Salt Lake City, . To the PresFirst Presidency, of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter- Day-Saints. Dear Brethren: With a humble heart I undertake to ask for a favor of you. Will you allow me a conversation with you, if it was only just five minutes, I would be satisfied, any time between now and next Friday at four o [clock] in the afternoon, at which time I shall leave this City. I have had a sincere desire for a long ^time^ to obtain that conver- sation, but have not had the courage to ask for it, as I

THE DESERET WEEKLY. PRESIDENT WOODRUFF. said: I want to bear record to this congregation, and to heaven and earth, that what Brother Penrose has said is true; and as a proof of this I will say that I had a great desire in my heart at the last election, that we might have some Republicans in our Legislature, and we have not got one. Here is Brother Lund. -[Brother Lund is one of the Apostles.]- I believe he is a Republican. He ran, but did not get elected. This shows that if I had anything to do with it, I certainly had no influence with the people; for we have got no Republicans in the Legislature.

THE DESERET WEEKLY. President Wilford Woodruff. Before dismissing this Conference I want to say that to me it has been the most interesting I have ever attended. I have never before seen the Latter-day Saints as ready as on this occasion to spend the same num- ber of days together in listening to the teachings and counsels of the servants of God. The Lord has said: "Whom- soever ye bless shall be blessed, and whomsoever ye curse shall be cursed." [Genesis 12:3] I never cursed anybody in my life, and I do not feel like doing so now, for my heart is full of blessings to the Latter- day Saints, to my counselors, to the twelve Apostles, to the Seventies, to the High Priests, to the Elders, Teachers and Deacons, to the Lower Priesthood —all our brethren and sisters through- out the Church. I entertain the same sentiments as have been expressed here by President Cannon toward those who are not of us religiously. There is a feeling of friendliness toward us, I think, in these valleys on the part of those out- side of this Church; they seem to feel in their hearts to give us those rights and privileges which belong to us, under the laws of God and man. Some of the judges have been ready to re- ceive our testimony, our manifestoes, and have seen fit to give and adminis- ter righteous judgment. All such men have my blessing and prayers, and confidence. I feel that God will bless them and all who perform their duties with clemency in righteousness toward their fellow men.

this 6th day of October A.D. 18891. Wilford Woodruff President C. W. Carlson Secretary ^pro tem^ and Treasurer

President W. Woodruff Dear Brother I, am as you see—here in Canada, to see the Saints, and a son and his family who live in this section of country to bless and do them good. I am well, and feel well, and hope that those choice blessings are enjoyed by you, and may continue with you unto the end. Since I have bin on this trip I have been reading in course the Doctrine & Covenants up to Page 168—and on page 108, Sec. 14, I find in a revelation given to David Whitmer, Senaca, Co. N. Y. June, 1829. What attracted my attention more particularly was in the 11 v. And behold, thou art David, and thou art called to assist; which thing if ye do, and are faithful, ye shall be blessed both spiritually and temporaly. . . . In May 15th, 1829, The Aronic Preisthood was confered upon Joseph. Smith and O. Cowdry, in Harmony Pa. see sec. 13, and the very one precedeing the one given to David Whitmer's—being called to assist, and the very next month after the Aronic Preisthood was confered, one in May in Pa. the other in June, and in N. Y. If you reccollect 14 years ago, I was called to go on a mission to Tenn., at that time you and O. Pratt, sent a message by me to David Whitmer then in Richmond, Mo. I had 3 different sittings with him, occupying 10 [h]ours in all. Now what strikes me forcably, is, David said soon after his return from his little mission to bring Joseph the Prophet and company from Pa. Joseph Babtized him and Ordained him as the 3rd Elder in the Church. "Mark it," this was the very next month after the confermation of the Aronic Preisthood in Pa. on the susquhanah River, now I have always beleived that our Prophet recd. the Melchesedic

character that we are establishing, not to permit these infamous state- ments—either made by design or through ignorance—to pass out among the people of this nation without a flat and emphatic contradiction. (Ap- plause.) We are enjoined by the spirit and letter of this revelation to say that these things are false; that they are untrue in every particular; and further, we should say to the people of the United States that we claim the right to be heard upon this subject; that we have been lied about long enough; that we have been misrepresented to our injury and with- out protest as long as we intend to be. I conclude my remarks with the closing words of the resolution, "And may God defend the right," for I believe He will. (Prolonged applause and a chorus of voices: "Amen.") The preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted by the congre- gation raising the right hand and shouting "Aye." Hon. John T. Caine read the following DECLARATION BY THE FIRST PRESIDENCY OF THE CHURCH: Concerning the official report of the Utah Commission made to the Secretary of the Interior, in which they allege, "During the past year, notwithstanding the 'manifesto,' reports have been received by the Com- mission of eighteen male persons who, with an equal number of females, are believed to have entered into polygamous marriages during the year," we have to say it is utterly without foundation in truth. We repeat in the most solemn manner the declaration made by President Wilford Woodruff at our General Conference held last October, that there have been no plural marriages solemnized during the period named. Polygamy or plural marriage has not been taught, neither has there been given permission to any person to enter into its practice, but on the con- trary, it has been strictly forbidden. WILFORD WOODRUFF, GEORGE Q. CANNON, JOSEPH F. SMITH, First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Apostle Moses Thatcher moved that we receive, endorse and adopt as true the statement of the Presidency. Unanimously adopted. Hon. John T. Caine next came forward and said: I move that the conference now adopt the sentiments expressed by the gentleman who modestly denominates himself "a Gentile and a sinner." This motion was carried unanimously. THE AUTHORITIES OF THE CHURCH were presented by presented by President George Q. Cannon for the votes of the assembly, as follows: Wilford Woodruff as Prophet, Seer and Revelator and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world. George Q. Cannon as First Counselor in the First Presidency. Joseph F. Smith as Second Counselor in the First Presidency. Lorenzo Snow as President of the Twelve Apostles. As members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Brigham Young, Moses Thatcher, Francis M. Lyman, John H. Smith, George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant, John W. Taylor, Mariner W. Merrill, Anthon H. Lund and Abraham H. Cannon. Brother Cannon stated that a letter had been received from Brother

President Wilford Woodruff Dear Brethren; After a safe and very pleasant journey and voyage myself and two companions reached Auckland August 13th where we were met by Prest Bing- ham and Elder Bennion. In company with the former I attended the Hauraki & Taupo dis- trict conferences returning to Auckland where I witnessed the departure for Zion of Elders Bingham, Beck and Johnson, who were accom- panied by Sister Dunford, who departed on the comfortable "S. S. Monowai" which is by far the best steamer now on the line, and while the present service is on her advantages are such as to warrant