Show DISCOURSE BT H 0 1 I 1 CANNON in ward assembly bo bloms ams salt laie lake city sunday afternoon march 1875 BY DA DAVIID v IF I 1 were to consult my natural feelings this afternoon I 1 should kit sit and listen to some one else speak rather than give utterance to any of my my own feelings but 1 I 1 do not suppose suppose that this would be satisfactory to anybody else at least to most of the saints and especially to bishop taylor I 1 therefore rise to say such things as shall be sug suggested estr to too me by the spirit of the lord on this occasion to one who has been absent for a long iong time from home the privilege of mingling with ones brethren and sisters those of the same faith who have the same yie vie ws and who are laboring for the same objects the privilege of returning and associating clatin with themis them is very delightful aleast at least it is so to me and it takes away from me whatever dis position I 1 might have under other circumstanced circum stances to speak my feelings upon le turning after a lengthy absence from home have seemed to me entirely too big for utterance I 1 could not command language to give proper expression to them where one is at home homo all the time this probably will not be appreciated during my absence I 1 have enjoyed excellent health and I 1 havo have had a good deal of peace in fact I 1 may say as it will probably be satisfactory is to many to know that I 1 have enjoyed myself far better than I 1 could have expected there has hag been a very different feeling in washington during this last session of congress from that which prevailed during the first session that is so far as we are concerned there has been a greater feeling of liberality a disposition tb look upon the people of utah more as fellow citizens than I 1 think was manifested during the first session bession of this congress there were times during the first session when it seemed to me that it required all the faith and energy that I 1 could muster to resist that oppressive feeling which probably many who are here have havo experienced perien ced when they have been drought brought in contact with a strong st roll feeling of opposition it ii more 11 of a spiritual feeling a feeling that appeals to the spiritual semes senses than anything that I 1 could describe ora ona of a physical character there were times during the first session when that feeling was very strong especially ally during the of the mckee poland and other bills framed for the express purpose of rivin giving gour our enemies power over us but i 1 had comparatively little r none of that feeling during the last session although as you are dd doubtless abt a ware aware so far as I 1 myself was concerned my seat seemed lo 10 be in greater peril during last session than it was the first session A portion odthe of the tho committee on elections reached a conclusion upon in my y case a technical majority of the members of the committee present having adopted a resolution to exclude me from my seat they varied the language usually adopted on such occasions oce to mare mako it I 1 suppose not hurt so badly by calling it exclusion instead of expulsion but notwithstanding this was the case and it might bo be said that I 1 stood in greater peril personally I 1 enjoyed myself much better and there was greater liberality and a greater disposition manifested to deal justly and fairly with us who live in this territory whether this feeling was the result of last falls fales elec eions or not I 1 will not say you who are politicians can judge for yourselves I 1 suppose that every one who has democratic inclinations or proclivities will be very apt to attribute this change of feeling to tho the fact that the democrats obtained some victories last fall but whatever the cause was the fact is ns as I 1 have stated and as it is a matter doubtless of some interest to all of you and it is not contrary to our views to talk on a S sunday about matters that pertain r ertain to our temporal salvation salva tien because our temporal and spiritual salvation are BO so intimately blended that they may be said to be inseparable of course I 1 do not think it improper to allude to it my feelings respecting us as a people at the present flinto outside of what I 1 see at home are of a more cheerful iii bria and itla hopeful character than J I 1 have had cause to indulge in for yeam beam years there are some things at home which if I 1 we were re to look at them verj verk very closely would discourage me in some respects because I 1 think that we are far from being what we should be and you know our views on these subjects are that we cannot expect much prosperity for ourselves or for the thie cause with so long iong as we ourselves are not ini in a position to warrant the bestowal of that prosperity upon pon Us Be believe liev llev ing as we do that god oure father is at the toun youn dation of this work and that liis his providence ia over it and controlling all things for its good we of course cannot imagine 0 thau th athe atle ifo lwe Is g 0 hig hag to give any tiny very great prosperity to this ause cause or to us as a community unless ess we ar are elwa iua lua ina position 0 isiom to be bene sted thereby pa ho 1 is not going to bestow blessings upon us to injure us and which hi instead