Report on the Fremont Stake

In the Assembly Hall at 2 p. m. Elder George F. Richards presiding. ¶

The Temple choir and congregation sang the hymn, "How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord."' Prayer was offered by Elder John G. McQuarrie. ¶

The Temple choir sang a hymn entitled, "In the house of many mansions." ¶

( President of Fremont Stake. ) I pray for your faith and confidence, brethren and sisters, in my behalf during the few moments that I attempt to address you ; and I trust that all that shall be said by me may meet the divine approval of Him whom we have met this afternoon to worship. ¶

With your permission I will read a clipping from a paper that happened to come into my possession this morning, dated at Denver, April 3rd: ¶

"Lizzie Wertzell, aged 8, and Mary Wolf, aged 11, were shot and badly wounded tonight during a riot at Globeville, a suburb, between the two warring factions of the German Congregational church. A dozen men were arrested and thrown into jail. ¶

Trouble has been brewing in this church for the last four years. The church is divided against itself, one faction being determined to oust the pastor, Rev. Adam Traudt. ¶

Recently, the anti-Traudites became the dominant power. Last night they determined to use force to depose the pastor. Traudt armed himself with a shotgun, as did several others of his friends, and went to the church, where they barricaded all of the doors and threatened to kill anyone who attempted to take possession. The police assisted Traudt in holding the fort all night long. ¶

All day threats of violence were heard against him. Friends of Traudt came to his rescue. At 10 o'clock, the two factions came together, many children taking sides. Shooting followed, and when the smoke cleared away the two little girls were found lying on the ground, suffering from bullet wounds. An army of policemen was rushed to Globeville from Denver, in autos." ¶

I read this simply as an illustration of conditions that can and have been brought about by reason, perhaps, in a great measure, of the imperfect system of organization that has resulted from the various churches of Christianity seceding from the mother Church. We are well aware of the fact that, a few centuries ago, Catholicism reigned predominant throughout Europe, and it was universally conceded that the voice of the authorities of that church was absolutely the voice of God, without the necessity of approval by the people. It was generally recognized and understood that the supreme authority in that church was a substitute for the Son of God Himself, that he was actual successor to the Apostle Peter. From the clergy, in those days, the people had very little right of appeal, in fact they had no voice whatever. Occasionally, when some independent spirit would arise among the people, and assert a right to be heard in the expression of his views and opinions regarding religious doctrine, he was either put to death or tortured in the most severe manner, or perhaps imprisoned for life ; so that the people dare not, under penalty of their lives, assert their manhood, or give expression to their thoughts or the dictates of their own consciences. By reason of this condition, such characters as Martin Luther, and other reformers, eventually arose in the world and courageously asserted their rights as men, saying that the voice of the people was the voice of God ; and they had the fortitude of character to maintain their position in this direction, and their right of freedom of speech, even in face of the penalty of death. A sentence uttered by one of these reformers, when he was about to be executed, is one that will last as long as time endures. These are the words that came from his lips : "Here I stand. Recant I cannot; God help me." From these circumstances arose the condition that we see today throughout the various Christian organizations of the Protestant world, the people asserting their rights to have their voices supreme in the organization and maintenance of their various churches and organizations. As an illustration we find the incident that happened only yesterday, or a day or so ago, wherein members of one of these organizations became divided among themselves, both factions nearly equal in number, each faction contending for the right to say who shall be the pastor of their church, and resulting in the loss of the lives of two precious little girls. ¶

Here we see illustrated the great contention between the mother church and her daughters; Christianity, as represented in Catholicism, insisting that the voice of the clergy is absolutely the voice of God regardless of the minds and conscience of the people, and the Protestant denominations asserting that the voice of the people, regardless of their pastors, shall be the voice of God regarding who should be their minister, or theological or religious trainer, preceptor or clergy, as the case may be. These things have impressed me with the thought that the beauty of the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stands, as I see it, a happy medium between the two conditions. It is not that the voice of God is necessarily the voice of the people, neither is it that the voice of the people must necessarily be the voice of God. I understand the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be a result of the voice of God and the voice of the people blending in perfect harmony, bringing peace and harmony in the church, throughout all its organizations. As I understand the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today, I cannot conceive of contention existing in it, such as is found in the church described in the clipping I have read concerning one of the churches in one of our neighboring states. In our church the most absolute right is accorded to all its members to have full voice, a fair expression of thought and opinion in all matters pertaining to the organization of the Church; but the right of nomination comes from the presiding authority, and when that nomination is sanctioned by the people, these two powers or forces blend in perfect harmony, and peace prevails throughout the entire organization. ¶

