Minutes of the April 1869 General Conference

The Fortieth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, convened in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, April 6-8, 1869, President Brigham Young presiding. ¶

Tuesday, April 6 Morning Session: President George A. Smith delivered [[1869-04-smith-contributions-for-emigrating-the-saintsword-of]], Elder George Q. Cannon delivered [[1869-04-cannon-the-order-of-enochsocialistic-experimentsthe-social]] (both filed separately), and Elder Ezra T. Benson spoke (summary only). ¶

Tuesday, April 6 Afternoon Session: Elder Franklin D. Richards spoke on "The True Order of Government" and reports were given (summary only). President Brigham Young then delivered [[1869-04-young-cooperation]] (filed separately), explaining the new cooperative mercantile system, its pricing advantages over private merchants, and his call for small traders to become producers instead. ¶

Wednesday, April 7 Morning Session: Elder Erastus Snow addressed the conference on unity and the cooperative movement's correction of class disparities (summary only). President Daniel H. Wells spoke similarly on cooperation and productive industry, then delivered [[1869-04-wells-cooperationmerchandising-and-productive-businessesdoing-the-lords]] (filed separately). Missionary calls followed. ¶

Wednesday, April 7 Afternoon Session: Elder Orson Pratt spoke on gathering the poor, and Elder Wilford Woodruff also spoke (both summary only). President Brigham Young then delivered [[1869-04-young-responsibility-for-teachingsthe-word-of-wisdomcooperation]] (filed separately). ¶

Thursday, April 8 Morning Session: President Brigham Young delivered [[1869-04-young-gathering-the-saintscontinuous-faithfulnesswomen-and-fashions]] (filed separately). A donation pledge was taken, and President George A. Smith spoke on education and Elder George Q. Cannon also spoke (both summary only). ¶

Thursday, April 8 Afternoon Session: The General Authorities of the Church were sustained by vote of the Conference, and President Brigham Young delivered closing remarks on the state of the Church (summary only; never printed in full in JD). ¶

This conference occurred shortly after the founding of the Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) and ward-level cooperative stores. ¶