Show R BY mm ELDER imm ERASTUS sw at logan logon sunday art Aft afternoon loon moon february ath 1882 reported BY 0 F gibbs I 1 I 1 AM asked to occupy the th e few minute i yet remaining if the spirit gives me liberty I 1 will pursue the train of thought that has passed through my mind while brother richards Bic ric hards has been speaking upon the spirit that has gone upon the remnants of the house of israel who occupy this land the american indians indiana whom we understand to be the descendants of the neophitos Nep hites hitos the Lama the lem delites and the Ishma Ishmael elites ites itea who former formerly y possessed this land whose fathers we have an account ofin of in the book of mormon those who are most familiar with their history and with the history of our settlements in these mountains for the last 30 years the manner in which sent cent out our oun colonies to locate upon the land of the laman ites the manner in which we have treated with them kotob to ob tain their consent and approval to occupy and improve the land larid which thoy they claim the manner in which we have moved among them to maintain ourselves and to build the towns and land cities which are now inhabited by our people throughout this mountain region the manner in which we have sent send out migs miss mission loll arlesia arlas arias in advance of our colonies colonresto colon lesto to 0 open P an up the way carrying carry io g with mem them the spirit of the holy gospel the ithe spirit of peace the spi bpi love iove and brotherhood to endeavor to impress them with the belief beiler th atmo atme were not men of blood but that thai we were a people who cherished and cultivated tiie tile spi Bpi spirit of T the tho he course wo we have taken when difficulties would arise between them and our settlements which occasionally would arise through the of thoughtless ami anti selfish men mon to settle the bame same in a friendly peaceful way thereby a avoiding voiding bloodshed and war and the spir spirit itin in which we have them when it became necessary to do so not in malice nor revenge but a as a father would cha eha chastise stise his wayward child and then as soon aa as possible pour into their wounds theall the oil and the wine to heal them up again those I 1 say who are acquainted best beat with our labors in this direction will best a appreciate the results I 1 have had much experience during he last 20 years in this diorec tion and have by means of the spirit of the gospel averted much war and bloodshed our colonies have been sent in advance their influence has hate been felt for good nov noi alone to them not only has it tended to establish confidence and a bond of friendship between the natives and our colonies but it ha salso tended to restrain the uprising I 1 in their thein harts hearts to war against the white race and has thus promoted peace to our general government ilie the misrepresentations and the lying of our enemies to tile the contrary notwithstanding vo ve know there are today to day dayo as there always have been men who are suspicious and full of green eyed jealousy ever ready to misrepresent the purest motives of the best beat people on the earth and aud acta of loyalty and honesty and commendation are construed to be those of conspiracy and wickedness and we know too that among tala taia class of villi vil vii Ulers lers and do camers are many of the alegry soma of whom have come among us aa followers of the meek and lowly jesus to bring to ua us glad tidings but being wolves in cheeps clothing they thy th y dothe do tho the work of their master and there therefore fords they scatter broadcast lies and defamation newspaper scribblers scribble rs who are ever ready to pander to popular sentiment whether it bo right or wrong who know not the tile facts in the case take up and republish to the world the untruths un truths and misrepresentations of the wicked men who seeking beeking notoriety at the expense of truth and justice the history of utah territory give gives athalie mhd ile lle to all these misrepresentations tat ions there is no part of the american continent that has been bieri pe peopled aud and redeemed from its desolated condition with BO so little bloodshed as utah there is ho no other slate stale or Terri territory tory fory where the general government has expended so little money or so little force er whore where L BO 0 o ew lives have been lost in settling a country and maintaining peace pence with the indians aa as utah today to day the american nation nati on is indebted for the spirit of cl mormonism that has been diffused through this mountainous country in the maintenance of peace pence and the saving to the na nn tion of millions of treasure as well as thousands of lives and the wisdom of the lord through his servant brigham young in sending colonies into arizona andon audon and on the branches of the colorado also into the tile ban san juan junry country as well aa as on our eastward borders may be witnessed today to day in the influence that is exerted by our people to check the spirit of aarand war and bloodshed among the sava Nava joeb joes and the utes and the apaches the wars wan that have troubled the country during thelast the last four or five nive years in colorado new mexico and arizona have been to my certain knowledge greatly greaty mitigated by the Tre rne ence sence of our colonies on their borders and by the labors of our missionaries am amona 0 ng the indians durin burin those jeara lear s I 1 have spent considerable time in vl visiting those colonies colp nies and have therefore 0 been brought in contact with ith many many of the nati nations drist brigi of the di merent different tribes when they have been fisting eol colonies onles onies and mission missionary stations fht fAt Ions lons and BO so has elder woodruff vy r brid arid some others of the quorum of thib the twelve and abd I 1 aba aha a witness to this fact that in every instance where the influence of f our mig mit aslon mitlon ion lon arles aries and find our