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Show CONFERENCE ' ENDED. LAST HOURS OF THE SEMI-ANNUAL CONCLAVE AT THE TABERNACLE. . : The Adoption of Resolutions Replying to the Annual Report of the Territorial ; Commission The Presidents Submit a Declaration in the"Preinises. The semi-annual conference having completed com-pleted its labors and discharged the work for which it was convened, adjourned last evening; even-ing; and thus closes one of the most interesting inter-esting in the history of this great valley. The attendance was larger than has been witnessed in many years, and the work done of such a nature as to mark it an important ra in the progress of evangelism, in the j west. Many having already taken in the wonders of the exposition have departed for their homes well satisfied , with the result of their visit, while the vast majority has remained re-mained to see the week out. The propriety of registeriug a rcjply during Conference to the annual report of the Utah ommission having arisen in the course of yesterday's proceedings, the chair on the motion of John Clark, appointed the following follow-ing committee on resolutions: John Clark, "William II. Rowe, Charles W. Penrose, John T. Cainc and Franklin D. Richards. The committee retired and.it the afternoon session submitted the following resolutions through the Hon. John T. Caiinc: Vrxident, Wiford Woodruff and Mrmbers of th Chvrch of Jean Cirist of Latttr-dny Sain, in General Conference Axaembedt litizranr.s M) Sifters Your committee appointed to formulate for-mulate an expression of the confrem relative to certain statements made bv the ma jority of the Utah commission in thefr report to the secretary of the interior for the veaf .IW'l, beg leave to report re-port the acrompanving preamble and resolutions, and recommend their adoption by the conference. confer-ence. Very rei-pectfully,. .Inev W. II. Row E, C HAnt.FS V. Pr.saofB, .Iohn T. CATV. Franklin b. Hichakds. . fait Lake City, Oct. 6, 1WH. ' PREAMBLE AND RESOLUTIONS. - Wbreas, The Utah commission, with tfne exception, ex-ception, in their report to the secretary .th interior for ltflil, have made many untrurVrtu statements concerning the Church of Latter-lViy Saints and the attitude of its members in relation to political affairs; and Whrkkas, Said report is an official document nnd is likely to greatly prejudice the people of the ration against our church and its members, :md it is therefore unwise to allow its erroneous fctatements to pass unnoticed; now. therefore, be it ' Jirolrtd By the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in general conference assem-1 assem-1 led, that we deny most emphatically the. assertion asser-tion of the commission that the church dominates dom-inates its members in political matters and that church and state are united. Whatever appearance appear-ance there may have been in past times of a, union of church and state, because men holding cclesiaitical authority were elected to civil office '! popnlar vote, theTe is now no foundation or excuse for the statement that church and state are united in Utah, or that the loaders of the church dictate the members in political matters; that no coercion or any influence whatever of an ecclesiastical ecclesi-astical nature has l-.een exercised over ns by oir 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 elect; that the people" party has been entirely and finally dissolved and that our fealty henceforth will be to such national political party as seeins to us best suited to the purposes of republican siovernmont; also be it Jetolzedf That we do not believe there have; been any polygamous marriayes solemnized nmone the Latter-day Saints during the period named by the Utah commission ; and we denounce &rhe statements which convey the idea that such marriages have been contracted as false and mjs-ietdine, mjs-ietdine, and that we protest affalnst the perversions perver-sions of fact and principle aud intent contained in the report of the commission, and declare that the manifesto of President Woodruff, forbidding future plural marriages was adopted at the last October conference in all sincerity and good faith, and that we have every reason to'.beleave that it has been carried out iii letter and in spirit, and all statements to the contrary are entirely destitute of truth; and it is further ICenotrtd, That we appeal to the press and people peo-ple of this country to accept our united declaration declara-tion and protest, to give it publicity, and to aid in disseminating the truth, that falsehood may be refuted re-futed and justice be done to a people continually maligned and almofefiuuiversaley misunderstootL And may God defendlthe ripht. . The resolutions wercadAted amid rousing demonsftration whr-feupon "president Cannon stated treat the lirr pressency desired to place it-lf on record m the matter and the following declaration was offered: Coiicernin the official report of the Utah commission com-mission made to the secretary of the interior, in w hirh they allege, "diinnjj the past vear, notwithstanding notwith-standing the 'manifesto, reports have . been re-t re-t rfived liy the commission of eighteen male persons per-sons who. with an equal niinAr of females are believed to have entered into Tilygamous marriages, marri-ages, during the year," we haveto'sav, 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 confer-ence 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 iuutrary, it has been strictly forbidded. Wilford Woormcrr tip-oRGE Q. Cannon, Joseph . Smith. First presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day faints. On the motion of Apostle Thatcher the declaration was unanimously approved. In the meantime a person had risen in the oujtrregation aud sug-csted that a resolution should be adopted to the effect that inasmuch inas-much as the mormon church had done all demanded of it by the rovernment it should demand that it he given and accorded the fcarne rights and privelesrea enjoyed by other "believers in the Bible and should be free to exercise the rights of all free men. The position of the presidency having: teen denned, .Mr. Caine proposed that these sentiments be adopted addinir that the author tiftheui was perhaps more of a saint than many who professed to be one. - The conference then proceeded with the confirmation of officers and authorities as Jollowg: Wilford Woodruff as prophet,eer and reTela-tor reTela-tor and president of the Church of Jesus Christ cf LatteT-day Saints in all the world. George Q. Cannon as first counselor in the first presidency. Joseph 'ST. Smith as second counselor in the first presidency. .Lorenzo Snow as president of the twelve pHstles. As members of the quorum of the twelve apos- I ties, Lorenzo Snow. Franklin D. Hit-hards, firig- lm Young. Moses Thatcher, Franciw M. Lvman, John If. Smith, Georire Teasdale, Heler J. Grant, John W. TavJor, .Mariner W. Merrill, Anton H. Xuud and Abraham 11. Cannon. . "First seven presidents , of the seventies Jacob Cafes, Seymour B. Young, C. I. Fjeldsted. John Itort'an, B. II. Itoberts, and Georee Keynolds. William B. Preston as a presiding bishop, with Ttobert T. Burton as his first and John K. Winder as his second conncelor. Franklin I. Kirnards as chnrch historian and f enerai church recorder, and John Jacques as bis assistant. Joseph Don Carlos Young as general church architect. John Nicholson as clerk of the general confer- A? clmrch board of education: Wilford Woodruff, Wood-ruff, Lorenzo Snow. GeorB Q. Cannon. Ksrl t. Wfer, V"illrd Young, fieorg W. Thatcher, Amos Howe, Anton II. Lund, James Miarp. President Woodruff was f ustaincd as tnie-tee-in-tnist for tlic church, and after addresses ad-dresses by President Jacob ;atcs. Elder Lorenzo Tonne, President t'annon and President Presi-dent Woodruff, conference adjourned until April next. |