I wish to inform all the inhabitants of the Territory of Utah, Jew and
Gentile, bond and free, male and female, black and white, red,
copper-colored, and yellow, that, in organizing a State Government, we
shall not infringe in the least upon the Constitution of our country,
upon any principle contained in the Declaration of Independence, nor
upon any constitutional law that has been enacted by the Congress of
the United States. Will this step bring upon us the disapprobation of
the Government of the United States? That is not for me to say; it
will be as God may direct.
As the kingdom of God rises and advances upon the earth, so will the
power of Satan increase to impede its progress until God shall purge
that power from the earth, and so give the Saints the victory, that
they can bear off his kingdom triumphantly in spite of the powers of
Satan and wicked men. But so far as the power of Satan extends, just
so far will be seen his operations to overthrow all righteousness.
There is nothing that would so soon weaken my hope and discourage me
as to see this people in full fellowship with the world, and receive
no more persecution from them because they are one with them. In such
an event, we might bid farewell to the Holy Priesthood with all its
blessings, privileges and aids to exaltations, principalities, and
powers in the eternities of the Gods.
I can say with confidence, if we will live so as to enjoy the
revelations of the Lord Jesus Christ to ourselves day by day,
overcoming every passion, feeling and desire that has been sown in our
nature through the fall, overcoming all that is contrary to the law of
Heaven and the principles of salvation that is purchased by Jesus
Christ for us, which is the plan God has devised to exalt the human family to immortality and eternal lives, if we will let that
Spirit and power of God reign within us; we shall never be afflicted
more than we can bear, and that is as far as I can promise.
We have seen the power and wisdom that have been displayed by our
enemies since we have been in these mountains, which has all amounted
to but little toward accomplishing what they desired. No more will be
accomplished than has been.
Brother Orson Pratt's remarks on the powers of the Congress of the
United States are strictly correct. It is well known that the Congress
of the United States has no power granted in the Constitution to
organize a Territorial Government, and every power that is not named
in the Constitution for Congress to act upon is reserved to the people.
But Congress assumes powers that does not belong to it, and if it
continues to do so, soon the last vestige of the free, independent,
Republican and Democratic Government we have enjoyed will be merged in
a military despotism, if there is anything left.
Our Government is at present engaged in an expensive war. It has been
supposed that the South would soon be subjugated, that they would
yield the point and submit. They will not, and the war has scarcely
commenced.
The slave States do not as yet appear to be whipped or conquered. Both
North and South are in the hands of the Lord, and so are we.
Let us from this time strive more diligently to overcome our own evil
passions. We may talk about Priesthood, about power and authority,
about blessings and exaltations, about the kingdom of God upon the
earth, about gathering the house of Israel, about redeeming Zion and
enjoying its fulness, about preparing for the coming of the Son of Man
and enjoying celestial glory with him, but all this is vain if we do
not sanctify our selves before God, and sanctify the Lord our God in
our hearts. We wish you fully to comprehend this; and when you go from
this Conference, we do not wish to hear of contentions. And as soon as
Elders have wisdom sufficient to magnify their calling and Priesthood,
we will give to every Branch, no matter how small the Ward, both a
Bishop and a President.
It is our privilege and duty to sanctify our own hearts. Perhaps I
have as much acknowledgment to make as anybody for sometimes suffering
my feelings to be a little ruffled. I cannot say that I felt entirely
free from vexations at remarks made, by one of the speakers this
morning, upon the impurity of seeds in our Territory. Notwithstanding
so much has been said upon that subject, there does not seem to be
care enough in the heads of Israel to provide even for themselves, to
say nothing about setting a proper example to the people. If it were
left to such men, there never would be a grain of pure sugar cane seed
in the country. Where is your care for Israel? You will preach the
spiritual things of the kingdom, and let your bodies and the bodies of
the people go into the grave. Before you preach to a starving man to
arise and be baptized, first carry him some bread and wine; first
unlock his prison house and let him go free. Is there a Bishop in this
Territory that knows whether there is a particle of pure cabbage seed
in the Territory, or in his Ward? Whether there is a bushel of pure
buckwheat, or California barley? Whether there is a peck of clean,
pure flaxseed, &c. Bishops, how much flaxseed is going to be sown in
your respective Wards this season? "Don't know." How much wheat, oats,
and barley? "Don't know. I have a little speculation on hand, and I
wish to provide for my own family, for the convenience and comfort of my own household, for this I esteem to be my first duty."
There was a Bishop in Far West, who, as Trustee-in-Trust, held the
property of the Church; no other man had the means he had to help the
poor Saints. I tried to get my voice to his ears for days, and could
not. At last I accosted him and said—"Bishop, what are you going to
do toward helping the poor Saints out of the State of Missouri, as we
agreed?" He was irritated in a moment. I supposed that he thought it
was none of my business, but I knew that it was, and calculated to
attend to it. He did not speak good naturedly, although naturally a
mild-tempered man. At last he said, "I am going to take my family and
leave the State, and the people may take care of themselves." Many of
our Bishops feel like that; they will plant their potatoes, take care
of their calves and themselves, and the people may go to the devil for
ought they care.
I, perhaps, ought not to find fault about such things; but why not my
brethren of the Twelve take an interest in such matters, and not leave
everything of that kind for me and my Counselors to attend to?
