natural ear. It was doubtless the Holy Spirit that convinced Abraham.
The strength of a chain was its weakest link. A shrewd general marshals his hosts so as to attack the enemy at the weakest point in his fortifications. Satan is a wily and skillful general and attacks the human family where they are least able to repel him.
The speaker closed by saying that a day of sacrifice and consecration was coming. A day of unity and equality would follow. The faithful alone would be able to stand when the Lord of Hosts should appear, for he would be “like a refiner’s fire and as fullers’ soap,” and would purge men from their iniquity, and all those who were purified would go back to heaven whence they came.
said: It is certainly an inspiring sight to see a congregation of this magnitude and kind assembled to worship God; and the inspiration is increased when we reflect that this gathering represents nearly all of the civilized nations the world. There are men and women in this audience who have come from the north and the south; the east and the west, with one common purpose in view—that of serving God. Like streams that flow to the ocean, they have found their way into the Church of Christ, which may be compared to a huge reservoir that is fed by mountain rivulets.
Snow falls from the heavens pure and white, and by the warmth of the earth is melted and formed into little rills which seek their level, but in so doing they become stained by the traces of the soil they carry with them to the reservoir. So with the Latter-day Saints, they came from heaven pure and stainless like the snow-flakes. Joseph Smith taught that the spirits of men were originally pure. It is coming in contact with the earth that stains and discolors our lives.
We profess to be, and are, the children of Abraham; not in a mystical or figurative sense, but in reality. Our progenitors were scattered through many nations, and we believe that God had a purpose in view in sprinkling the nations with their blood. The question may be asked: why was it necessary to sprinkle the nations with the blood of Israel? The answer is, that the blood might be a preservative. The children of Abraham are the salt of the earth. Salt is a preserving element. The children of Abraham, though widely scattered, are being steadily gathered. In response to the call of the servants of God, they come to Zion, “one of a city and two of a family” in fulfillment of prophecy. Why is this? It is because the spirit of God rests upon their minds and finds response in their hearts no matter to what nation they belong. This sprinkling of the blood of Israel among all nations, though a seeming calamity, will be the means of blessing all nations. God promised that through Abraham all the nations of the earth should be blessed. This was chiefly fulfilled in the birth and mission of the Savior, though only in part. If we are the children of Abraham we must do the works of Abraham. “We are the salt of the earth, but if the salt hath lost its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” We are also “the light of the world,” and “a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” Men do not “light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, where it gives light unto all that are in the house.” These are deep sayings, and worthy to ponder over in our most serious considerations. They are filled with the spirit and force of truth. Being Abraham’s children, we must do the works of Abraham. He was required to leave kindred and country and all the associations of youth. In this respect the Latter-day Saints have done the works of Abraham. Here are men and women from all parts of the world who have left their native lands, their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and other loved ones, to gather to Zion. Those of us who would not do this are not worthy of the blessings of the Lord. Many of us who have been born and reared in this mountain region have not been tried in this respect, but rest assured, those of us who have not been thus tried, will have the test applied in some other manner. God will pass us through the mill, that our harsher feelings may be ground away.
Abraham was given a child of promise. All his hopes were centered in that son; and yet he was called upon to sacrifice him. We read this flippantly, not understanding its full significance. The history we have of it is only brief. The Bible is but an abridgement of great events. We are not told of the terrible struggle this command cost Abraham; we do not read of the pathetic account of Sarah’s breaking heart while passing through this ordeal. Some will say, it is easy enough to do as Abraham did, when you know that God has commanded it. I do not believe but that Abraham was tested in this matter just as you and I might be now. How was he able to tell that his informant was not an angel of the Evil One? Satan can appear as an angel of light, and can deceive the natural eye. He can speak with the tongue of an orator, and thus deceive the natural ear. It was doubtless the Holy Spirit that convinced Abraham.
The strength of a chain was its weakest link. A shrewd general marshals his hosts so as to attack the enemy at the weakest point in his fortifications. Satan is a wily and skillful general and attacks the human family where they are least able to repel him.
The speaker closed by saying that a day of sacrifice and consecration was coming. A day of unity and equality would follow. The faithful alone would be able to stand when the Lord of Hosts should appear, for he would be “like a refiner’s fire and as fullers’ soap,” and would purge men from their iniquity, and all those who were purified would go back to heaven whence they came.
Apostle A. H. Lund
said: I earnestly desire that I may be able to address you with the same Spirit as the preceding speaker. The work of God is spreading, and the people are improving. They are securing testimonies for themselves, and are thus learning to know God, whom to know is life eternal. Most of this congregation have received the testimony that God has restored His work in this age. The knowledge we have received is not enough. We are not warranted in sitting supinely down and neglecting our duties. Life, with all its battles, is before us. If we do what is right, victory is assured us. It is good for us to have struggles.
The gathering was a theme on which the Prophets of God in ancient days loved to dwell. Israel was scattered, and the country made desolate. The curse of God was upon the country. For a long time it was incapable of sustaining a population. But a change is taking place. This is the day of the restitution of all things. Since the servants of God were sent to the Holy Land, shortly after the ushering in of the present dispensation, to bless it and dedicate it, and set it apart for the return of the prosperity of its ancient inhabitants, a mighty revolution has been wrought in the climatic and other conditions of that historic country. The emancipation of the Jews has commenced. The day is hastening toward us when these unfortunate and despised exiles will return with rejoicing to the land of their forefathers.
said: I earnestly desire that I may be able to address you with the same Spirit as the preceding speaker. The work of God is spreading, and the people are improving. They are securing testimonies for themselves, and are thus learning to know God, whom to know is life eternal. Most of this congregation have received the testimony that God has restored His work in this age. The knowledge we have received is not enough. We are not warranted in sitting supinely down and neglecting our duties. Life, with all its battles, is before us. If we do what is right, victory is assured us. It is good for us to have struggles.
The gathering was a theme on which the Prophets of God in ancient days loved to dwell. Israel was scattered, and the country made desolate. The curse of God was upon the country. For a long time it was incapable of sustaining a population. But a change is taking place. This is the day of the restitution of all things. Since the servants of God were sent to the Holy Land, shortly after the ushering in of the present dispensation, to bless it and dedicate it, and set it apart for the return of the prosperity of its ancient inhabitants, a mighty revolution has been wrought in the climatic and other conditions of that historic country. The emancipation of the Jews has commenced. The day is hastening toward us when these unfortunate and despised exiles will return with rejoicing to the land of their forefathers.
Elder B. H. Roberts
addressed the meeting as follows: In attending a quarterly conference in an adjacent Stake of Zion recently I took occasion to remark that the gathering reminded me somewhat of a sight I once witnessed in the House of Commons in Great Britain. The House had resolve itself into a committee of the whole in order to more successfully discuss and consider certain problems which confronted the English nation; that laws might be legislated and enacted that were calculated to advance the best interests of the people. So with the people who had assembled in that Stake. They had met to take into account the questions that interested them most; that they might give and receive such instruction as would be for their best good. This conference is held for a similar purpose. But it differs from the operations of the House of Commons in that it is of infinitely more importance, because it not only concerns our temporal welfare but our spiritual as well. The instructions given will not only effect men in time, but in eternity also. This comparison may sound like egotism to strangers, but it is nothing more than the declaration of a truth. In making this statement we are not indulging in boastful talk. In proof of this, I refer them to the principles taught in our meeting this morning. Our instructions may cause a smile of derision and contempt to flit across the features of the unthinking, but we care not for that. We are ever ready and willing to defend that which tends to the temporal or spiritual welfare of mankind. The importance of the work of God does not depend on individual testimony. We point to results and ask the world to ponder. The achievements of the Saints in these mountain valleys are such as should strike the world with admiration. Poverty-stricken and weary they entered these vales, but by complying with the principles taught in this conference they have been made the most prosperous and contented people on the globe. On the arrival of the Latter-day Saints on this valley nothing but arid wastes were seen. But the streams were taken from the mountains; the wastes were watered, and today happy homes are surrounded by productive vineyards, heavily laden orchards and fields that yield astonishing returns.
There is to my min no grander philosophy than the Gospel of Christ. “He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.” As a logical sequence, repentance follows. In its proper order comes baptism, after which we stand cleansed of our misdeeds. Our bodies, which are the tabernacles of God, and are then ready for the reception of the Spirit of truth which makes us children of light. These principles are true and it is important that the world should know them. The knowledge of these doctrines must eventually flood the earth.
Statesmen may devise means, nations may seek to bring about certain conditions for the welfare of man. But it is necessary to work from within, not from without. I know of no other scheme that will ameliorate the condition of man as well as the Gospel of Christ.
The choir sang the anthem: Let the mountains shout for joy, after which the congregation arose and joined in singing the “Doxology.”
The benediction was pronounced by Apostle F. M. Lyman.
addressed the meeting as follows: In attending a quarterly conference in an adjacent Stake of Zion recently I took occasion to remark that the gathering reminded me somewhat of a sight I once witnessed in the House of Commons in Great Britain. The House had resolve itself into a committee of the whole in order to more successfully discuss and consider certain problems which confronted the English nation; that laws might be legislated and enacted that were calculated to advance the best interests of the people. So with the people who had assembled in that Stake. They had met to take into account the questions that interested them most; that they might give and receive such instruction as would be for their best good. This conference is held for a similar purpose. But it differs from the operations of the House of Commons in that it is of infinitely more importance, because it not only concerns our temporal welfare but our spiritual as well. The instructions given will not only effect men in time, but in eternity also. This comparison may sound like egotism to strangers, but it is nothing more than the declaration of a truth. In making this statement we are not indulging in boastful talk. In proof of this, I refer them to the principles taught in our meeting this morning. Our instructions may cause a smile of derision and contempt to flit across the features of the unthinking, but we care not for that. We are ever ready and willing to defend that which tends to the temporal or spiritual welfare of mankind. The importance of the work of God does not depend on individual testimony. We point to results and ask the world to ponder. The achievements of the Saints in these mountain valleys are such as should strike the world with admiration. Poverty-stricken and weary they entered these vales, but by complying with the principles taught in this conference they have been made the most prosperous and contented people on the globe. On the arrival of the Latter-day Saints on this valley nothing but arid wastes were seen. But the streams were taken from the mountains; the wastes were watered, and today happy homes are surrounded by productive vineyards, heavily laden orchards and fields that yield astonishing returns.
There is to my min no grander philosophy than the Gospel of Christ. “He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.” As a logical sequence, repentance follows. In its proper order comes baptism, after which we stand cleansed of our misdeeds. Our bodies, which are the tabernacles of God, and are then ready for the reception of the Spirit of truth which makes us children of light. These principles are true and it is important that the world should know them. The knowledge of these doctrines must eventually flood the earth.
Statesmen may devise means, nations may seek to bring about certain conditions for the welfare of man. But it is necessary to work from within, not from without. I know of no other scheme that will ameliorate the condition of man as well as the Gospel of Christ.
The choir sang the anthem: Let the mountains shout for joy, after which the congregation arose and joined in singing the “Doxology.”
The benediction was pronounced by Apostle F. M. Lyman.
A Priesthood Meeting
was held in the evening, beginning at 7 o’clock. It was probably the largest gathering of the kin ever held since the organization of the Church in this dispensation. The speakers were, in the order in which they addressed the assemblage,
Presidents George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith and Wilford Woodruff.
The themes dwelt upon were the nature, powers, duties and responsibilities of the Priesthood. Those on whom it is conferred are measurably responsible for the salvation of the people, and will be held accountable to the Lord for the manner in which they use the authority confided to them. Business cares will not stand as an excuse for not responding to the calls of duty in connection with the calling of the Priesthood. We are living in a time when the love of the world prevails, and great care has to be taken lest the callings of the Priesthood be lost sight of by this feeling. Greater care should be taken in providing employment for the people, and means should be adopted for that purpose. It would probably be a good thing to have missionaries called to devote their time to laboring among the people in Zion, visiting them at their homes and looking after their spiritual and temporal welfare. Those who hold the Priesthood should refrain from all conduct that is improper, and should exercise an influence for peace, acting in all kindness and brotherly love. It is not in keeping with the genius of the Gospel to indulge in anger, which leads to wrong and sometimes breaks up friendships that have existed for years. The brethren should govern their families in love, avoiding all forms of harshness. The instructions and ideas presented were clear and pointed, and a good spirit was present in the meeting.
was held in the evening, beginning at 7 o’clock. It was probably the largest gathering of the kin ever held since the organization of the Church in this dispensation. The speakers were, in the order in which they addressed the assemblage,
Presidents George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith and Wilford Woodruff.
The themes dwelt upon were the nature, powers, duties and responsibilities of the Priesthood. Those on whom it is conferred are measurably responsible for the salvation of the people, and will be held accountable to the Lord for the manner in which they use the authority confided to them. Business cares will not stand as an excuse for not responding to the calls of duty in connection with the calling of the Priesthood. We are living in a time when the love of the world prevails, and great care has to be taken lest the callings of the Priesthood be lost sight of by this feeling. Greater care should be taken in providing employment for the people, and means should be adopted for that purpose. It would probably be a good thing to have missionaries called to devote their time to laboring among the people in Zion, visiting them at their homes and looking after their spiritual and temporal welfare. Those who hold the Priesthood should refrain from all conduct that is improper, and should exercise an influence for peace, acting in all kindness and brotherly love. It is not in keeping with the genius of the Gospel to indulge in anger, which leads to wrong and sometimes breaks up friendships that have existed for years. The brethren should govern their families in love, avoiding all forms of harshness. The instructions and ideas presented were clear and pointed, and a good spirit was present in the meeting.
Second Day. Morning Session. Monday, October 5th.
The choir and congregation sang:
Do what is right: the day dawn is breaking.
