The United Order of Zion, proposed for our consideration, as will be
seen from the remarks that have been made by former speakers, and from
the articles which were read yesterday afternoon, is a grand,
comprehensive, cooperative system, designed to improve us who enter
into it, financially, socially, morally and religiously; it will aid
us, as Latter-day Saints, in living our religion, and in building up
Zion, and help us, by a combined effort, to cultivate every virtue, to
put from us every vice, to conduct ourselves and our children
sensibly, and to dispense with childish follies; it will enable us to
adopt sensible and discreet fashions and habits of life and style of
dress and manners; all of which can be effected by combined efforts,
but not easily in our individual capacities. For what man, however
good be his desires, can control himself and his family in their
habits and manners of life and fashions, without the aid of the
surrounding community? What sensible man can hold me or my brethren
responsible, in all respects, either for ourselves or our households,
unaided by the community and while the community are all working
against us? But when the community learn to work together, and are
agreed in a common purpose, what is it that they cannot accomplish?
Union is strength, and a combination of labor and capital will give us
power at home and abroad. Our former cooperative systems in this
Territory have accomplished very great good for us, but they have been
only combinations of capital; the proposed system embraces labor as
well as capital, and it designs to make the interests of capital and
labor identical. True, there is one feature in the articles read
yesterday which may require a little modification; it is at least a
good subject for mature reflection and consideration before their
final adoption; and these articles are presented before the people for
this purpose.
The combination of labor and capital in this order will enable us to promote all branches of industry which shall appear, in the
judgment of the common Order, to be for the general good. At present,
capitalists are loath to engage in any enterprise which does not
vouchsafe to them profitable returns. It has been said by some among
us that the best argument in favor of cooperation, was large
dividends; but this is an argument that appeals only to cupidity and
avarice, and is especially acceptable to the man who sees nothing but
the God of this world to worship. Large dividends corrupt the morals
of a community, just as large speculations and the profit resulting
therefrom; for however desirable in a financial point of view to those
engaged in them, their tendency is always to intoxicate the brain, and
lead those engaged therein to further follies, until they overreach
and ruin themselves. Moderation is as valuable in financial affairs as
in social ethics, moderation in all speculation and in all business,
fair profits for labor, fair dividends for capital, and the use of
that capital and labor to promote the greatest good of the greatest
number, and not for my own dear self. The selfishness that is limited
to our own persons savors of the lower instincts of our natures, and
comes not from above.
Objections arise in the minds of some. "Shall we not by entering into
this order, surrender our manhood, our personal liberty, and those
rights so dear to every human being?" I answer, no, not in the least.
We do no more than what all people do in the formation of government,
of every kind, or associations for any purpose, whether charitable,
religious or social. All organizations, corporations, and business
firms agree to surrender certain personal privileges in order to
secure mutual advantages. All govern ments, societies, corporations and
firms are founded upon the principle of mutual concessions to secure
mutual advantages. Without this there could be no government, no power
to arrest and punish criminals and protect the rights of the citizen
and the sanctity of home.
The Order proposed before us affords the utmost freedom and liberty.
All things shall be done by common consent, and all the Branches of
the Order, throughout all the land, are to be organized by the
selection of the wisest, best and most experienced persons in their
midst, to form their councils, and to direct their business affairs
and the labors of the community, for the best possible good of the
whole, and not to the individual advantage of a few, who may be
schemers or who may have acquired an education by which they are
enabled to overreach their fellow men financially.
The grand principle upon which the Gospel of life and salvation is
founded and on which Zion is to be built, is brotherly love and good
will to man. This was the theme of the angels of God in announcing the
birth of the Savior. Hitherto, under our old systems, it has been
"every man for himself, and the devil for us all;" but the principle
which the Lord proposes is that we should square our lives by a higher
and holier one, namely, everyone for the whole and God for us all.
