The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-06
GREAT CROWDS
CONGREGATE IN
TEMPLE SQUARE
Record Attendance in Evidence
on Big Day of Mormon
Conference.
ADDRESSES ARE CHIEFLY
ALONG RELIGIOUS LINES
PRESENTING OF THE CHURCH
AUTHORITIES is POSTPONED
UNTIL TODAY.

Those who expected to hear more
about the stand the Mormon church
has taken i'm regard to local option in
the matter of the liquor traffic were
yesterday disappointed in the main, for
the chief speakers did not touch upon
the subject at all, and the only refer
ence made to 1t was at the overflow
meeting in the Assembly hall and brief
ly in a prayer offered by a stake presi-
dent from Idaho at the afternoon ses-
sion in the tabernacle.
The presenting Of the authorities was
not made yesterday, as had been ex-
pected, but the announcement by Pres
ident Smith is that the officers will be
presented today. The report of the
auditing committee, which will show
the financial condition of the church,
will also be presented today. There is
said to be no significance so far as
church politics. are concerned i'm the
failure to read the names of the au-
thOrities in the tabernacle yesterday.
The president, in making his announce
ments, said that today, being the 9Th
Of April. marked the anniversary Of
the founding of the church. and for
that reason the ceremony was held over
a day
Crowds Equal Record.
The crowds in attendance, at the con-
ference are said by Conservative off
Gals of the church to equal those Of
last year, and it is probable that they
exceed the record of any conference,
they said. The tabernacle was filled
/ to overlooking at both the forenoon
and afternoon sessions, and the over
/ flow meetings i'm the Assembly hall at
( both the morning and afternoon serv-
/ ices thrOnged the place beyond its ca
pacity. In the afternoon an immense
outdoor meeting was held, the speakers
| taking their stand on the platform in
front of the Bureau of Information. 1t
was the official estimate made by more
/ than one of the apostles who spoke in
/ the tabernacle that the grounds con-
/ tanned 10000 people.
! owing TO the fact that the weather
was ideal in every way for the pur-
pose the outdoor meeting attracted
more people than was the case at the
/ two conferences last year, when the
weather was not what it was yester-
day by any means. An improvement
was noted in the organization among
/ the ushers in the tabernacle. There
was crowding, of course, but there was
always order and people were handled
| systematically and skillfully.
Today the. crowds will begin To thin
| a bit. but a great number will remain
/ in the city for several days visiting rel
atives and attending to business mat
| tiers. During the present conference
there has been no complaint about lack
of accommodations for the visitors The
committee of stake presidents of Salt
Lake which had this important end Of
the conference in charge saw to it that
there We're rooms for all, and the re-
( port of the committee is that the peO-
pie who had accommodations to spare
| hastened TO the headquarters and made
the fact known.
Preach the Doctrine.
In all of the addresses yesterday the
speakers confined their remarks to a
discussion of the doctrinal aspect OF
the Mormon church. deIving deep. many
of them, into history most ancient, and
making comparisons, in general way,
between the Mormon church and other
! churches, faiths and creeds. There was
throughout the addresses an expression
of qualification at the condition and
continued growth and prosperity Of the
church. The tone of the speakers in
dicated that the church is in a more
flourishing state today than il has ever
been before, and that there is testimony
at hand which gives them warrant for
the assertion that the outlook for the
future is hopeful to the last degree.
Restaurants Reap Harvest.
out of all the thousands that came
to Salt Lake for the conference, The
greatest benefit in worldly, material
way has been and is being reaped by
81 the restaurants. Since Friday the rest
aurants and hotels have been doing an
immense business. The restaurants
have especially gained by the influx
of people. All of the establishments
made extraordinary preparations to
handle the increased patronage, and
they succeeded admirably. An item
worthy of note is that, so far as re-
ported, the restaurants neither raised
the prices nor permitted their service In
quality and quantity to suffer.
There has been reported no accident
: as a direct result of the conference
crowds.
Apostle RudgeT ClawsOn WAS the first
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