| First Presidency Letterpress Copy Books |
| October 4, 1887 to Elder T. O. Angell, Sr., Church architect | ||||
| President Taylor wanted temple towers of wood (original design) |
A letter from your son T. O. Angell informs us that he suggested some time
ago to President John Taylor the propriety of building the temple towers
of stone instead of finishing them of wood, and that President Taylor's
concluded that they had better be finished according to the original design
in wood. |
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| Twelve considering issue | This question was brought before the Council of the Apostles, and before deciding upon anything in regard to it they were desirous to know more about it than they now understand. It seems, from your son's letter, that the original design was for them to be completed in wood. We suppose this to have been President Young's intention, according to this letter. | |||
| Why
did Brigham want wood? How much more time for stone? |
Why did he prefer wood to stone? And why should they not be finished in stone in preference to wood, as it would appear more in harmony with the rest of the building? A building of such magnitude and so costly in its character, it would seem, ought to have its towers finished in stone. If stone were adopted, how much longer would it require to finish these towers than if they were completed in wood? | |||
| Wilford Woodruff | ||||
| October 4, 1887 to Elder Charles W. Penrose | ||||
| Received letters re: McDonald, Butler, Ray | Your letter of the 14th September addressed to us, giving us a report of your and Brother Franklin S. Richards interviews with MacDonald, Butter and [Ray?] attorneys at Indianapolis, reached us in due course. | MacDonald: former Democratic Senator < Alexander McDonald. | ||
| Surprised by McDonald's low fee |
We were very much surprised at the intelligence brought to us by Brother
Richards concerning their employment and the terms that they proposed which
your letter also confirmed. He thought a fee of $1,000 a very small one
and wondered how a man of ex-Senator MacDonald's reputation could afford
to take hold of such an important case for such an amount, but as the [writ?]
of prohibition was mentioned, we concluded that he was certain that the
business could be done by that means, so that it would not be a lengthy
suit and expensive. |
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| Attorneys should decide tactics, not Twelve |
We were disposed, after some discussion of the matter with the Quorum of
the Twelve to accede to the terms, because we saw no other way of doing
it, the time being so short. But after we had decided in this way we find
from our own attorneys that they were not disposed to taking responsibility
as to the line of defense which had been proposed. We felt that this placed
the Quorum of Apostles in a position which they should not occupy. We think
that our attorneys should decide which is the best line of defense and be
responsible for it, and not leave with us the responsibility of deciding
the line of defense. |
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| Corporate strategy weak |
Brother LeGrand Young
was very positive that to admit that this was a corporation and assume that
as our line of argument, was not so likely to result as well as the other
way. |
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|
Sent Franklin S. to
get opinions of Woolworth and Broadhead |
Finally it was decided for Brother Franklin S. Richards
to go to Omaha and St. Louis and get the opinions of two prominent lawyers
on this question; for we felt that in a matter of such grave importance
we should start right. We desired him to see Mr. Woolworth, of Omaha, who
is very eminent in profession and Mr. Broadhead,
and he left immediately on that mission. Dispatches just received inform
us that Mr. Broadhead, takes the same view that the Indianapolis attorneys
did. That our church is a corporation. |
Broadhead: former Representative and Senator from Missouri, < James O. Broadhead. | ||
| Franklin S. favors Broadhead | As to what will be done we cannot at present speak, because Brother Richards telegraphs us not to decide until he returns. He appears very favorably impressed with Mr. Broadhead, whose fee he says is very moderate. | |||
| [unsigned] | ||||
| October 13, 1887 to President William Paxman, New Zealand | ||||
| Conference
well attended Non-Mormons agreed to no raids |
Our conference has just terminated, being the first that has been held in Salt Lake City for three years. The attendance has been probably larger than any other previous conference. The people have felt great interest in coming here, and as a consequence of it being held in this city, a disposition has been manifested by leading non-Mormons to not interfere with those who attended conference unless they were under indictment, and not to make any raids during the time. | |||
| Assured safe to attend | In fact, there have been no arrests made. Myself, Brothers Erastus Snow and John Henry Smith, who have been underground for some time, received such assurances that we thought it safe to attend the meetings. | |||
| Typhoid, mountain fever, diptheria | There has been considerable sickness of late, a good many cases of typhoid and mountain fever, and also diphtheria. | |||
| Wilford Woodruff | ||||
| October 18, 1887 to John Irvine | ||||
| Verbatim court report | It is import, we think, that there should be a verbatim report secured for our benefit of the proceedings in the Supreme Court of Utah in the confiscation suit against the Church. We should be pleased to have you attend all the sessions of court when this suit is tried and secure for us a full report of the proceedings. | |||
| Wilford Woodruff | ||||
| October 19, 1887 to John Caine | ||||