Hailing a future of freedom and light;
Angels above us are silent notes taking
Of every action; do what is right.
Prayer by Elder John D. T. McAllister.
Singing by the choir:
Lo! the mighty God appearing,
From on high Jehovah speaks!
The choir and congregation sang:
Do what is right: the day dawn is breaking.
Hailing a future of freedom and light;
Angels above us are silent notes taking
Of every action; do what is right.
Prayer by Elder John D. T. McAllister.
Singing by the choir:
Lo! the mighty God appearing,
From on high Jehovah speaks!
Apostle Francis M. Lyman
was the first speaker. Following is a brief outline of his discourse:
This is one of the most important conferences that has ever been held. The people are more numerous than they have ever been before. Yesterday they were well instructed. Doubtless they are well prepared to make good use of the instructions they have received. The Saints have been in long training. They have been tried in a great variety of ways. Their determination and fidelity have been manifested up to the present time. The Gospel they have received commends itself to the honest, courageous and independent everywhere. It embraces all truth. It requires courage to believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost and repent of sin. A coward will not repent. It needs force of character to live right, combat sin in himself and do the will of God. We seem to be inclined to love evil and gratify ourselves. The Gospel requires self-denial, taking up the cross and following Christ and being like him. We are apt to conclude that it is impossible to do right. But the Gospel requires that we should be honest, virtuous and charitable. The lord has bestowed upon us His Priesthood, which cannot be too highly appreciated. Through it we obtain salvation, which cannot be achieved without honoring it. Are we honoring the Priesthood by discharging the duties it demands? Each should put this question to himself. When this is done, as a rule there will be some dissatisfaction among the brethren with themselves. Some imagine that the laws of the gospel are too exact for human nature to comply with them. When Christ commanded his disciples to be perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect, He meant exactly what He said. Is there one thing that is right that we cannot do? Can we not deal justly and honorably one with another? The Church is sixty-one years old and most of its members have been within its fold over twenty-one years. Should we not now be able to show the results of maturity, and exhibit an example to all people that would be the admiration of the whole world? Rectitude of conduct is admired by all people. We are clothed with authority to preach the Gospel to the world. Are we doing this at home by word and deed. What are the presiding Elders in the Stakes and wards doing? What are their labors today? The Lord requires that they be workers and teachers of righteousness, both at home and abroad. An exemplary man is one who sets good examples and no bad ones. Occasionally men who are in leading positions take a course to weaken the faith of the people who are under their guidance. Our children as well as the people look to us for examples, which is the strongest exhortation of teaching that can be given. It takes a good man to do good things. We will not be judged by our profession but by our works. We are not expected to make excuses when we are required to perform any duty, but to do what is required by the Priesthood. The Elders should be men who do not need to be exhorted to do right. They ought themselves to be comforters and exhorters, and their conduct should be harmonious with their teachings. The world is looking upon this people, and we are noticed as a community. Many visitors come here to see us. Do they see an improvement among the people in relation to temperance and observing the Sabbath? Do they see a growth of love among us in our families and in all our associations with each other. Families ought to be united. Wives and husbands should live in union and the children should not be alienated from their parents. There should be no harshness exhibited in our families, but every home should be permeated with the genius of affection.
There is here, at home, an excellent field for missionary work, especially among the young. They are intelligences who have come from God to be tried and proved. Every son should seek to become a savior to the family of which he is a member. So ought every daughter. What are we doing in the families of the saints? How many sons are seeking to labor for the family to which he belongs, to bring salvation to each member? Duties belong to both sons and daughters in this direction. The duties of the Priest and Teacher are important. They are required to visit the Saints at their homes and see that no iniquity exists in the Church. I fear that our young men from twelve to twenty-one years of age are not being looked after. They are not labored with and taught in the functions of the Aaronic Priesthood to prepare them for that of Melchisedek. They should be taught to be expounders of the Gospel. When an officer of the higher Priesthood goes around in the exercise of the calling of Teacher a young man holding the lesser authority should be by his side, to receive training and experience. The young men ought to be taught to take part in family prayer. Fathers should not monopolize the performance of this important duty. It is unfair to send young men into the world without some experience. Those who are advanced should teach them their duties. If the young are brought into active service there will be discovered in them the power of God. The Presidents of Stakes and Bishops should give attention to this subject.
Elder Lyman concluded by expressing the prayerful hope that the leaders of the people may always enjoy their freedom and be enabled to minister among the Saints, and that the blessing and power of God might be with them.
was the first speaker. Following is a brief outline of his discourse:
This is one of the most important conferences that has ever been held. The people are more numerous than they have ever been before. Yesterday they were well instructed. Doubtless they are well prepared to make good use of the instructions they have received. The Saints have been in long training. They have been tried in a great variety of ways. Their determination and fidelity have been manifested up to the present time. The Gospel they have received commends itself to the honest, courageous and independent everywhere. It embraces all truth. It requires courage to believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost and repent of sin. A coward will not repent. It needs force of character to live right, combat sin in himself and do the will of God. We seem to be inclined to love evil and gratify ourselves. The Gospel requires self-denial, taking up the cross and following Christ and being like him. We are apt to conclude that it is impossible to do right. But the Gospel requires that we should be honest, virtuous and charitable. The lord has bestowed upon us His Priesthood, which cannot be too highly appreciated. Through it we obtain salvation, which cannot be achieved without honoring it. Are we honoring the Priesthood by discharging the duties it demands? Each should put this question to himself. When this is done, as a rule there will be some dissatisfaction among the brethren with themselves. Some imagine that the laws of the gospel are too exact for human nature to comply with them. When Christ commanded his disciples to be perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect, He meant exactly what He said. Is there one thing that is right that we cannot do? Can we not deal justly and honorably one with another? The Church is sixty-one years old and most of its members have been within its fold over twenty-one years. Should we not now be able to show the results of maturity, and exhibit an example to all people that would be the admiration of the whole world? Rectitude of conduct is admired by all people. We are clothed with authority to preach the Gospel to the world. Are we doing this at home by word and deed. What are the presiding Elders in the Stakes and wards doing? What are their labors today? The Lord requires that they be workers and teachers of righteousness, both at home and abroad. An exemplary man is one who sets good examples and no bad ones. Occasionally men who are in leading positions take a course to weaken the faith of the people who are under their guidance. Our children as well as the people look to us for examples, which is the strongest exhortation of teaching that can be given. It takes a good man to do good things. We will not be judged by our profession but by our works. We are not expected to make excuses when we are required to perform any duty, but to do what is required by the Priesthood. The Elders should be men who do not need to be exhorted to do right. They ought themselves to be comforters and exhorters, and their conduct should be harmonious with their teachings. The world is looking upon this people, and we are noticed as a community. Many visitors come here to see us. Do they see an improvement among the people in relation to temperance and observing the Sabbath? Do they see a growth of love among us in our families and in all our associations with each other. Families ought to be united. Wives and husbands should live in union and the children should not be alienated from their parents. There should be no harshness exhibited in our families, but every home should be permeated with the genius of affection.
There is here, at home, an excellent field for missionary work, especially among the young. They are intelligences who have come from God to be tried and proved. Every son should seek to become a savior to the family of which he is a member. So ought every daughter. What are we doing in the families of the saints? How many sons are seeking to labor for the family to which he belongs, to bring salvation to each member? Duties belong to both sons and daughters in this direction. The duties of the Priest and Teacher are important. They are required to visit the Saints at their homes and see that no iniquity exists in the Church. I fear that our young men from twelve to twenty-one years of age are not being looked after. They are not labored with and taught in the functions of the Aaronic Priesthood to prepare them for that of Melchisedek. They should be taught to be expounders of the Gospel. When an officer of the higher Priesthood goes around in the exercise of the calling of Teacher a young man holding the lesser authority should be by his side, to receive training and experience. The young men ought to be taught to take part in family prayer. Fathers should not monopolize the performance of this important duty. It is unfair to send young men into the world without some experience. Those who are advanced should teach them their duties. If the young are brought into active service there will be discovered in them the power of God. The Presidents of Stakes and Bishops should give attention to this subject.
Elder Lyman concluded by expressing the prayerful hope that the leaders of the people may always enjoy their freedom and be enabled to minister among the Saints, and that the blessing and power of God might be with them.
Apostle Heber J. Grant
was the next speaker. Following is a brief summary of his remarks:
It is a source of pleasure to meet in General Conference with the Saints. I desire the advancement of the Kingdom of God above all things on the face of the earth. All the Saints wish to know the mind of God, that they may keep His commandments. While we may make mistakes and cause our sincerity to be doubted, if we have the self-consciousness of desiring the progress of the work of the Lord, we will stand firm and will endure. The criticism of a man’s own conscience is more exact than that of others in relation to him. It is our duty to bow in prayer for the light of the Holy Spirit to beam upon us as a guide. We should also seek the counsels of those who preside over us. Something has been said about leading brethren being engaged in business pursuits. Criticisms in relation to myself have been indulged in by some people. I have not engaged in anything of this character without the approval of the brethren. Men have various gifts. Some are more spiritual than others. But be this as it may, so long as we labor with an eye to the welfare of the work of God we are in the right path. I do not wish to be misunderstood by the Latter-day Saints. When I have the love, fellowship and confidence of those who preside over me, and a consciousness that my allegiance to the Almighty is unimpeachable, I can endure any misunderstanding that may exist concerning me. The speaker here read a portion of the hymn on page 260, which dwells upon the promises of the Lord to sustain the Saints in all the trials and vicissitudes and ordeals of life. He further said: We know that we are engaged in the work of God. I have shed tears of joy because of the testimonies which I have received from the Lord concerning His cause. Let us learn to be loving, kind and forgiving, for this disposition brings peace and contentment.
was the next speaker. Following is a brief summary of his remarks:
It is a source of pleasure to meet in General Conference with the Saints. I desire the advancement of the Kingdom of God above all things on the face of the earth. All the Saints wish to know the mind of God, that they may keep His commandments. While we may make mistakes and cause our sincerity to be doubted, if we have the self-consciousness of desiring the progress of the work of the Lord, we will stand firm and will endure. The criticism of a man’s own conscience is more exact than that of others in relation to him. It is our duty to bow in prayer for the light of the Holy Spirit to beam upon us as a guide. We should also seek the counsels of those who preside over us. Something has been said about leading brethren being engaged in business pursuits. Criticisms in relation to myself have been indulged in by some people. I have not engaged in anything of this character without the approval of the brethren. Men have various gifts. Some are more spiritual than others. But be this as it may, so long as we labor with an eye to the welfare of the work of God we are in the right path. I do not wish to be misunderstood by the Latter-day Saints. When I have the love, fellowship and confidence of those who preside over me, and a consciousness that my allegiance to the Almighty is unimpeachable, I can endure any misunderstanding that may exist concerning me. The speaker here read a portion of the hymn on page 260, which dwells upon the promises of the Lord to sustain the Saints in all the trials and vicissitudes and ordeals of life. He further said: We know that we are engaged in the work of God. I have shed tears of joy because of the testimonies which I have received from the Lord concerning His cause. Let us learn to be loving, kind and forgiving, for this disposition brings peace and contentment.
Apostle Mariner W. Merrill
addressed the assemblage speaking substantially as follows:
It has occurred to me that it would be a grand thing if all the brethren could have heard the remarks made last evening at the priesthood meeting concerning the duties of the Elders. The Gospel has done a great deal for us. This can be seen at once when we compare our former situation with the circumstances now surrounding us. Our condition has been greatly improved. As a rule the Saints when ungathered did not own much. They did not possess the farms they cultivated, nor the factories they worked in. Now, as a rule, they are prosperous, through the gathering and the operations of the principles of the Gospel. This material progress has been exhibited at home, as well as in the case of those from abroad. In other respects the Saints have been blessed. Great privileges have been and are enjoyed. For instance, the people have had the opportunity of going into holy places and doing a work for their dead. But many of us have forgotten the pit from which we were dug. We imbibe the spirit of the world and are too eager after riches. We occasionally neglect our prayers and forget to teach our families the principles of light and truth. When we neglect our duties it gives our children license to do the same. Some years ago it was revealed through President Taylor that we should set our houses in order. Have we done so? If so all is well with us and peace reigns in our habitations; the son is willing to look to the father and the daughter to the mother for counsel and advice. Such a condition is a happy one. I remember when people wishing to engage in any enterprise could go to President Young for his advice. Is this done to any extent now? If we do this and can go forth with the blessing of our leaders we would feel great satisfaction and would have greater faith in the ultimate success of our undertakings. The genius of this work is the spirit of humility, we should aim to do things by common consent, seek humility of spirit and to promote union. It is in keeping with the plan of salvation.
Remarks have been made regarding the young people. Many of our youth have never been ordained to the Lesser Priesthood, and they appear at the Temple without having had any ordination until they are made Elders. They should be graduated in the Priesthood, from the office of Deacon upward. They could be given charge of our meeting houses and assigned other labors. It is not necessary to hire janitors to do this labor. The people should not only be visited by the Teacher but likewise by the Priest. Those who labor in these callings should, before engaging in them, not fail to go before the Lord in private and ask that the Spirit of Truth may manifest what is necessary to be said at the time when it may be needed. Sisters who are alone should gather families together and pray with them. Never allow yourselves to find fault with the Priesthood. It is a dangerous thing. Beware of faultfinding with those who are over you. Don’t judge each other unless you are appointed to do it. Be honest with each other. All our agreements, no matter who they may be made with, should be strictly fulfilled. If we do this all people will have confidence in us. The Latter-day Saints should not forget their dead, millions of whom are waiting for us to do a work for them. We will meet them in the future and the question may be asked as to what we have done for them. If we cannot make a satisfactory explanation we will be ashamed. This is an important and mighty work. It pertains to us and our kindred. These things should be remembered, for there is a reality behind the veil as there is here. How joyful we will be if when we meet our dead we have done all we could in their behalf.
