Show 6 DISCOURSE by ELDER SHOW SIMI 4 DELIVERED at the adjourned general bonfe conference in the new taber nade nacle sait sail lotke latke e city ii friday morning I 1 I 1 1 may ath 1874 REPORTED BY lly DAVID W evans ane united order of zion proposed for our consideration as will be seen from the remarks that have been made by former speakers and from the articles which 11 were read yesterday afternoon is is a grand comprehensive operative cooperative co tem designed to improve us who enter into iti it financially goci socially ally aily morally and religiously it will ad aid us as latter day saints in living our religion and in in b building lidin ildon up zion and help us by a com eom combined lined effort to cultivate every virtue to put from Us its every vice to conduct ourselves and our children sensibly and to dispense with childish follies irwill it will enable us to adopt sensible and discreet fashions and habits of life and styles of dress dresh and manners manner all of af which can be effected by combined efforts but not easily in our individual capacities for what man however good be his desires can control himself and his family in their habits and manners of life and fashions without the aid of bf the surrounding community 2 what sensible man can hold me or or my brethren responsible in all dil respects either for ourselves or our households unaided by the co community T and while the community are all working against ii us e nut not when the community leani leant fo work together and aroa aron aronfreed aro greed agreed in zt a common purpose what isit is it that thy iby can not accomplish union is ds strength and a combination of labor and capital will give us power at home antl auti abroad our former cb 0 operative systems in this territory cave zave have accomplished very great good for us but they have been only combinations of capital the proposed system embraces labor as well as aa capital and it designs to make maue the interests of capital and labor identical true there is one feature in the articles read yesterday which may require a little modification it is at least a good subject for mature reflection reflect ign and consideration before their final adoption and these articles are presented before the people for this purpose the combination of labor and capital in this order wilie diable us to promote all branches of ludd industry siry stry which shall appear in the judgment of the common order to be for the general good at present ca capitalists p are loth to engage in any enter enterprise pise plse which does not vouchsafe to them profitable return sT q tf ft Ii lias ilas aibe been n said by some among us that the best argument in iii dav favor or of cv cs opera tion was large but this is is an argument that appeals only to cu cupidity edity and avarice and is id espella especially acceptable to the man who sees nothing but the god of this world to worship large dividends corrupt the morals or of a community just as large largo speculations an and d the profet profit resulting for however desirable in a financial point of view to those engaged in them their tendency is always to intoxicate the brain and lead those engaged therein to t further follies until they overreach and ruin themselves moderation is as valuable in financial affairs aa in social idall in all ali speculation and in all business fair profits for la bor fair dividends for capi the use of that capital and labor to promote the greatest good of the greatest number and not for my own dear self the selfishness that is limited to our own persons bergous savors of the lower instincts olour of our natures and comes tomes not from above objections arise in the minds of some shall we not by entering into this order surrender our manhood our personal liberty and those rights so dear to every human being I 1 answer no not in the least we do no more than what all people do iii in the formation of government of every kind or associations ciati ons for any purpose whether religious or social all organizations 4 and business firms agree to surrender certain per personal privileges in order to secure m mutual utu al advantages all govern governments ments societies corporations and d firms are founded upon the principle of mutual concessions to secure mutual advantages ea without this there could eo be e no government m ent 0 o power to arrest and pa punish hla hia criminals and P protect the rights of the citizen and thle tho sanctity of home hom 6 tho the order proposed before us affords the utmost freeti freedom orn and liberty all things shall be done by common consent nod and all the branches of the order throughout all the land are to be organized by the selection of the wisest best and most experienced persons in their mi midst to form th their e ir councils and to direct their business affairs and the labors of the community for the best possible good of the whole and not to the individual advantage of a few who may be rc schemers or who may have acquired an education by which they are enabled to overreach over reach their fellow men financially the grand principle upon which the gospel of life and salvation is founded and or op which zion Is to be built is brotherly love and good will to man this was the theme of the angels of gol god in announcing