| John Caine to deliver constitution to president | We have decided that it would be eminently proper for you, as our delegate to Congress and the president of the convention, to be the bearer of a handsomely engrossed copy of the constitution and the memorial to Grover Cleveland, president of the United States. We also feel that you should start as soon as you conveniently can, so as to meet him after his return from his tour, so that when he commences the preparation of his annual message, he will have the constitution before him, with ample time to examine and bestow thought upon it. | |||
| Wilford Woodruff | ||||
| October 18, 1887 to Bishop Edward A. Noble, Alpine, Apache county, Arizona | ||||
| $400 for Jacob Hamblin family | Your letter addressed to President D. K. Udall describing the condition of Brother Jacob Hamblin's family that reside in your place, was read and considered by the Council of the Apostles, and an appropriation of $400.00 was made in their behalf. | |||
| $400
for second family Move body |
Another letter from Bishop Benjamin Brown was read, also describing the destitute condition of another portion of his family, and a like amount was appropriated in their behalf. We feel that his body should be removed from where it was buried by strangers to such place as he expressed a desire to have it buried. Probably his sons can do this. | |||
| Wilford Woodruff | ||||
| October 21, 1887 Jay Gould, esq., New York | ||||
| Dear sir: | ||||
| LeGrand visits Jay Gould | LeGrand Young, esq., who, we believe, well known to you, and who is a gentleman of honor and excellent standing among us, visits your city at our instance for the purpose of laying some business before you with which we have entrusted him. We have selected him for this purpose because of his prudence and reliability in business of this character and because we feel assured that you can safely speak to him with the greatest freedom and confidence. If you can do anything for the people of Utah in the direction he will indicate, it will be highly appreciated and remembered by them, and also be esteemed … | |||
| October 28, 1887 to President George Teasdale, Liverpool, England | ||||
| Conspiracy to obstruct statehood | The plotters against our liberties have this week developed a new conspiracy. Its intent is to hedge up our way to statehood. All the criminal cases having been got through with for the term in the U.S. court sitting in this city, and no gentiles caring to sit on civil cases, where the pay is small and the chance of collecting it meager, open venires have been issued, with the understanding that Mormons only should be summoned. | |||
| Call Mormons as jurors, subject to oath | When the gentlemen thus summoned for jurors appear in court to assume their duties, the odious, unconstitutional oath known as the politic authorities oath is presented to them for their acceptance. Bad as the original oath under the law was, this is so much the more distasteful, as it contains a covert attack at their religion. | |||
| Refuse to take oath, accused of insincerity | Of course, many of the brethren refused to take this oath, and the schemer who laid the trap now exultingly charge our people with insincerity for taking the one oath and refusing the other, and they will make the most of the matter to prejudice the country against our admission into the union. … | |||
| Promise to punish polygamists hedged |
It is not improbable, after we have concluded in a political sense all we
have, that they will reject our appeal, but if they do so, it will only
condemn them in the eyes of heaven all the more surely. We have promised
to do what no other people would—to punish those who perform what we
deem a meritorious action. We have hedged this promise with unusual safeguards,
that we could not get away from it. We have proclaimed that in this promise
we were sincere. Now we must await the results. We have not brought the
question of faith or conscience into the proceedings. We hope to stand by
the principles of our religion, undiminished and uncurtailed, forever. The
United States, as a nation, could not under its constitution, make compacts
with a church, as some foolishly and erroneously fancy has been done. |
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| Joseph F. Smith injured, thrown from buggy |
Brother Joseph F. Smith is suffering from a severe sprain in his left ankle
arising from being thrown out of a buggy which overturned while crossing
the street car track.
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| Wilford Woodruff | ||||
| October 29, 1887 to Elder Charles W. Penrose, New York | ||||
| George Ticknor Curtis: distribute constitution to Congress |
The opinion of Mr. George
Ticknor Curtis, which has been asked for, should be printed in sufficient
quantity to furnish members of Congress with a copy each, also the principal
newspaper editors and men of note throughout the republic accompanying it
marked copies of the constitution and memorial should also be sent—marked
in such a way that it will not take time to find the points of interest.
We have ordered a sufficient number to be sent you for this purpose and
hope you will find it convenient to get them off as quickly as possible.
It is important that members should have them before they become engrossed
with the labors of Congress, as they would have time then to read and bestow
some thought upon the subject. |
Curtis was a Church lobbyist in Washington. | ||
| Deseret News printing minority report of the Commission, distribute it as well | The Deseret News is also printing the minority report of the Utah Commission, which will also be sent to you to distribute with the other matter. You have access to documents that will furnish you the names of the proper persons to receive these documents. | Minority report was produced by McClernand and Carlton, influenced, perhaps, by John W. Young's visit urged by the First Presidency in their letter of < September 17. | ||
| Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith | ||||
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