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we find the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of the Church, who is its president; but he does not stand absolute and alone. Associated with him are two counselors, men who are high priests, and these three are sustained by the confidence and vote of the people, every six months during their term of office, which is usually for life. When any question of vital importance comes before this Presidency, it is the right of the President to ask for the views and ideas of his associates, and it is their duty to frankly respond in detail, as they are inspired by the Spirit of God. When all has thus been freely expressed by these two counselors, the right of nomination, or taking the initiative, proceeds from the President. His decision is indorsed by his counselors, and is subsequently submitted to the body of the Church and then sustained by them as a whole. Not necessarily do all questions have to be settled in the manner indicated, but, associated with those presiding we find, in the organization of the Church and kingdom of God, the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It is the right of the presidency, as I understand the organization of the Church, to confer with those twelve men, who also are sustained by a vote of confidence of the people, and have them express their views and ideas freely, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. But the initiative, after all is said and done, comes from the head, and then it is sanctioned by those who have discussed the proposition. Unquestionably, in every instance, so far as I know, there is unity of action ; after these matters have been considered and sanctioned by the authorities who have been sustained by the vote of confidence of the people, it is then sustained by the vote of all members of the Church. ¶

I can see in the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the most perfect system that is possible to be organized among men ; it gives to mankind the utmost freedom that can be given, and still maintains absolute unity. There might be given, under the systems of protestantism today, the same absolute right to the people to say for themselves what shall or what shall not be ; but I see in their varied systems of organization great aptitude to division into factions. We have had revealed to us, through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith, a system under which factions can not exist in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I can see in this the infinite wisdom of God our eternal Father, not the limited wisdom of a boy 14 or even 25 years of age. I fail to see today, throughout all Christendom, the harmony in the organization of church government that we see existing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as instituted through the instrumentality of a humble boy, and as given by the inspiration of God. The longer I live, and the more experience. I have in this Church, the more I appreciate the beauties of it, and the more I glory in the growth and development of the great latter-day work. And here, my brethren and sisters, I embrace the opportunity of testifying to you that, if I know anything at all in this life, I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was instituted and is maintained by the gift and power of God. No power of man could have maintained it against all the opposition it has had to contend with during the seventy-nine years of its history. All honor be to our fathers and mothers, our grandfathers and grandmothers, who had the fortitude of character to stand up under all the oppression they endured, and maintain to the last breath the testimony that the Prophet Joseph Smith was inspired of God, and was the means in the hand of our heavenly Father of restoring the gospel once more to the earth. ¶

I stand before you today as a representative of one of the stakes that, within the last 26 years, has given birth to six other stakes of Zion. Twenty-six years ago its organization did not comprise more than 600 souls. That same section of country today embraces not less than 25,000 souls, members of the Church, and it is now divided into seven stakes of Zion, and the mother stake has a population of nearly 6,000. I am happy to report that in that section of country the work of the Lord is progressing rapidly. A splendid feeling exists among the people. I don't know any among the officers of our stake but who are observing the Word of Wisdom ; and they are true and loyal to the president of the Church, Joseph F. Smith, as prophet, seer and revelator, and to the other authorities of the Church who will be sustained at this conference, including all the brethren and sisters who maintain positions of trust among the people. We are working together loyally and unitedly for the good of the people, and the development of our fair state of Idaho. We say that we will welcome any and all of you who desire to locate among us. We have a large and beautiful country. We have stakes of Zion well organized, and we are always glad to welcome the boys and girls of these valleys of the mountains, who have been reared under the droppings of the sanctuary, in the environments of the Church. We want our young men and young women, to remain at home, in the various stakes of Zion. The longer I live the more I appreciate our organizations, and the good they are doing to our young people. I do not know how many of our boys and girls would be absolutely loyal to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were it not for the environment thrown around them by the various societies and quorums of the Church, as we have them instituted today. I say, brethren and sisters, fathers and mothers in Israel, it is not right to scatter abroad, away from the organization of the Church. It is one of the tenets of Mormonism that this is a gathering dispensation, that we shall gather into the valleys of the mountains, and be reared under the guidance of the servants of God, under the inspired teachings that come to us from those whom we sustain from time to time. We ought not to allow our boys and girls to make homes in foreign states or territories, away from the environments of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That is not in harmony with the teachings of the gospel as revealed in the latter day. Let us bring up our boys and girls under influences that will shape their lives and make of them what they should be, children of the Saints of God. ¶

May God bless you, my brethren and sisters. May we be united together in the bonds of love, and not allow any dissensions among us, but maintain and sustain all those who are called to represent the Church and kingdom of God in the earth, that harmony may prevail, and that the will of God may be done among this people. May Zion grow and nourish in the earth, as it has done in the past, is my desire, and I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