announcing the birth of the savior hitherto hitherto under our old systems it has been chevery every man for lor himself and the devil for us all but the principle which the lord proposes is that we should square our lives by a higher an and aud d holier one namely every one for the whole and god for us all will this order benefit the rich yes it will amord afford security for themselves and fa families aud and their capital it is 45 a mutual hinsum insurance nee neo institution will it afford security and protection to the the honest laborer yes it will lay jay a foundation for wealth and aud comfort for them and their families after them Is it a free school system it is ig a mutual education system free not to the lazy vicious and w it is a mutual education system for the good and industrious who ailion aulde tildo luihn in tho the or order onder derand and fulfill fulfil the obligations thereof who shall be heirs of the common pr property ov every child who is 13 born in the order heirs to the tho whole of it no nobody will be heir to the whole of it to what portion of it will they be heirs just what they ey need who shall be the judges themselves ves vee if they judge correct ly byj and if they do not somebody will judge more correctly for them well shall I 1 surrender my judgment to anybody else of course you will we all agree to that if it must needs be but he who judges for himself correctly shall not be judged but lie he who is unable to judge himself himself but covets everything that he sees and wishes to scatter and destroy what others are seeking to accumulate and preserve must have a bit put in his mouth and some who areu aret arbore more wore sensible must handle the reins this is no agrarian doctrine to level those who are exalted down to the mean level of those who are in the mire but it is the godlike doctrine of raising those who are of low estate and placing them in a better condition by teaching them economy and prudence it is for the strong to foster and cear lear bear the infirmities of the weak for those who possess skill and ability to accumulate and preserve this worlds goods to use them for the common good and not merely for their own persons children and relative 4 6 so as to exalt themselves in pride and vanity over their fellow fei fel men meD and sink themselves to ruin by worshipping shipping wor the god of this world this is beneath the character of those who i profess to be the people of god we have done that long enough but the word of god to us is to change our front and to learn to love our neighbor as ourselves and so cultivate the s spirit irit frit of the gospel As to tee the minutiae min utise of the workings of the various branches of this order the details of the business and the relations of cf ilfe lire one meeting of this kind would not suffice to tell nor could the people comprehend it if we were able to tell it but it will be revealed to us as we pass along line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little and everything necessary will appear in its time and place and none need be over anxious to pass over the bridge before they reach it god does not reveal to us everything at once for our minds are not prepared to comprehend it like children we must have experience peri ence as we pass along one thing is bunni buffi sufficient clent for us to understand and that isi is that this order has made all nations and peoples who have entered into and ed it prosperous if any one doubts for a moment the success and final triumph of these principles that doubt is founded only in his own weakness and in the weaknesses of his fellow men around him and the selfishness that is in our natures if we are determined to make it a success there is no power beneath the heavens that can make it a failure fai luie if we engage in it with full purpose of heart with faith towards god and seeking to cultivate confidence towards one at iother lother and are nrc outspoken and frank in all our busness business relations and intercourse with each other and do all things by common co consent with a just and honest purpose of soul there is no power tbt that can hinder our succeeding in our undertaking but if we are determined to be selfish and seek to build ourselves up tip on the weaknesses of our fellows follows instead of building up the kingdom of our god we ought to go down and the sooner the better for the last dozen years many of this people have lipen going on in the way that our famera and the world generally eberall ene rall rali y walk in and instead of building up zion vion have been after their personal and individual interests forty years sears have passed over us as a people d during ur which we have been trying a little to carry on the work of god but we have been like the wary trout in the stream we have been nibbling around the hook but we have never swallowed the bait sow now the hook is placed before us naked and we are simply asked the question tion will you take it or not 11 what are wo we going to be caught lethis Ye Yes this is the fear we are going to be caught by the wily fisherman weare going to be enslaved has not somebody got an eye on our property does not somebody wish to have our horses and carriages our fine line houses our substance and the property we have gathered