I pray that we, and all America, may hark back to our forebears in our American history, to those who gave us by the divine will of God the Constitution of the United States, and who saw in this government the grandeur that God himself wished, for the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are true.

Source: Elder Levi Edgar Young
General Conference, October 1951

Topics: America, Heritage

Loyalty To Country

Finally, let us be true to our country and to our country’s ideals. Nearly three thousand years ago an ancient prophet said that this is a land choice above all other lands, and it is, and the government of the United States as given to us by our fathers is the real government under which individuals may exercise free agency, individual initiative.

Oh, let us oppose any subversive influence that would deprive us of our individual freedom or make this government a dictator instead of a servant to the people.

Source: President David O. McKay
General Conference, October 1951

Topics: America, Heritage; Free Agency

America, A Land Of Destiny

Let us look for a moment at one or two of the phases of freedom that are so important to us. Most of us believe that America is a promised land, a land of destiny, and so it is. But what is that destiny?

Anciently, the Lord made it known that the gospel would be restored in these last days; that it should come forth after a period of apostasy and that it should come forth upon this land of America. It was necessary that the gospel should come forth under a free form of government in order that the modern people of God could carry on their work without regimentation or restriction, and, therefore, God dedicated America to freedom.

When the Savior was among the Nephites, he predicted the coming forth of the Gentiles upon this land; he told about the coming forth of the gospel itself and said: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they [the Gentiles] should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things”—meaning the gospel principles—“might come forth from them,” that is, from the believing of the Gentiles, “unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel.” (Book of Mormon, III Nephi 21:4.)

Source: Elder Mark E. Petersen
General Conference, April 1946

Topics: America, Destiny

There are influences and movements and groups and organizations within the borders of the United States which today, if they could, would rob us all of our free agency.

Latter-day Saints, of all people, should stand firm in defense of freedom. Free agency has a special meaning to us. We know that without free agency there would be no progress. We all know that the gospel itself is based upon the principle of free agency. Yet there are some among us who have allowed themselves to slip to one side or the other, and they need to reorient themselves in line with the divine revelations we have received concerning the principle of freedom.

Source: Elder Mark E. Petersen
General Conference, April 1946

Topics: Free Agency

Self-Improvement

Looked at in this light—oneself as a beneficiary and division of labor as a benefactor—it becomes pertinent to re-examine one’s own behaviors, attitudes, actions. If we would best serve our individual self-interest, we would do well to live in harmony with the facts of life, not in disharmony with them.

Looked at in this light, one should do everything possible to increase his own perceptive and exchange powers. It is only by self-improvement that one can best serve self. And, clearly, it is only by self-improvement that one can better serve others—that is, add to someone else’s well-being.

Source: Leonard E. Read
Unearned Riches, The Freeman, December 1956, p.28

Topics: Responsibility

The Soundness Of Principles Of Self-help

Let us stand together on our own feet. Let us cooperate to accomplish these so-called material objectives. A sound agriculture is vital to the national economy. I like the words of that great Irish pioneer in cooperative effort, Horace Plunket, who labored for many years among the poor, down-ridden farmers of Ireland, when he said:

For the longer I live, the more certain do I become that what the best of governments can do for farmers is of insignificant importance compared with what, by carefully thought out and loyal cooperation, they can do for themselves.

Let us as Latter-day Saints stand on our own feet. Let us not be inclined to run to a paternalistic government for help when every problem arises, but to attack our problems jointly, and through effective cooperative effort, solve our problems at home.

Source: Elder Ezra Taft Benson
General Conference, October 1945

Topics: Government, Domestic Policy; Welfare

Good Government And Good Men

There has been running through my mind a statement by William Penn: “If men be good, government can not be bad.” At first I was inclined to challenge it seriously, as we are inclined to challenge all statements of broad generalization. I challenged it because I thought of all the exceptions to the rule. I thought of all the peoples, historically and also in the present, who had become captive peoples and oppressed peoples quite beyond their choice or their power to resist. I thought of all the straight-thinking minorities who have resisted the popular fallacies in every generation and in every country. But I became convinced, as I thought further through William Penn’s statement, that it had a broad and fundamental truth in it: “If men be good, government can not be bad”—in the long view of things, and admitting all the exceptions.

Source: Elder Richard L. Evans
General Conference, April 1945

Topics: Government, Good; Morality

Some of the Privileges of Citizenship

Some time ago I was in court where there were a number of people being examined as to their qualifications to become citizens of this great country of ours. The judge asked one of the men this question: “What can you receive as a citizen of this country that you cannot receive without being a citizen?” As an alien, a man could reside in our country, could move about in freedom from place to place, could have the advantages of our schools, could have police protection for himself and family and his business, irrespective of the fact that he was not a citizen. But with all these privileges, he was always an alien, having no part in the feeling and enthusiasm and love of country that belong to us as citizens. One all-important thing that he was unable to enjoy was the right of suffrage—the right to vote and to participate in the government, in its laws and regulations. He could not go out and represent or speak officially for the country or for the officers who might be elected. Therefore, he failed to have one of the great things we value so much.

Source: Elder John H. Taylor
General Conference, April 1945

Topics: Citizenship; Voting

On this point may I quote Robert Ingersoll. I do not agree with him on many things, but on this point, he is right. Said he:

In the first place the government does not support the people, the people support the government. The government is a perpetual pauper. It passes ‘round the hat and solicits contributions; but then you must remember that the government has a musket behind the hat. The government produces nothing. It does not plow the land, it does not sow corn, it does not grow trees. The government is a perpetual consumer. We support the government. Now, the idea that the government can make money for you and me to live on—it is the same as though my hired man should issue certificates of my indebtedness to him for me to live on. Some people tell us that the government can impress its sovereignty on a piece of paper, and that is money. Well, if it is, what is the use of wasting it making one dollar bills? It takes no more ink and no more paper—why not make one thousand dollar bills? Why not make a hundred million dollar bills and all be billionaires? How do you get your money? By work. You have to dig it out of the ground.That is where it comes from. Men have always had a kind of hope that something could be made out of nothing.

Source: Elder Joseph L. Wirthlin
General Conference, October 1944

Topics: Economics; Government, Spending

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