Show 11 NINE semiannual leni SEMI SH 11 ANNUAL I conference L the thirty ninth semiannual semi benn annual conference ference forence of the church of jesus jesua christol latter day saints convened this morning at ten in the new tabernacle pacia on and around the stand we noticed president brigham young president geo A smith and president daniel H wells of the first firs presidency ency apostles wood rup run lorenzo snow erastus snow franklin D richards GeorgeQ Cannon brigham young junn and joseph F smith patriarch john smith john jjohn young edwin D woolley and samuel rW Richards WR ichards the presidency of the high priests quorum john W you i pg george B wallace and john T caine of the presidency of this stake of zio zion n joseph young albert P F rockwood horace 6 E eldredge I 1 dred ge an and d joh john n van CO cott tt of the first seyen seven presidents of the seventies edward hunter leonard W hardy and jesse C little the presidency si of the nish bish bishopric there were also bishops elders eiders and leading men from every settlement in the territory the meeting was called to td order by president brigham tou you young toung ilg and the tabernacle choir choln led by bro geo care leeg less ess sung the first hymn the morning breaks the shadows blee flee prayer was offered by elder orson or son hyde the hymn an n page was sung by thevan the tab nacle nacie er choir PRESIDENT DANIEL H was WELTS wms ad hd dressed the conference helas pleased at ht having the privilege of the ibe meeting eting with so iso many odthe people who had bad come tome from distant parts of th til e territory Terril ory dry to be anstr instructed uc ted in the waya ways of the lord mord he was pleased that we had bad h a territory teeming with saints whether saints of god are becom self sus ta inting is an important point for their consideration there is a i warfare io in existence betwixt the powers of good aad evil the latter iatter striving g continually con to overthrow the thel authority and abd power of the holy priesthood we may expect to I 1 ave this power tb to contend against a trist continually we have the in ng estimable t amable privilege of living under the he best and most benign government on the face of the earth it Is a govern ment beut that has come comedown down from heaven jabe the lord could not have instituted his gavern government ment among albrik the nations of the barthin ear earth thin in their scat scattered tred ired condition hence those willing tor ty obey his laws have gathered together the almighty uses agencies for the ris his purposes pur pops we cannot attain to the Ilor glorious lous ious biess bless blessings ings of the celestial king we obey tl tle e laws of that kinga kingdom om every kingdom has a law to attain to the blessings blessing of th the eceles celestial kingdom to go into the presence of the father and of the ddn is worth living liying engfor for we must in order to attain those things thing s obey the counsels of the servants of god there is not that mount amount among the saints that there ought to be we are still somewhat I 1 divided in temporal matters if we are 1 approximating to unity in temi P 0 1 things we are traveling towards the condition which the lord desires that is the order of enoch it is desirable that the thel latter day saints should patronize each ot herand not any store tord unless compelled by necessity to do so so I 1 if there is anything that they cannot possibly do without then they can go 90 to the operative cooperative co stores and obtain at jt at our territorial rial fair there have been beeri j just ast as good and usef user useful I 1 articles of home manufacture exhibited ag INS can call be manufactured red else eise elsewhere w here this shows we have the power to sustain ourselves if we nave have but the tha will to besell sustain ingilis one of the most important principles of political economy and is ac to be such in every community our exports should exceed our im lm ports if we attain tot to t ls point I 1 instead of the meals means of hr the latter day saints being drained out of the territory they would be increased we can make as is good fabrics here as elsewhere but we cannot produce them as cheap as in some other places this brings in the labor question which if not properly regulated will cause others to step in from a distance and do the labor which ought to be done by the saints the high price of labor will bring them here liere it is to provide against this contingency tin gency that so much has been said epou this thia matter if the powers that are in opposition to this kingdom had bad the majority here they would trample us under andey foot loot it rests with the latter day saints to say whether this shall be so or not it depends on the unity of the people here and their producing what they need to s cupply supply their wants wanta and nol not sustain those w who 0 are opposed to the work of god who can reasonably find fault with people for pursuing this courbet courset course it is necessary for the preservation of our existence the almighty is isab abc abb the head of his work and he has never told us to do anything but what would be for our benefit if any jiny one thinks the lord does not know his own business and has not placed the right man at the