Show BY gio GEO I 1 Q CANNON I 1 at the tabernacle salt lake city sunday A afternoons alerno on juey july iu ly 3rd ard 1881 REPORTED BY GEORGE F GIBBS WE wn have been traveling this last week through the settlements of davis ald and weber counties meeting with the saints in their various wards and visiting the people at thir thI homes rhomes it has been one of the most interesting trips I 1 have taken for beveral years and I 1 think this is the general feeling of all who were of the party A visitor to our settlements at the present time is impi impressed essed with the evident increase of the numbers of the people and of comfort and it may be said wealth the land Is being rapidly taken up and occupied and places where a few rew years ago it was thought that no one could live we now find Hf 11 farms arms and 0 orchards and good sub dwellings and all the evidences of thrift the water is being taken anken out and large sums are being expended in the formation of ca canals nals and water ditches but the most pleasing feature which presented itself to my mind was the con 1 tenement tent ment of the people and 1 the spirit which they enjoy our meetings were excellently attended and were of a very spirited character the people turned out in jn large numbers and crowded every meetinghouse to overflowing so much so that in most places seats had to be arranged outside and the windows thrown open so that those who could not get into the houses could hear bear in several places we met under bowers constructed for the purpose of holding meeting C in the open air it is truly piar marv olous when we look at it r that is those who have been heen een familiar with the early settle ment of the latter day saints in j these mountains the great changes which aich have been effected in the condition and circumstances of the people god has abundantly fulfilled th the promises which were made in the early days after the latter day batata settled here bome borne questioned d in those days whether we should be a able ble to fin tin d sui sul ta bie ble pisces places ou aside k of or this valley where the latter day saints could live and many of lu those who first came here had grave i doubts whether we could in this climate imite cl he be able to raise a variety of fruits but gut god has tempered the elements lits rits he has ameliorated the condition of the soil he has blessed the labors of the people and with f the experience of the past confidence is felt that there is scarcely a valley in these mountains 3 r however elevated in which fruit cannot be bb raised and all the grains and arad vegetables necessary for the sustenance cenance of man be produced of an fn all people who live upon the face of n tiie tile the earth it seems to me the lat j ter tor day saints should be the most thankful to the most high for his kindness and mercy manifested unto us we came here as weary pilgrims fleeing from persecution giad glad to find a place where we could rest for a I 1 little atle season and be free from f violence and and though 1 I myself at that time was but young it seemed to me that I 1 would be content to live here the remain der of my days and subsist upon the most meagre fare bread and water if we could only enjoy peace and freedom from the annoyances to which the people bad had been subjected and especially if our leading men could be free from those han ban assing persecutions which they had been compelled to endure while but a youth I 1 had 4 helped with others to stand guard at nights at their houses that they might sleep with some fe feeling elina of security for there wore were months ti ia and W it may be said years before we left illinois when the lives of a number of the leading men were threatened some of the mos most at painful recollections of my boyhood are the scenes of persecution and affliction through which the prophet joseph smith had to pass when his martyrdom with that of his brother the patriarch of the church was accomplished it seem ed aa as though the rage of mobs ought to have been satisfied and the people being bereft of their leaders might be suffered to dwell in peace for forit it had been beer repeatedly stated that if joseph smith were put pat out of t the way a t there h ere ene would be no trouble with t t the 0 M mormons cormons Mor mon mons he was wag the object 0 of hatred helas he was the target at which all the arrows arrow of malicious envy were eliot shot he lie was accused of embodying in his hia ow own n person pemon everything with which the people were charged and it was claimed that if it he could be disposed of then they could be managed and there would be no difficulty but this spirit of persecution is Js not exhausted by success it derives strength and the more victims it has the more it craves instead of the people being left unmolested after the martyrdom the violence of mobs was redoubled they were emboldened b by the impunity with which they had performed this bloody deed to make more cruel attacks lipon upon the people the apostles who stood forward to take the lead after the death of the prophet joseph became in their turn the objects of hatred charges of every kind were sworn to by men who were determined to frame some pretexts for bringing them into difficulty and the moat most absurd falsehoods were