this fourth day of October A.D. 18890. Wilford Woodruff President Thomas G. Webber Secretary and Treasurer

Prest W. Woodruff, and Council. Beloved Brethren: I have the honor to forward to you the monthly statement for Septem ber and also the report of our business for the nine months. We have taken stock closed up the accounts and have had everything audited and send you the statement thereof for your inspection. There will be bills not paid from £75 to £80 pounds which should be deducted from the Profits and then we have carried some accounts that have been reported year after year as assets to "Doubtful accounts" and charged Profit and loss which will here after put the business in better shape. I cannot but regret that it should have been considered essential to remove me from the Presidency of the European Mission until the seasons business was completed and everything closed up in a business like manner; but I presume my labors are required somewhere else and so hav- ing turned over everything to my fellow laborer Apostle B. Young I waive all my personal wishes and hasten to Mexico where D. V. I hope to have the un- speakable happiness to report myself to you face to face I send these statements and reports per Elder Walter Hoge who, having labored some time in the office, will be

OFFICIAL DECLARATION. To Whom it May Concern: PRESS dispatches having been sent for political purposes, from Salt Lake City, which have been widely pub- lished, to the effect that the Utah Commission, in their recent report to the Secretary of the Interior, allege that plural marriages are still being solemnized and that forty or more such marriages have been contracted in Utah since last June or during the past year; also that in public discourses the leaders of the Church have taught, encouraged and urged the continuance of the practice of polygamy; I, therefore, as President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, do hereby, in the most solemn manner, declare that these charges are false. We are not teaching polygamy, or plural mar- riage, nor permitting any person to enter into its practice, and I deny that either forty or any other num- ber of plural marriages have during that period been solemnized in our temples or in any other place in the Territory. One case has been reported, in which the parties alleged that the marriage was performed in the Endowment House, in Salt Lake City, in the spring of 1889, but I have not been able to learn who performed the ceremony; what- ever was done in this mat- ter was without my knowl- edge. In consequence of this alleged occurrence the Endow- ment House was, by my instruc- tions, taken down without delay. Inasmuch as laws have been en- acted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of last resort, I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to have them do likewise. There is nothing in my teachings to the Church or in those of my associates, during the time specified, which can reasonably be construed to inculcate or encourage polyg- amy, and when any Elder of the Church has used language which appeared to convey such teaching he has been promptly reproved. And I now publicly declare that my ad- vice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land. WILFORD WOODRUFF, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Panguitch . Pres Woodruff. Salt Lake City. Dear Brother, Yours of the 1st came to hand this morning asking my services in the missionary field, and will say in reply, that I am ready and will be on hand at the time apointed, the Lord being my helper. Your Brother in the gospl. Albert F. Haycock. Allen Miller. Bp Panguitch Ward Good. J. F. S.

Beaver City President Wilford Woodruff. Dear Brother Your call of Oct. 1st to hand. In reply will say while not unwilling to go to Australasia, still I would be pleased to have my mission changed to Europe as I have friends in England and Scotland and would like to see them and get the Geneology of the Family while there, as I am the only one of the Family that has ever been called on a mission awaiting your reply, I remain Your Brother in the Gospel W. H. Slaughter George Munford Bishop I would make the change J. F. S.

