| Show I 1 copyright secured 1 HISTORY OF JOSEPH SM SMITH seith I 1 TH aram 1843 thursday Thurs da 6 1 I was avas detained from conference to hear a case of widow thompson va vs dixon until 11 am the first lay day of the fourteenth year of the church of jesus christ oe of latter day saints sun shone clear warm and pleasant the snow has nearly dearly all ail disappeared except a little on the north side of th the hill above Zarah emla the ice about two feet thick on the mississippi west of the temple tempie a considerable number of the breth brethren rehi refi crossed from thee tile iowa lowa side of the river to the conference on the ice the walls of the temple tempie are from four to twelve twelve feet above the floor an annual conference of the church cf of jesus christ of latter day saints was wag convened on the floor of the temple there were present hyrum smith patriarch brigham young if C kimball orson pratt wilford wooi Woof woodruff ruff john taylor george asmith AN Smith and IV richards of the quor quorum of the twelve elder amasa lyman and a very vary large assembly of the elders ciders and saints elder brigham young announced that president joseph soseph smith was detal detained ned on business but would be present soon sung sang a hymn elder amas lyman opened by prayer and another hymn hamn was wag sung elder orson pratt then read the he third char chat chapter of the second epistle ef peter and spoke upon the subject of the resurrection at ten minutes before twelve ocio oclo clr cIr president joseph smith elders ri rigdon don ani and and hyde llyde arrived at 12 president joseph smith commenced b by saying we all ought to be thankful for tie the privilege we enjoy this day of meeting so many of the saints and for the warmth and bri brightness atness of the heavens over our heads and it truly makes the countenances of this great multitude to look cheerful and gladdens the hearts of all ali al present he ile next stated the object of the meeting which was first to ta ascertain the standing standing of the first presidency which he lie should do by uy presenting himself before the conference sib sil second cond to take into consideration the expediency pedie vedie ency uc of sending out the twelve or some of them amongst the branches of the church to obtain stock to build the nauvoo house for the time has come to build it third the elders will have the privilege of appeals from the difre different rent reut conferences to this if any such cases exist these are the principal items of business which I 1 have at present to lay before you yu it is necessary that this conference give importance importance to the nauvoo house A prejudice exists against building itin it in favor of the temple anci ana the conference is is required to give stress to the building of the nauvoo house this is the most important matter for the time being for there ig is no place in this city where men of wealth character and influence from abroad can go to repose themselves and it is necess necessary ary iry we should have such a piat plat plau play the church must build it or abide the reau result of not ful rul fulfilling fillin the commandment pres president yent joseph then asked the conference it if they were satisfied gatis fied with the first presidency so 0 o far as he was concerned aa as an individual to preside over the whole church or would they have another if 11 said he I 1 have done anything to in linure ure my caracter Aar character acter reputation or standing or tave wave have dishonored our religion by any means in the sight of angels or in the eight sight of men and aad d women I 1 am aur sorry for it and if you will forgive me I 1 will endeavor to do so no more mor erdo I 1 do not janow know that I 1 chave have done anything af thi kind but if I 1 have come forward and toll tell 0 ott lt 1 if any one has any ob objection action to me I 1 want yo you u to come boldly and frankly and all vil toll teil nis nit of it and if not elver eiver ever eger after hold peace motion was made and seconded that president Jo joseeh joseph smith continue president of the whole Chii chil church rih after a few minu teay teal silence ai ht be motia was put by president briggan brn Bri ghan youn young when one vast sea of hands was avas presented sent et and the motion was carried unanimously Inous ly i president joseph returned his thanks to the assembly for the manifestation of their confidence and said he would serve them according to the best ability god should give give him elder B young motioned and elder 0 hyde seconded that thab elder rie rig rigdon don be continued in his office as counselor to president smith elder vider rim rig rigdon don spoke saying 0 the last time I 1 had bad the privilege of atten attending dingo conference was at the laying odthe of the corner stones of this temple tempie le and 1 I 1 have had but poor health since and gave have been connected with circumstances the most forbidding which doubtless have produced some feelings feedings I 1 have never had a doubt of the work my feelings concerning bennett were always the we same I 1 told my family to I 1 guard a against that fellow for some time he be i will attempt to make a rupture among this people eople I 1 had so liwe little confidence in him that Y I 1 always felt myself