Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-02-13

incomprehensibe. And one thing that
is wonderful: only lew years ago every
effort was made that was possible by
certain parties to take away from us our
votes and to leave us in the condition oil
Cinnamon and Indians. We should
have been stripped OF the right to vote
il it had not been for the exertions that
we made and the blessing OF God upon
those exertions. There was deter
mination ON the part OF great many
people who are now in this Slate to strip
the Latter day Saints of their franchise,
and you can imagine what a condition
we would have been in then by looking
at the Cinnamon. They have no rights
that white man is bound to respect.
Has an lndian any rights that white
men are bound to respect Why, they
are merely tolerated, and all that IS
done for them is that which would be
done for an animal. Men would not
abuse an animal and they would not
abuse a Chinaman or an Indian-thst is
no rightly constituted man or woman
would. But there are lots OF men that
would rob them, because they know
they are defenseless before the Law.
They have no votes, they cannot make
themselves felt. Imagine the condition
we Latteg-day Saints would have been
in II this had occurred, and there is
nothing in the world prevented it but
the most extraordinary exertions on the
part OF some OF the Latter-day Saints
and the blessing oil God upon those ex.
ertions. And yet, for some time past,
the very men that were most active in
trying to bring about this dreadful con-
summation, are the men that Latter-day
Saints turn to, and listen to, and take
advice from, and are controlled by.
To me this Is the most extraordinary
spectacle. | remember very distinctly
the condition we were in when we came
to these valleys, and for years after
wards. President Young was the Presi-
dent OF the Church. He was listened to
as a man OF God. He had great influ.
ence among the people. They saw he
was wise man, and that the Lord
blessed his counsels. His word went
through among the people, and as l said
to you yesterday morning, they aban-
doned all their homes again, because he
counseled it-ready to destroy them and
to 20 out into the wilderness and take
their late there, And he had that
influence that the people all obeyed him
without hesitation. Today President
Woodruff occupies the same position,
holds the same keys; but instead of
being listened to, are there not those
who almost shun himi Do they not
look upon il as uniting church and state
and as almost criminal to listen to him
or to ask his counsel, as though it were
violation OF some rule, OF propriety to
have anything to say to him about many
things concerning which, as a pioneer
and as one oil the founders Of the com.
comweallh, he might be supposed to
know great dealf Now, this is not
what expected would be the case fifty
years ago. | expected that the influence
OF the Prophet OF God, instead oil de-
| creaslng, would increase; that it would
spread, and it would be ielt all through
| the land more and more. never
expected that it would decrease. /, got
letter week or two ago in ten days
from Liverpool. got message from
Liverpool that came quicker than the
revolution OF the earth-that is. reached
me before /, left Liverpool several hours.
The Queen OF England used to have
children and we would get the news OF
their birth before they were born We
can stand at the telephone and talk
great distances, and we have great
many wonders OF this kind. You can
| talk to machine and you can put away
the roll, and months and years after.
wards, after the man has died that
talked, you can put that roll or cylinder
| in the machine, start it, and you can
hear his voice, although he may have
been dead years, and you can hear the
tones OF his voice and that which he
said. You can also hear songs that
have been sung in distant lands years
ago, the singers now dead; and you can
hear music in the same way. Now, II /
| had been told when we came to the
valley that the time would come when
could travel from New York-as | did
last weei-to Salt Lake City in a few
hours less than three days; that | could
receive letter from Europe in ten days;
that could receive news OF events that
took place in Europe hours before the
time oil their occurrence there;
that | could hear the voice
oil the dead speaking the very things
that they said, the very songs that they
sang, the very music that was played, or
that could stand at little machine
and be heard miles away, and | could
hear the voices OF others, and could dis
tinguish the tones OF their voices and
tell who they were that were talking
il had been told all these things at that
time should have said, Eyes, that is
the Millennium, II those things can be
done. They are SO miraculous, that
must be the time spoken OF by the
prophets; the Millennium must have
dawned upon u.s." Then il had been
told that which | see now concerning
the President OF this Church, and the
| influence he has, the way our people
treat him, and the manner they go to
others for advice and counsel, and had
got description or seen that which is
now taking place in our midst, ! should
have said, That is hell"