| Show 4 aa AV ad 0 v IR S 0 1 BY flee FITE S I 1 D R N T giep I 1 Q C A N N 0 liy in the sald salt lake city sunday june u gt 1880 REPORTED by JOHN IF I were to consult my natural feelings today to day it would afford me much greater pleasure to sit still and listen and look at the faces fades of this congregation gre re than to attempt to spa speak ak i but N ut this doubtless would be a disappointment to very many and might not be understood therefore forel 1 I arise this afternoon to make a few remarks such as may suggest themselves to me to my brethren and sisters who are present I 1 shall not attempt to des describe cribei to you the emotions the feelings which I 1 have in being once more united reunited re with you lor for you have heard them expressed by others so frequently and also by myself and many of you have experienced them yourselves that iam tarn bellev relieved ed from frob the necessity of stating restating re them in your hearing I 1 may pay say however that I 1 am exceedingly thankful for the opportunity of returning once more to our home and finding circumstances and surroundings BO so favorable to the people of these valleys as they are at the present time and also that I 1 can to a certain extent return as the bearer of good tidings that I 1 can speak favorably concerning our present and our future prospects that is so far as a my information extends when I 1 left here last novem november er it seemed to diab me that the elements were e charged h arged with to us aa as a people and to our liberties I 1 have had some experience of several cears sears years durat ionin pu bile blie affairs that is political affa affairs airs and add have had occasion to notice the signs kigns of the times but I 1 can say now that at lio iio tim time ald aid did affairs appear more threatening ening eming to us than they thes did when wige n 1 1 went vent to washington the latter end of last november or beginning of december you probably can recollect the circumstances which existed at that time th the b greatest ene enemies inies we have had to contend with for many year years shave been tho those who nho xii Ali buld from their intimacy with us iua from their I 1 knowledge of our labors labori from their familiarity with with our proceedings have oui oue friends those who reside in du our i midst it has lias been the case for several years that all th the e excitement all ali the ill ili feeling ail all the m manifestations an fe of hatred which have come to the surface or been exhibited outside of the territory of utah con berning ning T be the people called latter day Sal sai saints illg ilig ar mormons cormons Mor mons 11 have had their origin iii in this territory derri kerri territory tory tony and have been stirred up by those who reside here there has not been in congress there has not been throughout the country on the part of the public press wess oron or on the part of public generally much of a disposition to take or to adopt harsh measures against the people of these mountains but there have been beeri tho residing in this territory who have seemed to be uneasy lest we sho bho should be treated too kindl kindi kindly or be vie viewed too favorably by those who are oli outside aside of the territory and thera there has been apparently apparent iya lya a great dread on the part of a few there should be a disposition manifested by congress and by those in authority to recognize us as fellow citizens and to extend to us those rights and privileges to which we wd are entitled I 1 mean our rights to become a state to be admitted into the unions union to receive recognition the recognition of our numbers of the good government of this thia territory that has been beed maintained for thirty three years of the peace which has prevailed and the devel which have been made all ail al of which have entitled us to lecog and to admission into the union as one of the states and because this fear has seemed to exist in the minds of some individuals they have done all in their power to misrepresent the people of this territory that is the majority of the people ople opie circulating all manner mahner of nase rase falsehoods hoods representing the people as disloyal as not being fit to be be entrusted with the full powers of citizenship zenshin zen ship they have endeavored to create the ge impress impression ion lon the union that if the territory of utah should be admitted as asi a stately state it would be impossible for any person but a mormon to live within its confines that property would be beun unsafe that life would be in jw jeopardy that there would be bp an unbearable PO condition of auzira here heri the mor an T tv r fp an fn IF i r have such buch extraordinary power and wield atso if so despotically and go so much in the interest of their own people and to build up their hierarchy that it would be impossible for any person penson of inde independent da views who did not act wiz WIT with ean them h em to reside in this territory in peace these views have been so industriously bously circulated that a great many people have almost thought that this thib would be the case however I 1 may say in relation to til this that these statements do not receive the credence they onge once onee did it is hot not a new hew thing for these