stead of df proving advantageous would prove destructive truc thic tive to us on this account I 1 lave have entertained some doubts concerning our future since I 1 returned home as the result probably of very partial observation hb however Wever for for I 1 have had lad very veny ary ery limited unities of seeing or of judging 0 correctly about this but to have a great degree of prosperity there should be more falth faith manifested by us inore lnore union more love and more ef of those graces which ought to ado adorn i rn the character of latter day saints but I 1 think there is a brt bright glit and very encouraging future for us as people in congress as us I 1 have said there has beed been a greater than has been manifested for to accord to utah her right rights sr has been a feeling which have taken pal pai pains ns to foster that best means that a federal official could take to obtain office and then to retain it after he had bad obtained it was to declare war amo among 1 1 agthe the people in heitt s sent to act this has actually been ac oho poh poll e cy ey Y that has been adopted in this territory forbears for years yearb andraud and judging ing by their actions the Ide idea abas ahas las has been bierl that no better passport to favor with the administration could be urged than the fact that an official was inimical to the tho people and was laboring strenuously to destroy them and their religion and every eveny man holding office not lot adopted this policy has been placed under a ban and has been made to feel that he stood in jeopardy the result has been antagonism and hos tilita between classes when there thero should have been union in fact where there was already too great adi adl a disposition q fioritto exist naturally it kas has received encouragement from those who have had bad this tilis feeling and a great gre at many in high places legislators and others have beamed to think that in passing passim laws it was only necessary to know that they were signed designed dp to operate olier alein in utah to receive the their ir sanction without caring anything about the nature of the laws themselves hence the favor with holcli which werd were vere received such bills as cullora Cu lloma s mckees Mc Kees and others which have been introduced into congress intended to operate exclusively in utah during this last session I 1 heard the inquiry made when a bill was introduced isit Is it intended for utah alone were ready to jump to their feet and oppose it because it was so intended this was a marked change and I 1 could not but notice it 11 tile the patience which the latter day saints have manifested now for four or five years in in the mid midst stor of the judicial difficulties difficult lea iea which have environed environ gJ shem hem hasteen has been productive of hood good broadd it has lids in my opinion produced arpa action in the public bind mind many wany persons have become familiar yath eith pheo phel actual condition conditi oll of affairs here bere and their sympathies a tt lales have hive beni beri awakened by what w they have heard and they have felt disposed tod to do 0 what they could in a quiet way to relieve us from these difficulties and if we continue to exercise patience and in the future lis its as we have in the past there e is bio fio no doubt in my mind about the results it is 19 our duty 13 do 40 this uis it is tid ild a iid luty auty U ty made incumbent upon us by our re religion lgon igon to be patient forbearing a and nd ion lon longsuffering long iong 0 suffering aila and it lf vye tye e eni ent eni courage these feeling feel sr in ourselves and in our children putting Tp utting our trust in god relying upon him constantly there is no doubt in my mind as to what the result will be men meu may point the finger anger of scorn at us u and ridicule e because of or our religion but if we are true to its principles if we abide in the faith which gid god hi reviled unto us ms we can afford to submit ito to all this obloquy and everything of that character it will pass away and bo be forgotten but the virtues that ahat we possess will endure and have their effect it has afforded me the greatest pleasure to speak about the condition and management of affairs in this territory I 1 could point with a great graat deal of pride to the fact that gewere a lightly kightly taxed people probably as lightly taxed as any community within the confines of thel tho union that we wele out oue 0 of deb debt that halt Balt wt lake 0 city ity blid had at the last amt report a goodly sum in Us its tre treasury a suly besides nearly an equal amount in assets that every other municipality in the territory was in the bama sama condition that our county organizations were free from debt th that atthe the tho territory itself did not owe a dollar in any auy form but hada had a large amount bolts credit this speaks volumes to a great many people especially to men acquainted with govern government genf and arid who themselves live in the midst of tax oppressed communities groaning under public debts created by unwise and dishonest officials they could appreciate facts of this kind and they bore volumes of testimony respecting the good order and wisdom that have characterized the operations or thos e who have had charge of public