I Rejoice With You, My Brethren And Sisters...

I rejoice with you, my brethren and sisters, that another opportunity is afforded us to meet together in general conference, in peace and enjoying the degree of prosperity with which we are blessed, as set forth in the report which has been made by President Grant. As a preface to the brief remarks which I desire to make — and I pray that what I say may be directed through your faith by the Spirit of the Lord — I desire to read from the words of the Prophet Jeremiah : ¶

"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. ¶

"Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. ¶

"Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. ¶

"Hear, O earth : behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it." ¶

According to our chronology, my brethren and sisters, more than two thousand years have passed since the Lord, through his servant Jeremiah, delivered this message to the House of Israel. Preceding the paragraphs which I have read, the Lord says : ¶

"To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised and they cannot hearken : behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach ; they have no delight in it. * * * ¶

"Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush." ¶

REFUSED TO LISTEN ¶

At the time to which this scripture refers, the Israelitish people, after their deliverance from the Egyptian captivity, after the Lord by the matchless power of his outstretched arm had given them full possession of the Promised Land, had become indifferent to the words of their prophets, had departed from the path which the Lord had marked out for them, and the prophet calls them back to the old paths which is the good way. The promise is that if they will walk therein they shall find peace to their souls; but they said: "We will not walk therein." When the watchmen whom the Lord had set over them sounded the trumpet of alarm, they refused to listen. This attitude resulted in the scattering of the House of Israel to the four winds of heaven, as his prophets had declared that they would be scattered. ¶

Thank the Lord that as the scattering of Israel had been declared so did the Lord definitely promise that they should be gathered again and restored to the promised land, and the fulfilment of that promise is near at hand. ¶

I have been asking myself the question recently : Aren't we at the present time in a condition somewhat similar to that of Ancient Israel at the time to which this scripture refers? From a small number of people at the time they left Palestine and went into Egypt they had become a great kingdom, the influence of which under the reign of King Solomon was felt throughout the then known world. The conditions with which they were surrounded during their early development had changed. They felt the strength of their own power, and depended less upon the arm of the Lord. The old paths had been replaced by modern roads, broader and more easy to follow. They had listened to the blast of the trumpet until the sound had become monotonous. They preferred the timbrel and the harp which brought pleasure without restraint. The word of the Lord to them had become obsolete, supplanted by more modern theories. Are we aware — and when I say "we" I am not applying my remarks to the members of my own Church alone, but to the splendid men and women who make up the citizenship of the United States — that we too live in a land of promise, that it is through the grace and mercy of God our Father that we have been brought here and made participants in its privileges and blessings? Do we people of America know that certain unchangeable decrees of God our Heavenly Father apply to this land as they apply to Palestine? Let us examine and see. ¶

A CHOICE LAND ¶

According to the manner in which we count time, it was four thousand and forty-six years ago, about two hundred years after the deluge, that a small number of people under the leadership of inspired men, left the city of Babylon on the banks of the Euphrates river in the valleys of Mesopotamia and found their way to the American continent. As they started on their long pilgrimage, the word of the Lord came to them as follows : ¶

"And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people. ¶

"And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them. ¶

"And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise ; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. ¶

"For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands ; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off. ¶

"And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God — that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done. ¶

"Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written." ¶

It would be interesting, my brethren and sisters, and instructive, to follow this colony of people in their migration from the Old World until their arrival in America, the land which the Lord had promised to them for an inheritance. ¶

The story of their development into a great nation is told, the building of many cities ; how they departed from the way of the Lord to the worship of idols, the wars which ensued, because of conflict for the control of the government which was established, and their final destruction as a nation ; but time will not permit. ¶

More than one thousand five hundred years had elapsed since the people referred to had departed from the old world, when another colony, under the leadership of another prophet, left Jerusalem during the reign of Zedekiah, the last king of Judea, and after many wanderings and tribulations they crossed the great waters and came to America. As they landed upon this continent the Lord, through his prophet, delivered the following message to them. I read this because I desire that you shall hear it as it is and understand it. The prophet who had led them out, in referring to their journeys, said : ¶

BLESSED UNTO THE RIGHTEOUS ¶

"Notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands ; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord. ¶

"Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come unto this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord. ¶

"Wherefore this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them ; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever." ¶

As these latter people penetrated and explored the land to which they had come they report that they found a portion of the surface of it covered with the bones of men and animals, with the ruins of great cities and buildings, a land which they say had been populated by a people as numerous as the hosts of Israel. This was all that remained of the colony which had come from Babylon more than one thousand five hundred years before. ¶

PROPHECY FULFILLED ¶

The history of this latter people, who also became numerous and highly civilized, was not less tragic than that of their predecessors. They too were highly favored of the Lord. In their weakness they served him and kept his commandments, but when through his protection and blessing they had become wealthy and powerful they turned from him to the worship of idols, and refused to walk in the old paths or listen to the trumpet which called them back to God. They fought over the control of government until they degenerated into the tribal conditions in which they were found when Columbus landed upon the shores of the new world. ¶

The time had arrived when the Lord would again bring people to this continent, when he was to again undertake the establishment of a righteous nation upon this promised land. ¶

