Latter-day Saints and Prohibition

EDITOR'S TABLE. 5G3

the leaders and elders of this Church; but it requires some effort on our part, some exertion, some devotion, to learn of and to enjoy these things. If we neglect them, we are, of course, not the re- cipients of the blessings that follow effort, and that come from a thorough understanding of these principles. Hence it is that ochers may come in among us and avocate their ideas which, though not comparing with ours in plainness, instruction, and truth, are yet listened to by people who are made to believe that all these things are new, and not contained in the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the Latter-day Saints. This is a fearful fallacy, and one that should be guarded against by every one who loves the gospel. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be found to a greater extent than in any other church, the principles of life and salvation; and if we search them out of our literature and learn them for ourselves, have them confirmed by the Spirit, by right living, and make them a part of ourselves, we shall find

greater comfort and richer blessings, greater treasures of ever- lasting life than in any other teachings that may be given to us by any other organization upon the earth. Joseph F. Smith.

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS AND PROHIBITION. At the April annual conference Elder Hyrum M. Smith refer- red to some ancient history of Israel, and read that striking story in I Kings 12 about Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. The people asked him to ease the burdens and make lighter the yoke which had been put upon them under his father, Solomon. He told them to go back and he would consider the matter. Then he consulted with the old men who stood before Solomon, and with the young men who had grown up with him. The result was, he took the counsel of the- young men rather than that of the older and wiser ones, and he answered his people roughly that his little finger should be

thicker than his father's loins: "My father did lade you with a heavy yoke. I will add to your yoke. My father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions." Then Israel answered the king: "What portion have we in David?

Neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: To your tents, Israel."

Elder Smith then commented upon the verses read, not only expressing the feelings of the people present upon the subject, (for no other words spoken to that vast congregation found a more earnest response than those he uttered), but clearly defining the course and position of all the Latter-day Saints on the subject of prohibition. He said: That reminds me very much of what we have passed through in recent days I do not forget, and I may need to ask pardon for reminding you of it, that at our last conference we spoke out in favor of the closing of saloons and the curtailing of the sale of intoxicating liquors. As a people, as a conference, we spoke in the interest of prohibition. Not only did the Church of Christ do it, but all people, who love virtue, who love temperance, who love purity of life, who believe in the doctrine enunciated in the opening remarks of our conference also desired it.

Other churches and good men and women spoke their will and asked that we be given relief from the bondage under which we are now suffering, that of open saloons, and the desecration of the Sabbath day; and we asked our legislature to kindly grant unto us relief from these yokes of bondage. The Savior on one oc- casion said, "What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will give him a serpent?" We asked for a Sun- day law; we were given a stone. We asked for prohibition, and I want to say here that the lower house of the legislature, with a very few dishonorable excep- tions, stood as a man for virtue and for truth and for honesty, and would have gladly given unto the people what they asked: Lighten our yoke; release us from this bondage that now is destroying our sons and our daughters; and polluting our state. The upper house was the reverse with a very few honorable exceptions. They not only determined that they would not give what the peopie wanted, but they would add insult to injury, and they would say, We not only will not give — you what you ask, but we will show to you that we will by our actions, give them greater license than they ever had before, and show them that, so far as the people are concerned, when vou ask fish we will give you a serpent, and a serpent it is; and as Solomon declared, "It biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder." That is what we got. They held out hope to the last, even a stone; but even the hope of a stone, when we asked for bread, was better than the ser- pent which they gave us. Well, so far as I am concerned, I still stand for purity of life, for prohibi- tion, for the closing of saloons, for the prevention of drunkenness, for every virtue, and for every good thing that will help the people, and so far as I have authoritv to speak for the people of the Church of Christ, the Latter-day Saints still desire relief from this yoke. They desire their burdens to be lightened. We desire the Sabbath day to be kept holy. We desire our children to grow up fear- ing God and keeping holy his Sabbath day and we deplore the condition that prevails ,

where men will arise and make light of and ridicule the honest and sincere and devout wish of a mighty people when they ask for relief from this desecration of the Lord's day. And I will say to you Latter-day Saints, do not lose courage; we