Avoid Mortgaging The Home.

My remarks are directed more particularly to my brethren who are engaged in agricultural pursuits. Israel has always been an agricultural and pastoral people. We are told that about fifty millions of dollars of our securities are now in the possession of the Federal Reserve Bank. The past we cannot well remedy, but we can, so far as the future is concerned, profit by its experiences. I feel that every mother of a family is entitled to a home, to shelter her and her children, upon which there is no mortgage, and I plead with my brethren to keep mortgages from their farms and homes so far as it is possible.

Source: President Anthony W. Ivins
General Conference, October 1921

Topics: Debt

The humble beginning of the Prophet Joseph Smith is well known. His education was limited. He was obliged to start work early in his life to contribute to the support of himself and other members of the family. Yet from that humble beginning he became one of the greatest prophets of all time. He not only became the dynamic leader of a fast-growing modern Church, but he set forth principles of government worthy of study by our greatest statesmen and in the latter part of his life became a candidate for president of the United States.

Source: Elder Samuel O. Bennion
General Conference, April 1939

Topics: Character

A Day of Extravagance

We are living in a day of extravagance and I have wondered of late where it is going to end. The Church has set the example to every member of it and to the glorious nation that we love, to be out of debt. I remember when our nation, at the close of the World War, found itself in debt to the amount of twenty-six billions of dollars. For ten years as Chairman of the Finance Committee, and a ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, I did everything in my power to reduce that obligation by necessary legislation. It was reduced to sixteen billion dollars and now it is up to forty billion dollars.

I know it is easy to say “billions,” and we have become used to it in America and perhaps in the world, but it may be of interest to some, at least, to give a description of what forty billion dollars really is so that all can understand it I do it in this way: Supposing that the minute the Savior was born some person had decided to deposit in a place selected by him forty dollars and he continued that plan, carrying it out faithfully every minute to the present time, at the end, my brethren and sisters, there would be forty billions of dollars there.

So you see what responsibilities rest upon those who direct the financial affairs of our Government. I want every Latter-day Saint, no matter where he is, to support in every way every recommendation made, not only by this administration but by the administrations to follow to reduce these obligations, for they will have to do everything in their power to accomplish this.

Source: Elder Reed Smoot
General Conference, April 1939

Topics: Debt

In 1844 the Prophet Joseph Smith gave the following counsel with respect to a coming event which was soon to cast its black shadow over the land, and which was of great and general concern. “Pray Congress to pay every man a reasonable price for his slaves out of the surplus revenue arising from the sale of public lands, and from deduction of pay from the members of Congress, break off the shackles from the poor black man, and hire him to labor like other human beings, for an hour of virtuous liberty on earth is worth a whole eternity of bondage.” The Prophet continued, “The southern people are hospitable and noble. They will help to rid so free a country of every vestige of slavery whenever they are assured of an equivalent for their property.” And, by the way, in the same declaration the Prophet Joseph makes the recommendation, which is applicable to nations and states today, that more economy be practiced in the national and state governments.

Source: Elder Charles A. Callis
General Conference, October 1938

Topics: Government, Limited; Slavery

The Priesthood of the Son of God which we have in our midst is a perfect order and system of government, and this alone can deliver the human family from all the evils which now afflict its members, and insure them of happiness hereafter.

So Priesthood to me is more than the power of God delegated unto us, whereby we may act as his representatives, it is a perfect system and order of government given to us through which we may help the human race to solve the problems that now afflict it. One of the greatest differences between this government and the government of men is that we have no desire to take away land or natural resources from any nation or people, but we have a desire to help the human race, teach them the ways of life and righteousness as they have been revealed to us in this day and age.

Source: Elder Joseph L. Wirthlin
General Conference, October 1938

Topics: Government

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

We believe that, and this is the relationship that should exist between us and all nations, regardless of where we may live; as the Priesthood and the government of the Lord Jesus Christ we have a definite responsibility in connection with the Constitution of these United States. I am sure if there is a people in all the world that appreciates the Constitution it is this people, for under this divine instrument it was possible for Joseph Smith to bring into existence the Church of Jesus Christ, in a nation where there are equal rights, the right to worship God according to the dictates of one’s conscience.