Will this Order benefit the rich? Yes, it will afford security for
themselves and families and their capital. It is a mutual insurance
institution. Will it afford security and protection to the poor and
the honest laborer? Yes, it will lay a foundation for wealth and
comfort for them, and their families after them. Is it a free school
system? It is a mutual education system. Free? Not to the lazy, vicious and wicked, but it is a mutual education system for the good
and industrious, who abide in the Order and fulfill the obligations
thereof. Who shall be heirs of the common property? Every child who is
born in the Order. Heirs to the whole of it. No, nobody will be heir
to the whole of it. To what portion of it will they be heirs? Just
what they need. Who shall be the judges? Themselves, if they judge
correctly; and if they do not, somebody will judge more correctly for
them. "Well, shall I surrender my judgment to anybody else?" Of
course, you will; we all agree to that, if it must needs be. But he
who judges for himself correctly shall not be judged, but he who is
unable to judge himself, but covets everything that he sees, and
wishes to scatter and destroy what others are seeking to accumulate
and preserve, must have a bit put in his mouth and some, who are more
sensible, must handle the reins. This is no agrarian doctrine, to
level those who are exalted, down to the mean level of those who are
in the mire, but it is the Godlike doctrine of raising those who are
of low estate and placing them in a better condition, by teaching them
economy, and prudence; it is for the strong to foster and bear the
infirmities of the weak, for those who possess skill and ability to
accumulate and preserve this world's goods, to use them for the common
good, and not merely for their own persons, children and relatives, so
as to exalt themselves in pride and vanity over their fellow men, and
sink themselves to ruin by worshiping the God of this world. This is
beneath the character of those who profess to be the people of God. We
have done that long enough, but the word of God to us is to change our
front, and to learn to love our neighbor as ourselves and so cultivate
the spirit of the Gospel.
As to the minutiae of the workings of the various Branches of this
Order, the details of the business and the relations of life, one
meeting of this kind would not suffice to tell, nor could the people
comprehend it if we were able to tell it; but it will be revealed to
us as we pass along, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a
little and there a little, and everything necessary will appear in its
time and place, and none need be overanxious to pass over the bridge
before they reach it. God does not reveal to us everything at once,
for our minds are not prepared to comprehend it. Like children we must
have experience as we pass along. One thing is sufficient for us to
understand, and that is that this Order has made all nations and
peoples who have entered into and practiced it prosperous.
If anyone doubts for a moment the success and final triumph of these
principles, that doubt is founded only in his own weakness, and in the
weaknesses of his fellow men around him, and the selfishness that is
in our natures. If we are determined to make it a success there is no
power beneath the heavens that can make it a failure. If we engage in
it with full purpose of heart, with faith towards God, and seeking to
cultivate confidence towards one another, and are outspoken and frank
in all our business relations and intercourse with each other, and do
all things by common consent, with a just and honest purpose of soul,
there is no power that can hinder our succeeding in our undertaking.
But if we are determined to be selfish, and seek to build ourselves up
on the weaknesses of our fellows, instead of building up the
kingdom of our God, we ought to go down, and the sooner the better.
For the last dozen years many of this people have been going on in the
way that our fathers and the world generally walk in; and instead of
building up Zion, have been after their personal and individual
interests. Forty years have passed over us as a people during which we
have been trying a little to carry on the work of God; but we have
been like the wary trout in the stream, we have been nibbling around
the hook, but we have never swallowed the bait. Now the hook is placed
before us naked, and we are simply asked the question, "Will you take
it or not?" "What, are we going to be caught?" Yes, this is the
fear—"We are going to be caught by the wily fisherman—we are going to
be enslaved. Has not somebody got an eye on our property? Does not
somebody wish to have our horses and carriages, our fine houses, our
substance, and the property we have gathered together?" Yes, the Lord
has an eye on all this, for it belongs to him. Which of us has
anything that does not belong to him? Where have we got that which we
possess? Who has given us ability to accumulate and preserve? To whom
are we accountable for our talents and gifts, as well as our
substance? The Lord has his eye upon all this. Is he anxious about our
property? No. This anxiety is in our own breasts, and if we have any
idols the sooner we put them away the better. The Lord cares nothing
about our houses and lands, our goods and chattels, our gold, silver
or raiment, for all upon the earth belongs to him, and at the best it
is only something that perishes with the using. He requires us to be
faithful in the use of it, for he has said, "He that is not faithful
with the unrighteous mammon, who shall commit to him the true riches?"