More than two thousand years before Columbus landed at San Salvador, prophets had definitely declared his coming; more than two thousand years before the landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth the Lord had declared that they should come that they might be free from the bonds of religious intolerance and the shackles of kingcraft, that a nation of free men might be established here, a nation over which neither kingcraft nor priestcraft shall ever reign ; a nation where the majesty and authority of the law, which God our Father would inspire the people themselves to enact and administer, is to reign supreme. ¶

OUR SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT ¶

Have you ever thought, my brethren and sisters, of the miracle of the establishment of this government, and the blessings which you enjoy under it as compared with other people? The Lord did not give the dominance of the United States to a certain race, that the traditions, language and prejudices of the old world might be established here as they were in all of the great country to the south of us. ¶

To the devoted faith of the Puritan separatists of New England was added the industry and patriotism of the Dutch reformers who had settled at New York, the gallantry and chivalry of the English cavaliers of Virginia, and the light-hearted energy and patriotism of the French at New Orleans. Protestants, Catholics and people without church affiliations united together, just the combination of elements to give us the Declaration of Independence which won our freedom, and the Constitution, which is the foundation upon which our system of government rests. ¶

These men, whom the old world referred to as a mob, declared that in this country all men should be equal before the law. They declared that men were born with certain rights which could not in justice be taken from them, among which was the right to worship God according to the dictates of conscience, or not worship at all if they so desired ; that all men were entitled to life, to liberty, the possession of property, freedom of speech and the press, and above all and most important, that they should enact and administer their own laws and that they should not be deprived of any of these privileges without due process of law. The most sacred privilege granted us was the right of franchise by which every citizen was entitled to cast his ballot for the men who were to represent him in enacting and administering the law. It is upon the proper use of this sacred heritage, bequeathed to us by our fathers, that the perpetuity of our government depends. It may declare war or maintain peace, it may bring peace and good order to society, or tribulation, confusion and final dissolution. It controls your property and mine. We come or go at its behest. Our very life depends upon the proper use of it. ¶

A PUBLISHED APPEAL ¶

In January of the present year the Presidency of the Church published an appeal to the members of the Church throughout the world, and to liberty-loving people everywhere, from which I desire briefly to read. It was headed: "Can This Be True?" ¶

"Can it be possible that reports which reach us concerning the lawlessness, immorality and graft which are said to exist in Salt Lake City and other localities in our state, are true? ¶

"Have we among our judges, attorneys and peace officers those who regard these iniquitous offenses against society with apathy and indifference? ¶

"Are we to believe that in this community of ours large sums of money are regularly collected which are disbursed by trusted agents among city, county, state or federal officers, who have been appointed or elected by the voice of the people to hunt down, prosecute and rid the community of lawless disturbers of the peace, violate the trust reposed in them, and for money seek means by which these criminals may be liberated, rather than convicted? ¶

"Do men with brazen effrontery perjure themselves while on the witness stand, in order that the law may be nullified and the guilty go free? Do any of our judges, knowing this, allow the perjurer to go without rebuke or punishment? ¶

"Are we losing our high ideals regarding the honor of men and the virtue of women? Do we ignore the existence of houses of prostitution and assignation into which virtuous women and innocent girls are being lured, or forcibly taken, to be ruined by wicked licentious libertines both white and black? ¶

"Laws which are enacted for the protection of society have no value except when they are administered in righteousness and justice, and they cannot be so administrated if dishonest men occupy administrative offices. ¶

"The Lord says : 'When the wicked rule, the people mourn.' Wise men, good men, patriotic men are to be found in all communities, in all political parties, among all creeds. None but such men should be chosen. * * * ¶

"Without beneficent laws, righteously administered, the foundations of civilization crumble, anarchy reigns, decay and dissolution follow. ¶

"We call upon all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world to honor the laws of God, and obey and uphold the law of the land ; and we appeal to good men and women everywhere, regardless of creed, party affiliation, race or condition, to join with us in an effort to put into operation the words of Lincoln, the great emancipator, that our country may continue to be a light to the world, a loyal, law-abiding, God-fearing Nation. ¶

"Heber J. Grant, Anthony W. Ivins, Charles W. Nibley, ¶

First Presidency," ¶

HAVE NOT CHANGED ¶

Since the publication of that which I have just read it would appear that conditions have not changed for the better. ¶

Another period has arrived when the people of the United States are to elect men who are to represent them in both legislative and administrative branches of the government, both state and national; a time when the citizenship of our country are to exercise this divine right of franchise. If reports which come to us are true, vast sums of money are being collected to be used for the purpose of influencing the vote of the people in favor of one or the other of the great parties that are striving for the control of government. We are told that the expenditures will be limited to eight millions of dollars. We are also informed that this limit may be greatly exceeded. Can it be possible that we have reached a point in our history when the ballot, this sacred heritage which has come to us from our fathers, has become a thing of barter and trade, that it can be purchased with money? Are the liberties of the American people on the auction block to be sold to the highest bidder? Have we lifted up a golden calf (as ancient Israel did) to which the American people are commanded to bow down in worship? God forbid. ¶