head of the church let them produce a better belter if they can if they cannot let them forever hold cap can their thein t ein eln peace many of the faithful servants of god have been taken away from the earth because the inhabitants of the earth were unworthy of them if we live consistently with the counsels of the servants her eer vanta of godf godi god by doing all in our power to bring about theonder the Order of enoch we shall be preparing to associate with them A short time since a gentleman who W was here beye on a visit asked him whether a citizen residing here could sell a bow bop house bouse seand and lot irhe had one to dispose ot of to an outsider he told him certainly he could if he be wanted to but said the speaker if I 1 had a house bosell to sell seli I 1 would arf prefer er t to 0 sell it to a friend rather than an enemy the stranger agreed with that hat saying that he lie had a house and jot where he lived rived and be he would see seer somo some men in a warm place before he WOHld sell his hoube house to them imay way the lordi lordt prosper pr and biess blesa us all nil amen brigham city choir under bro uru sang when theres here love at home PRESIDENT GEORGE A 4 MITS next spoke he said eaid it is very gratifying to meet the saints in conference fo to see so many familiar faces from all parts of the tle territory and from every part of the world behas it haa been my llly arvi lege to todo do so many times anthe evening of the dedication of the kirtland land temple tha the priesthood num numbered berea at that time I 1 was acquainted sainted quain ted with nearly every one in the church hu ach it is very different now we expect to go back toj to ackson jackson co from whence wherlee the saints were expelled in 1833 some are now nov living who were driven ab at that time the saints were guilty of the aenious crime so our enemies said of anointing the sick with holy oil tha that they might be healed foh fol this they were driven from their homes the losses conse quenton their being driven are estimated at the interest oh on which to this thia ante date would amount to what the compound interest would be I 1 cannot say he lie did not design to give details detail of uhe the five times we have bave been driven those who drove th the saints left them to id own resources they came here poor and commenced to develop cevelo p this thia barren country in the history of nations and individuals those who have had bad to take the world roughly have made mado the mightiest men whilst those who have been nurtured in id ease have not so often become distinguished this may in someway some way apply to our eased cased case other othen peoples who have sett settled settler ledIn levin in new cotin couin countries tries have been favored and nurtured by the goveria government ment meni as in the case bf the people of oregon and other places with the settlers of utah it has be been n different every scribbler crib erlb bler bier who has passed through this terji terri territory ito has filled his sheets with misrepresentations misrepresentation a and falsehoods FO for r what we haye have and are we are indebted to god alane and to no other source at one time a scapegrace who had been sent hereby t the h e government to fill an official position after his alme time expired took it into his b Is head bead to resign and to represent the latter day saints as being in rebell rebeil rebellion iop lop against the government and although the authorities at washington had abundant testimony that this man lied yet they inaugurated what basteen has bas been termed the 41 contractors war and the odthe of the government were robbed of 25 but thanks to the overruling land kand hand of our heaven ly y father they accomplished nothing to 0 the injury of af the latter day saints the gathering together of the saints from the nations of the earth is as wonderful as thee thel prophecy of jeremiah it shall no longer be said the lord liveth who brought us out of the ind ind and of egypt but the lord liventa who hath brought us out of the various na alons eions of the ear earth th where we were scattered 11 the people came here in poverty yet at the present time there are not ten per cent of them that are not living in their own houses some have said why operate cooperate co to do our dazing on the same grounds it might be asked why do we operate cooperate co to dig ig a water ditch or to fence a track of land that belongs to a hundred or more pe persons simply because that is the easiest way to accomplish it so it has been with the opening of new roads roada to the hannons to get timber it could not be done by one man how is it that we have built this magnificent organ which is the admiration of all till visitors torE it is the finest organ ever even built in america why cannot this principle be extended to merchandising izing and everything else when the same gratifying results would follow we ought to introduce tanne ries rles build factories and produce machinery on the same principle some feel that they have a right to go to the store of an outsider to purchase articles they want because they can obtain them aal blittle atle cheaper what b has as caused the reduction in price the operative cooperative co movement the zion of god is not limited in its extent