The choir sang: Let the mountains shout for joy.
After which the congregation joined in singing the Doxology.
Benediction by Elder Joseph E. Taylor.
Adjourned till 2 p.m.
addressed the assemblage speaking substantially as follows:
It has occurred to me that it would be a grand thing if all the brethren could have heard the remarks made last evening at the priesthood meeting concerning the duties of the Elders. The Gospel has done a great deal for us. This can be seen at once when we compare our former situation with the circumstances now surrounding us. Our condition has been greatly improved. As a rule the Saints when ungathered did not own much. They did not possess the farms they cultivated, nor the factories they worked in. Now, as a rule, they are prosperous, through the gathering and the operations of the principles of the Gospel. This material progress has been exhibited at home, as well as in the case of those from abroad. In other respects the Saints have been blessed. Great privileges have been and are enjoyed. For instance, the people have had the opportunity of going into holy places and doing a work for their dead. But many of us have forgotten the pit from which we were dug. We imbibe the spirit of the world and are too eager after riches. We occasionally neglect our prayers and forget to teach our families the principles of light and truth. When we neglect our duties it gives our children license to do the same. Some years ago it was revealed through President Taylor that we should set our houses in order. Have we done so? If so all is well with us and peace reigns in our habitations; the son is willing to look to the father and the daughter to the mother for counsel and advice. Such a condition is a happy one. I remember when people wishing to engage in any enterprise could go to President Young for his advice. Is this done to any extent now? If we do this and can go forth with the blessing of our leaders we would feel great satisfaction and would have greater faith in the ultimate success of our undertakings. The genius of this work is the spirit of humility, we should aim to do things by common consent, seek humility of spirit and to promote union. It is in keeping with the plan of salvation.
Remarks have been made regarding the young people. Many of our youth have never been ordained to the Lesser Priesthood, and they appear at the Temple without having had any ordination until they are made Elders. They should be graduated in the Priesthood, from the office of Deacon upward. They could be given charge of our meeting houses and assigned other labors. It is not necessary to hire janitors to do this labor. The people should not only be visited by the Teacher but likewise by the Priest. Those who labor in these callings should, before engaging in them, not fail to go before the Lord in private and ask that the Spirit of Truth may manifest what is necessary to be said at the time when it may be needed. Sisters who are alone should gather families together and pray with them. Never allow yourselves to find fault with the Priesthood. It is a dangerous thing. Beware of faultfinding with those who are over you. Don’t judge each other unless you are appointed to do it. Be honest with each other. All our agreements, no matter who they may be made with, should be strictly fulfilled. If we do this all people will have confidence in us. The Latter-day Saints should not forget their dead, millions of whom are waiting for us to do a work for them. We will meet them in the future and the question may be asked as to what we have done for them. If we cannot make a satisfactory explanation we will be ashamed. This is an important and mighty work. It pertains to us and our kindred. These things should be remembered, for there is a reality behind the veil as there is here. How joyful we will be if when we meet our dead we have done all we could in their behalf.
The choir sang: Let the mountains shout for joy.
After which the congregation joined in singing the Doxology.
Benediction by Elder Joseph E. Taylor.
Adjourned till 2 p.m.
Second Day. Afternoon Session. Oct. 5th.
The choir and congregation sang:
The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!
The latter-day glory begins to come forth.
Prayer by Elder B. H. Roberts.
The choir sang:
Lord, thou wilt hear me when I pray;
I am forever Thine.
The choir and congregation sang:
The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!
The latter-day glory begins to come forth.
Prayer by Elder B. H. Roberts.
The choir sang:
Lord, thou wilt hear me when I pray;
I am forever Thine.
Apostle Moses Thatcher.
was the first speaker. He said in substance, that he had no doubt that the Saints had been richly blessed and edified by the remarks of the brethren during the teachings of the conference thus far. Personally, he had no special subject in his mind upon which to address them; he realized however, that we lived in a very busy time, and that those who desired to work need not remain idle. In the midst of this condition it became very necessary that we should judge of those things which were most important, and perform those duties which in their nature tended to the glorification of our Heavenly Father, to the advancement of His righteous cause, and to our present salvation.
There was no evil in riches, so-called nor in wealth; but there was great danger in the love of riches, in a desire for luxury, which had a tendency to distract the mind from the better things of God and of eternity.
At no period since he had reached years of maturity had he entertained any doubt as to the ultimate triumph of this work; he had never feared as to the outcome of God's kingdom. The temptations which now sur- rounded the people were numerous, and perhaps more dangerous than in the past, by reason of the fact that they were somewhat new to them; but if they kept before their eyes the high mark of their calling, proved true to God, to each other and to the covenants which they had made with Him, no danger need be feared. The circumstances surrounding them to-day, which had largely changed the political status of the people, were not, in his opinion, dangerous. If, instead of being a comparatively poor people, God should bestow upon them an abundance of riches, he did not think that such a condition would be dangerous to them unless they turned their worship to the gift rather than the Giver. The Lord had decreed that He would make the Latter-day Saints the head and not the foot; but the only question which had arisen in his own mind was whether, if the Lord should bestow upon them exceeding great riches, they would still be obedient to His law; would they still be willing to listen to the counsels of His Holy Spirit; and would their hearts still be warm in the love of God and in the love of labor? If so, then these things which had been in the Christian world oft regarded as evils would prove blessings to them.
There could be no doubt in the mind of any thoughtful person that the accumulation and centralization of wealth in the hands of any people gave them prestige and power. It enabled them to attain a higher culture; to give their boys and girls advantages which, under conditions of poverty, they could not reach ; and, however much men of the world might ridicule the ideas of a Latter-day Saint religiously, if that Latter-day Saint was a man of wealth, he became in the estimation of such persons, in a large degree, also a man of power and influence, God had decreed that Zion should be glorified, and that the kingdom of heaven should have the dominion of the whole world.
The speaker next dwelt upon the self-denial which had oftentimes been exercised both by the leaders in this Church and by the Elders, as the servants of God, in proclaiming the Gospel to the nations of the earth, and also referred to the spirit of gathering. He denied that there had ever been any desire in this Territory to bring the masses into bondage, and said that if the condition of the Latter-day Saints to-day was better than that of other people elsewhere it was because they had received the religion of Jesus Christ, So long as that religion had full sway in the hearts of this people and of their leaders, Zion was in no danger; but if they should learn to adopt the ways of the world, to concentrate their wealth, form syndicates and trusts, arraying capital against labor, unhappy would be the day for this people.
was the first speaker. He said in substance, that he had no doubt that the Saints had been richly blessed and edified by the remarks of the brethren during the teachings of the conference thus far. Personally, he had no special subject in his mind upon which to address them; he realized however, that we lived in a very busy time, and that those who desired to work need not remain idle. In the midst of this condition it became very necessary that we should judge of those things which were most important, and perform those duties which in their nature tended to the glorification of our Heavenly Father, to the advancement of His righteous cause, and to our present salvation.
There was no evil in riches, so-called nor in wealth; but there was great danger in the love of riches, in a desire for luxury, which had a tendency to distract the mind from the better things of God and of eternity.
At no period since he had reached years of maturity had he entertained any doubt as to the ultimate triumph of this work; he had never feared as to the outcome of God's kingdom. The temptations which now sur- rounded the people were numerous, and perhaps more dangerous than in the past, by reason of the fact that they were somewhat new to them; but if they kept before their eyes the high mark of their calling, proved true to God, to each other and to the covenants which they had made with Him, no danger need be feared. The circumstances surrounding them to-day, which had largely changed the political status of the people, were not, in his opinion, dangerous. If, instead of being a comparatively poor people, God should bestow upon them an abundance of riches, he did not think that such a condition would be dangerous to them unless they turned their worship to the gift rather than the Giver. The Lord had decreed that He would make the Latter-day Saints the head and not the foot; but the only question which had arisen in his own mind was whether, if the Lord should bestow upon them exceeding great riches, they would still be obedient to His law; would they still be willing to listen to the counsels of His Holy Spirit; and would their hearts still be warm in the love of God and in the love of labor? If so, then these things which had been in the Christian world oft regarded as evils would prove blessings to them.
There could be no doubt in the mind of any thoughtful person that the accumulation and centralization of wealth in the hands of any people gave them prestige and power. It enabled them to attain a higher culture; to give their boys and girls advantages which, under conditions of poverty, they could not reach ; and, however much men of the world might ridicule the ideas of a Latter-day Saint religiously, if that Latter-day Saint was a man of wealth, he became in the estimation of such persons, in a large degree, also a man of power and influence, God had decreed that Zion should be glorified, and that the kingdom of heaven should have the dominion of the whole world.
The speaker next dwelt upon the self-denial which had oftentimes been exercised both by the leaders in this Church and by the Elders, as the servants of God, in proclaiming the Gospel to the nations of the earth, and also referred to the spirit of gathering. He denied that there had ever been any desire in this Territory to bring the masses into bondage, and said that if the condition of the Latter-day Saints to-day was better than that of other people elsewhere it was because they had received the religion of Jesus Christ, So long as that religion had full sway in the hearts of this people and of their leaders, Zion was in no danger; but if they should learn to adopt the ways of the world, to concentrate their wealth, form syndicates and trusts, arraying capital against labor, unhappy would be the day for this people.
President Wilford Woodruff
said he felt very much gratified in meeting with so large a congregation of the Latter-day Saints upon a working day. It spoke well for Zion and for the Saints themselves. He had made up his mind before Brother Thatcher spoke to occupy a few moments that afternoon in expressing his views upon temporal things, and Brother Thatcher had certainly opened the way leading to that opportunity.
After dilating upon the work of God in the beginning of creation, and showing how our Heavenly Father placed temporal matters in the hands of men, the speaker remarked that the Lord did not call upon their enemies to build their Temples and habitations. The circumstances attending the building of Solomon’s temple were referred to, and turning next to the organization of this Church, President Woodruff observed that when the pioneers came to this valley in 1847, they found it a barren desert, without a single mark of the Anglo Saxon race. The Latter-day Saints upon their arrival here set to work and did the best they could to change its condition. They plowed, planted and watered the ground, built cabins and other habitations, and so went on until that Tabernacle, the Temple adjoining it, and three other temples were reared in the midst of the people. It had taken millions of dollars to rear these holy places, and, he asked, who had to do it? Why the leaders and Elders in Israel—the Latter-day Saints, the Relief Societies and the women of Zion; all had contributed of their substance which God had given them. Did they call upon their enemies—those who were opposed to them and seeking their destruction to help them in their work? No, and they would not have responded if they had. Was it wrong for the Latter-day Saints to engage in these things? It was not; they could not carry out the purposes of Almighty God unless they did.
He would say before the Lord that he believed in his heart there was not one among the Presidency of this Church, or among the twelve Apostles, but who, if required to do so, would lay down his life willingly for the Gospel’s sake. Moreover, there were thousands among this people who would be ready to do the same. Of course, we should not set our hearts upon the things of this world, nor suffer them to turn us from our duties.
With regard to their position temporally, their history was before the whole world. The United States government required their property—what was called Church property—and receivers were appointed to take it. They delivered it up to them, according to their demands, and property that had already been sold and the proceeds of the sales used for the benefit of the people had been included in the seizure.
He thought there was no particular harm in his naming this. President Taylor delivered into the hands of the various Bishops throughout this Territory a certain quantity of wheat and other grain as trustee-in-trust. It amounted to considerable; but all this with the other property was required at their hands. The authorities went to work and had to give their notes to the amount of about $300,000 in order to satisfy the government. They still trusted in God; but it took some money to discharge the demands made upon them. They had to borrow some money to meet those notes; and still they owed something with regard to them.
President Woodruff alluded to the many thousands of dollars which it had also been necessary for the Church to expend in order to help the people in some of the settlements, in the erection of school houses, meeting houses, to supply the wants of the poor, etc.
What was the cause of this great gathering of the people? he asked. They heard the Gospel of Christ proclaimed by His Servants, and believed it. They came to Zion without counsel from anybody, because they had the spirit of gathering within them, and it was this that had made Utah what she was today.
Let them be patient, faithful to their covenants with God, full of charity one towards another, and all would be well. He counseled them to go forward in the good work which they had begun, and they would assuredly conquer and overcome the obstacles which beset their path. God would be pleased and soften the hearts of men towards them; hundreds and thousands would yet visit Utah, to behold the work of the Latter-day Saints, and see they were in earnest and meant what they said.
said he felt very much gratified in meeting with so large a congregation of the Latter-day Saints upon a working day. It spoke well for Zion and for the Saints themselves. He had made up his mind before Brother Thatcher spoke to occupy a few moments that afternoon in expressing his views upon temporal things, and Brother Thatcher had certainly opened the way leading to that opportunity.
After dilating upon the work of God in the beginning of creation, and showing how our Heavenly Father placed temporal matters in the hands of men, the speaker remarked that the Lord did not call upon their enemies to build their Temples and habitations. The circumstances attending the building of Solomon’s temple were referred to, and turning next to the organization of this Church, President Woodruff observed that when the pioneers came to this valley in 1847, they found it a barren desert, without a single mark of the Anglo Saxon race. The Latter-day Saints upon their arrival here set to work and did the best they could to change its condition. They plowed, planted and watered the ground, built cabins and other habitations, and so went on until that Tabernacle, the Temple adjoining it, and three other temples were reared in the midst of the people. It had taken millions of dollars to rear these holy places, and, he asked, who had to do it? Why the leaders and Elders in Israel—the Latter-day Saints, the Relief Societies and the women of Zion; all had contributed of their substance which God had given them. Did they call upon their enemies—those who were opposed to them and seeking their destruction to help them in their work? No, and they would not have responded if they had. Was it wrong for the Latter-day Saints to engage in these things? It was not; they could not carry out the purposes of Almighty God unless they did.
