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Show DEPLORES THE FACT THAT LIQUOR LEGISLATION FAILED Member of Presidency Touches on Prohibition at Seventy-ninth Conference Con-ference of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City. At the opening session ses-sion of the seventy-ninth annual conference con-ference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on Sunday, April 4, it is estimated that at least 15,000 persons were present, while at the conference of the Deseret Sunday Sunday School Union, in the evening, the attendance was the largest in the history of the organization. Overflow meetings were necessary at both the morning and afternoon sessions of the conference. President Smith, with his counselors, counsel-ors, and all of the apostles with the exception of Reed Smoot and C. W. Penrose, as well as nearly all oS the other high officials of the church, were present. George Reynolds was honorably released as first assistant to the. general superintendent of the Sunday School union on account ot poor health. David O. McKay, second assistant, was advanced to lill the vacancy, va-cancy, and Stephen L. Richards was appointed to succeed Mr. McKay. Joseph F. Smith, president of the church, presided at both sessions, ana the president of the church, with John R. Winder and Anthon H. Lund, his ' counselors, were the speakers at the opening session. At the opening session President Smith declared that his heart was full of gratitude toward the Lord and of love for the Latter-day Saints and the Church of Jesus Christ throughout all of the world and to all that is worthy in life that can compare with the great work that the Lord is doing in the midst of the children of men in these latter days. "We of the faith have reached the point where we can forego the pleasures' pleas-ures' of home, profit-making and the call of affection, consecrating our time to the preaching of the gospel until it is said to us 'It is enough,' and we receive honorable releases to go to our' homes. "If I were asked to give up all I am possessed of for the purpose of building build-ing up Zion or the advancement oi the cause, I would say, 'Father, this is all I have,' and give it all without a regret. "This I want: I want to live so that, no matter what any man in the world may think, no matter what any .one else in the world may do or say, there is but one thing for me to do, and that is to be true to the covenants cov-enants I have made to my Father in heaven. I want to live so that I can forgive my brother his trespasses as he would forgive mine. There is no salvation 'but in the way. God has mapped it out; there is no hope for everlasting life but through obedience to the laws fixed by the Father of Life. "We have outlived the opposition against the church of the Latter-day-Saints, and the feeling that was so strong against our fathers and moth ers in the early days, when they were but a handful, poor, homeless, driven from their own premises and set to wandering about in the wilderness, yet they did not falter, facing hardships innumerable that their legacy to us might be what it is." John R. Winder, first counsellor to President Smith, despite his having passed the 88th milestone on life's journey, delivered his speech at the conference in a voice which reached to all points of the great tabernacle. He declared: "I am glad to have the opportunity of speaking to you again ind I repeat my detemjination to go on and especially to keep my covenant cov-enant sacred and holy as I have done up to this time.." Anthon H. Lund, second counselor to President Joseph F. Smith, made a report on the missionary work all over the world, and spoke of the prohibition prohibi-tion question. He said, in part: "We have tried during the past winter win-ter to have legislation passed that would shield our city from the temptations temp-tations of intemperance. We want to get tHe evil of liquor stopped if possible, pos-sible, and our people should never be seen entering a saloon or place where liquors are sold. This has been one of our teachings for years. "We did not succeed in getting a law passed to help us. so we must be more than ever on our guard for the protection of our families. ' We also hoped to have a Sunday law passed, so that amusements on Sunday evenings could be stopped, so that the Sabbath could be what the Lord intended it for, a day of rest and meditation. Let us influence our children, chil-dren, make their homes a place of entertainment. en-tertainment. Make home of such interest in-terest that they will feel there is no better placfcfor them than there. When they go to evening service there is still time for visits to friends at their homes and for social meetings." |