at his defiance I 1 was once threatened by warren parrish if I 1 would not coincide with his views and I 1 have just I 1 received such a threatening letter from john i C benn bennett ett that if I 1 did not turn my course I 1 should feel the force of his power as there is 1 I 1 now an increase of my health and strength I 1 11 J desire to se serve you in in a any ny way it is possible i for me roe to do if any one has any feelings a against ainest me I 1 hope they will express them dimick mick B huntington asked him what ahat he i meant when he said bennett was waa a good man ac when he called him blin a perfect gentleman and he had nothing a against dinst him aim elder te he did not recollect it he did not then know as much about bennett as he has haa learned afterwards I 1 say glay now lie he never offered any abuse fhi 1 my house bennett has never been about my house but little I 1 never saw an anything athing about the man but what was respectable le he came to robinsons I 1 ivas waa in debt to him and consequently boarded him I 1 think dimick must be mistaken dimick I 1 know I 1 am not I 1 have no private pique against i elder rigdon the vote was then put and carried almost unanimously I 1 president joseph smith presented william law as his second counselor who was sustained by unanimous vote president hyrum smith patriarch said he wished to be tried when it was voted unanimously that he retain his office of patriarch ile he then blessed the people and asked the lord to bless them also president joseph said he did not know an any thin thing a against ainest the twelve if he did he would woul present them them for trial it it is not right that all the burden of or the nauvoo house should rest on i a few individual individuals and we will now consider i the propriety of sending the twelve to collect means lor for it there hl has been too great a solicitude in individuals for the building of the temple to the exclusion of the nauvoo house agents have had too great latitude to practice fraud by receiving donations by never making w report the C church ach has hag suffered loss and I 1 am opposed to that system of collecting funds when any elder elden may receive moneys iam isam lam I 1 1 opposed 0 posed to any mans handling the public funds op of the church who is not d duly div authorized I 1 advise that some meals means be devised for transacting business on a sure foundation foun dan 1 the twel twelve v e are the most suitable persons to perform this business and I 1 want the conference to devisee ome means to bind them as firm as the pillars of heaven if possible the twelve were always honest and it will do them no hurt to bind them it has been reported that they receive wages at two dollars per day for their services service I 1 have never heard this till decently recently and I 1 do not believe it if I 1 know the twelve have never had hid any walls wages at all they have fulfilled their duty they have always gone where they were avero sent and have labored with their hands fer their support when at home if we ave send them into the world to collect funds fiands gewant we want them to return those funds to this place that they may be appropriated to tho tha very purpose for which they were designed I 1 go 0 in for T binding indin up the twelve solid putting them under bonds ands and let this conference institute an order to this end and that the traveling ex ez of the fia agents shalliot shall not be botne borne out of the funds collected for these houses and let no man pay ay money or stoc stock k into the hands of the twe twelve ve except he transmit an account of the same immediately to the trustee in trust and let no man but the twelve have authority to act as agent 0 for the temple and nauvoo house I 1 would suggest the propriety of your saying that no money should ever be sent by any man except it be some one ona whom you have appointed as agent and stop every other man from receiving moneys I 1 it has been customer cus customary tomar for any elder to r receive t ceide moneys for the temp temple e when he is traveling but this system of things opens a wide field for ever every y kind of imposition as any man can assume the me name of a mormon elder and gather his pockets full of money and go to texas many complaints complaint have come to me of money being sent that I 1 have never recel received I 1 will mention one case he is a good man his name is daniel russell from akron alron new york his brother samuel had bad been east on business for him and there received twenty 1 or five dollars ss as a donation to tho the which he put in D russells bag with avith lis his money and forgot to take it out before he returned the bag lag two of three days after his he called on his brother for the money eio elo nging to the church but daniel thought samuel had paid out too much of his money and he would keep the churche churchs money to make good his own J 1 called to see gee D russell about the money and he treated me so veny VERY POLITELY TELY but did mt not give me to understand ie ever meant to pay it he said he did not at the time that there thare was any church maney in the bag L that he had paid it out and ie had none now samuel russell who brought the money mom rom the east stated to the donn ConN conference rence that ie did