13 I spent the day compiling History I attended the Bishops meeting
President Young was Present and delivered one of the most powerful
discourses I ever herd from his mouth unto the children of men there was
no reporter Present nor clerk to keep minutes. Brother Calder wrote
some minutes & I reported the following synopsis of the presidents remarks
Meeting opened by prayer by W. Woodruff Bishop Hunter called the roll
& not more than half the Bishops present a part of the councillors. Bishop
Hunter then called for teams to draw Adobies & sand. Also Enquired if
there was houses to rent, several was reported. A recommendatin
was read from one of the Brethren as school teacher.
President Young then arose and said there is a good deal I want to
say to the Bishops but I dont think I shall say much to you to night
I would liked to have seen all the Bishops here to night many are
absent. I shall speak of those things which we want now. The Bishops
are the men more than others to attend to the Business of the Church
in the Stakes of Zion. I have said a good deal at times against
the Bishops perhaps more than they thought was right. But I now will
tell you what I want. We have missionaries going abroad upon their
missions we are all acquainted with the situation & Locations of theis
country. The revelations says take neither purse nor scrip. [Luke 10:4] that is go withot
taking food or money. now this revelation wias given to the Twelve in
Jerrusalem a city filled with the wealth of the Nations it is like
giving the same commandment to Elders in New Yoork City but
it cannot be Expected that Elders will start from this city to walk
a thousand miles to settlements without food or to kill there game by
the way But they have got to be supplyed with means to go to themre
Field of Labor. I now want to take up a collection next sunday
& the sunday following for the missionaries who are not able to fit
themselves out and I want the Bishops to see to it and attend to
it I shall take up a collection for this purpose. we are in a land of
plenty we have a superabundance of means. now shall we send
out those Elders to beg of the poor saints who are already bound down
with poverty to obtain all their supplies No we will not. I do not me[a]n
that this people shall stay here in their wealth and sin any longer &
send out Elders to preach & beg of the poor who have not means to
come to Zion as they have done heretofore. I intend this people
Hereafter shall find means to send the Elders to their fields of
Labor and if necessary to bring them back again. our Elders
have had to beg so much frofm the people that they have bound
the Saints with chains of oppression. this must be stoped The
Saints in Zion must take this burthen off from the poor abroad
The people Here think [they] are vary good Saints but they have
but one Eye open. The Elders of Israel here in Zion have
there minds upon thworldly matters and not upon the building
ofup of the Kingdom of God. they will go into the stand and preach
and get down and pray and promise the Lord what they
will do. they will get up and and a horse trade will make
them deny all they promised the Lord as the Elders advance
in the Kingdom of God did I say advance No they do not
advance you will hear Elders get up in the stand and Exhort
the people not to Quarrel with their Neighbors or abuse there
wives or children Now if the Elders were living their religin
& walking in the path of Duty they would consider such
preaching an Insult and a disgrace to them, as they would
be living above such conduct. The Elders and people are asleep
and there Hearts are set upon getting rich and the work of
God is out of sight to them. Now I will say to you Bishops that
I dont care a groat whether you or the people do one thing or
not but I will warn you that if you do not go to and raise
up means to assist in sending these Elders abroad and build up the
Kingdom of God The Lord will raise up other people to do the
work which you and this people are called to do. any man who
holds the priesthood of God that commits sin and does not
magnify that priesthood He will have to pay the penalty and He
cannot escape it. Now if the Bishops want to do their duty let
them go to work & raise means enough to help the poor Saints that
are going away. Orson Pratt, Erastus Snow are poor. Brother Bywater
& John L Smith & some others want some help to get away, and their
families will want help after they are gone and the Bishops must see
to them such men as Ormus Bates can take care of himself &
others can, but those who cannot must be provided for. you may
think that I am hard. But all I would ask would be for the Bishops
and this people to see the things of God & his Kingdom as I do. But
when I think of the situation of the Earth, and the price of the Earth
which is no less than the life & Blood of the Lamb of God, and when
I think what the cost will be of the neglect of this people, their
worldly mindedness and unbelif it causes me pain. what is the
cost it is this Jesus Christ the Son of God our Elder Brother is at the
door and wants to come in and take possession of the kingdom
and reign triumphant over his foes and you wont let him.
