Show SAINTS IN SESSION IN SALT LAKE CITY seventy sixth semi annual confer ence of the church of jesus christ of latter day saint attended by an immense crowd the opening service ot tho seventy glath semi annual conference ot the later day saints in bait lake city on friday october 6 drew an immense bowd and much enthusiasm was manifested manil ested the feature of the morning was the address of president smith while the sustaining of authorities and speech of apostle reed smoot held the closest attention in the after o 0 the most important development of the day as far as president smith s speech Is concerned was his inalta alon to all faithful all tithe payers and saints in good standing to ex arnene the books in which are kept the tithing accounts lie said those who paid tithes were welcome to look in the book and see but that he propose to let every tom dick and harry in the country pry into the records president smith openly defied any man to prove that a dollar of tithing money had been wasted or stolen and expressed gratification at the in creasing tithes president smith welcomed the lat berday saints to the conference and pressed bis gratification at the un assally large attendance in his open ing remarks he said that the authora ties of the church had been active and diligent in the performance of their duties during the past six months he reported missionary work in good shape with the exception that the demands tor young men to preach the gospel were greater than the supply large amounts have been expend d in the erection of meeting houses in wards and for stake houses said president smith the trustee in trust has been called on to furnish large sums of money for the erection i of churches meeting houses and also bouses of entertainment I 1 would like all td know that the church of latter day saints believes not only in houses of worship but of instruction and amusement that the people may have places for young people to gather in dance and the en of desires of the heart in righteousness counselor john R winder and counselor anton II 11 lund also spoke at the morning session apostle john henry smith audger clawson reed smoot and hyrum smith were the speakers at the after noon session of the conference john henry smith paid an eloquent tribute to the mission workers of the church in conclusion he bore mony that the present head of the mormon church was honest able up right fearless as all other presidents of the church had been rudger clawson appealed to the congregation to know it president smith and all the others who had ad dressed the conference had not en by the spirit of god apostle reed smoot said that he knew the gospel of his churan was true and that the work of the author ties was the work of god I 1 say to you later day saints he said that people never had any more confidence in any man or any set of men than they have in the presidency of the church today the adversary Is try ing to stir up strife to set people against the authorities by making un just attacks upon them but hell fall in this just as sure as the sun rises after a brief address by apostle hyrum smith president smith presented the names of the authorities and church officers to be sustained by the conference AH were sustained without opposition answers to charges of the reorganized or josephlee te church of latter day saints and additional mony that the tithing funds were righteously spent were the important development of saturday s sessions of the seventy sixth semi annual confer ence of latter day balents elder brigham H robert replied directly and apostle W penrose indirectly to assertions made by pres ident joseph smith of the josephlee te baurch and his leaders at th after noon session in the morning session president W jack of cassia stake idaho upheld the handling of the tithing funds by president joseph F smith ae trustee brigham H roberts address or that portion devoted to the charges of the josephites tes was in direct an awer to the speech made by the pros ident of the reorganized church la salt lake city sunday september bep 24 the president of the reorganized movement Is the eon of joseph the prophet and claims that the slon came rightfully to him in his speech elder roberta claimed that never had the cormons mormons Mor mons as individuals more rights and that the great power centered in the president was exercised with moderation he denied a statement made by abo president of the dissenting church that the world at large had been so prejudiced against the mormon doctrine by the followers of brigham young that they were refusing to em brace the new faith apostle penrose while making no direct reference dwelt on the charge hat there had been a hiatus or dis organization following the prophet e death and in a speech preceding that of elder roberts vigorously upheld the succession of brigham young taci attraction of the last day at the state fair did not thin the attend ance at conference a whit something like persons being present at each session apostle george A smith delivered the opening address at the morning session he rejoiced that the saints were a peculiar people but rebuked an apparent tendency to overlook for giving those of the authorities who had perchance unknowingly offend ed some member of the church he gave the mormons u that they felt affairs were not going right in zion it was their duty to look into their own hearts and see it they could locate the trouble and dissatisfaction there frank Y taylor president of the granite etal e hollowel tol lowel apostle smith and during his remarks paid a glowing tribute to president smith patriarch john balth one of the most venerable members of the church made a brief statement oear ing his testimony to the truth ol 01 hie religion but explaining that the con dialon of his healthy and voice ren dered it impossible for him to at length W jack president pies ident of the cabla idaho stake besides eulogizing I 1 res ident smith and other leaders of the church spoke feelingly of I 1 resident roosevelt for the work that thia man of destiny Is doing in reclaiming the arid wastes of the west probably the greatest crowd that ever attended services in the tabar nace was at the closing BW slon of the conference lent smith speaking of the enemies of th church said I 1 ask tor this mercy upon my enemies upon those who slander me and lie about me I 1 ask god to pity them and to have mercy upon them I 1 ask god to pity those who are misguided I 1 ask god to have mercy upon thom who do this with their eyes en and I ask god to pity them because they need god s pity and mercy more than the others I 1 would not harm a halt of their heads for all I 1 possess in the world and I 1 ask my brethren iff keep hands aff dont touch them dont touch those who are paving their way to destruction let them go give them the liberty of speech they want and let them write their own doom it hurt us and if it does them any good let them do it this conference 1 tes that mormonism Is not dead nor sleeping but a living entity and Is still doing lot the world know it another feature of the afternoon meeting was a remarkable story of b vision told by samuel W richards brother of the late apostle D richards and a member of the quorum of the seventy nauvoo regrets having driven the mormons out and would gladly we come them back declared german E ellsworth president of tho northern states mission at the morning meet ing of the conference you do not hear of the latter day saints missionaries stirring up dis cord laying traps telling lies and doing that which will bring their op ponente discomfort said elder ru ion S wells of salt lake in speaking of the peculiarities of the mormons but you find them traveling without purse or scrip often going hungry and enduring indignities to which they have not been accustomed the great peculiarity of the latter day saints 1 their quality of love the latter day balents are established in canada in oregon montana idaho wyoming california utah colorado arizona new ico and have gone over the wall and are in the republic of mexico still fur ther south and in the states of the union the countries of europe and the islands of the sea said A W ivans president of the juarez stake of mexico all over the world the saints have acquired possessions few it Is true and it must bo so in accordance with the gospel the religious atmosphere of call ornia Is abnormal said joseph rob inson president of the california mis slon christian science Is strong there he said as Is theosophy tho spirit unitarianism etc making it a hard land for mormon the conference Is said to have been one of the greatest in point 0 attend ance in the history of the church |