He would say before the Lord that he believed in his heart there was not one among the Presidency of this Church, or among the twelve Apostles, but who, if required to do so, would lay down his life willingly for the Gospel’s sake. Moreover, there were thousands among this people who would be ready to do the same. Of course, we should not set our hearts upon the things of this world, nor suffer them to turn us from our duties.
With regard to their position temporally, their history was before the whole world. The United States government required their property—what was called Church property—and receivers were appointed to take it. They delivered it up to them, according to their demands, and property that had already been sold and the proceeds of the sales used for the benefit of the people had been included in the seizure.
He thought there was no particular harm in his naming this. President Taylor delivered into the hands of the various Bishops throughout this Territory a certain quantity of wheat and other grain as trustee-in-trust. It amounted to considerable; but all this with the other property was required at their hands. The authorities went to work and had to give their notes to the amount of about $300,000 in order to satisfy the government. They still trusted in God; but it took some money to discharge the demands made upon them. They had to borrow some money to meet those notes; and still they owed something with regard to them.
President Woodruff alluded to the many thousands of dollars which it had also been necessary for the Church to expend in order to help the people in some of the settlements, in the erection of school houses, meeting houses, to supply the wants of the poor, etc.
What was the cause of this great gathering of the people? he asked. They heard the Gospel of Christ proclaimed by His Servants, and believed it. They came to Zion without counsel from anybody, because they had the spirit of gathering within them, and it was this that had made Utah what she was today.
Let them be patient, faithful to their covenants with God, full of charity one towards another, and all would be well. He counseled them to go forward in the good work which they had begun, and they would assuredly conquer and overcome the obstacles which beset their path. God would be pleased and soften the hearts of men towards them; hundreds and thousands would yet visit Utah, to behold the work of the Latter-day Saints, and see they were in earnest and meant what they said.
President George Q. Cannon
said he rejoiced exceedingly in the instructions which we had received that day. He trusted that everyone who had attended the Conference that morning and afternoon felt repaid for the time spent there, and that this would be the case as long as their Conference should last. It was a good thing for them to withdraw from worldly affairs for a short time one such occasions, to come here, wait upon the Lord and receive His Holy Spirit. It would refresh and revivify them, and they would pursue their various avocations with increased zest when the Conference was over. In a pecuniary sense, too, they would lose nothing by the time so set apart.
They had been endeavoring ever since they came to these valleys—President Young, his counselors, the twelve Apostles, and those who since the death of some of their leading men had occupied their places—to convince the Latter-day Saints that the policy which Go prompted them to indicate to the people to pursue was the true one, and the one which, in the end, would result in great benefit and prosperity to them. It was that they should remain here in Utah instead of yielding to temptations to go where the prospect seemed more alluring. Especially was this the case in the early days in regard to California, and those who took the counsel of President Young in this matter had since seen the wisdom thereof. It had been so in other temporal things; but it had required faith on the part of the Saints sometimes to believe that the counsel given them by God’s servants was the best. There had occasionally seemed to be a conflict between the counsel of their leaders and the inclinations growing out of the traditions of the people; but had the latter pursued a course different to that marked out they would never have prospered as they had. There were now thousands of Latter-day Saints, some of whom had had an experience of forty-four years, since coming to these valleys, who could bear testimony to the fact that in nearly every instance where the people had followed the counsel of God’s inspired servants they had invariable prospered and been blessed, and that where they had departed from it they had lost not only in faith frequently, but financially.
Referring to the Irrigation Congress recently held in this city, the speaker remarked that the universal testimony of the many delegates who attended it was as to the prosperity of this people. Every one of them whom he had met had spoken in terms of unstinted admiration of the wisdom and success which had characterized the settlements and the building up of this Territory. Those gentlemen actually admitted that they had profited by what they had seen in operation here, and had returned to their respective homes deeply impressed with the value of the lesson they had learned. They called it an “object lesson.” There had been no great monopolization of land and water here, as was the case elsewhere—men taking up large tracts and occupying them to the exclusion of honest settlers; and in no other part of this great continent did the poor man enjoy such facilities and opportunities as in Utah Territory. He did not believe there was another place in this broad country where, in proportion to the population, so many men occupied their own homes. The testimony of visitors concerning what they saw here is the beginning of the end—the beginning of that which the servants of God had foretold and the Prophets had predicted concerning Zion. President Cannon mentioned also the abundance of free water for the use of the people, and said it was their privilege to continue under these favorable conditions if they would. If the people would take the course pointed out to them by God through His servants they would see yet grander results in these matters.
President Woodruff had made mention of the expenses which they, as a Church, had had to bear; but they had been growing in wealth all the time, notwithstanding the trials and persecutions which they had had to endure. They did not seem like persecution now, and he had no words of reproach nor condemnation to utter. The Lord had overruled them for good, and such would be the case to the end.
The speaker next touched upon the great changes which had taken place of late years in this Territory, particularly in this city, Ogden and in this county, and said these would probably extend to other counties.
He had a great desire in his heart at this Conference to impress upon the Latter-day Saints the importance of taking steps looking to the permanent relief of the needy or destitute in our midst, that in our prosperity we might not forget the Lord’s poor. We were very likely to have an inclement winter, and therefor out of our substance we should see that none of God’s creatures wanted for food or shelter.
After a parenthetical reference to the marvelous productiveness of Utah’s soil, President Cannon said it was their duty as a people to so organize that the poor in their midst who needed help should have their wants relieved. Bishops and others in authority should see to it; but while doing this, care should be taken to prevent the abuse of charity, and the indolent from taking advantage of it. All men should work to the extent of their ability and not live in indolence. He besought the Latter-day Saints to impress upon the minds of their children that all labor was honorable. They had sometimes been criticized because they had spent so much money on the building of temples and meeting houses, and people had said if they had erected colleges instead it would have been better. He believed that the results would prove the wisdom of the course that had been taken upon all these points. Boys and girls should be taught to labor. College and book education is very useful; but all cannot devote their lives to the acquisition of that kind of education. He would like to see a good university established here to which our young men and women could go, without having to seek a finished education elsewhere; but he desired to see, if possible, manual training coupled with it. He believed the true course was for us to teach our boys handicrafts, instead of their being obliged to earn a livelihood by having some “soft” job. Let them teach their children to be industrious and take their share of daily toil rather than spend their life entirely in the study of books.
The choir sang the anthem: Look up and put your trust in God.
Benediction by Elder Charles W. Penrose.
said he rejoiced exceedingly in the instructions which we had received that day. He trusted that everyone who had attended the Conference that morning and afternoon felt repaid for the time spent there, and that this would be the case as long as their Conference should last. It was a good thing for them to withdraw from worldly affairs for a short time one such occasions, to come here, wait upon the Lord and receive His Holy Spirit. It would refresh and revivify them, and they would pursue their various avocations with increased zest when the Conference was over. In a pecuniary sense, too, they would lose nothing by the time so set apart.
They had been endeavoring ever since they came to these valleys—President Young, his counselors, the twelve Apostles, and those who since the death of some of their leading men had occupied their places—to convince the Latter-day Saints that the policy which Go prompted them to indicate to the people to pursue was the true one, and the one which, in the end, would result in great benefit and prosperity to them. It was that they should remain here in Utah instead of yielding to temptations to go where the prospect seemed more alluring. Especially was this the case in the early days in regard to California, and those who took the counsel of President Young in this matter had since seen the wisdom thereof. It had been so in other temporal things; but it had required faith on the part of the Saints sometimes to believe that the counsel given them by God’s servants was the best. There had occasionally seemed to be a conflict between the counsel of their leaders and the inclinations growing out of the traditions of the people; but had the latter pursued a course different to that marked out they would never have prospered as they had. There were now thousands of Latter-day Saints, some of whom had had an experience of forty-four years, since coming to these valleys, who could bear testimony to the fact that in nearly every instance where the people had followed the counsel of God’s inspired servants they had invariable prospered and been blessed, and that where they had departed from it they had lost not only in faith frequently, but financially.
Referring to the Irrigation Congress recently held in this city, the speaker remarked that the universal testimony of the many delegates who attended it was as to the prosperity of this people. Every one of them whom he had met had spoken in terms of unstinted admiration of the wisdom and success which had characterized the settlements and the building up of this Territory. Those gentlemen actually admitted that they had profited by what they had seen in operation here, and had returned to their respective homes deeply impressed with the value of the lesson they had learned. They called it an “object lesson.” There had been no great monopolization of land and water here, as was the case elsewhere—men taking up large tracts and occupying them to the exclusion of honest settlers; and in no other part of this great continent did the poor man enjoy such facilities and opportunities as in Utah Territory. He did not believe there was another place in this broad country where, in proportion to the population, so many men occupied their own homes. The testimony of visitors concerning what they saw here is the beginning of the end—the beginning of that which the servants of God had foretold and the Prophets had predicted concerning Zion. President Cannon mentioned also the abundance of free water for the use of the people, and said it was their privilege to continue under these favorable conditions if they would. If the people would take the course pointed out to them by God through His servants they would see yet grander results in these matters.
President Woodruff had made mention of the expenses which they, as a Church, had had to bear; but they had been growing in wealth all the time, notwithstanding the trials and persecutions which they had had to endure. They did not seem like persecution now, and he had no words of reproach nor condemnation to utter. The Lord had overruled them for good, and such would be the case to the end.
The speaker next touched upon the great changes which had taken place of late years in this Territory, particularly in this city, Ogden and in this county, and said these would probably extend to other counties.
He had a great desire in his heart at this Conference to impress upon the Latter-day Saints the importance of taking steps looking to the permanent relief of the needy or destitute in our midst, that in our prosperity we might not forget the Lord’s poor. We were very likely to have an inclement winter, and therefor out of our substance we should see that none of God’s creatures wanted for food or shelter.
After a parenthetical reference to the marvelous productiveness of Utah’s soil, President Cannon said it was their duty as a people to so organize that the poor in their midst who needed help should have their wants relieved. Bishops and others in authority should see to it; but while doing this, care should be taken to prevent the abuse of charity, and the indolent from taking advantage of it. All men should work to the extent of their ability and not live in indolence. He besought the Latter-day Saints to impress upon the minds of their children that all labor was honorable. They had sometimes been criticized because they had spent so much money on the building of temples and meeting houses, and people had said if they had erected colleges instead it would have been better. He believed that the results would prove the wisdom of the course that had been taken upon all these points. Boys and girls should be taught to labor. College and book education is very useful; but all cannot devote their lives to the acquisition of that kind of education. He would like to see a good university established here to which our young men and women could go, without having to seek a finished education elsewhere; but he desired to see, if possible, manual training coupled with it. He believed the true course was for us to teach our boys handicrafts, instead of their being obliged to earn a livelihood by having some “soft” job. Let them teach their children to be industrious and take their share of daily toil rather than spend their life entirely in the study of books.
The choir sang the anthem: Look up and put your trust in God.
Benediction by Elder Charles W. Penrose.
Third Day. Morning Session. October 6th.
The choir and congregation sang:
We thank Thee, O God, for a prophet,
To guide us in these latter days.
Prayer by Elder Daniel D. McArthur.
Singing by the choir:
Praise ye the Lord, my heart, shall join
In work so pleasant, so divine.
The choir and congregation sang:
We thank Thee, O God, for a prophet,
To guide us in these latter days.
Prayer by Elder Daniel D. McArthur.
Singing by the choir:
Praise ye the Lord, my heart, shall join
In work so pleasant, so divine.
Elder Charles W. Penrose.
The following is a brief outline of his remarks:
We have had an excellent time during Conference thus far and the instructions imparted have done me good, and I hope they will benefit all who have assembled. If we observe these teachings in our daily lives we will be a better people than we have been. We have received good counsel, calculated to make us better in every department of life.
If there are any people in the world who need to exercise Christian charity they are the Latter-day Saints. False reports are constantly spread concerning our actions and faith. It seems that those who are opposed to us can not tell the truth about us either by pen or speech. If we had not the truth they would not be compelled to resort to misrepresentation in seeking to overturn our position. We are called to exercise charity not only to each other, but to all mankind. God does not judge by outward appearances, but by the intent and motive. If those who make errors design in their hearts to do right, God is merciful to them. When people continually resort to calumny and falsehood it is difficult to exercise charity to those who indulge in it. The world has been flooded with misrepresentation concerning the Latter-day Saints. This has occasionally occurred in high places. But we should possess our souls in patience. We should also lift up our hearts and rejoice that we are made to suffer such injustice for truth’s sake. A new assault has been made against the Church. In all the books and articles that I have read that have been penned in hostility, there has not been one that has not contained falsehood. The Utah Commission, sent here under the Edmunds act, have made a majority report to the Secretary of the Interior, in which they do great injury to this community. It may appear in the Deseret News. It might be deemed questionable whether we should publish such things against ourselves. But it appears to me that they should be submitted to the Saints that they may weigh them. It is not necessary to publish everything of a scurrilous character that is said against us, as it would engross too much of our attention to the exclusion of subjects that are more profitable. It is necessary that the Saints should know what is said against them, and that some one should show the other side. When the Church is belied there ought to be a refutation of the misstatements. The majority of the Utah Commission in the report alluded to, have sought to make it appear that the people are dominated by their leaders in political matters. That they are by them treated as political serfs. The object is that we might be kept in Territorial vassalage and be denied the rights accorded to other people. It may be ungenerous to say so, but it looks as if the Utah Commission were influenced by a desire to retain their places and salaries. They may possibly, however believe their own statements, although they are false. The report states that 41 male persons in 1890 entered into the relation of plural marriage. They give no names nor other data. The reason is obvious. In the manifesto issued by the President of the Church this statement was denied most emphatically. The action of the head of the Church was endorsed by the people in general conference. The report says that the Commission had information that in 1891 eighteen such marriages occurred. I know of no such marriages in 1891 and do not believe one has taken place. The Commission cast reflections upon the sincerity of the Church in the issuance of the manifesto and of the community in the dissolution of the People’s Party and the division of the people on national party lines. Any person who witnessed the spirit of the people when this division took place might have imagined that they were a little too intense and zealous on the question. We ought to know whether we are sincere and whether we have been coerced or dictated by the leaders of the Church. I have been in the Church many years, and am acquainted with the leaders of it and have traveled a good deal among the people. I know that I have not been dominated or coerced in political matters. I have never seen anything of that character. The people have voted as they pleased. We have had the secret ballot and the authorities of the Church could not know how a person voted if they had wished. The franchise was taken from the women of Utah because it was claimed that they voted as they were told, just as if a woman could be induced to do anything that she didn’t want to.
