Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1905-05-31

Pi0oiu0hI vi uileCloT Ill many is tnat
am a stakeholder in them. | have
put my money in them, and, | believe
may say, the people have confidence
in me and in my business judgment
My position as president of the church
does not weaken that confidence. We
are not trying to crush out Gentle
competition, nor any other competi-
ton. There is no desire to drive the
Gentiles out of business"
IF you will just walk down our
main business Streets" said Presi-
dent Lund, you will see that the loot
is on the other foot. The Gentiles
are rapidly getting control of the bust
ness in Salt Lake City"
There is not, nor ever was, any
disposition to keep out or drive out
the Gentiles, and make Utah a Nor
mon state, pure and simple" said
President Smith. "The Mormon peo-
pie never dreamed of such a thing"
Take the tithing fund.-" continued
the head of the church, taking up
subject of which much is being made
just now by the opposition to him and
his rule. 81 don't own one cent of
that fund, and want to say mere and
now that have never taken one cent
of it in all my life. can't handle that
fund. Here are my two counselors,
who must be consulted, and who must
consent to any use of that runu. Then
there is the presiding bishopric of the
church, which manages it's temporal
affairs, receives the tithing and has it
in charge. Then there are the Twelve
Apostles. All these must be consulted,
and must agree and consent, before
one cent of that money can be ex-
pended. 1t is not eXacted from the
church. 1t is a voluntary offering.
Many do not pay it at all. Some only
pay it in part. Nevertheless, | assert
that no man has been excommuni-
Gated for non-payment of tithes. There
are many uses to which it is put. One
is the care of the poor. Over $780,
900 year is expended for that pur-
pose. But, in our efforts to care for
the welfare of the people, that IS not
all that is done for the poor. We take
care of them until they can be pro-
vided with employment, if able to
work at all. If unable to work, they
are cared for. On the first Sunday
of every month, we fast and every
householder is expected to give the
money thus saved for the use of the
poor"
eve go hungry that day." said
Apostle Penrose, so that we may
know how it feels to go without food"
EYES," said President Smith, chat
is the Mormon way of keeping Lent
fasting the first Sunday of every
month. Then we have our Woman's
Relief society, which works in con-
junction with the church authorities
in caring for the poor and the needy.
In every way we endeavor to look
after our own people, and if there
have been very few Mormons who
have been in the county poor house.
we are all taxed and these institutions
are helped to be maintained by cur
President Smith then entered into
detail concerning the
aid which the Church, out of the tith-
ing fund, had extended to colonies in
Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Canada,
in the way of furnishing funds for ir-
rlgation purposes, buying seed for
future crops, and, in short, helping
The people to help themselves. The
purposes for which the tithing fund
IS used, such as missionary work.
church publishing houses, education
ETC., have already been touched upon
n previous article.
You are charged, Mr.. President
With having practically stated in vour