on this continent I 1 but as the prophet joseph has freau frequently antly declared declared it shall comprehend all north and south america notwithstanding the powers of the adversary the saints will in due timo time go back to jackson county and build a magnificent temple and the most beautiful citrin the world may god grant us the righteous desires of our hearts in the tile name of jesus amen the tabernacle choir sang the hymn commencing glorious things thinks of thee are spoken conference adjourned till two P pm in prayer by president geo ged A smith wednesday 2 rpm pm the meeting was called to orden order r by president young the tabei Tabet tabernacle naele nacle choir sang the hymn on page commencing on the mountain tops appearing 1 prayer by elder horace B S Eldre eldredge dge age the tabernacle choir sang the bym liyan n on the page 11 beginning the day is rolling on oh 11 elder ORSON onson PRATT addressed the C conference on ference ferenee during curing his absence from frow this t his city he had neglected no opportunity to meet with the few saints who live in williamsburg it was wash with the saints that he had joy for ever since bince the church was organized god has been with u us s at its commencement it only comprised six bix members god gave revelations in relation to the holy priesthood to those few individuals in it the year 1831 he gave additional revelations concerning that priesthood and its power and new councils were organized then ten the saints inexperienced and were liable to b be led astray by spirits not of god gome mo pretended to have manifestations and revelations for the purpose of leading the church the lord declared in a ro revelation that the saints were notto not to be bp led by byi those influences and said that he had ap pointed his ber eer servant vant joseph josep b through whom he would lead hia hla people he directed that the quorum of the twelve apostle Apost let iet lek should be organized wh whose loe LOP business atwould be to preach the gospel to the nations to the gentiles first and then to the jews the priesthood were called together after the buli bull building ding of the kirtland temple and in ln bieak I 1 ing rig of the twelve Apostles the prophet joseph said they had bad received ihei tha apostleship with alth all the powers pertaining to t the h e same cju just st as the apostles in this god had fulfilled his word to his people he had besta bestowed w ed upon men all the power bind and an authority th orlay necessary to carry on the building tip up of the kingdom of god when joseph was taken from the earth all that was necessary was tor for the people to select one to preside over them who had already received an ordination to the apostleship which ia is the highest authority ever bestowed upon man if the people had nob not been satisfied with the selection that was made I 1 would not see before me this thia great congregation there may mair be many people here who have never investigated the nature and authority of the holy priesthood many revelations have been given one was given instructing the saints to build a house bouse to the name of the lord in which revelation it V was ia s stated ta teil tell that if his people would go to work with all their might to build that house and that should their enemies com come upon them and drive them and prevent them from fulfilling that work he would no longer require that work at the hands bands of his servants god has permitted us to be driven many times from our homes but he has never taken from us the priesthood and kingdom there is every evid evidence evidente enbe thae that can be desired that all the authority of that priesthood has been and is now with us it is stated in the book of mormon that if the people of this nation rejected the gospel he lie would take it from their midst we had to leave our homes in the east before this prophecy could be full fulfilled lied aled it instill is still being fulfilled the people are coming from the tho nations fn an hundreds and thousands he heartily endorsed endo reed those great operative cooperative co movements that had been bern introduced into the midst of the sainte unless we manufacture and export we will be unable to keep among us a circulating medium may god grant that his blessings may be with all bib bis saints amen president YOUNG delivered a short but very interesting and instructive tive discourse in which he gave some interesting facts concerning the benefits arising from the system of cooperation and other matters of importance his remarks were reported in full and will shortly be published bro fishburne Fish burns choir sang a bong pong entitled our prophet Brigha mYoung 11 elder orson HYDE was the next speaker he rejoiced in everything that tends to the defense of the king hing dom of god if the saints take heed beed to the counsels of the servants of ged he did not opine that any serious inroads would be made by any power that might be arrayed against thealor the zion of god cheru are living witnesses that lived and associated with the prophet joseph and will continue to live and testify to the truth until the kingdom can take eare care of itself and till that time god will take care of it As long as those witnesses remal remain rif it will be difficult for inroads to |