It has been decreed by the Almighty, and spoken of by Book of Mormon prophets that slavery should not obtain and be perpetuated upon this land: "Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written." (Ether ii:12.) This decree of the Almighty has determined the history of this country from the beginning, so far as internal slavery and freedom from bondage of other nations is concerned. If the skeptic shall say that the prophecy was published to the world long after the freedom of the American colonies and the independence of this government were attained, we call attention to the fact that slavery has been abolished in this land since then, and that no nation which has made war with the United States has ever succeeded, and never will, unless the inhabitants of this land shall become overwhelmed in iniquity and abominations. Another striking prediction contained in the Book of Mormon is the following: "And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles; and I will fortify this land against all other nations; and he that fighteth against Zion shall perish, saith God; For he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for I, the Lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words." (II. Nephi x:11-14.) Gradually, yet with certain progress, has the government of kings been abolished from the American continent until nearly all governments in North and South America are republics. Canada is still under the rule of Great Britain, but is managed in such a manner that the liberties of the people are almost, if not quite equal to those of a republican territory. Those who know the history of the effort to make Maximilian a king in Mexico also know how terribly the words of the Book of Mormon have been verified: "For he that raiseth up a king unto me shall perish." This continent is the land of Zion, "and he that fighteth against Zion shall perish, saith God." Before the late Spanish-American war, George Q. Cannon read these predictions from the Book of Mormon before a congregation in the Tabernacle, and with a knowledge that these prophecies were given of the Lord foretold the result of the war and the certain banishment of Spanish kingly power from the American isles. Other prophecies of the sacred volume have been verified since its publication to the world. Those verified should establish faith in reasonable minds that the unfulfilled parts will surely come to pass.