colonies exerted upon these fallen failen people their chiefs have PA P been heen A dil eil imbued with tae one spirit of P peace t ce and they in turn have exerted rt their influence on the side 0 f 16 to allay the uprising of their more bloodthirsty bro brothers browers and alid when they have been almost oil on the point of joining distant warlike banis engaged in hostilities against the government and have come ici iff us to know our views and 0 o teela ee kour koui our out counsel our advice has always been beson in afie the interest of peace in tho berlt spirit of kindness we have alway taught staught them train th thein their gir gle hostile feelings ana nna have portrayed to thein them tilo tuo tho bene benefits nita fita of peace for bearance abd and longsuffering long iong suffering nud and ad adi i them to endured endure what whist they ther considered wrong ra rather nather thier than taht tempt te hat in to redress their wrongs hi in t their feeble helpless condition by taking up arms against the strong and powerful g government overn men of the united state stale s and besides that it waa was displeasing to god our 0 u r heavenly lother lather that th h blied the blood of man huch such iff the character of the teachings tea chinks and counsels co u neels of our leading men of the vari varl oas to the indians Ind lanEe and agid of our oun missionaries who are sent bent among them and I 1 have had the testimony during thelast the last two years of many of our presiding elders and ind iud indian ian lan missionaries and thi they by are meni mena men I 1 know whose word may be relied yelled upon and who are themselves I 1 k know pa n the true truel friends bf the indians ink iak d low boand and are laboring for their welfare they assured me that had it not been for this influence the young men of the Nava joes would have been lighting fighting with the utes itt ift colorado during the last war and i that many more of the would have been anthe on the warpath karpath with the late Vict victorio orlo orio in new mexico and here let me tny tay av the las as tou dou fr out t break of the apaches last fall was forced upon them by the fooling foolish and ruthless procedure of some neof of the officers nii bil leers at camp apache grea ly to the disgust of every levery thinking man inah acquainted with the affairs of that country it was waa no more dor nor less than an attempt to make a great national affair out of a little harmless religious enthusiasm that sprang prang up among that tribe once onee in a while the indians indiana become very much excited over some local pro phet phel and it was merely an event of this nature that led to the late apache war the interference of the troops coquell to quell their entus spasm ud I 1 want to say bay tufit thata in gener general aivar alvar war all through ellese emst imst ern mountains and arizona was jm am eminent last laet september and october and have no doubt would have brok broke en oia oat haulot not hot been for the presence and influence of our colonies extended along their thein immediate borders which are presided preside d over oven by careful wise vise men and their inter course and labors among the indians and for the conservative influence bf those chiefs and leading apaches that brother woodruff visited and breached preached ached the gospel to two years yearb ago go and whom I 1 and came half dozen of 0 our bar breth brethren reb reh visits orid ond labored with three aum wars ago isi ial heil jai summer summers which had bad hadtke tee id restrain the uprising of their hotheaded hot headed brethren and bf quelling it lt they did more than alithe aalthe troops from california wow now row mexico mecid 0 and eastern arizona in bringing about peace the influence of those friendly indians who had bad listened to th the 6 counsels of our missionaries and aud our leading men in that thit country and ind to brg woodruff who went through the mountains to hunt up the bands that had bad hidden and who where procuring ammunition and preparing for war wan I 1 bay say their influence was felt for good as was fully attested by their success in bringing the hostiles ho stiles in bahun deeds I 1 in hi the vicinity of coo Goo leyk leys ranch and elsewhere andin and in allaying tiie tile the warlike spirit among the indians gene gede generally rally raily around camp apache and thus in a quiet quilt way bringing about peace and preventing a general war I 1 know these things are true I 1 was waa posted every day being at the time on the little colorado Colora doand and in company with president jesse jesso N smith who wag was in iii communication with bur our brethren on the tho bordena of bf those hostile indians who had bad mes and coming every day lo 10 luand and from them earing bearing fi counsels of deace peace ae aad anda I 1 know tl tnt at the prayers of our plo pio ascended to the leather in the interest of peace pence that ithe me i of peace pesco might prevail among amo n gibee them and I 1 know moo too that bur prayers together i with the good influences thalba d been beeri exerted did prevail on behalf of the saints sainta of or that region of country andi Andl and I 1 know and can testify that the hiat hift influence ence of our interpreters and discreet indian men and missionaries whom we have lo cited located on the san ban julih juiia river between the oes 6 ind the ute uie reservations I 1 who hava ave been theme there during the last three th ree sears years as also aiso those south orthe of the nava joe reservation find and between the tire oer an and d abd the the tbd AW apaches b es on the cheva lva irlas branches of ahe little colorado I 1 know that their influence and tile the effects counsel counsell upon tiny 14 19 in the frite ginterr r est esi est of peace between thie white whit r race ace and tho the indians indiana of that country jf eel it ji ita a Ep ie leasure aure to beb bea bleto speak knowingly of things and hope that this spirit of peace may ay extend through the jand jd amen ij J |