this people are shutting up every avenue so that Jesus Christ
cannot come to the Earth. Can you see what it costs. it makes
my heart ake (while in this part of his speach he walked the floor
and his voice was like the voice of God) "all I will ask of this people is
to see things as I do then they would act & not sleep. Now what
do the Bishops know about their wards or what is going on in
there wards Nothing. Let me ask a Bishop how many grog shops
have you in your wards I dont know How many Hore Houses I
dont know How many gambling shops &c I dont know, and so it
goes all through the Church sompe poor woman will call upon a Bishop
or some man upon business in the morning the Bishop says O dont trouble
me I must go to the canyon for wood I dont want to be trouble though
I am your Bishop. Bishops do not magnify there calling in thes things Now
many Bishops are there here to night out of the 20 wards in this city not many
How much tithing do we receive of the people in this Territory
not one bushel of wheat in a hundred which is our due, not a tithing
of what we ought, and we have had to use much which we have
received as tithing to build roade up provo Canyon and other places
now we cannot get tithing in any thing which the people can
sell for money. Now if some man would appear on these streets
and offer cash for wheat, we would not get one bushel in a thous[an]d
Now there has been $500,000 dollars worth of Freight annually
paid for goods brought to this Territory. in 10 years there has [been]
$5000000 dollars paid for goods now how much of that had
ought to come to the tithing office $500000 dollars Now I will say to
you Bishops if you feel to lay this thing before the people I want
you to say to the people Bring on your diemes shillings half dollars
Dollars half, Eagles, Eagles Twenty Dollars peaces Fifty dollar
peases and send these Elders to their field of Labor. I will
now tell you how much the Elders in England have spent of the
tithing money. They have spent $540070 $27035 each year
now I want this stoped. From the day that P. P. Pratt commen[c]ed
Begging in England up to the present time there is not one of that
class of Elders but what have become beggars and Hell is full of
such Elders and I dont care how soon the rest go there. I
went there and Esstablished the work and all the means I got I spent
in Emigrating the poor. I have said that I would sell evry scents
worth of property I possessed in the world for two thirds of its
value and give every dime of it for Emigrating the poor Saints now
let any man or company of men come and Byuy my property &
I well give it to Emigrat the poor, and I will begin without one cent
and in 10 years I will be worth more than I am now. I will stop
this begging in England if I can and I think I can do it. you
Englishmen cannot you see the poor Saints starving in England
and yet our Elders will beg the last cent they have got. This
subject has pained me for years But I have never had the power
untill now to handle it I now have the power and I will use it
thank the Lord. Other remarks were made by the president. I arose
and bore testimony to what President Young had said. The follo[w]ing
are some of the remarks I maidde
I am not a Bishop, but in a Bishops meeting and I feel like saying a
few words as President Young has givien liberty. It matters not to me
whether the lash hits me or yoou in the reproofs given by President
Young. I feel to thank God that we are blessed with a leader who has
indipendence of mind sufficient to do the will of God let it reprove or
rebuke who it may. He asks no odds of any kingdom, Nations, people
person or thing who stands in the way of his doing his duty. It is a
Blessing to us that we have a leader who have eyes to see for us when we are
in dandger ourselves and if we had not some one to warn us and reprove
us when we do wrong we would not be safe. President Young is sustaind
by the power of God and when he calls upon us to do any thing we ought
to do it, and if we withhold we do it to our hurt. the Elders in England
have beged of the people, untill they have bound them in chanes and
kept them there in poverty if the Elders had persued a wilse course
there are thousands who are now in England who would this day
have been in Zion. then let us go to & fit out the missionaries and
stop there begging from the poor. Bishop made a few remarks &
the meeting dismissed
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I am not a Bishop, but in a Bishops meeting and I feel like saying a few words as President Young has given liberty. It matters not to me whether the lash hits me or you in the reproofs given by President Young, I feel to thank God that we are blessed with a leader who has indipendence of mind sufficient to do the will of God let it reprove or rebuke who it may. He asks no odds of any kingdom, Nations, people person or thing who stands in the way of his doing his duty. It is a Blessing to us that we have a leader who have Eyes to see for us when we are in danger ourselves and if we had not some one to warn us and reprove us when we do wrong we would not be safe. President Young is sustained by the power of God and when he calls upon us to do any thing we ought to do it, and if we withhold we do it to our hurt. the Elders in England have beged of the people, untill they have bound them in chanes and kept them there in poverty if the Elders had pursued a wise course there are thousands who are now in England who would this day have been in Zion, then let us go to & fit out the missionaries and stop there begging from the poor. Bishop made a few remarks & the meeting dismissed
Elder O. Pratt spoke in the morning and he preached an Excellent discourse said he had been in the church thirty years lacking a few days spoke of what Joy he had in bearing testimony of the work of God & in bringing sools to repentence but he had sorrow in doing things that was not acceptable to the presidency of the Church. He said he was going on a mission and did not know whether he would ever return or not. He spoke as though he had some presentment that He would never return to Zion
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