ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF ad-
dressed the Conference. All of his ex-
perience confirmed him in the faith
that we were entirely dependent on the
Almighty for all things. The servants
of God bore record that the work we
were engaged in was true. They did
not gain this knowledge through hear-
ing others testify to its truthfulness.
Each individual must receive it for
himself or herself, by the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit. This has been the
principle upon which the people of
God in all days had relied. Upon this
principle he could testify that Joseph
Smith was a prophet of the living God,
raised up as an instrument to usher in
the great last dispensation. He had
been intimately acquainted with the
prophet, whom he knew to have been
animated with a fervent desire to bless
and benefit his fellowmen. Joseph
Smith was taught by holy messengers.
These were his teachers, and they in-
formed him that the time had come
for the establishment of the kingdom
of God on the earth, which would
gather people out of every system and
sect in the world. He labored faith-
fully in laying the foundation of the
great work of the Lord until he sealed
his testimony with his blood. Although
he was slain, the principles he sacri-
ficed his life to establish still lived and
flourished.
President Brigham Young was before
the world. He had been acquainted
with him since 1833, and could bear
record, with uplifted hand before heav-
en, that he never had heard him give
any counsel to any person other than
was consonant with principles of peace
and righteousness. His course had
been one of uprightness and justice.
Many then in meeting knew that he
had been a true man in every respect
When the dark days existed among the
Saints at Kirtland, when it was almost
as much as a man's life was worth to
confess that Joseph Smith was a proph-
et of God, Brigham Young upheld and
sustained the prophet. He came
with him to these valleys, when they
presented a barren and uninviting
appearance, and now look at the
great work that had been accom-
plished here, through his untiring en-
ergy and wisdom in the hands of God,
and in connection with his brethren.
He continued speaking for some time
longer, expressing his desires concern[ing]-
the salvation of the human race, allud-
ed to his travels and labors for that pur-
pose, and showed the extent and disin-
terestedness of the labors of the Elders
of the Church in carrying the gospel
to the nations. He explained the relig-
ious rights to which all men were en-
titled, stating that God the Father and
Jesus Christ the Redeemer allowed the
human race perfect liberty in this res-
pect, and no man or class of men had
the least right to curtail it. The con-
stitution of the country guaranteed it
to all. He also discoursed on the patri-
archal order of marriage, explained the
eternal nature of that ordinance, and
the only way by which the social or
family relations formed here could be
binding in the world to come. He was
willing, and so were the great bulk of
the Latter-day Saints, to obey every
good and constitutional law enacted by
the government of our country. With
laws, however, which were designed
to infringe upon his or their rights, as
freemen, he could not say quite so
much.
The building of Temples was men-
tioned by the speaker. The saints
should be energetic in performing that
work, that those sacred and holy ordi-
nances necessary for the salvation of the
dead might be attended to.