Show ANNUAL conference r mm the sixty fifth annual conference of the church of jesus christ of lottor day saints sainta convened in the tabernacle nacle salt lake city at 10 am on freday Ir april the following authorities were on too the stand of the first presidency wilford woodruff george Q cannon joseph joaeph 0 I 1 smith of the quorum of the twelve apostles lorenso snow franklin Wr anklin DR ichards brigham young franoui M lyman george teasdale Tea Tons adale dalo faeber J grant john W taylor lK marriner arriner W merrill Mtr rill abraham H cannon patriarch joun joan smith of the presidency of the be Seve seventies lattes seymour 8 young george reynolds Bry nolda J 0 cimball and B R 8 well of the presiding ang bishopric william B pree ton robert T burton and john B R winder there were also alio many presidents Pree identa of 44 stakes takes and other prominent elders from various parts parr ot of this territory and contiguous regions aci conference lon ference was waa called to order by president Pre aident george Q cannon the choir frog aang too toe bym all hall the glorious day by prophets long foretold the opening prayer was offered by oder george Te teasedale sedale rea adale singing by the choir y come dearest lord descend and dwell by faith alth hud and love in every breast WILFORD WOODRUFF vi J aid I 1 feel that all our this afa morning should be filled with gratt graft ade ode and thanksgiving to god our heavenly IkeK venly father for the blessings which we as aa a veople people enjoy A long ige generation as aa moo men cogut time has baa 11 dammed oil away who all 18 events event con t oclad with the thelast last dispensation of the faJin eaB of in our day and gen rallou rat lou the baurch of christ has haa loeen een organized in fulfilment fulfillment of the eions were given by axien who berj were moved upon uldon by the T of the holy ghost in their day aay and y many bastions iia rAst tlona ions and we the alanda ads of afi the sea aea have bave heard board the proc of too gospel toe church 1 01 I jesus christ chnat of latter latte rl day faints W has been organized oot not only here but among many nations and tens tena ot of thousands ot of the lona ol of goj goi have been feathered together Kether to here bore in the land ot of zion the gospel hue has been preached according aco to the promises or of god unto the nations by men who have been anu and sent forth to warn the in ic sg balkits Ix abitanta ants of f the earth of those krat great evena w which bich are to come to paw pass before s abe coming of the dun bin of mon man we ourselves have passed through many of those scenes have been of by the ancient patriarchs Patria rohi and prophets prophet called of god and today we dwell here in the mountains of israel the lord has baa enabled his people to rear temples to the name ot of the most moat high god here and in other parts ot of the earth here bore the he dead have been redeemed and the living blessed blamed and the promises of god have been carried out according to his hie words to holy men from abraham to joseph smith I 1 teel feel myself that we should bould be filled with gratitude tar for the blessings we on en joy from time lime to time gime I 1 hope and pray that while wails we assemble together we way may enjoy the spirit of god aud and our heart be united together as an the heart of one mao man that our prayers may maybe drawn out before the lion that his hia blessings may be with wita us and that bat those who speak to us u maydo may do soby BO by the inspiration of the holy chust and the power of qed god I 1 feel to thank god for myself that I 1 have lived to see this day and have mingled with the brethren for so eo many years and my life has baa still been preserved so BO that I 1 may endeavor to do something with the saints for the redemption of be ae children of moo meo I 1 hope and pray that the blessings arld and power of god may rest upon toe apostles and elders and the saints of god while we are together upon this co oco cason this Is ia my desire aud and prayer unto the he lord my goa in we name of jesus christ amen ELDER ABRAHAM K H CANNON was we the next speaker he expressed his pleasure at the fact that we saints saint were again permitted to assemble in general conference under favorable circumstances notwithstanding all ail the trials that had bad confronted them show they were still in ID a comparatively happy and pros prosperous condition some ot of the greatest greate ag of these perplexing conditions were in the nature nature of financial burdens he believed that hat at no distant day the lord would open th the e way for deliverance from these dietr distressing liming surroundings progress in ia spiritual matters was liable to be impeded by the los necessity of attention being too much engrossed with temporal subject he was specially desirous that me burdens or of the first presidency might be speedily 11 lifted eted the church however was not in a critical condition as its credit was superior to that of anything in the country it had bad a great and liberal people behind it the requests directed to 0 o the church from the milakee were too great and ought to be curtailed he believed that if the bishops and other leading of officers Roero would look about them sail and devise means of