Remarks by Heber C. Austin

(President of the Bingham Stake of Zion) ¶

I feel, my brethren and sisters, very weak, in attempting to occupy this position for just a few moments. 1 assure you I desire an interest in your faith and prayers, that I may be led to say something that will be in harmony with the spirit of this conference. I have been delighted with the instructions and the testimonies given to us, and borne to us, by our brethren who have spoken. I was delighted with ¶

the remarks of President Grant this morning wherein he gave the statistics of the Church. We observed there the wonderful things that this Church is accomplishing, the wonderful things that it has accomplished, not only in spiritual matters, but in temporal matters. I have never been one of those who have felt to find fault with the temporal activities of the Church. I believe that it is very hard to draw the line where the spiritual things should cease and the temporal things begin. I realize that this Church and the activities of the Church have not only been the spiritual salvation of its members, but have been their temporal salvation, and if we would listen to the counsel and instructions that are given to us, from time to time, by our brethren here, we would not find ourselves in the troubles that we sometimes do. The fact of disobedience is always followed by serious consequences. ¶

Like my brethren who have spoken to you in the sessions of this conference, both this morning and this afternoon, I rejoice in the fact that I have been permitted to associate with these splendid men who constitute the general authorities of this Church. I find myself in perfect harmony with them. I sustain them with all my soul; and the people whom I represent, whom I have the honor to preside over in the Bingham stake of Zion, in the Snake River valley of Idaho, sustain the authorities of the Church. We never hear of any murmuring, we never hear of any complaints ; and we are endeavoring and seeking to live our religion. We are not always obedient to the counsel and advice given to us. If we were our condition would not be what it is today. I remember very well the brethren repeatedly, in their visits to our quarterly conferences, have advised our people to get out of debt and keep out of debt, and had we listened to that counsel it would have been a great bles-sing to us. ¶

I find myself, however, like one of the brethren who spoke this morning, that I have endeavored to obey that counsel. I am not in debt, and I suppose if I were I would not be able to pay. But let that be as it may. I know that the brethren are inspired by the Lord to advise and counsel the Latter-day Saints, and I know that in obeying their counsel there is safety. You have heard many hard-luck stories" about our people. I think probably we have been represented really worse than we are. In my visits to Salt Lake, from time to time, my friends come up and condole with me in the very serious condition that prevails in our section of country. Well, in a measure it is serious, but it is not so bad as you think it is. The great majority of our people are sound financially. We have some small percent. I suppose, that will eventually find themselves in bankruptcy, but the great majority, a good percentage of our people, are sound financially. If we exercise a little patience, a little helpful influence, a little encouragement because we have in that section of country the best, yes I think the best agricultural district in the intermountain country, we shall pull through. I don't know Of a section of country, anywhere, where you can produce more to the acre than you can in the Snake River valley, ¶

amply supplied with an abundance of water, a splendid climate and a good soil. We have, probably, during' the time of our prosperity, during the time of easy money, gotten away from the habit of industry to some extent. We may have thought that we could afford to retire and employ someone else to do our work, and we shall have to return to first principles. We ourselves, have to learn, and also teach our families, to be industrious, and when we do that we shall find ourselves on the road to recovery. ¶

I rejoice in the gospel. Like many of the other brethren who have spoken, I was born of splendid, good parents who made all sorts of sacrifices, if you could call it sacrifice, to embrace the gospel. They passed through the trials and tribulations, many of them, of the early history of this Church, and they implanted in the hearts of their children a testimony of the gospel. Like my brother who has spoken before me, I know that the gospel is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the Lord, and I know that these brethren who have stood at the head of this Church from that time till now have been called and sustained of the Lord. May the Lord bless us and help us, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