circulated concerning them numerous writs were issued and off meers leers frequently came to td nauvoo to take the leading men into in to custody it being the alm aim of the men who had banded themselves together in secret bombin scions for the purpose of taking their lives to get them em into their power as they had llad i tile the prophet on this account 1 there had to be a constant guard kept over the residences of the twelve apostles As for myself I 1 never left any auy place with more gladness than I 1 did illinois to launch into the wilderness to grapple grappio with all the difficulties incident to such a life and even to run the risk of famine or any other evil that might have to be met seemed small in comparison with the evils we had been and were subjected to it was with great gladness the entire people who took up their line of march left what is termed civilization to go among the red man of the tho plains to dwell among them and to take chances among them seemed preferable to being exposed to attacks having the form of or legal measures es and claiming the authority of law but which in the most of instances only furnished a covering for violence and the most deadly schemes of vengeance although the prophet joseph smith during his lifetime was brought upwards of forty times before tribunals upon one pre pro pretext teet or another in eve ove eveny every instance when ho he had a mir min trial he be was acquitted none of the accusations were ever substantiated against him and when at last he surrendered himself after receiving the pledge of the governor of rhotate th otate that he should bo be protected he be having pledged his own honor and the honor of the state to that effect those who were his peise felse persecutors tutors who claimed to have grounds of charge against him were well awara aware that the treason for of which WWII they accused him could not be sustained and because of this they said cohe he is likely to be acquitted again and escape us but if the law cannot reach him powder and ball can with blackened faces banded together and led by a preacher they made an attack upon eshe jail and the few men left therm there to take charge of it fired upon them with blank car bridges to make a show of resistance in order to cover up the bloody deed as one done without their conni vance the last time the prophet addressed the people he predicted that peace should be e taken from the earth and that terrible calamities would come upon its inhabitants and particularly upon our own nation he predicted what the results would be of the spirit of which then raged and which had caused our expulsion from our homes if allowed to the prediction had been recorded by h him I 1 ra tw twelve e IV year years pre previous v I 1 ous to his de death at b that there would dud be a rebellion ba break ak out in auth south carolina and a fratricidal war commence between the south and the north the revelation this had been written it had been published it was well known to the great bulk of the latter day saints years previous ous to this I 1 when quite a child heard it and looked for borits its fu ful iv flim ailment e nt until it came to pass pa s and this was the ca case ae with the body of the people who were familiar with the predictions that had been uttered bythe by the prophet joseph smith if the voice of this man could have been heard and his warnings 11 listened sten to the evils that have fallen upon our nation might have been averted to many doubtless such a statement as this may inay seem deem pre sumptuous because of the views they the gent entertain ertain respecting this prophet b but whether bether ir it be admitted that he is a prophet or not itcan it t cannot be denied by any who wiio are arc familiar with the tone of ofilia his ilia teachings aith with the character of his eions and warning warnings with the manner in ju which he be protested against the spirit of it cannot I 1 say be denied by any of these P that if his counsels had been followed many of the evils that have afflicted the nation might have been averted there ia is no form of government go yern vern ment upon the earth under which so large ad a degree agree of liberty can be enjoyed as that under tinder which we dwell it is the best form of government ever devised by human wisdom for mankind larger liberty greater freedom of expansion and development to man in every direction can be attained to under jt than derany un other form of government every man and women who professes the faith falth of the latter day saints must loye loyo it because under it the development of the kingdom of god ia Is possible for believing arwe as we do that god inspired the founders of this government eril ment to perform the work which they accomplished that he raised up men for the express purpose of achieving liberty upon this land building up this grand fabric of free government we wo must of or necessity admire and have a deep attachment ment to its principles while the people are pure while they are upright whilo while they are willing to observe law faw the best test results result must follow the establishment and maintenance of a government like this but on the other hand if the people become corrupt if they give way to passion if they disregard jaw law if it they trample