together yes the lord has an eye on all this for it belongs to him which of us has bas anything that does not belong to him where have we got that which we possess who lias has given us ability to accumulate and preserve to whom are we accountable for our talents and gifts as well as oui out substance the lord has his eye upon all this JB Is ho he anxious about aboul our property no this anxiety is in our own breasts and if we have any idols the sooner we put them away the better the lord cares nothing about our houses house sand and lands our goods and dind chattels oui oui gold silver or raiment ral rai ment for all upon the earth belongs to dimand at the thi best it ib is only something that per ashes with the using he requires tie ilk U to be faithful in the use of it for he ha has said he that is not faithful with the unrighteous mammon 3 who shall commit to him the tru true riches true riches relate t tf eternity tho the riches that relate t vils life all perish with the using our houses horses carriages clothing and our gold gold and silvea silve perish with the using t together toge 0 9 thet with avith our tabernacles we V loek look ethel ether H a glorious resurrection to a new and enduring earth to riches that are immortal to the habitations habitation habitat ioni lont that shall not pass away to a glory that is beyond the tile grave as thi the only true riches which the gospel elyj enjoins us to look after seek beek first fint the kingdom of god and iti righteousness and all things eis eld shall be added unto you thel will be added in gods own wayt 4 and he wishes to show us a bettu better way and in order to deal with within w as a kind father does with his hia ahw children he proposes to enlighten and an instruct us and he will impart 0 t all of his people who will obey ll 11 hi voice the wisdom that is necessary to make them the richest people on 01 the earth this is the purposed purpose 4 0 the lord concerning zion and hu ha people they are to possess thi worlds goods in abundance not ti t be foolish with them and to destroy themselves and their children but that eliat they may preserve them selva and their children from falling intel inte the vices and follies of great babylon he will raise up in theu then i midst wise counsellors coun to provide tor lor the welfare of the yv hole hoie will our trading and trafficking leking with the outside world ceasie cease 6 of course not As long as we are is IB the world gathering saints i preaching to the nations and buila bulik ing up zion zion will be as a cit cli caw set on a hill which can not be ill lil hla hia i but the lord proposes to present his bis people as far as possible from the influences of babylon and tbt transactions outside of the ordel ordet will be carried on through the council of the order agents will tx be appointed by the voice of te the or ori i der that what we bring from abroad may be bought from h first rg hands bands and in the lowest market i that we may derive the benefi benefits of it instead of jo giving iving the pro profit flU to middlemen who are not of till us and what we have for sale we will sell in the best markets and andio so en end i t joy the benefits of our labor antti anif not by inte lute interior fior flor competition antl ant t underbidding under bidding and underselling I 1 each other scatter our ways alt is strangers stranger sas as we have donean done in time past by this combined effort w P shall be able we to obtain the fullme full fuli inai ket value of our products the pm I 1 ducts of tho the farm dairy hanl vineyard the products of the wo len ien and cotton factory of our shot shops and every mechanical ap pil pliant pliA anco ance nr to enable us to procure 9 H laborsaving labor saving saying machinery by ow oi i combined efi orts orta which men li I 1 their individual capa capacity eity city are il dot not j i able to do wo we shall shail also aiso be enable to start new it if therl thell I 1 do not pay at first they are boud bount t to pay in the end if they are nece t c sary adjuncts to the prosperity 9 ule ulf society our common fund avi c nourish these infant ailt allt establish ments instead of individuals f dall ddll i I 1 ing in and breaking down in ther thet t vain vain efforts to build up new entes enten c arises in a new country as is often t the case now and if funds ug a needed from abroad to aid us 9 any general enter enterprise 1 1 3 wo we gaso have the combined p property ant adt i credit of the community as a gult gu rantee to capitalists abroad instead of individuals mortgaging their iv herita heri herl nees Dees to procure money VJ fj I 1 ca carry rry 0 on n individual wild wildcat cat 1 I 1 sp speculations culat 1 ons by which thousand t aro arn ruined ruine d if they were wre operatic in a united order and would s suin i mit their enterprises to the candll decision of that order many an enterprising ter man would be saved from foolish ventures and fro ind ruin ind and the wise and prudent ruland would aou receive the necessary e encouragement coura gement and financial aid alitt t make mako thein their undertakings a for lon thoi tha benefit of tho the whole will our gur merch mereb merchants ants be worse 0 air no owr our merchants those who belong to this order w hilll ill lii be just as 35 well |