| Show DELIVERED BY FEEST PREST JOSEPHL JOSEPH I 1 sei SMITH in the ogden tabernacle satur Batur saturday day afternoon july 18 iari biffl 1881 being the quarterly conc cove conference tence rence of thel flie weber eta sta stake of efon kion fon ion REPORTED UY BY jons jouy IRVINE HAM VAX pleased to see so many 0 of the saints assembled hereon here on this the opening day of conference and I 1 certainly hope that those who have taken the trouble to come to ta conference on the first day maybe may be amply repaid for so doing we ought I 1 think to be tery very willing to perform any duty that may be required ofus of us as latter day saints on the sabbath day and at other times appointed for ibe tie the gathering of the saints we should come coma together for the purpose of being spiritually strengthened and encouraged that our faith may be increased and that we may learn the duties devolving upon us as members of the chirch of jesus christ of latter day saints we are not nearly as united as we ought tobe to be if the people of huntsville whose bishop has ha them had been united as saints should be and as I 1 trust they will be some day the probability as N that they would have been much better off financially than they now are operation cooperation co go is a prin principle ciple that prest young was very much concerned about and that he endeavored with his brethren to impress impress upon the minds of the people throughout the land under his gur pur operative cooperative co institutions were were established and by his efforts many of bt the peo people le especially in the southern part of alta and in arizona became united to together ether in organizations that were ca called lle lie d I 1 tiie the tile united arted order the object j act was operation cooperation co that the kincl principles ples of union in labor labo raswell as well weli as m n faith might be developed to its fullest extent in the midst of tha saints we all belleve believe in being united an faith falth we all profess to believe that there thimi is one god one faith and one baptism and that we should be one people but t notwithstanding we profess th thi r in dividu alty stands out very thame 0 nent many of us cannot see just the tho ame as our brethren sed see and we cannot possibly be wholly united with wita them yiem we do not expect I 1 do not 6 ec at all events that the people wili wiil coane to see sec eye to eye all at once I 1 believe belleve this taisto to be a work ot great imad importance artance and one that will not be accomplished d without years of ex experience perlen perien and perhaps er we will have havo to sunner sumner many mang chastisements is ti and re proofs before weare brought to a anly univ of the faith r yet etere we ought to try to see eye to eye as far as pos ros possible sibia our being united does not destroy our individuality at all we can ran be lust kust as strong in our individuality when united in regard to ta the purposes and designs of the almighty as we can possibly beahen be when in opposition to these purposes and designs and to our brethren who are united in re regard ard to the things of god indeed I 1 think it evinces a stronger charac characteristic of individuality for men and women to brin bring themselves into harmony hari harl houy hony and und union with the pur purposes poses posts of the A almighty I 1 than to to be divided against them or separate from them of one thing I 1 am certain and that Is that we ought to seek to become acquainted with the principles of le conomy we ought to use the best wisdom judgment and understanding we can obtain in our temporal as well weli as in our spiritual affairs and concerns you take a community like the community of huntsville or any community of saints in a ward isolated perhaps in a little valley and if there is union and operation cooperation co in theli their midst thousands and tens of thousands of dollars can be saved in their own pockets while on the other hand if individuals are left to do as they please thousands of dollars dollar will swill go out of their pockets into the pockets of speculators and others I 1 know that to be true As bishop hammond has very truly said theres there is in huntsville from half dozen to a dozen mowing machines when two or three ample to do all the work that is required to be done in that place with these machines this being the case as stated by the bishop then all the thousands of dollars that have been expended upon these super abunde abundant nt machines and other implements have gone out of the possession of the people into the pockets of outsiders and strangers whereas if they had been contented with havin having just enough the they could have devoted the balance of nir nin meansie me mans ansin in other directions or have placed it in such a position as that it would bring them interest instead of being operated and used by their enemies perhaps for their political or religious destruction there Is no reason why the principle ae of unity should not operate in the kisst midst of the latter day saints except that weare we are too selfish it should not be every man for himself but we are of us covetous we desire in our hearts to have everything our neighbor has whether we need it or not in order to be like our neighbor in 16 order