Source: Elder Joseph L. Wirthlin
General Conference, October 1938

Topics: Freedom, Religious; US Constitution, Inspired

We should at all times be willing to sustain the great Bill of Rights in our own country, to sustain and uphold the laws here. I firmly believe that Brigham Young was a prophet of Almighty God. I think that he spoke under the inspiration of the Lord’s Spirit. I want to read to you an excerpt from one of his sermons, wherein he laid upon the shoulders of the Priesthood of this Church some very definite responsibilities relative to the fundamental law of our country. He said:

I expect to see the day when the Elders of Israel will protect and sustain civil and religious liberty, and every constitutional right bequeathed to us by our fathers.

He said these rights would go out in connection with the Gospel for the salvation of all nations, and added:

I shall see this whether I live or whether I die. I do not lift up my voice against the great and glorious government guaranteed to every citizen by our Constitution, but against those administrators who trample the Constitution and just laws under their feet.

We see from this prophecy, uttered by a prophet of God that there will yet devolve upon the Priesthood of this Church the responsibility of protecting the rights and the Constitution of our great country.

Source: Elder Joseph L. Wirthlin
General Conference, October 1938

Topics: America, Future; Bill of Rights

Overseas it is the struggles of nations that fix our attention. In our own fair land we are disturbed by myriads of strikes and lockouts, industrial disputes, struggles of class against class, groups against groups, parties against parties, etc., in great number. In all of these cases clever propaganda, accompanied by some type of force, are the weapons of the struggles.

To see all of these things makes us fear and tremble for the morrow, for it is evident that a mighty revolution is in progress the end of which will be a profoundly different America from the historic country we received from the founders of the Republic. In those days the patriots fought against taxation without representation, the fight being the spark that set the revolution aflame. Today we fight for representation without taxation. We struggle for all the advantages of a benevolent government, set up by ourselves, made rich by the strong arm of the law seizing whatever it can from him who has.

We fight against being taxed, but demand more and more of the benefits that taxes provide. Is this not a struggle to get something for nothing, at least to get more and more for less and less?

We listen to smooth-tongued demagogues, accept as truth their wild vagaries and enthusiastically follow their cunning and selfish leadership. Why? Is it not in the hope of getting for ourselves more and more for less and less? We become adherents of various groups, pay membership dues, sometimes participate in disturbances, and engage in various other kinds of activities. Why? Is it not in the hope of getting more and more for less and less?

In all of these things do we stop to ask ourselves if our conduct squares with the thirteenth article of our faith? We profess to hate communism and fascism and stoutly deny that we would give the slightest support to either of these isms. Do we ever stop to think that in many respects these isms have much in common and that many of the things we do are heartily supported by communists who see in them an application of communistic principles? We are willing to overthrow some of our established methods and institutions, apparently without realizing that in so doing we take step after step that brings us nearer and nearer to communistic objectives.

Source: Elder Joseph F. Merrill
General Conference, October 1938

Topics: Freedom, Loss of; Government, Loss of Freedom

World War Brought Hope

Twenty-one years ago our fathers, brothers and sons were enlisting in the great struggle of the World War; they were responding to the appeal that we were going to make the world safe for democracy, and we were led to hope and believe that it was the last great war, and the war to end war.

When the war was over we saw nation after nation abandon their monarchial forms of government and become republics, patterned after this nation, and our hearts were full of joy at the prospect that at last democracy and peace were going to reign.

Quick Return To Worse Conditions

Since then we have been greatly disturbed to see nation after nation abandon its democracy and go back to a condition some of us think worse than the condition under the czars, the kaisers, and the rulers, into a dictatorship. Today we witness the nations of the earth spending more money than in any other time in their history in building equipment upon the sea and the land for future wars. It is a sad picture, and yet I suppose that our wish was father to our thought, and we had hoped to see the end of the struggle and strife in this world.

Source: Elder Melvin J. Ballard
General Conference, October 1938

Topics: Freedom, Loss of; War

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