thee misrepresentations to be are Arc circulated ulato they have heen been een harped u upon fi for por 0 r many years there is one tio thing ing however however that has helped to show the their air falsity and that thai is this thus great grent railroad that ha haq baeff constructed across the toni coni which has facilitated inter course with the world which has enabled hundreds and thousands of the people of the east and west to visit our territory and see for themselves this has been one ond of the best means of educating the public mind correctly in relation to utah and its people that I 1 know of it has done moro more to th dissipate this cloud of misrepresentation that has hag overshadowed us for so long a period than anything else I 1 know kno of iti impre difficult at the present iune tune in con sequence beque be quence neg ned of taisy tuat isy iss is this tills speedy means of intercourse 10 circulate those falsehoods and 1 have havo them receive ledene credence c than in past years spars I 1 am thankful that this thia is the case ease I 1 have done all in my power to urge public men to visit utah I 1 have said to them come come to utah come to salt lake if you are going to california dan dont at miss visiting salt lake take city I 1 haye have that the ejects effects of sueh such visits visita have hav been beneficial to the parties who make them as ds they tend to enlighten their views views concerning us beneficial to us as al they are the means of informing intelligent nin men and removing a vas vast t amount of prejudice which exists regarding this people and I 1 have this to idy ady say gay that I 1 do not know today to day a public manin markin either branch of Cong congress reis rols who has bbs visited utah territory who t is not not that is so far as the nights rights of or the people are aie ai e concerned theor theon end of utah this is ii i saying a tre gre great at deal it is a broad statement but I 1 make it without scarcely hinting at a 1 amis for it is true during this p past ast bes ses sion and it has hag been b een the case ease for i several sessions measures have havi been I 1 introduced by men who apparently have llave a monomania concerning mor mons and mormonism 21 measures have been introduced by persons of tb this mij mii kind who have been anxious apparently to make that a hobby hoping loping I 1 have thought that they would gain favor with their constituents by doing this when such deasum measures have been introduced i and I 1 have needed assistance respecting spec ting them the men to whom I 1 have gone in the senate and jn in the house have been men who have been in tah tab territory have come down by the railroad to salt lake city and haye have seen the city and the people they them have not been converted to mormonism they have not gone away believing that it is right for a man to have more wives vives than one that does not follow as a consequence of their visit but they have seen been a people who notwithstanding that they may consider them mistaken in some of their religious views aad practices are honest industrious persevering and orderly and who behave themselves as good citizens should and their sympathies have been aroused in behalf of the people the more BO so because of the tiie previous misrepresentations whick had been made respecting them they have been so thoroughly u undeceived by their visit that it b has as had a reactionary effect in many instances upon them because of the sta r statements ments that had been made to them previous to tp coming here therefore you can see that I 1 am warranted in saying as I 1 do so frequently to my meno friend in washington come come west abid arid if isyou you do come west be sure s u re and stop at salt take lake city atia j t is not such a country as california we have not so mapy many attractions in utah as you will find in california but your trip will be incomplete witti without out you visit utah and see salt falb lake city and its surroundings surrounding of course there are those who are ready to attribute all ali sorts of bad motives ta those who come here and who are disposed to be favorable after their visit I 1 hae sta ed this thia thi ato to officers there thero ta re have fai fik vb been a number of gentlemen appointed appA nUd to offices liere ilore with whom I on very verk familiar in washington WAsh inkton we I 1 could visit we could no t er ofila el r 11 1 t aim HIM t R e any ny bad motives to e either ither party but hive said to these gentlemen when they have been appon appointed ted to office jn RL mah utah territory now I 1 shall shail conj nua to be familiar with you as ilci here hero isyou wish iti it but lehme let iet me say to hatas batas soon as you get inside of the limits of our territory if you and I 1 are very familiar somebody iii lii raise the tile story that the mormons Mor mons have llave bought you that they have gob got you in their hands and it would hurt your youn influence Is not this a strange condition of affairs that inh in h territory off the united Sta states tes tei citizens cannot as together without a lot of miserable creatures b here ere raising th the story estory that there must be some corrupt motive in this association and they have endeavored in this way to deter pub public liemen men from