We are a free people and our leading men have not led us into bondage. The statements to the contrary are untrue. I am sorry for a man who bears false witness against his neighbor, for God will judge him. In the future, as in the past, the people will be free and they will join whatever political party they please to identify themselves with.
The Latter-day Saints are an honest and sincere people. As a citizen of the United States, I protest against my acts and theirs being misrepresented to the government of the United States.
The speaker continued for some time, showing the charge of there being an amalgamation of Church and State in Utah is baseless and untrue.
The following is a brief outline of his remarks:
We have had an excellent time during Conference thus far and the instructions imparted have done me good, and I hope they will benefit all who have assembled. If we observe these teachings in our daily lives we will be a better people than we have been. We have received good counsel, calculated to make us better in every department of life.
If there are any people in the world who need to exercise Christian charity they are the Latter-day Saints. False reports are constantly spread concerning our actions and faith. It seems that those who are opposed to us can not tell the truth about us either by pen or speech. If we had not the truth they would not be compelled to resort to misrepresentation in seeking to overturn our position. We are called to exercise charity not only to each other, but to all mankind. God does not judge by outward appearances, but by the intent and motive. If those who make errors design in their hearts to do right, God is merciful to them. When people continually resort to calumny and falsehood it is difficult to exercise charity to those who indulge in it. The world has been flooded with misrepresentation concerning the Latter-day Saints. This has occasionally occurred in high places. But we should possess our souls in patience. We should also lift up our hearts and rejoice that we are made to suffer such injustice for truth’s sake. A new assault has been made against the Church. In all the books and articles that I have read that have been penned in hostility, there has not been one that has not contained falsehood. The Utah Commission, sent here under the Edmunds act, have made a majority report to the Secretary of the Interior, in which they do great injury to this community. It may appear in the Deseret News. It might be deemed questionable whether we should publish such things against ourselves. But it appears to me that they should be submitted to the Saints that they may weigh them. It is not necessary to publish everything of a scurrilous character that is said against us, as it would engross too much of our attention to the exclusion of subjects that are more profitable. It is necessary that the Saints should know what is said against them, and that some one should show the other side. When the Church is belied there ought to be a refutation of the misstatements. The majority of the Utah Commission in the report alluded to, have sought to make it appear that the people are dominated by their leaders in political matters. That they are by them treated as political serfs. The object is that we might be kept in Territorial vassalage and be denied the rights accorded to other people. It may be ungenerous to say so, but it looks as if the Utah Commission were influenced by a desire to retain their places and salaries. They may possibly, however believe their own statements, although they are false. The report states that 41 male persons in 1890 entered into the relation of plural marriage. They give no names nor other data. The reason is obvious. In the manifesto issued by the President of the Church this statement was denied most emphatically. The action of the head of the Church was endorsed by the people in general conference. The report says that the Commission had information that in 1891 eighteen such marriages occurred. I know of no such marriages in 1891 and do not believe one has taken place. The Commission cast reflections upon the sincerity of the Church in the issuance of the manifesto and of the community in the dissolution of the People’s Party and the division of the people on national party lines. Any person who witnessed the spirit of the people when this division took place might have imagined that they were a little too intense and zealous on the question. We ought to know whether we are sincere and whether we have been coerced or dictated by the leaders of the Church. I have been in the Church many years, and am acquainted with the leaders of it and have traveled a good deal among the people. I know that I have not been dominated or coerced in political matters. I have never seen anything of that character. The people have voted as they pleased. We have had the secret ballot and the authorities of the Church could not know how a person voted if they had wished. The franchise was taken from the women of Utah because it was claimed that they voted as they were told, just as if a woman could be induced to do anything that she didn’t want to.
We are a free people and our leading men have not led us into bondage. The statements to the contrary are untrue. I am sorry for a man who bears false witness against his neighbor, for God will judge him. In the future, as in the past, the people will be free and they will join whatever political party they please to identify themselves with.
The Latter-day Saints are an honest and sincere people. As a citizen of the United States, I protest against my acts and theirs being misrepresented to the government of the United States.
The speaker continued for some time, showing the charge of there being an amalgamation of Church and State in Utah is baseless and untrue.
President Woodruff
said: I want to bear record to this congregation, and to heaven and earth, that what Brother Penrose has said is true; and as a proof of this I will say that I had a great desire in my heart at the last election, that we might have some Republicans in our Legislature, and we have not got one. Here is Brother Lund. [Brother Lund is one of the Apostles.] I believe he is a Republican. He ran, but did not get elected. This shows that if I had anything to do with it, I certainly had no influence with the people; for we have got no Republicans in the Legislature.
said: I want to bear record to this congregation, and to heaven and earth, that what Brother Penrose has said is true; and as a proof of this I will say that I had a great desire in my heart at the last election, that we might have some Republicans in our Legislature, and we have not got one. Here is Brother Lund. [Brother Lund is one of the Apostles.] I believe he is a Republican. He ran, but did not get elected. This shows that if I had anything to do with it, I certainly had no influence with the people; for we have got no Republicans in the Legislature.
Apostle Moses Thatcher
said that, by request, he would endeavor to make a few remarks. He had entertained for years pronounced views on the union of Church and State. Whatever was the opinion of others, he had felt for years that to unite the church and State in authority would lead to anarchy and possibly to revolution. In some periods of the history of the world God had allowed the people to have their spiritual head as their kind—as in the case of ancient Israel—but at the same time He had warned them of the danger of such a situation. This idea of the Union of Church and State had arisen from our belief and longing for the time to come when Jesus would reign as king of kings. Did Jesus not say when here, that he would not then rule, but would do so at His future coming? Is there any harm or sin in our looking forward to a union of Church and State under the great Creator of all?
We are citizens of a form of government which we have declared was inspired in its inception, under a Constitution given by the Spirit of God. We understand the necessity of giving hearty obedience to the laws of our country. We say these insinuations and assertions made by our enemies are untrue, and we hereby enter our solemn protest against such injustice.
When troublous times come, as they will, the youth of this people will stand forth on the backbone of this country, from Canada to Mexico and uphold the glorious principles of civil and religious liberty, endowed by the Constitution of our country.
said that, by request, he would endeavor to make a few remarks. He had entertained for years pronounced views on the union of Church and State. Whatever was the opinion of others, he had felt for years that to unite the church and State in authority would lead to anarchy and possibly to revolution. In some periods of the history of the world God had allowed the people to have their spiritual head as their kind—as in the case of ancient Israel—but at the same time He had warned them of the danger of such a situation. This idea of the Union of Church and State had arisen from our belief and longing for the time to come when Jesus would reign as king of kings. Did Jesus not say when here, that he would not then rule, but would do so at His future coming? Is there any harm or sin in our looking forward to a union of Church and State under the great Creator of all?
We are citizens of a form of government which we have declared was inspired in its inception, under a Constitution given by the Spirit of God. We understand the necessity of giving hearty obedience to the laws of our country. We say these insinuations and assertions made by our enemies are untrue, and we hereby enter our solemn protest against such injustice.
When troublous times come, as they will, the youth of this people will stand forth on the backbone of this country, from Canada to Mexico and uphold the glorious principles of civil and religious liberty, endowed by the Constitution of our country.
Elder Franklin S. Richards
said in substance that he was pleased to bear his testimony to the truth of the Gospel. For this testimony he was more thankful than for anything else on earth. He realized his own and friends’ weaknesses, but with all he knew they, as well as himself, were struggling with all their strength to live so as to some day be so perfect as to attain to what Paul called the stature of a man in Christ Jesus. He had wondered why it was that our enemies were so persistent in the circulation of such untrue reports as those alluded to this morning. He had many excellent opportunities of knowing the full value of the action taken by the Church in issuing the manifesto, and he knew and hereby bore witness to the honest of that action. It was done in all sincerity. He was willing to testify to this before men and high Heaven. The chairman of the Utah Commission had told him a year ago that the best and only thing to do was to dissolve the People’s Party. He had answered, that if the “Liberal” party disbanded he would insure the disintegration of the People’s Party. He was more than surprised to see the actions and words of those who attacked our integrity and honesty of motives. He felt to say, Shame upon such actions and upon such men. He had no patience with injustice or untruth. He ha never seen the time when he was ashamed of his religion, no matter how high the worldly position of those before whom he stood might be. He rejoiced in the freedom and glory of the Gospel.
said in substance that he was pleased to bear his testimony to the truth of the Gospel. For this testimony he was more thankful than for anything else on earth. He realized his own and friends’ weaknesses, but with all he knew they, as well as himself, were struggling with all their strength to live so as to some day be so perfect as to attain to what Paul called the stature of a man in Christ Jesus. He had wondered why it was that our enemies were so persistent in the circulation of such untrue reports as those alluded to this morning. He had many excellent opportunities of knowing the full value of the action taken by the Church in issuing the manifesto, and he knew and hereby bore witness to the honest of that action. It was done in all sincerity. He was willing to testify to this before men and high Heaven. The chairman of the Utah Commission had told him a year ago that the best and only thing to do was to dissolve the People’s Party. He had answered, that if the “Liberal” party disbanded he would insure the disintegration of the People’s Party. He was more than surprised to see the actions and words of those who attacked our integrity and honesty of motives. He felt to say, Shame upon such actions and upon such men. He had no patience with injustice or untruth. He ha never seen the time when he was ashamed of his religion, no matter how high the worldly position of those before whom he stood might be. He rejoiced in the freedom and glory of the Gospel.
Elder John T. Caine
was requested to speak. Following is a brief synopsis of his discourse: In regard to the report made by a majority of the Utah Commission, he would say that many statements made therein were, to his knowledge, untrue. He would not say that the Commission were ignorant, but if they were, they were in that condition because they would not take steps to learn the truth. When these gentlemen came here they inquired if any obstruction would be placed in the way of administering the law, and they were assured there would not. If they said any such difficulty had been met, then they had stated that which was incorrect. They had frequently asked why this people did not divide on national party lines and get rid of further trouble. Now that this had been done, they pretended to doubt the sincerity of the motives that prompted the action. He could say emphatically that no man had ever attempted to dictate his political actions. He ha in all his long official experience been perfectly free in his political views and movements. No one had ever sought to dictate to him. The great point, he believed, in these late reports was that these men saw there was a prospect of there being no further use for them, and there would be no salaries for them in the future. The speaker said he had never seen real political dictation until he went to Congress, and there he found how men could be led and dictated to.
At this point
was requested to speak. Following is a brief synopsis of his discourse: In regard to the report made by a majority of the Utah Commission, he would say that many statements made therein were, to his knowledge, untrue. He would not say that the Commission were ignorant, but if they were, they were in that condition because they would not take steps to learn the truth. When these gentlemen came here they inquired if any obstruction would be placed in the way of administering the law, and they were assured there would not. If they said any such difficulty had been met, then they had stated that which was incorrect. They had frequently asked why this people did not divide on national party lines and get rid of further trouble. Now that this had been done, they pretended to doubt the sincerity of the motives that prompted the action. He could say emphatically that no man had ever attempted to dictate his political actions. He ha in all his long official experience been perfectly free in his political views and movements. No one had ever sought to dictate to him. The great point, he believed, in these late reports was that these men saw there was a prospect of there being no further use for them, and there would be no salaries for them in the future. The speaker said he had never seen real political dictation until he went to Congress, and there he found how men could be led and dictated to.
At this point
President George Q. Cannon
asked the speaker whether he did not think that the Conference should take some action in reference to the misstatements of the majority of the commission. Would he advise an expression by appropriate resolutions? Mr. Caine said he certainly did, as we had lain under the lash too long without retaliation in the shape of some strong refutations.
Some one arose in the audience and commenced speaking. It proved to be
asked the speaker whether he did not think that the Conference should take some action in reference to the misstatements of the majority of the commission. Would he advise an expression by appropriate resolutions? Mr. Caine said he certainly did, as we had lain under the lash too long without retaliation in the shape of some strong refutations.
Some one arose in the audience and commenced speaking. It proved to be
Brother John Clark,
the well-known merchant. He was invited to the stand. When he appeared there he spoke as follows:
Reference has been made, my brethren and sisters, to the report of the Utah Commission. I am of the opinion, as the previous speaker, that the misrepresentations that have been placed upon us for a number of years have been passed by too many times in silence. I think that some action should be taken, and that some resolutions, before this Conference adjourns, should be placed before the Conference for their action. I have read the report of the Utah Commission, and from my knowledge of the affairs in this Territory, I am satisfied, as has been stated, that statements made in that report are incorrect and maliciously untrue, and have been gotten up for the purpose of injuring the Latter-day Saints. I therefore move, if it be in order, that a committee of five be appointed by this conference to formulate such resolutions as will refute, and deny these statements, and set in proper order our views in regard to these matters.