THE DESERET WEEKLY. President Woodruff Said: I do not think anyone can tell the hour of the coming of the Son of Man. I think those things have been sufficiently revealed to us; so that we need not look for the time of that event to be made known. I will say here that in my dreams I have had a great many visits from the Prophet Joseph since his death. The last time I met him was in the spirit world. I met him at the Temple. He spoke to me. Calling me by name, he said, "I cannot stop to talk to you, for I am in a hurry." I met Father Smith. He, too, said to me, "I am in a hurry." I met a great many of the Apostles and oth- ers who are in the spirit world, and they all seemed to be in a hurry. I marveled at this, and wondered very greatly in my mind why any- body should be in a hurry in the Paradise of God. I had an interview with the Prophet Joseph afterwards and asked him the question, "Why are you all in such a hurry here?" I said, "I have always been in a hurry in the world since I was born, but I thought there would be no occasion for it when I died and entered the spirit world." He replied, "Well, I will tell you: The Prophets and Apostles in this dispensation have had no time nor opportunity to prepare themselves to go to the earth with the great bridegroom when He goes to meet the bride, the Lamb's wife. We in this dispensation have not had time. We have first as much work to per- form, to prepare ourselves as in other dispensations." He said the time was at hand for the coming of the Son of Man, for Christ to go forth in fulfilment of revelation and pro- phecy, to meet the bride, the Lamb's wife, the Church and Kingdom of God upon the earth. Says He, "That is not revealed to us, nor never will be until the hour comes; but we have much work to do to pre- pare ourselves for the event." I have always believed from the revelations that we never would know the exact time of the coming of the Son of man; and I am more convinced of this from what the Prophet said to me in my dreams. I have had a many interviews with President Young since he died, a great many teachings from him, and from others who held im- portant positions here in the flesh, but who have gone into the spirit world, and seem, in a measure, to have an interest and watch-care over the Church and Kingdom of God though they have passed to the other side of the veil.

President Wilford Woodruff Addressed the Conference. He said: I feel this morning to offer up the gratitude of my heart to God, my Heavenly Father, that my life has been preserved to again meet in a semi-annual Conference with the Saints. I feel thankful that I have the privilege of meeting with so many of the Apostles, Elders and Saints who have assembled here on this occasion. Our Heavenly Father revealed from heaven, over sixty years ago, to the inhabitants of the earth, through the mouth of the Prophet of God, whom He raised up, that He had set His hand once more, for the last time, to prune His vine- yard and to prepare the people of the earth for the coming of the Son of Man. Over sixty years have passed away since those revelations were given. The Lord called upon the children of men, to take upon themselves the name of Christ— those who were willing to enter in the vineyard of the Lord and preach the Gospel of Christ to them. He gave us to understand that we should be called to go forth and preach the message of the Son of God in this last dispensation of the fulness of times. Many of those who engaged to carry out and fulfill these promises of God to mankind are today in the spirit world. They have closed their mission, they have borne their testimony, they have fulfilled the object of their creation, they have magnified the high and holy Priesthood which the God of heaven has sealed upon their heads, to go forth and admin- ister in the ordinances of life and salvation. A few of us are left; some of us still remain here in the flesh, and we are still called upon to labor. We are still called to officiate in the Holy Priesthood, and to ad- minister in the ordinances of salva- tion to the children of men. It has been a very important dis- pensation, a very interesting gener- ation in which we live as Latter-day Saints. The history of this Church is before the world, and we are still passing through many interesting portions of the experience of the work of God in the last days. I will say to the Latter-day Saints, the Lord has fulfilled, so far, all that He has promised unto us. The Lord has called many men—hun- dreds of them—from the nations of the earth, who have received the Holy Priesthood, the authority by which the God of Israel has always administered in heaven and on the earth the ordinances of life and sal- vation. They have labored faith- fully until the present day; they have warned the inhabitants of the earth. All nations under heaven have been visited by the Elders of Israel as far as the doors were open to receive them. The Lord, so far, has warned the world; He has, so far, carried out the object of the calling of the sons of men. The Gos- pel has been preached and the chil- dren of men have heard it in every nation, including our own. They have heard the testimony of these Elders of Israel. And what was the mission given to the Elders? To go forth and deliver the Gospel message to all the world. The peo ple were called upon to repent of their sins, to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and when they had faith in God, in the Gospel, faith to believe and receive those testimonies given to them, they were called upon to go forth and be baptized for the remission of their sins. Then they had the privilege of receiving the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost. These are some of the principles that have been taught from the time of Father Adam down to that of every Patriarch, Prophet, Apos- tle—and even the Savior himself— in their day and generation, as the only Gospel ever revealed to the human family in any age of the world. There has never been but one Gospel; that Gospel is "the same today, yesterday and forever." [Hebrews 13:8] That Gospel is the same that was taught by Adam to his children; which Elijah, Methuselah, and all the ancient prophets and patriarchs taught to their posterity, and the in- habitants of the earth. Jesus Christ taught the same when He came in the meridian of time; He never de- viated from it in any instance. Paul the Apostle, born in due time, re- ceived the Gospel at the hands of the Lord, who said, though he or an angel from heaven preached any other Gospel, let him be accursed. [Galatians 1:8] That Gospel was revealed to Joseph Smith in all its fulness, pow- er and glory, with all its graces, gifts and principles. He taught it to those around him; he or- ganized this Church on the 6th day of April, 1830; and through all the tribulations, persecutions and trou- bles of the Latter-day Saints, that same Gospel has been among us. I feel thankful that I have lived so long, connected with this Church and Kingdom, and that I live now in the midst of the Latter-day Saints. As the Lord has set His hand to warn the world, to warn this generation, to prune the vine- yard. He will leave every nation un- der heaven without excuse, in these days of judgments, calamities and tribulations, which are about to be poured out upon the earth. I feel thankful that I have been associated with this people up to the present day. How long I shall re- main among the Latter-day Saints I do not know. It matters not with me; but I have the same testimony to bear today that I have had from the commencement of this Church —that it is the work of God—as prom- ised and prophesied of through the mouths of inspired men for 6000 years. I bear my testimony to these things this morning. I hope and trust that while we are assembled in this conference our hearts may be united in faith and prayer, that we may enjoy the Holy Spirit of God. Without the inspiration of that Spirit, Utah would be as barren a desert, as far as we are concerned, today as we found it on the 24th of July, 1847. When you heard the Gospel of Christ preached by those humble men who had been called from their various occupations, to go forth in the Lord's cause, inspired by the Holy Ghost, without purse or scrip, tak- ing no thought what they should eat or what they should drink, [Alma 31:37] you knew that what they taught was true. You heard and believed their testimony, and that same testimony is here with this entire people today. When you received the testimony you were baptized for the remission of your sins, you had hands laid upon you for the recep- tion of the Holy Ghost. Without all this you would have remained at home. I know that this is the work of God, and so do you; therefore let our hearts be thankful to God; let us unite together in our prayers to Him; let us do our duty faithfully while we dwell here in the flesh, and carry out those principles in which we have been taught. Let us continue to preach the Gospel, to warn the nations, to build up Zion, and establish righteousness; so that when we get through and go on the other side of the vail we will be satisfied with our labors here. We should try, therefore, to live our re- ligion, to be true and faithful to our covenants, and to all those principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which will save all men both in time and eternity. I pray to God my Heavenly Father that His blessing may rest upon us —upon these Elders of Israel, upon these Apostles of the Lamb of God, that they may be inspired to declare the words of salvation during this conference to their brethren and sisters, which may God grant, for Christ's sake, Amen.