that we may associate with him and that our daughters may associate with his daughters and bur sons suns with his sons we must have as fine oina a house as costly furniture as many horses as many plows reaping and mowing machines j and headers as many cows as many sheep and as many luxuries whether we can afford it as well as our neighbor can or not now all this to la extremely it is wrong we see a vehicle which costs boo more or less ess and we do not absolutely deec it onix only we must have it to be like our neighbor would it not be better to put that money in the bank or lend it to somebody in business and thus while benefiting others with our capital secure interest upon it for ourselves certainly it would in that way the money would be a help to you whereas if you purchase the wagon you ou do not require in addition to pay ingan n an exorbitant price in the purchase w which ich is generally the case the wagon will very likely be left exposed to the sun and wet as wagons too frequently are left by a great many of the people and soon becomes useless some men think nothing of buying a very nice carriage s spring ring eing wagon or other wagon of some kind nd and treating it in this way until it is ruined and worthless the same with valuable agricultural machinery too much of it is bought and used fc r two or three days or two or three weeks in a season or for lor a whole month in a year say a reaper or a mower and where is it the rest of the year gut dut out doors in the sun and rain and before it can be used next season it must be taken to a blacksmiths shop for repairs for through exposure it has become rusty the wood season checked every joint loos act this is the way some people use their agricultural implements whereas with witti very little trouble they might be stored away in threshed the shed kept dry and secure and ready for service when the next season came round but the better wa way of all is in a small community wj where ere every ever man knows his neighbor and where all are on neighborly terms to consult together and to form into operative cooperative co oodles for the purpose of transacting the business busIne sR necessary to be bei transacted outside of their little thus consulting together arid and the combined wisdom of the colli community as to the number of rea reapers apers re ers erb mowers act they will need toto todo the work of the community a great deal might be saved one man moan need not own owa the tho machinery they could all join together each contri batinga bu tinga certain sum towards its purchase which they could use to mutual advantage and see that it is well housed and taken care of when out of use in this way a community could save thousands of dollars year after year and I 1 know the principle is a correct one for the people zion itis it is aprin a principle of economy money is something that a man ought to be able to take care cate care of alduse and use wisely if he has it if he does not know how to take care of it it will escape from his pockets it will take the wings of the morning and ind lie ile away I 1 think we ought to be united in all these things in the purchase of machinery and of the vast amount of merchandise that we consume that we do not manufacture or produce among ourselves the very foundation of all ati real prosperity is home industry and home manufacture this lies it at the foundation of the prosperity of eve every ry permanently roua community ft it is the source of of wealth I 1 think therefore we ought to encourage home manufacture and every lavery home industry we ought to cooperate co c operate 0 erate together to ether if there Is any fiatoa kind of business in which there is a profit let us op together and have the benefit of that pro r onit fit among ourselves instead of giving an fn g it to strangers why should we encourage the stranger to come here and import wagons to sell to us when we have got the brains and the money to sustain that business among ourselves why should we not rather cailler do such things ourselves and supply business and employment for our own people many of whom are idle and be independent of the world and if there is a profit in it put that profit in our own pockets and use it for the comfort and happiness of our wives and children it ft is a fact at least leas it was reported to me as a fact by a person who is supposed to be acquainted with the business that one man moan who deals in wagons and ag agricultural ri cultural impel ments in i utah territory put into his pocket oc et in one year and he is only an agent for the company he deals deal with i 16 presume aresu that the company put an equal amount into their pocket as the result of his labors but the abent as I 1 was informed put in nis his own pocket as the result of his business who Is it that buys the wagons the plows the harrows the re apers aers the mowers etc in utah territory Is it the gentiles no it is the latter day saints those that are not latter day saints are not engaged in agriculture as a rule if there are re any of them tilling the ground they are aro exceptions to 0 o th the e rule and they are very few and far between they are not the people who use the wagons the they may it is true use some ol of them at tie the mines in hauling etc etc the vast bulk of tais tuis class