The motion instantly received a large number of seconds. It was put to the audience by President Cannon and carried unanimously with a combined shout of ayes that seemed to shake the building. There was no response to the call for a contrary vote.
In answer to the question as to how the committee should be selected, Brother Clark, who made the original motion, made another to the effect that they be appointed by the President of the Conference. The later motion was seconded and carried unanimously with the same intensity and vigor as the first.
the well-known merchant. He was invited to the stand. When he appeared there he spoke as follows:
Reference has been made, my brethren and sisters, to the report of the Utah Commission. I am of the opinion, as the previous speaker, that the misrepresentations that have been placed upon us for a number of years have been passed by too many times in silence. I think that some action should be taken, and that some resolutions, before this Conference adjourns, should be placed before the Conference for their action. I have read the report of the Utah Commission, and from my knowledge of the affairs in this Territory, I am satisfied, as has been stated, that statements made in that report are incorrect and maliciously untrue, and have been gotten up for the purpose of injuring the Latter-day Saints. I therefore move, if it be in order, that a committee of five be appointed by this conference to formulate such resolutions as will refute, and deny these statements, and set in proper order our views in regard to these matters.
The motion instantly received a large number of seconds. It was put to the audience by President Cannon and carried unanimously with a combined shout of ayes that seemed to shake the building. There was no response to the call for a contrary vote.
In answer to the question as to how the committee should be selected, Brother Clark, who made the original motion, made another to the effect that they be appointed by the President of the Conference. The later motion was seconded and carried unanimously with the same intensity and vigor as the first.
President Woodruff
then named the following as the committee on resolutions:
John Clark, chairman, William H. Rowe, Charles W. Penrose, John T. Caine and Franklin S. Richards.
The motion to accept of the committee should be required to report. Brother Aurelius Miner moved that two o’clock today be the hour. This motion was seconded and carried unanimously with a tremendous shout of “aye.”
The choir sang the anthem: Praise ye the Father.
Benediction by Elder John R. Murdock.
then named the following as the committee on resolutions:
John Clark, chairman, William H. Rowe, Charles W. Penrose, John T. Caine and Franklin S. Richards.
The motion to accept of the committee should be required to report. Brother Aurelius Miner moved that two o’clock today be the hour. This motion was seconded and carried unanimously with a tremendous shout of “aye.”
The choir sang the anthem: Praise ye the Father.
Benediction by Elder John R. Murdock.
Afternoon Session.
Singing by the choir: Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning.
Prayer by Elder John Nicholson.
Behold the mountain of the Lord
In Latter days shall rise,
was sung by the choir.
Singing by the choir: Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning.
Prayer by Elder John Nicholson.
Behold the mountain of the Lord
In Latter days shall rise,
was sung by the choir.
President George Q. Cannon
said the first business in order would be to hear the report of the committee appointed at the forenoon session of the Conference to draft resolutions expressive of the views of the assemblage upon certain misrepresentations recently made regarding the community.
The committee not being ready to report, Apostle A. H. Lund was called upon to speak.
said the first business in order would be to hear the report of the committee appointed at the forenoon session of the Conference to draft resolutions expressive of the views of the assemblage upon certain misrepresentations recently made regarding the community.
The committee not being ready to report, Apostle A. H. Lund was called upon to speak.
Apostle Anton H. Lund
urged the Saints to carry out the instructions they had received in their everyday lives. Since last Conference we have reached another station on our journey, and in that time God has been fulfilling his promises. The signs of the times are significant. On such occasions as this it is good to examine ourselves and see just where we stand. Our assurance that this is the kingdom of God should not lull us to sleep. The winter is approaching. I would like to impress upon the brethren to attend their quorum meetings. Our young men have their names enrolled in the various quorums, and they are not so placed to be neglectful of their duties, but that they should be alive to all of their obligations. We should sustain the Sunday schools and Church schools and every institution in the midst of Zion.
urged the Saints to carry out the instructions they had received in their everyday lives. Since last Conference we have reached another station on our journey, and in that time God has been fulfilling his promises. The signs of the times are significant. On such occasions as this it is good to examine ourselves and see just where we stand. Our assurance that this is the kingdom of God should not lull us to sleep. The winter is approaching. I would like to impress upon the brethren to attend their quorum meetings. Our young men have their names enrolled in the various quorums, and they are not so placed to be neglectful of their duties, but that they should be alive to all of their obligations. We should sustain the Sunday schools and Church schools and every institution in the midst of Zion.
Apostle Abraham H. Cannon
said he did not know how anyone could have attended this Conference without being profoundly impressed with the testimonies given. There had been a spirit accompanying the words spoken which must have carried conviction to the hearts of all present. He was convinced of the ultimate triumph of this work, for God had established it.
He was sorry to hear of the statements which had been circulated against this people, reference to which was made this morning. His mind went back over his own short life, and he could not remember ever to have heard a single word uttered either by his parents or those in authority in this Church tending to plant in his soul a disrespect for the government under which he lived. On the contrary, all that had been spoken in his hearing went to increase in his breast a love for that government, which God Himself had established, and for the Constitution which He inspired great and wise men to write. His grief was great concerning some of the false statements made against the Latter-day Saints. He believed that there existed a deep-laid plot to drive them from their homes and to take possession of the land which God had so abundantly blessed. Further, he believed there prevailed to some extent among this people the feeling that they were not destined to remain in this Territory, but that they must seek refuge and freedom elsewhere. Hence, the tendency, which he deplored, to some extent prevailed among the Saints, that they must withdraw from the United States, seek homes in other places, and desert the land to which God had led them through the inspiration of His servants. This was the Zion of our God, these were the mountains of Israel, these were the valleys upon which His blessings had been showered, and this was the spot where they would develop into a great and mighty people. He believed that the temple of the Latter-day Saints, the great temple upon which a pillar of light should shine by night and upon which a cloud should rest by day would be established in Jackson county, Missouri, and that it would be built with the aid and assistance of this people, connected with others whom God should call to work. But when the Saints went to Jackson county it would not be with the rattle of the drum, with drawn sword and fixed bayonet, but with the palm of peace waving and calling the nations to come unto the glory of Zion and partake of the blessings which God had in store for the honest in heart. He hoped that our young men and women would feel in their hearts that these valleys were their homes, the places where they were to grow and develop, and not feel to separate and find their abode elsewhere. Here let them concentrate their efforts for the furtherance of God’s work, so that the people of all nations might come, feeling that justice would be administered with a righteous hand.
It was announced that the committee on resolutions had entered the building and were ready to report. The Conference voted unanimously to hear the committee.
The following were then read by
said he did not know how anyone could have attended this Conference without being profoundly impressed with the testimonies given. There had been a spirit accompanying the words spoken which must have carried conviction to the hearts of all present. He was convinced of the ultimate triumph of this work, for God had established it.
He was sorry to hear of the statements which had been circulated against this people, reference to which was made this morning. His mind went back over his own short life, and he could not remember ever to have heard a single word uttered either by his parents or those in authority in this Church tending to plant in his soul a disrespect for the government under which he lived. On the contrary, all that had been spoken in his hearing went to increase in his breast a love for that government, which God Himself had established, and for the Constitution which He inspired great and wise men to write. His grief was great concerning some of the false statements made against the Latter-day Saints. He believed that there existed a deep-laid plot to drive them from their homes and to take possession of the land which God had so abundantly blessed. Further, he believed there prevailed to some extent among this people the feeling that they were not destined to remain in this Territory, but that they must seek refuge and freedom elsewhere. Hence, the tendency, which he deplored, to some extent prevailed among the Saints, that they must withdraw from the United States, seek homes in other places, and desert the land to which God had led them through the inspiration of His servants. This was the Zion of our God, these were the mountains of Israel, these were the valleys upon which His blessings had been showered, and this was the spot where they would develop into a great and mighty people. He believed that the temple of the Latter-day Saints, the great temple upon which a pillar of light should shine by night and upon which a cloud should rest by day would be established in Jackson county, Missouri, and that it would be built with the aid and assistance of this people, connected with others whom God should call to work. But when the Saints went to Jackson county it would not be with the rattle of the drum, with drawn sword and fixed bayonet, but with the palm of peace waving and calling the nations to come unto the glory of Zion and partake of the blessings which God had in store for the honest in heart. He hoped that our young men and women would feel in their hearts that these valleys were their homes, the places where they were to grow and develop, and not feel to separate and find their abode elsewhere. Here let them concentrate their efforts for the furtherance of God’s work, so that the people of all nations might come, feeling that justice would be administered with a righteous hand.
It was announced that the committee on resolutions had entered the building and were ready to report. The Conference voted unanimously to hear the committee.
The following were then read by
Hon. John T. Caine:
Committee Report. Misrepresentations of the Utah Commission Denounced.
President Wilford Woodruff and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in General Conference assembled:
Brethren and Sisters.—Your committee appointed to formulate an expression of the Conference relative to certain statements made by the majority of the Utah Commission in their report to the Secretary of the Interior for the year 1891, beg leave to report the accompanying recommend their adoption by the Conference.
Very respectfully,
John Clark,
W. H. Rowe,
Chas. W. Penrose,
John T. Caine,
Franklin S. Richards.
Salt Lake City, Oct. 6, 1891.
Preamble and Resolutions.
Whereas, the Utah Commission, with one exception, in their report to the Secretary of the Interior for 1891, have made many untruthful statements concerning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the attitude of its members in relation to political affairs; and,
Whereas, said report is an official document and is likely to greatly prejudice the people of the nation against our Church and its members, and it is therefore unwise to allow its erroneous statements to pass unnoticed.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in General Conference assembled, that we deny most emphatically the assertion of the Commission that the Church dominates its members in political matters and that Church and State are united. Whatever appearance there may have been in past times of a union of Church and State, because men holding ecclesiastical authority were elected to civil office by popular vote, there is now no foundation or excuse for the statement that Church and State are united in Utah or that the leaders of the Church dictate the members in political matters; that no coercion or any influence whatever of an ecclesiastical nature has been exercised over us by our Church leaders in reference to which political party we shall join, and that we have been and are perfectly free to unite with any or no political party as we may individually elect; that the People’s Party has been entirely and finally dissolved and that our fealty henceforth will be to such national political party as seems to us best suited to the purposes of republican government.
Also, be it resolved that we do not believe there have been any polygamous marriages solemnized among the Latter-day Saints during the period named by the Utah Commission; and we denounce the statements which convey the idea that such marriages have been contracted as false and misleading, and that we protest against the perversions of fact and principle and intent contained in the report of the Commission, and declare that the manifesto of President Woodruff forbidding future plural marriages was adopted as the last October Conference in all sincerity and good faith, and that we have every reason to believe that it has been carried out in letter and in spirit; and all statements to the contrary are entirely destitute of truth.
And be it further resolved, That we appeal to the press and people of this country to accept our united declaration and protest, to give it publicity, and to aid in disseminating the truth, that falsehood may be refuted and justice be done to a people continually maligned and almost universally misunderstood. And may God defend the right.
A motion was made to receive and adopt the preamble and resolutions, when a gentleman in the audience asked if a “gentile and a sinner” might be allowed to make a few remarks. It was
Committee Report. Misrepresentations of the Utah Commission Denounced.
President Wilford Woodruff and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in General Conference assembled:
Brethren and Sisters.—Your committee appointed to formulate an expression of the Conference relative to certain statements made by the majority of the Utah Commission in their report to the Secretary of the Interior for the year 1891, beg leave to report the accompanying recommend their adoption by the Conference.
Very respectfully,
John Clark,
W. H. Rowe,
Chas. W. Penrose,
John T. Caine,
Franklin S. Richards.
Salt Lake City, Oct. 6, 1891.
Preamble and Resolutions.
Whereas, the Utah Commission, with one exception, in their report to the Secretary of the Interior for 1891, have made many untruthful statements concerning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the attitude of its members in relation to political affairs; and,
Whereas, said report is an official document and is likely to greatly prejudice the people of the nation against our Church and its members, and it is therefore unwise to allow its erroneous statements to pass unnoticed.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in General Conference assembled, that we deny most emphatically the assertion of the Commission that the Church dominates its members in political matters and that Church and State are united. Whatever appearance there may have been in past times of a union of Church and State, because men holding ecclesiastical authority were elected to civil office by popular vote, there is now no foundation or excuse for the statement that Church and State are united in Utah or that the leaders of the Church dictate the members in political matters; that no coercion or any influence whatever of an ecclesiastical nature has been exercised over us by our Church leaders in reference to which political party we shall join, and that we have been and are perfectly free to unite with any or no political party as we may individually elect; that the People’s Party has been entirely and finally dissolved and that our fealty henceforth will be to such national political party as seems to us best suited to the purposes of republican government.
Also, be it resolved that we do not believe there have been any polygamous marriages solemnized among the Latter-day Saints during the period named by the Utah Commission; and we denounce the statements which convey the idea that such marriages have been contracted as false and misleading, and that we protest against the perversions of fact and principle and intent contained in the report of the Commission, and declare that the manifesto of President Woodruff forbidding future plural marriages was adopted as the last October Conference in all sincerity and good faith, and that we have every reason to believe that it has been carried out in letter and in spirit; and all statements to the contrary are entirely destitute of truth.
And be it further resolved, That we appeal to the press and people of this country to accept our united declaration and protest, to give it publicity, and to aid in disseminating the truth, that falsehood may be refuted and justice be done to a people continually maligned and almost universally misunderstood. And may God defend the right.