Upolu, Samoa, To The First Presidency, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Dear Brethern: I wrote you last month asking for four Elders, two for this group and two for the SFriendly islands. I now want to change my request and would like six instead of four as we very much need the latter number on Samoa. Bro. Wood, who is laboring on Savaii with Bro. McCune, writes, that he would like two good Elders to assist him, but there is more work than we can do on Upolu now, and if we all had the language there would still be room for more. Tutuila is in the same condition and it would be a great back set to the work on that island if we should reduce the force there. We are realizing every day the necessity of having native teachers to assist us, as the saints must be taken care of after baptism. They are ostracised and persecuted to a certain extent, and their children refused admittance to the village schools, which are universally conducted by Protestant teachers. Among this people previous training seems to be a necessary requisite to act in the capacity

President W. Woodruff, Dear Bro, Please find inclosed my answer to the New York Correspondent of the Sun. Let Joseph F. Smith read it, for he is a man I much repect. If the Angel in waiting, will inspire you to send me an order on the Tithing Office for some wheat for bread, all will be well, if not, all will be well also. I have now closed my ears against the voice of the charmer, both domestically, socially and politically; for I have seen, I have heard, and do know, that the Angels of Jehovah are now amgst this people. I am now, and forever, Your Bro. in the law of God, John McCarthy