True riches relate to eternity; the riches that relate to this life
all perish with the using. Our houses, horses, carriages, clothing,
and our gold and silver perish with the using, together with our
tabernacles. We look to a glorious resurrection, to a new and enduring
earth, to riches that are immortal, to the habitations that shall not
pass away, to a glory that is beyond the grave, as the only true
riches, which the Gospel enjoins us to look after. "Seek ye first the
kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all things else shall be
added unto you." They will be added in God's own way, and he wishes to
show us a better way, and, in order to deal with us as a kind father
does with his children, he proposes to enlighten and instruct us, and
he will impart to all of his people who will obey his voice the wisdom
that is necessary to make them the richest people on the earth. This
is the purpose of the Lord concerning Zion and his people—they are to
possess this world's goods in abundance, not to be foolish with them
and to destroy themselves and their children, but that they may
preserve themselves and their children from falling into the vices and
follies of great Babylon. He will raise up in their midst wise
counselors to provide for the welfare of the whole.
Will our trading and trafficking with the outside world cease? Of
course not. As long as we are in the world, gathering Saints,
preaching to the nations and building up Zion, Zion will be as a city
set on a hill, which cannot be hid. But the Lord proposes to preserve
his people as far as possible from the influences of Babylon, and the transactions outside of the Order will be carried on through
the Council of the Order; agents will be appointed by the voice of the
Order, that what we bring from abroad may be bought from first hands
and in the lowest market, that we may derive the benefits of it,
instead of giving the profits to middlemen who are not of us; and what
we have for sale we will sell in the best markets, and so enjoy the
benefits of our labor, and not by interior competition and
underbidding and underselling each other to "scatter our ways to
strangers," as we have done in times past. By this combined effort we
shall be able to obtain the full market value of our products—the
products of the farm, dairy, orchard, vineyard, the products of the
woolen and cotton factory, of our shoe shops, and every mechanical
appliance, to enable us to procure all labor-saving machinery, by our
combined efforts, which men in their individual capacity are not able
to do. We shall also be enabled to start new enterprises, and if they
do not pay at first, they are bound to pay in the end, if they are
necessary adjuncts to the prosperity of society. Our common fund will
nourish these infant establishments, instead of individuals failing
and breaking down in their vain efforts to build up new enterprises in
a new country, as is often the case now. And if funds are needed from
abroad to aid us in any general enterprise, we shall have the combined
property and credit of the community as a guarantee to capitalists
abroad, instead of individuals mortgaging their inheritances to
procure money to carry on individual "wildcat" speculations by which
thousands are ruined. If they were operating in a United Order and
would submit their enterprises to the candid deci sion of that Order,
many an enterprising man would be saved from foolish ventures and from
ruin, and the wise and prudent would receive the necessary
encouragement and financial aid, to make their undertakings a success
for the benefit of the whole.
Will our merchants be worse off? No, our merchants, those who belong
to this Order, will be just as well off as any of the rest of the
Order. They will work where they are appointed, go on missions when
called, or tan leather, or make hats or wooden shoes, if they are
better adapted for that than for standing behind the counter; but if
they are best suited to handle the products of the people and to carry
on mutual exchanges among ourselves within the Order and with branch
Orders and with the outside world, we will appoint them to this labor
and service, and hold them to an account of their stewardships, and
the results of their transactions go into the common fund. Then they
will not be stimulated to avarice, overreaching, lying and deception,
to put what they call an honest, but what I call a very dishonest,
penny into their pockets. We will endeavor thus, by a union of effort,
to take away temptations from our midst to be dishonest, and let the
dishonest share the fate of Ananias and Sapphira; but let the
virtuous, upright and good be frank and outspoken, and give their
sentiments, the witness of the word of truth in their hearts, for the
good of the whole. Those who lack business capacity and experience
will labor where they can be useful, that the ability of all may be
available for the general good.