A motion was made to receive and adopt the preamble and resolutions, when a gentleman in the audience asked if a “gentile and a sinner” might be allowed to make a few remarks. It was
Mr. Charles Ellis,
President Cannon—Yes, we have no objection; you are at liberty to do so; but won’t you come to the stand?
Mr. Ellis—If you can hear me I will talk here.
President Cannon—You cannot be heard there as well as here.
Voices in the congregation—Go up to the stand.
After a brief pause Mr. Ellis went forward, and, taking a position on the lower stand, he said: I simply want to say that so far as the resolutions just read go, I endorse them, but would like to see something added to this effect:
“That, whereas the people called “Mormons” have conceded every demand made upon them by the government of the United States, therefore they, as American citizens, loving their country and having the best government in the world, pledge themselves to loyalty to that government, demanding in return that the United States government shall guarantee to them all the rights and privileges of fair-play and equality before the law, to the protection of life and liberty and the pursuit of that happiness which it guarantees to every other sect that is based upon the bible.” (Loud applause.)
President Cannon—Yes, we have no objection; you are at liberty to do so; but won’t you come to the stand?
Mr. Ellis—If you can hear me I will talk here.
President Cannon—You cannot be heard there as well as here.
Voices in the congregation—Go up to the stand.
After a brief pause Mr. Ellis went forward, and, taking a position on the lower stand, he said: I simply want to say that so far as the resolutions just read go, I endorse them, but would like to see something added to this effect:
“That, whereas the people called “Mormons” have conceded every demand made upon them by the government of the United States, therefore they, as American citizens, loving their country and having the best government in the world, pledge themselves to loyalty to that government, demanding in return that the United States government shall guarantee to them all the rights and privileges of fair-play and equality before the law, to the protection of life and liberty and the pursuit of that happiness which it guarantees to every other sect that is based upon the bible.” (Loud applause.)
Elder B. H. Roberts
said: It appears to me that in dealing with the matter to which our attention was called this morning, namely, the misrepresentations that are contained in the report of the Utah Commission, there is one thing that the Latter-day Saints should recognize. That is, that in adopting these resolutions which have been formulated by the committee appointed by this Conference we are acting in harmony not only with what reason would prompt men to do, but likewise in accordance with the expressed will of the Almighty.
In 1839, the Lord saw proper to give instruction to the Saints as to how they should conduct themselves in relation to those who persecuted them. In that revelation, written or indited by the Prophet of God while incarcerated in Liberty jail through the oppressions of Missouri, we find this statement:
And again, we would suggest for your consideration the propriety of all the Saints gathering up a knowledge of all the facts, and sufferings and abuses put upon them....
And also of all the property and amount of damages which they have sustained, both of character and personal injuries, as well as real property;
And also the names of all persons that have had a hand in their oppressions, as far as they can get hold of them and find them out.;
And perhaps a committee can be appointed to find out these things, and to take statements, and affidavits, and also to gather up the libelous publications that are afloat,
And all that are in the magazines, and in the encyclopedias, and all the libelous histories that are published, and are writing, and by whom, and present the whole concatenation of diabolical rascality, and nefarious and murderous impositions that have been practiced upon this people.
That we may not only publish to all the world, but present them to the heads of government in all their dark and hellish hue, as the last effort which is enjoined on us by our Heavenly Father.
It seems to me that the attention of this Conference should be called to this great fact—that we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to God and to the character that we are establishing not to permit these infamous statements—either made by design or through ignorance—to pass out among the people of this nation without a flat and emphatic contradiction. (Applause.) We are enjoined by the spirit and letter of this revelation to say that these things are false. They are untrue in every particular; and further, we should say to the people of the United States that we claim the right to be heard upon this subject; that we have been lied about long enough; that we have been misrepresented to our injury and without protest as long as we intend to be. I conclude my remarks with the closing words of the resolution: “And may God defend the right;” for I believe He will. [Prolonged applause and a chorus of voices: “Amen.”]
The preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted by raising the right hand and shouting aye.
said: It appears to me that in dealing with the matter to which our attention was called this morning, namely, the misrepresentations that are contained in the report of the Utah Commission, there is one thing that the Latter-day Saints should recognize. That is, that in adopting these resolutions which have been formulated by the committee appointed by this Conference we are acting in harmony not only with what reason would prompt men to do, but likewise in accordance with the expressed will of the Almighty.
In 1839, the Lord saw proper to give instruction to the Saints as to how they should conduct themselves in relation to those who persecuted them. In that revelation, written or indited by the Prophet of God while incarcerated in Liberty jail through the oppressions of Missouri, we find this statement:
And again, we would suggest for your consideration the propriety of all the Saints gathering up a knowledge of all the facts, and sufferings and abuses put upon them....
And also of all the property and amount of damages which they have sustained, both of character and personal injuries, as well as real property;
And also the names of all persons that have had a hand in their oppressions, as far as they can get hold of them and find them out.;
And perhaps a committee can be appointed to find out these things, and to take statements, and affidavits, and also to gather up the libelous publications that are afloat,
And all that are in the magazines, and in the encyclopedias, and all the libelous histories that are published, and are writing, and by whom, and present the whole concatenation of diabolical rascality, and nefarious and murderous impositions that have been practiced upon this people.
That we may not only publish to all the world, but present them to the heads of government in all their dark and hellish hue, as the last effort which is enjoined on us by our Heavenly Father.
It seems to me that the attention of this Conference should be called to this great fact—that we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to God and to the character that we are establishing not to permit these infamous statements—either made by design or through ignorance—to pass out among the people of this nation without a flat and emphatic contradiction. (Applause.) We are enjoined by the spirit and letter of this revelation to say that these things are false. They are untrue in every particular; and further, we should say to the people of the United States that we claim the right to be heard upon this subject; that we have been lied about long enough; that we have been misrepresented to our injury and without protest as long as we intend to be. I conclude my remarks with the closing words of the resolution: “And may God defend the right;” for I believe He will. [Prolonged applause and a chorus of voices: “Amen.”]
The preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted by raising the right hand and shouting aye.
Hon. John T. Caine
read the following
Declaration by the First Presidency of the Church:
Concerning the official report of the Utah Commission made to the Secretary of the Interior, in which they allege, “During the past year, notwithstanding the ‘manifesto,’ reports have been received by the Commission of eighteen male persons who, with an equal number of females, are believe to have entered into polygamous marriages,” during the year,” we have to say, it is utterly without foundation in truth. We repeat in the most solemn manner the declaration made by President Wilford Woodruff at our General Conference held last October, that there have been no plural marriages solemnized during the period named.
Polygamy or plural marriage has not been taught, neither has there been given permission to any person to enter into its practice, but on the contrary, it has been strictly forbidden.
Wilford Woodruff,
George Q. Cannon,
Joseph F. Smith,
First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Apostle Moses Thatcher moved that we receive, endorse and adopt as true the statement of the Presidency. Unanimously adopted.
Hon. John T. Caine next came forward and said—I move that the Conference now adopt the sentiments expressed by the gentleman who modestly denominates himself “a Gentile and a sinner.”
This motion was carried unanimously.
read the following
Declaration by the First Presidency of the Church:
Concerning the official report of the Utah Commission made to the Secretary of the Interior, in which they allege, “During the past year, notwithstanding the ‘manifesto,’ reports have been received by the Commission of eighteen male persons who, with an equal number of females, are believe to have entered into polygamous marriages,” during the year,” we have to say, it is utterly without foundation in truth. We repeat in the most solemn manner the declaration made by President Wilford Woodruff at our General Conference held last October, that there have been no plural marriages solemnized during the period named.
Polygamy or plural marriage has not been taught, neither has there been given permission to any person to enter into its practice, but on the contrary, it has been strictly forbidden.
Wilford Woodruff,
George Q. Cannon,
Joseph F. Smith,
First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Apostle Moses Thatcher moved that we receive, endorse and adopt as true the statement of the Presidency. Unanimously adopted.
Hon. John T. Caine next came forward and said—I move that the Conference now adopt the sentiments expressed by the gentleman who modestly denominates himself “a Gentile and a sinner.”
This motion was carried unanimously.
The Authorities of the Church
were presented by President George Q. Cannon for the votes of the assembly, as follows:
Wilford Woodruff, as Prophet, Seer and Revelator and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world.
George Q. Cannon as First Counselor in the First Presidency.
Joseph F. Smith as Second Counselor in the First Presidency.
Lorenzo Snow as President of the Twelve Apostles.
As members of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles—Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Brigham Young, Moses Thatcher, Francis M. Lyman, John H. Smith, George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant, John W. Taylor, Marriner W. Merrill, Anthon H. Lund, and Abraham H. Cannon.
Brother Cannon stated that a letter had been received from Brother John W. Young, requesting that his name be not presented at this time. Some of his reasons were given. Brother Young’s name was not presented.
The counselors in the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles as Prophets, Seers and Revelators.
Patriarch to the Church—John Smith.
First Seven Presidents of the Seventies—Jacob Gates, Seymour B. Young, C. D. Fjeldsted, John Morgan, B. H. Roberts and George Reynolds.
William B. Preston as Presiding Bishop, with Robert T. Burton as his First and John R. Winder as his Second Counselor.
Franklin D. Richards as Church Historian and General Church Recorder, and John Jaques as his assistant.
Joseph Don Carlos Young as General Church Architect.
John Nicholson as Clerk of the General Conference.
As the Church Board of Education: Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, George Q. Cannon, Karl G. Maeser, Willard Young, George W. Thatcher, Amos Howe, Anthon H. Lund, James Sharp.
It was moved by Apostle Francis M. Lyman that Wilford Woodruff be sustained as the Trustee-in-Trust for the Church.
All the voting was unanimous.
were presented by President George Q. Cannon for the votes of the assembly, as follows:
Wilford Woodruff, as Prophet, Seer and Revelator and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world.
George Q. Cannon as First Counselor in the First Presidency.
Joseph F. Smith as Second Counselor in the First Presidency.
Lorenzo Snow as President of the Twelve Apostles.
As members of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles—Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Brigham Young, Moses Thatcher, Francis M. Lyman, John H. Smith, George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant, John W. Taylor, Marriner W. Merrill, Anthon H. Lund, and Abraham H. Cannon.
Brother Cannon stated that a letter had been received from Brother John W. Young, requesting that his name be not presented at this time. Some of his reasons were given. Brother Young’s name was not presented.
The counselors in the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles as Prophets, Seers and Revelators.
Patriarch to the Church—John Smith.
First Seven Presidents of the Seventies—Jacob Gates, Seymour B. Young, C. D. Fjeldsted, John Morgan, B. H. Roberts and George Reynolds.
William B. Preston as Presiding Bishop, with Robert T. Burton as his First and John R. Winder as his Second Counselor.
Franklin D. Richards as Church Historian and General Church Recorder, and John Jaques as his assistant.
Joseph Don Carlos Young as General Church Architect.
John Nicholson as Clerk of the General Conference.
As the Church Board of Education: Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, George Q. Cannon, Karl G. Maeser, Willard Young, George W. Thatcher, Amos Howe, Anthon H. Lund, James Sharp.
It was moved by Apostle Francis M. Lyman that Wilford Woodruff be sustained as the Trustee-in-Trust for the Church.
All the voting was unanimous.
Elder Jacob Gates
said he was pleased to bear testimony that God lives, the God who spoke to the youthful Prophet of the nineteenth century. He had been intimately acquainted with the leaders of this Church and he knew they were worthy the confidence of God, angels, and men. He felt to prophecy that we would stay in these valleys until we became a mighty people, who would stretch from the north to the south of this great country and we would remain, as Brother Abraham Cannon has said, until we reached out to the central location of Zion, and there built the great Temple that is to be erected in this generation. He had been shown, by divine power, this people go from Missouri and he had seen them return also in the same vision. He had been told, by the voice of revelation, that we should return in power and glory. Joseph had predicted our coming to these valleys and here we should remain. He wanted to say to those who never knew the Prophet, that he knew Joseph Smith was called of the Lord. Had stood guard over him when he was in danger; had heard him prophecy and seen its fulfillment. Ha been acquainted with Brigham Young, John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff. He bore a powerful testimony to the worth and integrity of those men. He closed with a prayer that God would sustain this people when they cast a vote to defend our rights and would help us to maintain truth and righteousness on the earth.
said he was pleased to bear testimony that God lives, the God who spoke to the youthful Prophet of the nineteenth century. He had been intimately acquainted with the leaders of this Church and he knew they were worthy the confidence of God, angels, and men. He felt to prophecy that we would stay in these valleys until we became a mighty people, who would stretch from the north to the south of this great country and we would remain, as Brother Abraham Cannon has said, until we reached out to the central location of Zion, and there built the great Temple that is to be erected in this generation. He had been shown, by divine power, this people go from Missouri and he had seen them return also in the same vision. He had been told, by the voice of revelation, that we should return in power and glory. Joseph had predicted our coming to these valleys and here we should remain. He wanted to say to those who never knew the Prophet, that he knew Joseph Smith was called of the Lord. Had stood guard over him when he was in danger; had heard him prophecy and seen its fulfillment. Ha been acquainted with Brigham Young, John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff. He bore a powerful testimony to the worth and integrity of those men. He closed with a prayer that God would sustain this people when they cast a vote to defend our rights and would help us to maintain truth and righteousness on the earth.