I ask the Agricultural and Manufacturing Society of this Territory, if
they have one ounce of pure cabbage seed on hand, or know who has. It
is doubtful whether an affirmative answer could be given to this
question. But if you have a few excellent peaches, or a basket of
choice apples to give them to eat, they will be as proud as a little boy
with a new top, and boast long and loud about what nice things we have
in this Territory. I cannot complain of the vigilance of the tasting
committee, but what do they do for the benefit of the people? To eat
the people's fruit and praise them for raising it, calling them
"beloved brethren, and won't you bring us in a little more next fall?" &c., may be well enough, but what does this Society do? What do the
Twelve and the First Presidency do in teaching this people to sustain
themselves? We all take care of ourselves, do we not? Is that all? No.
There is not a thing my eye is not upon, that will enhance the welfare
of this people. Who imported the first carding machine to this
country, and the only good ones that have been brought here? Who
imported the nail machines, the paper machine, steam engines and
other valuable machinery? I use everything I can rake and scrape
together for the interest of this people. I only need a little food
and a small amount of clothing, and as for the rest the people are
welcome to it.
I wish the other brethren to look after the welfare of the people, as
well as myself. I do not wish to again hear any of the leaders of
Israel complain that there is not any pure sugarcane seed, flaxseed,
cotton seed, &c., in the country, but I wish them to be fully informed
as to where pure seeds of all kinds can be had, and as to what is
going on among the people in every part of each Ward or district; and
then I want to inform the Bishops, and direct their tongues to speak
and their hands to act. I wish this particularly to apply to those who
preside where the First Presidency do not go.
The Agricultural Society ought to make arrangements to have and keep
on hand the best varieties of all kinds of garden seeds, the best
varieties of fruits, of grain, and every useful product of the soil,
that all may be able to procure the purest and best seeds, scions,
fruit and shade trees, shrubbery, &c. Brother T. W. Ellerbeck and a
few others have done considerable in introducing several valuable
varieties of fruits and seeds.
Brother Lorenzo Snow says that the Lord will bless my brethren and
sisters. He says that all the mules in the Territory cannot
haul away the gold that is concealed in these mountains. Riches do not
consist of gold and silver. It may be said that with them we can buy
all the comforts we need for the body. That may be so under certain
circumstances; still gold and silver are merely a convenient means of
exchange. Earthly riches are concealed in the elements God has given
to man, and the essence of wealth is power to organize from these
elements every comfort and convenience of life for our sustenance
here, and for eternal existence hereafter. The possession of all the
gold and silver in the world would not satisfy the cravings of the
immortal soul of man. The gift of the Holy Spirit of the Lord alone
can produce a good, wholesome, contented mind. Instead of looking for
gold and silver, look to the heavens and try to learn wisdom until you
can organize the native elements for your benefit; then, and not until
then, will you begin to possess the true riches. All the riches,
wealth, glory and happiness that we shall ever possess in heaven will
be possessed on and around this earth when it is brought up into the
presence of God in a sanctified and glorified state; and the
sanctified ones who enter through the gate and pass the sentinel into
the New Jerusalem, and into the presence of the Father and the Son,
are the ones who will inherit the new heavens and the new earth in the
presence of God, for here is the eternity, the glory and the power.
When we possess all things, it will be when we possess power to
organize the native elements that fill the immensity of space,
bringing forth and organizing, bringing forth and organizing, again
and again, dealing out the providence of God, dictating, guiding, and
directing the kingdoms that will be made forever and forever. This
is eternal riches—it is eternal life.
"What, did Jesus mean, when he said, Lay up treasures in heaven, &c.
What mortal ever went there to lay up treasures? Is there an
apartment, a business house there, a Dr. and Cr. account, &c.?" Ask
the Lord yourselves, what he meant by that expression, and if you have
the Spirit of Christ, you will find out the truth. I think that the
Savior referred particularly to laying up in pure and sanctified
bodies, holy principles that belong to the heavens, until we are
brought back into the presence of the Father, and we, with the earth
upon which we stand, are cleansed and sanctified beyond the power of
Satan.
I will now say that we wish to go on with the Temple this year; we
shall also send out teams to bring home the poor, send Missionaries to
the nations, &c., &c. If the hearts of this people are right, if they
are filled with faith in God; if they act with an eye single to his
glory and the building up of his kingdom on the earth, they will lock
up their teams, secure their seed grain and farming utensils, will
look and live for rain, for water in abundance to irrigate their
lands, for sunshine, for day and night and everything, that will give
us a fruitful season this coming summer. What will you do with the
increase of your fields? Will you strew it to strangers? Some complain
at the hand of Jehovah for giving them wheat. I have heard it said,
"It is a curse to us; it annoys me to see so much wheat." There never
has been a land, from the days of Adam until now, that has been
blessed more than this land has been blessed by our Father in heaven;
and it will still be blessed more and more, if we are faithful and
humble, and thankful to God for the wheat and the corn, the oats, the
fruit, the vegetables, the cattle, and everything he bestows upon us,
and try to use them for the building up of his kingdom on the earth.
There will be no lack of teams for doing our work, if we will go to
with our mights to bring the poor Saints here and to build this
Temple. There will be teams to bring us the rock from the quarries;
and let the young men come and learn to cut stone. I wish to hurry the
building of the Temple, for I would like to have it completed before
we are called to more important duties.
God bless the righteous. Amen.