In a despotism, an absolute monarchy, where the king rules, and the people only submit, great is the obligation of the king, but the individual citizen’s obligation is correspondingly less. In our own government, where the people rule, each individual citizen is a ruler in the nation and great is his responsibility; great are the obligations that rest upon him by reason of that citizenship, for he himself is a ruler, a sovereign, and helps to form and fashion the government of which he is one of its rulers. If we have good government it is because the individual citizens are good. If we have a bad government it is because the individual citizens are bad. That applies not only to the nation at large, but to the state, to the county and to the city.

Source: Elder Rulon S. Wells
General Conference, October 1921

Topics: Government, Forms of; Responsibility

Not only is it an obligation to lead a clean and virtuous life, an honest and moral life in our association as members of the Church, but also in every other association. No man is a good citizen if he leads an immoral life. No officer is a good citizen who winks at and condones the violations of law. Such men may be found who will cry themselves hoarse in lauding the “Stars and tripes,” and prate about the Constitution and the principles of human liberty, and are frequently found at the primaries and conventions seeking nominations to public office, but if they are unclean they are not good citizens. “When the wicked rule the people mourn.” Hence the obligation to choose good men and wise men for places of public trust.

Source: Elder Rulon S. Wells
General Conference, October 1921

Topics: Righteousness; Voting

It is [the] Spirit that formed this government and gave us our Constitution. The Lord raised up wise men, he said, wise men for that very purpose. It was the Spirit of the Lord, making for liberty, that operated in the heart of a Martin Luther, of an Oliver Cromwell, and men of that character, wo received a great portion of the Spirit of the Lord to direct them in their efforts; and Providence was over all.

Source: Elder Charles W. Nibley
General Conference, October 1921

Topics: America, Heritage

[The Book of Mormon] contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel, in simplicity, easy to be understood, as it was taught to the people by the Redeemer who established his Church among the Nephites. The code of morals which it teaches is beyond criticism, and if adhered to would redeem the world from the condition of moral degeneracy which now prevails. It teaches ethics in civil government which, if adhered to, would solve the perplexing political questions which bewilder the world today, would remove the burdens of taxation from the backs of the struggling masses, and bring peace to the earth and fraternity among all mankind.

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

Topics: Government, Ideal

True, the Latter-day Saints have been persecuted under the Stars and Stripes in various States of the Union; but, we must not make the mistake of supposing that it was because of the Flag, or of the Constitution, or of the genius of the American government, that these deplorable happenings took place. No; it was not because, but in spite of them. Those persecutions were inflicted by lawless force, by mob violence, ever to be execrated and condemned by every true patriot. Let us credit our noble Nation with what it has done in the direction of filling its God-given mission. In no other land—in no other nation upon this land, would the Lord’s people have been treated with the same degree of consideration. In no other country on earth would this work have been permitted to come forth. This nation was founded purposely, that the Church and Kingdom of God might be established and all nations bask in its light and share in its blessings.

Source: Elder Orson F. Whitney
General Conference, April 1921

Topics: America, Heritage; Freedom, Religious

Each town of early-day Utah was an ecclesiastical unit, with social and political tendencies. The ecclesiastical unit was based on the idea of individual power and self-development through religious principles. Each individual was responsible in this religious scheme to his God; each was independent to grow intellectually and morally in the sense that man is in the image of God. It is necessary to say this m order that we may understand the democracy of the town government of early-day Utah. Politically and socially, all rights were inherent in the people.

The power that held the people together was the religious feeling; and with this the economic interests common to all. In these social groups, the desire was to live and let live. The people were intensely practical; the physical conditions of the country made them so. They were compelled to apply their religious idealism to the immediate problems in hand.

The two ideals fundamental in traditional American thought are the ideal of individual freedom to compete unrestrictedly for the resources of the country, and the ideal of democracy, where the government is for all the people and by all the people. American democracy has always been based on free lands. Such ideals were always present in the colonizing of the valleys of Utah. But we must not forget that the “Mormon” colonists were always religious in their organization in form as well as in purpose.

Source: Elder Levi Edgar Young
General Conference, April 1921

Topics: Freedom; Society

Edmund Randolph of Virginia described the effort to deal with the issue at the Constitutional Convention:

“The general object was to produce a cure for the evils under which the United States labored; that in tracing these evils to their origins, every man had found it in the turbulence and follies of democracy.”

Source: Edmun Randolph

Topics: Democracy; US Constitution

It is only by the help of the Spirit of the Almighty that will bring us to the point where justice and righteousness can at least approximately be approached. We have had contentions in our own nation during the recent months of railroad strikes, coal strikes, and other contentions that have threatened the very existence of our government; and also there have grown up in our nation, secret organizations, combinations of men, no doubt desiring to protect their own selfsh interests, even though those interests should conflict with the strict principles of justice. Some of these organizations like the Ku Klux Klan have undertaken to administer what they call justice, independent of Constitutional law, and the rights of men, and they have taken the law into their own hands and have dealt with certain people in a way which can only result in disorder, turmoil, strife, and in the breaking down of Constitutional law. For these Secret organizations undertake to administer punishment upon men and women, irrespective of the laws of the land.

Source: Elder Charles W. Nibley
General Conference, October 1922

Topics: Freedom, Threats to; Government, Downfall

Let Us Possess Ourselves In Patience

Now, let us take to heart the lessons of this morning, brethren and sisters. Do not, during this coming campaign,—I allude to it just simply in that way; I do not want to talk politics, or to have it said I have been talking politics—but in this coming campaign possess yourselves in patience, and do not abuse or misrepresent any other person or party. You have no right to do it. I do not care how strong a partisan you may be on your own side, you have no right to misrepresent the other. You have no right to lie about it or about them. You have no right to commit any kind of injustice. Tell the truth as you understand it before the Lord, but not the whole truth, if that truth includes abusing the other party. Do not misrepresent what other people believe, and say a certain party believes this. Do not do that. Tell them what you believe, if you want to tell them what you understand; make clear and plain the truth as it appears to you, and do not find fault with and abuse or misrepresent others, either parties or persons. Is that politics? Call it what you like, it is the truth, it is the gospel.

Source: President Charles W. Penrose
General Conference, October 1920

Topics: Politics

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