These are the principles embraced in the instrument we heard read
yesterday afternoon. As to these little personal objections that arise in the mind, we shall find that they exist only in the
imaginations of our own hearts, arising from our ignorance or a want
of proper understanding, and partly from knowing each other too well,
and comprehending each other's selfishness and weaknesses; because of
this we are afraid to trust each other. The remedy for this is for
everyone to set himself to work to better his own condition, first
establishing confidence in his own heart between himself and his God,
and so deporting himself that he can command the respect and
confidence of his brethren and sisters. Every man and every woman
should set themselves to do this, and should enter into this Order
with a firm determination to do this. Confidence will then soon be
restored in our midst. Then every man and every woman will speak the
honest sentiments of their hearts, and vote as they feel to do on
every question, in the selection of officers and in the transaction of
all business, and we will do whatever we do for the general good,
according to the light that is in us. Such a people are bound to draw
down from the heavens above the revelations of light and truth; they
will tap the clouds from above; every man will be a lightning rod to
draw electricity from the clouds, in other words, the revelations of
light and truth, into their own hearts and minds; they will possess a
combined intelligence that will accomplish all they undertake in
righteousness, and they will prevail before the Lord and before the
world, and will command the respect and honor of the virtuous and
good, at home and abroad. Those who refuse to engage in these
enterprises, and to enter into the holy Order, will become the
unpopular ones; and after we have once succeeded in this effort, we
shall marvel and wonder that we did not enter into it before.
We have been over forty years trying to learn these lessons, and all
the time putting them off to a future day, waiting for our children to
carry them out; but we shall marvel that we did not rise up and carry
them out before. Thousands of Saints have been anxiously waiting and
might, perhaps, have entered into this before now; but we have been
continually throwing new clay into the machine, drawing new materials
from abroad and raising new elements at home, and the elements brought
from Babylon has brought Babylon with it, and our habits, customs,
notions and individuality have been so prominent, that we could not
see the benefits of mutual concessions to secure the mutual advantages
and benefits of combined labor.
I am aware that some capitalists will object to the idea of drawing
only fifty percent of what remains to their credit, if they should
conclude to withdraw from the Order. Be this as it may, I can see no
principle appertaining to the Gospel and to the building up of Zion,
no principle of justice between man and man, which would permit the
capitalist today to bring his capital into the Order and surrender it
to the custody and care of stout hearts and strong arms to protect and
preserve it and to increase it by the erection of factories and
machinery and buildings and improvements, by the combined labor of the
people, and then all the original capital, together with all the
dividends, to be left at the disposal of the few capitalists
originally composing the firm, and they be permitted, fifty years
hence, to get up and walk off with the whole of it, leaving the great
mass of the community, that have grown up from infancy, and preserved
and insured and made it valuable, without anything but their
daily wages, which they have eaten up as they passed along in
supporting themselves and their growing families. I say I see no
justice in allowing a few capitalists to draw the whole of their
original deposits, together with the whole of the dividends and
profits which have been made by the labor of the whole community, and
I consider the provision which limits that withdrawal to half the
original amount and half the dividends both wise and necessary. It is
a question in my mind whether we should, in this Order, recognize the
right of capital as above that of labor. This is a point which will
bear criticism. But I will pass that over now.
There are many objections which will arise in the minds of the people.
The enemy will endeavor to throw every possible objection before our
minds; but the more we scan it, and the more we seek to understand the
principles of this Order, as set before us in this instrument, the
more we shall see the wisdom of God manifest therein, and the
revelations of light and truth; the more this spirit goes abroad among
the people, the more will their hearts be opened and prepared to
receive it. I praise God that he has moved upon the heart of his
servant Brigham to call this people to "right about face," that they
may enter in at the strait gate, which may God grant we may be able to
do in the name of Jesus. Amen.