doing their duty when they have come here I 1 remember one friend who came here and in riding around he was vas eon een seen in the presence of president young it i he came cam a here bere as one ofa of a committee going further west and ho he was appos opposed ed in the public press here hero ere till he beca meso indignant that h he got copies coples of all the papers and mailed them to president grants to him the assaults made upon public men when they come to utah by a certain class who wilo are here we have hove with we shall pro probably bave have the them rii rif to con eon contend tend with we have lived through thern them ga BO far and 1 we shall rhall continue to proper and live liv e through them in the future I 1 have no doubt about that I 1 merely refer to these thing to show the character of jhb ibb opposition that 19 manifested towards us and towards those who are friendly to us but as I 1 have said there thera is a better befu beut er understanding gaining ground everywhere respecting th this S 0 recalled called latter day K bahlis and fe t expect it A will continue e to be the cae case until we are known and understood in our irhe true light and alad it lt is a remarkable fact that those who have 1 fought against u af and nd sought in tile manner to which vib i ch lt t have made all ali allusion u slon sion to heap all kind of obloquy upon us have not prospered at that busl bust ness they have not succeeded it ft hi hag not paid them te i they mav ni y have thought while doing this thap thai tha jt it i would ouid injure tr but it has bat not riot in us jt k has advertised elg tig us it has haq madeus made u s more widely known ili filler oilier ill ere erv are public men whom ave let n iet i n my life who w b 0 would rather have evil spoken sp about them than not be lad noticed at all they ther would rather have newspapers attack them arid arld tell that which is not true trued concerning them thia than n to maintain silence about them and their movements in this way we have certainly had i the benefit bene fl t of advertising now nor for nora fora great many years and p people have known us either for good or nor for evil evi 1 l in a great manx many quarters of the earth where if it had hid not riot been for this publicity we might not have been known it has been of great gnat advantage to our missionaries in iii foreign lands for instance I 1 have been very much pleased to hear bear by letter and otherwise through our mission arles aries in europe concerning conc eming fhe the effect of secretary evarts circular which he be sent abroad respecting emigration to utah territory I 1 do not suppose that he would have given that circular the publicity y he did or eyon even written it at all if he had bad been con at the time that it would have been so good an advertising power iwer for the mormon missionaries as it has proved I 1 am told that thata a great many journalists ind and public men of various kinds have had their attention drawn to us ps and to our doctrines and to this organization in these mountains in conse consequence quence of that circular who who probably would not otherwise have haxe known anything about us so that as we have been taught all ali things work together for good to ril all 11 the people who wh oserve serve the luord lord everything is overruled for good we have been told this after afternoon by elder cummings respecting the won wonderful derMI organization that sprang up immediately upon the be death of the prophet in lew tew eric england it tt had only been bean a very short time before this that the doc doe doctone ane we believe I 1 in n the vicarious submission of tile the people to td the ordinances of life and salvation had bad been taught wi well weil ily lly ils in all these things we behold 1 the hand of god and in witnessing his hand acknowledge it il it great strength as I 1 have I 1 blank told toll to you very frequently of the latter day saints we believe in god GO we bel bei believe levein in him as he is vo believe that he is a being who hear hears and answers prayer and who protects and blesses those who put t L air in him himic olf I 1 did hase have that faith you would not no me mek go goto to washington as your M M S A 54 thio thim P y I 1 t all ail ft th 0 could be piled up as an inducement du cement buu but I 1 go the ibe mere re not strong in my own strength strengths but strong jn ju the strength of that god whom we worship and whom wo we know linow controls alithe all ail the an lell leil d all the destinies of the children of men to suit his hia own purpose and to bring know further that the prayers of this people here anil and oy of the thousand others who live throughout all these mountains which ascend every night and ancl morning unto the god of aoth froni the 04 humble bimble habitations and aed from front the humble hearts of the people are lie ile heard ard of godard god and are answered ace according to the faith faill and good desir desires i e s of the people who offer them what else aee is there that tha could bave have sustained or lot preserved u us s or louid could have delivered us as we have been bieno eo wonderfully yop yon lly delivered up to the tho p period Is till e eany any othen other power that could done it f E ain am i that tb there ereIs |