not think it was wag because his brother was way short of funds that for he had money enough he ire had told him that he should not be out of funds again that his brother had twenty dollars of the church funds ad and some bome dried fruit for the president Is president joseph resul resumed ned I 1 give i thiu this as a sample of a thousand instances we cannot an account to satisfy the people on the church books unless something is done I 1 propose that you send your moneys for the temple by the twelve or some agent of your own o own wn choosing and if you send by others and ade the money is lost itis lost to yourselves I 1 cannot be bb responsible for it every thing teat that falls into my hands shall be appropriated to the ae very thing it was designed for it is wrong for the church to make a bridge of my nose in appropriating funds for the temple the act of incorporation i ration required of me securities which av were e ro lodged lodged in the proper hands as the law directs and I 1 am responsible for all that comes into my hands the temple are bound io to me in the sum sudi of 2000 with good security if they apply any property where they ought not they are liable to me for it individuals are running to them with funds every day and thus maee mave make mahe a bridge over my nose I 1 am not responsible forit or it if you put it into the hands of the temple committee neither I 1 nor my clerk know kenow anything of it so long iong as you yoo consider me worthy to hald this his office it is your duty to attendee to the legal forms belonging to the business and if not put some other one in my place my aly desire is that the conference minutes may go forth in such form that those abroad may learn the order of doing doing business and that the twelve be appointed to this special mission of collecting funds mands for the nauvoo house so that all may know how to send their bunas funds safely or bring them themselves and deliver them to the trustee in trust or his clerk who can always be found in the office who are arc the temple committee that they should receive the funds they are arc nobody when I 1 went to the white house at wah washington and presented letters of introduction from thomas CO arlin garlin governor of illinois to martin artin arlin van buren ile he looked at them very contemptuously and said governor cardinl governor carlin carun khos governor carlin governor carilna carlina nobody I 1 erred in spirit I 1 confess my mistake and I 1 here make my apology to all aft the world world and let it be recorded d on earth and in heaven that I 1 am clear of the sin of being angry with martin van buren for saying governor catlina carlins nobody I 1 bare have deen been gorry sorry for it euer ever since all property ought to go through the hands of the trustee in trust there have been complaints against the temple committee for appropriating ampro i atin church funds more freely forthe for the benar benefit t of their own children than chanto to othere others who need a assistance 8 a a tance more than they do and the parties may have till saturday to prepare for trial it was then voted unanimously that the twelve be ba appointed a committee to collect funds to build the nauvoo house and receive moneys for the temple with avith this proviso that the twelve give bonds for the safe delivery of all funds coming into their hands belonging to the nauvoo house and temple tempie to the trustee in trust and that the payer also make immediate report to the trustee in trust of all moneys paia paid by him to the twelve and that the instructions of president joseph smith to the conference be carried into execution elder IV IV phelps proposed that the ther twelve sign triplicate receipts for moneys received for the benefit of the parties concerned elder brigham young objected and said he should never give receipts for cash except guch euch as he put into his own pocket for his own use for it was calculated to make trouble hereafter and there were better methods of transact transacting imig 1919 the business and more safe for the parties co concerned berned that lahat he wished this speculation I 1 to sto stop and would do all in his pow powen to put it dolc down n to which the twelve re resa dimen elder young asked if any one knew anything against any one of the twe twelve ive lve any dishonesty if they did he wanted it exposed he saia said he knew of one who was not dishonest he ire also referred refe dred sred to muzzling e the ox that tr eadeth out the corn ac president joseph said gaid I 1 will answer brother brigham there is is no necessity for the twelve being abroad all the time preaching and gathering funds for the temple spend the time that belongs to preaching abroad and the rest of the time tiffie at home to support themselves it is no more tor for the twelve to go abroad and earn their living in this thia way than it is for others the idea of not muzzling the ox is a good old quaker song but we ave will make the ox tread out the corn first and then feed him I 1 am bold to declare that I 1 have never taken the first fart farthing hing bing of church funds for my own ase use till I 1 have first consulted the thel proper authorities when there was no quo rum of the twelve or high priests for me to consult consul tI I 1 have asked the temple |