affairs jairala in this territory another thing thin g to which iny Tay attention wa was s called a times was the 9 grasshopper ras shopper scourge with with which utah had been BO so frequently A great many had bad inquiries to ma make ke on the subject kanbas kaneas nebraska and part of iowa were afflicted with grasshoppers this last season and the people were exceedingly de sirons to obtain in their behalf athey they wanted con Cou congress bress kress to relieve them by bending sending seeds and by giving them pecuniary assi assistance stancel tales talea of distress came by every mall mail to members of congress in which the writers plead piteously with them to have congress extend aid to the sufferers as you tou yon have doubtless seen in the pap papers drs particularity in the new york tribune which had bad a column daily dany conta containing ining lulng the tho names of sunday sundby school children servant girls eirls widows and other dere pere persons ons who baa bad contributed their miteb mites to help the stiffer sufferers ergin ersin in the districts ravaged by the grasshoppers in the states ihara named knowing that utah had been afflicted by grasshoppers a good many came to ma me to enquire how we had nail got along and it was a great source of satisfaction to me to be ablott say siy that notwithstanding some of our settlements had guf suf suffered fired from the devastations of grasshoppers five years in succession there had been no clamour and that no begging appeal had bad gone up or out from utah to other portions of the united states alth ough many wany of our onn settlements had had their thein entire crops destroyed years in tsue cue cession I 1 distinctly ie demember member that wellsville in lit cache valley had 1 als I la r crops destroy i five years while ec arceyya Arce iya lya yet tle tie in tact the escaped a vl visita sita gita tion of this kind three years in slon eion all these thing when int inh n forth admiration men aien would eny eay there ethere must be something very peculiar about phout your organization to enable boti faman manage these things so well were P people 0 p 1 overwhelmed with debt their farms all mortgage mortgaged ol no how did you sustain yourselves well we believed in assisting cac each h othen other 01 and d if our one people lived in a state like ilke kansas kausas or nebra nebraska aca they would be too proud to cail call for help from the rest of the nation because their crops had bad been destroyed one year we b belleve lieve aleve in helping ourselves wari wali clItTe in laboring and in asking the blessing of god upon our labors aud and in putting our onn trust in him lim believing that he be will sustain ns us and thus far ho he has done so sop 0 o f 4 ft fl I 1 allude to ati gs cause th they cy are of pil public tolle interest ad so firn far hi oun oar admittance in mit into the union is concerned it Is ge generally acknowledged I 1 believe among the members senate ard and hou hor house e of representatives that utah was way to statehood and that it ought to have a state government and iid ild lentie gentlemen would gay eay 11 il 11 oad wad your sour peculiar pecullar in youw ouid in it ted readily read Jy 11 no titi 1111 1 F marked you mistake sir gir it is not that there is is something more than that I 1 know that thal the g general owl ewi opinion pinion is that it is our cyst system of marriage which prevent sUtah from being belogi admitted as a state but bat it is a mista milta keir keif elf ejr we did not bileve believe in that there would bo be something else this they would baboth to admit but many admitted eo so fan far ns as the elements clements of a state were concerned in having a substantial fooling in the land and being wedded lo 10 the soil in havin having developed the resources of the country agric abric and mineral and in establishing ing manufactures that hat utah with her railroad railroads 11 a and nd oti ott other or improvements is ahead of every other territory butas dut but as I 1 have hate said said sald the idea was that we were scarcely nit fit to be admitted beci because tuse of our ngu peculiar institution I 1 occasionally remarked when talking on this subject to members af pf bf congress h cloyan f are ire determined to make anak dehat afi call catl the peculiar pecullar institution of utah of national importance you ec commit according to my views a great nat mat blunder by so sd doing suppose tb cren areu creu anc out 0 of f every ten among the people of utah connee conned connected ted led with poly polygamy camy zamY some think chink that is a high estima estimate tc and that there are one hundred and fifty thousand people in utah and some think that is h high estimate also that would make fifteen thousand leopla in T tah territory who are arc either or connected with polygamy now think of it here bere you yon are the representatives of forty millions of people and aud by your yonn antionina action actton ina lna in a national capacity you yon uplift the practices of fifteen thousand people from obscurity and give them a national Importance ln in the eyes not only of our own country bat but in the eyes of europe does docs statesmanlike that the practices of fifteen thousand people should be made so aromi nent tou you talk to men in |