As the Closest Neighbor of Old Mexico

As the closest neighbor of Old Mexico, the Latter-day Saint people and those not of our faith, in the St. Joseph Stake of Zion have had considerable to do with our refugee brethren and sisters from that unfortunate country. Immediately upon receiving word from President Smith concerning the distress of our people, we invited the committee to send as many as they desired into our stake, and we would take care of them. Within a few hours, our Bishops, through trie acting teachers, ascertained that we could take care of a thousand of the people throughout the stake, if necessary, and they would be entertained in our homes. On the arrival of those unfortunate people in our stake, they were immediately taken care of and provided with the necessary comforts of life. Not satisfied with this, for we knew that it would cost a great deal to keep them, and pay for their transportation, we immediately telegraphed our Congressmen from Arizona, and urged that they should get an appropriation from the government to assist us. Accordingly, aided by the Utah Senators, the Arizona Senators and Representatives succeeded in getting an appropriation of one hundred thousand dollars from the United States government to pay for the transportation of these good people to wherever they desired to go. A little later, we appealed to our Congressmen, and they secured the privilege of setting aside twenty thousand dollars of the one hundred thousand for the maintenance "of these people, and a little later they sent us some tents from the government quarters at Hachita. An officer of the United States government is now visiting from house to house among these refugees, and serving them with the necessary comforts of life. ¶

We have thought much of how conditions have changed. Once, many years ago, a President of the U. S., when appealed to by our people, said to the Prophet Joseph Smith and his followers, "Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you." Today the whole Congress of the United States has been warmed up in feelings of sympathy for the "Mormon" refugees from Mexico. Representative Howell has told me that it was no difficulty to get the appropritation, we could get almost anything we wanted for the benefit of that people. The Governor of Arizona wrote to me, and sent a nice liberal contribution, and said. "Mr. Kimball, we are ready ¶

to help you in any way. I guarantee to you the influence that I have as the Executive of this State for anything that you desire us to do. I will issue a proclamation if you desire it." I thanked him kindly, and said we would endeavor to take care of our own people. He renewed the same offer later. Many who are not Latter-day Saints offered assistance. We have done the work almost entirely, with other than those means furnished by the government, in entertaining and looking after our people. Senator Ashworth wrote to me from Washington, and said, "Mr. Kimball, the example your people have shown is the strongest representation of magnanimity, of generosity and of hospitality that I have ever seen, it is an example to our state and nation, and to the world." ¶

I have thought of a scripture statement ebneering the interview between Ruth and Naomi, on the occasion of Ruth's separation from her mother in law, when she said: "Entreat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest I will go, and whither thou lodgest I will lodge ; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." The exemplification of this sentiment, this beautiful, sweet kindred spirit, is one of the strongest testimonies of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which inculcates the principles of brotherly love and kindness to each other. I wanted to call the attentation of this conference to this. President Smith and President Lyman have recommended that the refugees from Mexico shall now scatter among the various stakes of Zion. I recommend and hope the brethren and sisters throughout the various stakes of Zion will take this principle to heart, ¶

and let these people move into your stakes of Zion, while they yet have the means with which to move. It costs something to move from Mexico to the North, and now that they have the means that was appropriated for that purpose, we hope you will open your doors to them. We cannot take care of all these people in Arizona for a great length of time, and it is not wholesome for them to be idle. In our agricultural districts the harvest season is nearly over, and there will be nothing for them to do. Winter is approaching, and I beg of you, brethren and sisters throughout the Church, that you now open up your homes to those unfortunate refugees, and that you write about this to the President of that stake, or to me, as we have a great many under our supervision at this time. Let us send some of these afflicted families to you that they may be absorbed in the Church, and not want for the comforts and necessaries of life. I mention this to you who are assembled here, not that we do not want to entertain them longer, but it is not proper for so many of them to be together without employment, they sympathize with each other, and look back to their deserted homes. It would make you sad to look upon the pictures we have seen in the last two or three months, in consequence of the terrible disaster that has come to them. ¶

One of those good brethren, who has spent 15 years of his life in endeavoring to proclaim the gospel and bring the Mexican people to a knowledge of the truth, who was well established in his home and could ill afford to leave it, was telling me how two of those rebles came into his home, and with a revolver pointed at. his body, told ¶

him to open up his house and show them the treasures of his home. This good brother went with them through the eight rooms of his house, and they ransacked everything. They found a trunk, the key of which his wife had carried away, and they were about to murder him because he could not open that trunk, they then brought an ax and chopped it open, and took therefrom the hard earned savings of this good family, $500.00. ¶

When the first train load of these people came into our stake, we took them down to the meeting house, and distributed them among the people. I took one family to my home, and they stayed there and ate at my table for several days, and then I procured a tent and fixed them comfortably in my house yard. I just mention this one circumstance which is only one out of hundreds. There was in the neighborhood of four thousand of these people, who were comfortably situated ; they had fine homes. We are almost ashamed to think that many of us in the United States, with the advantages that we have, are not surrounded with the comforts that these good people had in that foreign country, because of their industry and thrift. The family that came to my home had left 130 acres of well tilled and cultivated land ; the good wife was making cheese and realizing 25 cents a pound for it. Her butter was bringing one dollar a pound in Mexican money, (50 cents in our money,) and they had their chickens and orchard and every comfort that they could enjoy. This family had grown up from childhood in the Southern States, and 17 years ago had gone from there to Mexico. I have seen that good, sweet woman go out in the garden, and weep bitterly. They had left a home that had been very sacred to them, made so by 17 years of hard work, and all the associations that home could give, and they possessed every comfort that they could desire, and suddenly, within a few moments, they picked up what they could throw into a trunk, and away they went, leaving everything else behind, a big drove of chickens, about 20 splendid milch cows, a waving field of grain, their garden and everything.' They had to come to a condition of absolute dependence. In many instances those good people, in answer to our questions: "Why is it we don't see you in our meetings?" have said, "We haven't clothes fit to appear in the society of our brethren and sisters in Thatcher." We appealed to our Relief Society, and they have made clothing for them. The most of these people are still in El Paso, Texas, others in the field of President Robinson's mission, and in our country, the St. Joseph Stake of Zion, and in the Maracopa Stake of Zion. ¶

Now, brethren and sisters, these people ought, by all means, to remove to the North. Many of them come from an altitude of 6500 feet, where they dressed in warm clothing, as you do today, and they came down into our valley where it is very warm, and suffered there by reason of the heat. They ought, by all means, to be brought into the North. Do not be afraid of hurting them by inviting them to Canada, as suggested by Elder W oods in his letter yesterday. Do not be afraid of inviting them to Idaho, or any other locality, for they can accommodate themselves to whatever climate or condition they locate in. Open up your hearts and feelings, brethren and sisters, and let us absorb the people of this disorganized Stake of Zion amongst us, that they shall have employment, and be made to feel that they are not dependent, and God will bless you for it. Remember the splendid principle suggested in the conversation between Ruth and Naomi, "for thy people shall be my people, and your God my God." ¶

May the Lord bless us, my brethren and sisters, with the splendid feeling of fellowship and love that is exemplified in the discoures at this conference. May the influence thereof sink deep in our hearts, that we may be instruments in the hands of God in perpetuating the principles of brotherly love and fellowship to all humanity, that the world may with us, glorify God for bringing to pass this great work and a wonder in the last days, and this I ask in the name of Jesus 'Christ. Amen. ¶