To my mind the man who would sell his vote for money should forfeit his franchise forever. Is the man who sells his vote less guilty than the man who tenders money for it? Is he who tenders money less guilty than the individual who, having knowledge of the crime, enters no word of protest? I cannot shift the responsibility from one to the other. All are equally guilty. ¶

Is it possible that during the last ten years lawlessness has increased in the United States until statistics show that we are the most lawless civilized nation in the world? Only yesterday the public press, our own press, declared that a large number of policemen in the city of Philadelphia, "the City of Friends," a city established under the religious impulses of one of the most devout sects of the world, the city of my mother's birth, the city that provided the men under whom my early life was tutored, that these policemen, chosen to protect the people from the acts of lawless men, are under arrest charged with levying tribute on gangsters of the underworld for protection guaranteed them by the police who were under oath to bring them to justice. From the halls of Congress to the town constable fraud in public life has found its way. ¶

CONDITION NOT HOPELESS ¶

Do not understand me to infer that the condition of our country is hopeless, or that money has not its place in human welfare. My remarks have no application to the high-minded, honest, capable men who are engaged in public life, and there are many of them in both national and state affairs. I believe in the soul of the American people and that they will rise in their majesty when the truth becomes known and drive dishonest men from the temples of justice, Lincoln said: ¶

"Let the people know the truth and the country is safe." The trouble is that it is almost impossible to get the truth before the people. ¶

In every state in the Union, in every county in these states, there are men who live above this criticism, patriotic, true Americans. ¶

Do not understand that I decry or under-estimate the vast good that comes to humankind from the use of money and the proper acquisition of it through industry and economy, but when it is used to corrupt the politics of our country, to purchase the honor of men, the virtue of women, or to interfere with and influence the public mind away from the paths of justice and righteousness it then becomes the "root of all evil." ¶

I would not for earthly gain alienate the friendship of the many friends which I have and through acquaintance with whom my life has been enriched. They are among Catholics, Protestants, Jews and people professing no affiliation with the church. They are in all political parties ; men whom I love because of their manhood and Americanism. I am not talking politics. I have no candidate, no political interests at stake. I am speaking directly to the people of the Church of which I am a member. It is my duty, as a shepherd of the flock of Christ, to warn them of the danger which threatens; and if I fail in my duty and the danger comes upon them and they perish, the Lord has said that he will require their blood at my hands, and at the hands of every other shepherd of the flock, who, knowing his duty, fails to perform it. ¶

THE MORMON PIONEERS ¶

It was the impulse of religion that brought the Mormon pioneers to these valleys. Among them my early life was passed. It was their example and teaching which fixed in my mind the ideals that have governed my life, in both religious and civil affairs. They taught me that an office-seeker, whether for political or church advancement, was a dangerous man. They taught me that offices of trust should seek the man and not the man the office; that men of unquestioned integrity should be selected for public trust. ¶

Profoundly religious, they taught me to hold in reverential respect the religion of other people. They taught me that the institutions of my country were of greater value than human life, and should be upheld and defended against all enemies, be they foreign or domestic. They were not egotists, these men among whom my youth was spent, whose life was confined to their own restricted environment; they understood the past, they lived for the present and saw the future. They knew that other men found the Lord, if they sought him, just as they found him here in the solitudes of these everlasting hills. They were not Pharisees who magnified the faults of others while blind to their own imperfections, but men who acknowledging their own weaknesses, spread the mantle of charity over those of their fellows. They were not men who sought the downfall of their neighbor that they might rise to greater heights, but just brave, God-fearing men who knew that the Lord was knocking at the doors of the hearts of all men, and that if they would only keep the latchstring on the outside, as it always hung on their cabin doors, the Lord would come in and bring peace to their souls. They were men who walked in the old paths, the paths which our Lord and Master had marked out for us, and which, if we follow them, will lead us back into his presence. ¶

TO THOSE OLD PATHS ¶

It is to these old paths, my brethren and sisters, that I call you back ; not to endure the hardships which they endured ; not to cut the grain which grows in your fields, with a sickle, and to thrash it with a flail, as I have done ; not to cut the hay which grows in your meadows, with a scythe, not to study your lessons by a tallow dip or a pine knot, as I have done, because there was nothing better to be had ; not to print your daily paper on a handpress, or travel to conference with an ox-team, as many of your fathers and grandfathers did. Progress and development which have come to the world during our life-time have made these things obsolete, and we do not desire to call them back. But the truth does not change with time. It is always the same. The same obligations of righteousness, justice, mercy and charity which have been in force from the beginning are still in force. There is no other path that will lead us back to Christ our Lord, for he is the light, the life and the way, and it is his word that I have quoted to you. ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, you who familiarize yourselves with existing conditions know that I have not exaggerated or over-estimated the danger which threatens us. The cure is so simple and so easy, it is strange that we do not readily find it — just to return to obedience to the word of the Lord, just to walk in those old paths of righteousness that never change. If we do so they will lead us back into the presence of God our Father, where we will be crowned with glory, immortality and eternal life. ¶

I pray for this, for you, for myself and for all good men and women, through Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