employment and develop resources such demands would be unnecessary and distress and poverty would vanish if this ato were taken remunerative labor would be plentiful and the present situation be relieved the speaker was aware of the fact that some of the unemployed people of this city had bad pieces of land which axe are bot cultivated not this source of productivity be bo utilized he knew of a man who supported himself and family by the cultivation for the production of yoga vere tables from one acre and a quarter of of ground it was not pleasing eating pl to in the eight of god for men to spend their time idly upon the streets when such opportunities for labor existed why way should those located owe here await the coming of people from the east to a establish industries when they baras the donate money and land to assist them in industrial establishments why could rbt the people here do this thin of themselves without awaiting the coming of strangers the speaker named individual instances of men of thrift and industry removing from wis city to other and wresting a livelihood from the fruitful soil it was wan not necessary however neither was it wise tor for the SM saints to 90 go to regions region greatly distant from here there were numerous facilities in the immediate vicinity and localities not very remote the experience of employers employer has haa proved that thag many men are unable to direct III r act in I 1 11 wisdom their own work to may ay nothing or of directing the work of others every man should be as far as possible Roa aible the master mailer of bib bia thin could not be donahe should bould place himself under the direction of one who had ability and the inspiration of god every man women ond 0 hild child should be a producer all aoh such it if industrious and capable would always be able to secure employ employment om t A aay uy honorable work with any wage to la better than idleness idlene and poverty the straitened neu cit burnat of capitalists prevent them from engaging in the enterprises which characterized the past low few years and hence benow the duty incumbent upon every man to look aner his big labor and to avoid idleness and const quent aa ELDER MARRINER W MERRILL followed ho he bad beauel long ago that the system of religion adopted by the be latter day saints originated not with man inan but with the lord this testimony tea came dauie to him in his bin and he be bad never doubted its ita truth since that bat time those choie who had gathered here froin the nations and biad hd become idelli identified fled with the lot christ examine and sit ait in judgment upon their fellow ship hip with the lord that wickedness might be eliminated from thier natures and they be led in the way oi of hobt not talking but bat doing would count with the lord the outer show of 01 accomplishments was aa nothing compared compare with walking humbly and faithfully ful to in righteousness with tithes prayers pray era fast fasting dg attendance an ce at meetings peace in the he family and with neighbor and secret devotions the peace and joy of secret devotion was waa referred toas to as productive of great satisfaction not no obtainable by any other meant means the happiest people among the latter day saints were those who lived nearest to the lord lora and ana did their duty mo t fully they had bad no cause to complain of their leaders but weir their hearts were always lull full of prayer and blessings fur the priesthood ot of god revelation WAS waa nit mot confined COD fined to any particular close class but it was wae for the pol pec pleat large in their own private affairs afi airs r in n secret devotion this revolution revelation was wae most moat manliest and it was waa public only in the cabo cabe of those who were lu ft a position to direct the affairs of theople people as a whole joseph smith bad con been called to lead the entire people find and hence we be of his hie revelation with the be ordinary man the manifestation would be to the in ward heart joy and satisfaction each bach one in this thia conference conie rence shoula have examined his heart and if it wab in a proper condition he would have a refreshing and glad giad near Deep an ano carry the spirit of we the conference tu to hi home tua tu aptaker bore record to the truth of the remarks of 01 eider abraham H R cannon he regretted legrette re grette d in the tendency now so BO prevalent to call upon th jbv trustee in truit rutt for fer appropriations to apply on various enterpriser proper consideration of circumstances should prompt the people to hello heip in their stake and ward affairs lairs af or in hi private enterprise s labor enough waa wasted evely year in ahe barlou wards to cullu meeting houses boures or tt li carry on a y similar enterprise anu and the utilizing of this labor would produce a beneficial result on the ibe beope themselves in addition arditi n tu to relieving the general go da eral authorities oi of a greal desi deai ol of their financial anxiety ELDER JOHN W next addressed dressed au audres seu the Conie renoe ronee he had bad been highly delighted with the instructions of the previous speakers shakers sp akers they had portrayed por trayou the necessity foi the people boing employed bome oi 01 the people atou employment for their win minus