of bf merchandise is consumed uv ov the latter day saints the result is that the latter day saints put that thal 30 into the pocket ot of the man inan I 1 allude lub luw to that sanle same inan aa on oil a grand jury and helped tu to iii flete a man for tor marrying acknowledging and maintaining ills his wives that actie ailie man head hea cl and shoulders above many of his fellows in opposition lon ion to the latter day saints and in using iii lil power abroad as well as in ilah ulah against the interests of the impie ample from whom he gets his money motley I 1 do not feel that chii the tile iatter latter day saints are using q their best wisdom or acting upon the principle of the tile highest intelligence when they sustain and patronize such men especially when they have go gox goj the skill skill the intelligence ence and the means to do all ali yli such bu business liness independent of all strangers or foreigners I 1 know they can do it if they will 0 only y cooperate co operate together and do business upon business principles our honesty with the world is proverbial it is the universal testimony of outsiders that trade with us here that the latter day saints are the most honest and best paying people they ever did business with I 1 believe this is true if a latter d day 8 saint int owes a gentile and also a brother broer it is said he will pay the gentile every time in preference to his bis brother well I 1 do not know that this is right I 1 think if he cannot pay the full suli amount to both it would be proper to pay each a proportion would not this be just as honest instead of paying all to the gentile and leaving your brother without anything I 1 think so tio I 1 do not know that we do this gort kort of thing to any ny extent but I 1 have bobet sometimes fales I 1 leard heard of people that were thought hought to be e very good payers to the outsiders but jut veru vere were not so prompt prompt in paying their brethren I 1 do not th think that is exactly right I 1 think we ought not to go in debt at all beyond what we can pay the lord commands tills tilis we ought to live within our means if possible and it if it is enot possible and we keep living beyond our means it js only a question of time that we wont even have credit our friends wont trust us and we will have to live within our means or die or steal as someone some one has added when it comes to that kind of thing I 1 feel as dr johnson did when the beggar accosted him why dont you go to work said the doctor 1 I cannot get any work I 1 cannot get anything to do and T you 01 know doctor I 1 musi must lave live ilse 11 twell well weli said the doctor 1 I dont see the least necessity for it lau laughter deat i ter when a man wont pay h his s debts s or will not live within his means when he knows what his income is when a man mail will continue to get in debt to his neighbors as long as he be has got any credit knowing all tile tiie time that he cannot pay his way well I 1 do not know that there is much necessity for that man to live perhaps the world would be as well off if he should pass away quietly somewhere every lat ter day saint ought to learn and especially ally every youth in israel ought to learn that every one of them try to make the world a little better for their being in iti it if they possibly can we wc all ought to try to do some good it we vye will do that then there is some necessity for our living god will bless us in our labors and efforts or and if we will cooperate co operate together in our temporal affairs and conduct our business on correct prin aples the world will be better for us and we will be better omm off in the world we will have more means to build up the kingdom of god we will have more t to a use ube for the gathering of the poor for the building up of zion for the tiie benefit of the saints and for our own be bc will have much more power in the world money is a powerful agent in this degenerated age I 1 it is said that knowledge is power know ledue ledge should stand above money or we wealth kith aith but in the present condition of the world money takes taki s the lead this thia ought not to be the case with us the lord says in the scriptures made imade to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness 11 what fory fony for obviously that you may have power and influence with the unrighteous now if we had wealth ana anci we are bound to have it by and by those pho who worship wealth would either covet it and hate us and try to destroy us as to get bitas some are domingor doi dol ngor else they would be bound to acknowledge the power we could wield through the possession of need ned not be at all afraid of the former they cannot destroy us lor for the lord la is our friend and we are ills his friends ile he will not suffer them to rob and plunder us and take away from us ua our possessions or if lie he does cewill he will give us more abundantly because if we possess riches they will be the lords we will dedicate them to him iffe if we do our duty and they will belong to dimand surely the lord will protect his own we should not despise these things but should endeavor to use them tor lor the accomplishment of the alloise purposes of the Ali all almighty the lord has said zion wion shall become the richest of all people the |
