Report on the Maricopa Stake

My dear brethren and sisters, in standing before you for a few moments I earnestly desire your faith and prayers, to the end that we may Be blessed in the time that I occupy. ¶

For twenty years, the 22nd of this month, I have been connected with the Maricopa Stake of Zion, which is situated in the heart of the Arizona desert — the territory that we called the sunkissed land. I have learned to love that land; I have learned to love the climate; I have learned to love many of the people in that country. While our stake is one of the smallest, if not the smallest, in all Zion, we have many good, staunch, thorough Latter-day Saints in that little stake — men and women who are seeking "first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,-' and who have faith that God in His mercy will add all things that are necessary. But we are not all of that type. We have others that are not so full of faith and good works. We have the company of almost everything, in the shape of saloons, and orders, and societies that are not of God, to contend with; but the majority of the Latter-day Saints in our little stake get along with the saloons by simply letting them alone, and we get along with our neighbors of the different societies by treating them with kindness and courtesy, but not affiliating with their organizations. As a rule, they treat us in about the same way. We have in that country, I think, one of the most fertile and productive pieces of land that can be found within the bounds of the United States. We are lacking one element— water for irrigation purposes; but it certainly looks now as though that question was about to be solved in our country and a supply of water provided sufficient to make that one of the most beautiful spots of the earth. We have every prospect of having it at an early date. Let me say that while many of our people have within the past few months pulled out of that country and gone to other parts, I feel in my heart that it will be many years before they are any more comfortably situated for making a living for themselves and families than they were in Mesa, Arizona. This was the feeling 1 had the other day when I separated from a company of fourteen who came with me as far as Ogden, and who were going into Montana, Canada and Idaho, seeking homes. I hope that they may be blessed, so far as the Lord sees fit to bless them and to give them better places than they have left. We sow our wheat in November and December, and we reap it in May and June, and when we have water we get from forty to fifty bushels to the acre. We put our stock upon the stubble until the middle of July, and then, if we have water, we plant corn and fall crops; and in our second crop we can get just as good a yield of corn as is got in almost any country. But these possibilities are only when the water supply is there. ¶

I say to the Latter-day Saints that want to breathe good warm air, come down to Arizona. We will give you a warm reception — especially if you come in July and August. I came here a little early this morning, and stood outside before the doors were opened. Some of my friends were admiring the beautiful fresh and bracing breezes that were coming in from these snowclad hills, and I thought that If I only had power to bring down a few thousand cubic feet of Arizona weather and spread it out here, it would be a great benefit. But to me, my brethren and sisters, it does not matter where I live; it does not matter a great deal how long I live; but it does matter a great deal how I live. I believe that God is able to adapt us to the elements of the country where the servants of God wish us to reside; and I believe that the men and women who are filled with the Spirit of God are filled with the spirit of contentment, and that they will seek after the kingdom of God and His righteousness in any land or clime, hot or cold. If you want a healthful clime, we have it in Arizona. I believe we have as many days of sunshine in that country as there is in any land. We will positively agree not to freeze you; but we will give you plenty of good warm air to breathe, plenty of room to labor, and a country that under the blessings of God and the toil of the Latter-day Saints will yield of its fulness, as results to the farmer. ¶

May God bless all Israel in every Clime, and prosper His work, and bless His servants with the power of the holy Priesthood, that Zion may grow and spread abroad and her borders be stengthened, is my desire and prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