Patriarch Lorenzo Young
said, in substance, that fifty-eight years ago he was with the Church in Ohio. He compared this immense congregation with the people gathered in a little log schoolhouse in Kirtland, at that time. It was no more crowded than was this great building. It was wonderful to him to hear of the machinations of those who sought to crush out the truth. Had associated with the Prophet under many and dangerous circumstances. The speaker related some interesting experience and bore testimony to the greatness and the character of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The enemy of all righteousness was opposed to all truth. It was absurd to him that any one could imagine we would ever leave this beautiful country. He had heard Hyrum Smith prophesy about this rocky mountain country long before he (the speaker) knew anything about it. Elder Young said he had been an invalid for the last eighteen years. It was marvelous to him that he was here today. Next week he would be eighty-four years old. He felt comforted in spirit although feeble in body. Thanked God for the Gospel and that he had posterity here today. He felt to bless President Woodruff and our leaders generally; likewise all Israel, and our sons and daughters.
said, in substance, that fifty-eight years ago he was with the Church in Ohio. He compared this immense congregation with the people gathered in a little log schoolhouse in Kirtland, at that time. It was no more crowded than was this great building. It was wonderful to him to hear of the machinations of those who sought to crush out the truth. Had associated with the Prophet under many and dangerous circumstances. The speaker related some interesting experience and bore testimony to the greatness and the character of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The enemy of all righteousness was opposed to all truth. It was absurd to him that any one could imagine we would ever leave this beautiful country. He had heard Hyrum Smith prophesy about this rocky mountain country long before he (the speaker) knew anything about it. Elder Young said he had been an invalid for the last eighteen years. It was marvelous to him that he was here today. Next week he would be eighty-four years old. He felt comforted in spirit although feeble in body. Thanked God for the Gospel and that he had posterity here today. He felt to bless President Woodruff and our leaders generally; likewise all Israel, and our sons and daughters.
President George Q. Cannon.
I presume that if we were to prolong this Conference the remainder of the week there would be more desire to speak than there was last Sunday morning, when we convened; but we have other cares and other labors, and it seems proper that the Conference should be adjourned today.
It would not be doing justice to our feelings not to say something before the close of these proceedings concerning the changed conditions that have arisen around us as a people. I am sure that there is but one feeling among reflecting men and women, and that is in the first place, thanksgiving to God for causing the clouds of darkness and misrepresentation to scatter, and for putting it into the hearts of many of our fellow citizens to look upon us in something like our true light. I have been profoundly grateful to a great many men in this nation, some in high places, others not so conspicuous. I have felt grateful to many in this city and neighborhood. Many have come in of late and have looked at us with unprejudiced eyes, and they have been willing if there was any goodness in us to admit it. Now, we have many faults. If others are not conscious of this, we ourselves are. Many may think that we are fanatical. I am willing that they should entertain that view, if they choose to do so. But we would like them to believe us to be honest and sincere, however mistaken we may be in their opinion. And I am very glad indeed to see a better feeling growing up in this neighborhood, and I am thankful to the men who have contributed to this. There has been a great deal of courage shown—more than we could have expected. Men have come out and made acknowledgements concerning us that could not have been expected from them under the circumstances; and they have been willing to take abuse, in many instances, and have borne it patiently.
I feel that as a people we should be very thankful to such men, because when a man comes in our midst as an official, and he does his duty to us, he deserves our thanks, it is so rarely that this has been the course pursued. You would imagine that men ought to do these things anyway; but this has not always been the case. Yet there has been a disposition, I believe, among hundreds of men and women in our community, who have no sympathy with our system or belief, to look upon us, as I have said, in our true light, and to recognize in us any virtues that they may perceive. I would like myself to see that condition grow. I know I speak your feelings, and the feelings of my brethren with whom I am associated, when I say that we desire to see that feeling increase. We do not want to live in antagonism with our fellow citizens. As was expressed by our friend who spoke, we have shown a disposition to meet our fellow citizens, and there ought to be no quarreling between men because of religious differences. We do not want to intrude our views upon them. We do not want to force our ideas down their throats. We never have done so; at least, we think not.
Now, there has been a chasm, so to speak; it commenced many years ago, arraying class against class, and it has been looked upon as something dreadful for the two classes to associate. This is a bad condition of things, in every sense of the word—in a business sense, in a social sense, in a political sense. There should be no chasm between citizens. I hope that honest men throughout the city and Territory, and throughout the United States, who may be mistaken about us, will become convinced that we are sincere and honest, that we are not a lot of intriguers, and that we are not making or forming plots with bad designs; because that is our true character, even if we have to declare it ourselves. I believe that the day is dawning that will see a recognition of these qualities in this people. Our friends must make allowance for us. There are many things that we say which may be considered improper, but they must recollect what we have suffered that caused these expressions. They must be charitable to us, as we desire to be charitable to them. That is the feeling which should exist between us and among us.
There has been a great deal said about freedom of action and independence, and then there has been much said about taking counsel. I have thought a little about this. I would not like people to get wrong ideas, not even Latter-day Saints, concerning these matters. In political affairs I will tell you how I have always felt. I do not want to influence anybody only to do that which was right. I do not think any of our leading men have any other feeling. I influence others, if I have any right to influence, as I try to control my family. I present things to them. If they see them in a right light they will accept them, and if they do not they won’t. So it is in the Church. I think that we should counsel together, and if any man has a good idea, we should be ready to take it. I agree exactly with what Brother Merrill said on this point. I think that fathers and mothers can frequently get good advice and good suggestions from their children. I take pleasure myself in talking with my children; and if I lived in a neighborhood where there was an experienced man and wanted advice, I would go to him and ask what his views were. I would take his counsel, if it was good; if it was not, I would not want it. That is the principle upon which counsel is given, and it is the principle upon which we should seek advice. No man can govern his family by thrusting his views upon them unless they are willing to accept them. You cannot govern your children that way. Sometimes they will not come up to your standard; they will not see things as you see them. Can you force them to do as you want them? If you do, after a while you will have a rebellion. You may do it for a time, while they are under your jurisdiction, but when they get old enough to rebel, they will be very apt to do so. As with families, so with communities. This is a principle upon which we should act one to another. If President Woodruff had all the authority that an angel could have, with his disposition he would not want to force his views on this people. He would like them to understand what he thought of various movements, and he would express his views; and if they saw wisdom in them, they would receive benefit by acting upon them. But that is not what our opponents have said. They think that the Priesthood, or the President of the church, rules the Church and dominates it, and that if the members do not do as they are told, they are placed under a ban. That is not the case; never has been the case.
I wanted to say these few words, though they are hastily said and perhaps poorly expressed. I feel, my brethren and sisters, that we should be thankful in our hearts for the changed condition, and do all in our power to promote harmony and peace, and to remove wrong impressions everywhere, so far as our influence extends.
I presume that if we were to prolong this Conference the remainder of the week there would be more desire to speak than there was last Sunday morning, when we convened; but we have other cares and other labors, and it seems proper that the Conference should be adjourned today.
It would not be doing justice to our feelings not to say something before the close of these proceedings concerning the changed conditions that have arisen around us as a people. I am sure that there is but one feeling among reflecting men and women, and that is in the first place, thanksgiving to God for causing the clouds of darkness and misrepresentation to scatter, and for putting it into the hearts of many of our fellow citizens to look upon us in something like our true light. I have been profoundly grateful to a great many men in this nation, some in high places, others not so conspicuous. I have felt grateful to many in this city and neighborhood. Many have come in of late and have looked at us with unprejudiced eyes, and they have been willing if there was any goodness in us to admit it. Now, we have many faults. If others are not conscious of this, we ourselves are. Many may think that we are fanatical. I am willing that they should entertain that view, if they choose to do so. But we would like them to believe us to be honest and sincere, however mistaken we may be in their opinion. And I am very glad indeed to see a better feeling growing up in this neighborhood, and I am thankful to the men who have contributed to this. There has been a great deal of courage shown—more than we could have expected. Men have come out and made acknowledgements concerning us that could not have been expected from them under the circumstances; and they have been willing to take abuse, in many instances, and have borne it patiently.
I feel that as a people we should be very thankful to such men, because when a man comes in our midst as an official, and he does his duty to us, he deserves our thanks, it is so rarely that this has been the course pursued. You would imagine that men ought to do these things anyway; but this has not always been the case. Yet there has been a disposition, I believe, among hundreds of men and women in our community, who have no sympathy with our system or belief, to look upon us, as I have said, in our true light, and to recognize in us any virtues that they may perceive. I would like myself to see that condition grow. I know I speak your feelings, and the feelings of my brethren with whom I am associated, when I say that we desire to see that feeling increase. We do not want to live in antagonism with our fellow citizens. As was expressed by our friend who spoke, we have shown a disposition to meet our fellow citizens, and there ought to be no quarreling between men because of religious differences. We do not want to intrude our views upon them. We do not want to force our ideas down their throats. We never have done so; at least, we think not.
Now, there has been a chasm, so to speak; it commenced many years ago, arraying class against class, and it has been looked upon as something dreadful for the two classes to associate. This is a bad condition of things, in every sense of the word—in a business sense, in a social sense, in a political sense. There should be no chasm between citizens. I hope that honest men throughout the city and Territory, and throughout the United States, who may be mistaken about us, will become convinced that we are sincere and honest, that we are not a lot of intriguers, and that we are not making or forming plots with bad designs; because that is our true character, even if we have to declare it ourselves. I believe that the day is dawning that will see a recognition of these qualities in this people. Our friends must make allowance for us. There are many things that we say which may be considered improper, but they must recollect what we have suffered that caused these expressions. They must be charitable to us, as we desire to be charitable to them. That is the feeling which should exist between us and among us.
There has been a great deal said about freedom of action and independence, and then there has been much said about taking counsel. I have thought a little about this. I would not like people to get wrong ideas, not even Latter-day Saints, concerning these matters. In political affairs I will tell you how I have always felt. I do not want to influence anybody only to do that which was right. I do not think any of our leading men have any other feeling. I influence others, if I have any right to influence, as I try to control my family. I present things to them. If they see them in a right light they will accept them, and if they do not they won’t. So it is in the Church. I think that we should counsel together, and if any man has a good idea, we should be ready to take it. I agree exactly with what Brother Merrill said on this point. I think that fathers and mothers can frequently get good advice and good suggestions from their children. I take pleasure myself in talking with my children; and if I lived in a neighborhood where there was an experienced man and wanted advice, I would go to him and ask what his views were. I would take his counsel, if it was good; if it was not, I would not want it. That is the principle upon which counsel is given, and it is the principle upon which we should seek advice. No man can govern his family by thrusting his views upon them unless they are willing to accept them. You cannot govern your children that way. Sometimes they will not come up to your standard; they will not see things as you see them. Can you force them to do as you want them? If you do, after a while you will have a rebellion. You may do it for a time, while they are under your jurisdiction, but when they get old enough to rebel, they will be very apt to do so. As with families, so with communities. This is a principle upon which we should act one to another. If President Woodruff had all the authority that an angel could have, with his disposition he would not want to force his views on this people. He would like them to understand what he thought of various movements, and he would express his views; and if they saw wisdom in them, they would receive benefit by acting upon them. But that is not what our opponents have said. They think that the Priesthood, or the President of the church, rules the Church and dominates it, and that if the members do not do as they are told, they are placed under a ban. That is not the case; never has been the case.
I wanted to say these few words, though they are hastily said and perhaps poorly expressed. I feel, my brethren and sisters, that we should be thankful in our hearts for the changed condition, and do all in our power to promote harmony and peace, and to remove wrong impressions everywhere, so far as our influence extends.
President Wilford Woodruff.
Before dismissing this Conference I want to say that to me it has been the most interesting I have ever attended. I have never before seen the Latter-day Saints as ready as on this occasion to spend the same number of days together in listening to the teachings and counsels of the servants of God. The Lord has said: “Whomsoever ye bless shall be blessed, and whomsoever ye curse shall be cursed.” I never cursed anybody in my life, and I do not feel like doing so now for my heart is full of blessings to the Latter-day Saints, to my counselors, to the twelve Apostles, to the Seventies, to the High Priests, to the Elders, Teachers and Deacons, to the Lower Priesthood—all our brethren and sisters throughout the Church.
I entertain the same sentiments as have been expressed here by President Cannon toward those who are not of us religiously. There is a feeling of friendliness toward us, I think, in these valleys on the part of those outside of this Church; they seem to feel in their hearts to give us those rights and privileges which belong to us, under the laws of God and man. Some of the judges have been ready to receive our testimony, our manifestoes, and have seen fit to give and administer righteous judgment. All such men have my blessing and prayers, and confidence. I feel that God will bless them and all who perform their duties with clemency in righteousness toward their fellow men.
The choir sang: Let the hills resound with song.
The benediction was pronounced by President Woodruff.
Adjourned till April, 1892.
John Nicholson,
Clerk of Conference.
Before dismissing this Conference I want to say that to me it has been the most interesting I have ever attended. I have never before seen the Latter-day Saints as ready as on this occasion to spend the same number of days together in listening to the teachings and counsels of the servants of God. The Lord has said: “Whomsoever ye bless shall be blessed, and whomsoever ye curse shall be cursed.” I never cursed anybody in my life, and I do not feel like doing so now for my heart is full of blessings to the Latter-day Saints, to my counselors, to the twelve Apostles, to the Seventies, to the High Priests, to the Elders, Teachers and Deacons, to the Lower Priesthood—all our brethren and sisters throughout the Church.
I entertain the same sentiments as have been expressed here by President Cannon toward those who are not of us religiously. There is a feeling of friendliness toward us, I think, in these valleys on the part of those outside of this Church; they seem to feel in their hearts to give us those rights and privileges which belong to us, under the laws of God and man. Some of the judges have been ready to receive our testimony, our manifestoes, and have seen fit to give and administer righteous judgment. All such men have my blessing and prayers, and confidence. I feel that God will bless them and all who perform their duties with clemency in righteousness toward their fellow men.
The choir sang: Let the hills resound with song.
The benediction was pronounced by President Woodruff.
Adjourned till April, 1892.
John Nicholson,
Clerk of Conference.