upon constitutional obligations then a republican form of government like ours becomes the worst tyranny upon the face of the earth an autocracy is a government of one man and if jr he b be 8 a tyrant it ia is the tyranny orone crone of one man but hut the tyranny and anti the ability of a mob is ono one of the most grievous despot despotisms lims ms that can exist upon the face of the earth and it 19 18 is 19 from this that we have buli sull buffered suffered bred it is this that cau caused sed ua us to take our flight into the rocky mountains it Is this that caused the founding 0 and peopling of ubah utah territory when attacked 3 despoiled and driven by mobs the latter day saints appealed to the authorities of the tho states where they lived but the appeals were in vain vais because the authorities were only the creatures of the mobs from whose cruel at tacks we suffered and whom they dare not offend hence our appeals were in vain when we appealed to courts the courts dreaded the power of public opinion which was adverse to dealing justly with us and they dared not do anything to favor us for fear of offending the mob who persecuted us when appeals were made to legislators the same result followed when governors were appealed to they were in the same position and when the case was carried to president of the united state states he dared not face the issue but bu t declared that congress con Coo gress gresa had no power to deal with a sovereign state for its treatment of the latter day saints though they had been expelled from the state by violence and even when joseph smith was barbarously murdered while under the pledged b honor prior of the state themo thero was no a redress his murderers went scot free one of them a senator of th eState in which ho he lived and others well known to the general public there was no disposition to punish thoe those men although they were red hand ed with the blood of innocence and although it was well known that they were the men who perpetrated that cruel deed we have suffered enough from this spirit ot of violent lawlessness to feel profoundly moved in our hearts at the dreadful occurrence of yester day it comes colesto to us as it does not to any ans nis ris people e le for we have suffered from this as no other people have the men whom we loved better than we lov iov loved edour our live nor for would willing to lay jay down their lives ilves if by so doing they could have saved them were stricken down by the hands bands of assa afsa assassins they were wele helpless like sheep in a pen they were slaughtered by a band of ruffians who knew that they had bad the power if they could break into in to the building where the victims were confined to take the lives of those men for they were def der defenseless ensele Ss when tile the leading man of our oar n nation a Is stricken down as general gen eral oral garfield wa war it arouses emotions in tile the hearts of the latter day saints those of them especially participants in the scenes to which I 1 have referred which langu language noe nae cannot describe is something so abhorrent so horrible in this method of curing evils that as one of this tills community I 1 cannot think of if with ith au auy any othen other feeling than an one e of horror general garfield garneld Oar gar neld I 1 may in ay say bay was waa my personal friendy friend we we having served eight years in co congress ress tog together ether I 1 have been intimately acquainted with him during that time and I 1 know him to be one of the greatest men of or the nation he may not be a strong man in in every direction I 1 do not no t think be he is jq strong enough to follow his convictions upon our quest question loti he ge knew better concerning us thail than any man in public life ife that is he knew more of us he was brought up in ohio near where our people had lived in earny early days in the days of hi his childhood he was familiar wi wilh I 1 h men who had been members of df our oui church and I 1 believe was connected remotely by marriage with some seme of our people and wh while ile lie he had no sympathy some of our doctrines never nevertheless helesa he be had bad opportunities of knowing many things concerning us that others did not know he had visited this city twice he had become ac quain ted with the theaople people een them at their homes an and I 1 had bad frequently conversed upon our doctrines I 1 know therefore he understood our question probably better than any man in public life but for fear ear as I 1 fully believe that he would be suspected of cherishing sympathy syi syl pathy for us u he uttered expressions which I 1 thought were exceedingly unwise and in his inaugural address add resso but notwithstanding this thib I 1 must bear testimony to the man and to the largeness lar genes of his soul and the breadth of his mind heis hols he is a man man of broad intellect of wide experience peri ence and naturally of a good heart and I 1 cannot imagine any reason that could justify an act of or violence towards him there has nothing occurred during his bis administration to provoke such an attack attach as that made upon him but the word of theford has baa gone forth concerning all such matters as these deeds of violence will become more common whether the world believe it |