an well aa their haicas rode be d lighted to belong top to SO an MOU iii 11 which a man could express ole own views without restriction and in which all things were done by common con sent cut he bad been ihm thinking kinu of the erly e ot history ot of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints he understood der deta stood tood that J jseph joseph seph smith was rais d up to establish the gospel in its eulue fu lue he go was not prepared be by attendance at educational he was taken by devint call in ir m the fielo field where he dabreu with his ather prom from the time he be received the call to oo 00 the great work he was denu deau li ed to a iia he was oteo to abe he attacks ot of baton the and afia of men were direct a against lam him and until he lula laid down dowd his br lie file for the testimony of jesus this opposition should not be ft a matter of surprise as joseph smith was an instrument in the band goo god in invading the di minion of the speaker then alluded to the pene against the church suffered by the saints in ohio missouri and illi noir these conditions caused some 0 those who bad embraced the gospel to 10 fall by the way and make shipwreck of their faith during one critical ori situation Una tion of the chirch wore there were only two even of the quorum of the th twelve apostles who stood true ani steadfast faai to joseph joaeph the prophet phopho t brigham young and heber C kimbal those who turned away from the be church in its days of tribulation were such as received the be seed ot of the gospel in ground the speaker could ate ae the same disposition cropping out in our own day he referred to those who took sath li it and gave endorsement endor to that were toting bt ing published against the church ol of chilst Chili it lie he did not refer t people who were not connected with the church by members membership but those who were he dwelt for sometime acme time time upon the necessity of the be saint and avol diug every alpo tion in the direction of finding with the servants eer of god gedid redid he did not regret that fault was waa found with the vre presiding siding authorities of the church it was waa SO an evidence that the latter were walking ii 19 the line of their exalted tiute ii ute the concluding portion of taylora Tay Jora s discourse dleo oune was waa in the th nature of advice to the saints to avoid ho spirit of faultfinding fault finding the choir haiie abe be anthem raise a song a song of joy by eider angus M canoed afternoon ehod eu oD i ip ns hy by the choir gulde guide us 0 thou great jehovah baluto unto the promised land prater by ewer juhn john D T mcallister allister r what was wag witnessed in the heavens W why by an angel earthward bound hf J GRAN T was the first al eaker he hoped that the remarks made during the confer anoe have the t fleet of awakening the bearers to rep re ewed awed diligence in 10 the work which bad been given the saints of goi he felt to re rejoice bols ae in we the tact fact that thai be load had been permitted tu to atar the service of god and ana work fot foi the ibe of his purpose and stated that humility and faithful i ess would keep all ail similarly engaged in the fohne of their duty sell sek biffl would have the opposite effect he desired all the latter latray day saints to grow row in a knowledge of gou and the lb only way to becom this woo was ti li keep the of gd Q d anu recognize his hia authority and assist 9 ti accomplish his HIB purposes upon the tb earth those who neglecter neglect ei their ut es ea showed too much ot of a tendency t tu find fiad excuses lor jor their dilatoriness dilator iDear but no ne who did this was deficient in the spirit of 0 god every buty should be done dahe in its fullness in order older that excuses might not tie necessary lur for fuch euch had bad their coristin lu in evil he rear tied t say bay that many of the laclef day daj saints were careless in the performance of their autier lost now ness was waa worthy of ef contempt and the idle man via always ailing while the buy busy man was wa healthy anu and aprong so do a building which was wa filled ailed with machinery constantly in operation was waa capable of prolonged existence after an building bull had crumbled into dust every 2 very man pos poa hessed ability in ID and of to ao ac com something for the advance ment of the he kingdom of god he did not need to wait lor for others to tell aim what to do referring to fast fait offerings the speaker said eald that too small email a pi POd exertion of the amount necessary to t the poor was wan received from this earce every ward he said could take care of its ir own poor and this could be done by Dg one meal e every ve ry MO month D t h an and d giving KB its to the door this was waa a 8 duty which should not be neg heg ejected yet only twenty five per cent i it the support ot of the poor was wai received ly by fast from the people and an year was wae appropriated from the general funds titling was waa not what it khouli be it a aud and ofle riuKa were paid as aa they ibey should bethere would be no need whatever lor for we be church to be lo in a crippled condition fin socially funao dally he hoped all him hearers would be doors of the word of god in this and other respects ELDER GEORGE LB was waa the next speaker |