Thursday, March 1, 1900

First Presidency at the office. At 11 o’clock the following brethren of the Apostles met with them: F. M. Lyman, J. H. Smith, J. W. Taylor, A. H. Lund and A. O. Woodruff.

A question came up as to persons having the blood of Cain in their veins, and whether there was not a time when it might become so diluted that they would be entitled to the priesthood. President Snow related a conversation he had had with President Brigham Young on this subject at the time he was ordained, in which President Young set forth the idea that spirits were classified in heaven before they came here, and that Cain stood at the head of a class of spirits who were willing to follow him and to come here and take black bodies. I had a conversation very early in life with President John Taylor, who told me what the Prophet Joseph had said upon this subject. I related it to-day to the Council. He told him that the seed of Cain could not hold the priesthood, and that they would be debarred from the priesthood until Abel should have seed who could come forward and receive the priesthood. Cain had killed Abel, and he had died childless. If Cain's posterity were to receive the priesthood, the family of the slayer would have advantages over the slain, and for this reason there could be no priesthood bestowed upon the seed of Cain at present. I said to the brethren that my view was that no one having any of this blood in their veins, no matter how small a drop it might be, could possibly hold the priesthood; for if they were permitted to receive ordinances, they could trace back their genealogy till they should strike the full negro blood, and therefore they could not be permitted to receive the ordinances, that being the curse placed upon the seed.

Friday, March 2, 1900

Bishops Preston and Winder and Attorney F. S. Richards had a lengthy conversation with the First Presidency upon the subject of having a corporation sole in this State to hold property, the same as the law of Idaho permitted. To accomplish this, however, a law would have to be enacted here, which Brother Richards thought might be done, and with a few alterations from the law of Idaho, would be an excellent method for us to adopt to hold our Church property. The matter was discussed very freely, and all were of the opinion that it would be a good thing to get a law of this kind enacted.

Saturday, March 3, 1900

President Snow and myself were at the office, and attended to various items of business.

Sunday, March 4, 1900

It being fast day, I and my wives Sarah Jane, Martha and Caroline went to the meeting at the temple. We had a delightful time. In the afternoon I met with the saints in our ward, and we had an excellent meeting.

Monday, March 5, 1900

The First Presidency listened to a report made by Brothers A. O. Woodruff and F. S. Richards of their visit to Cheyenne to straighten out matters connected with the land and water in the Big Horn country. Brother Richards called to our attention the serious features of the contract that it is proposed to enter into and the obligations we should be under if we made it, and he wished us to consider the matter seriously. If we enter upon this contract, we agree to build 25 miles of canal and secure 18,000 acres of land thereby, which we get under the Carey act at 50¢ an acre. The whole canal has to be finished within four years, as the Carey Act only runs four years longer. The Wyoming authorities, however, think that there will be no trouble about getting an extension of the Act. But there is uncertainty about it. The 25 miles of canal, the State Engineer of Wyoming estimates as being likely to cost $75,000. If the canal is not finished in the time, the State can take possession of it, and the canal company would be deprived of its rights. This is a point that Brother Richards wanted considered. Brother Woodruff seemed very sanguine that it could be done. I stated that I hoped we were not going to bite off more than we could chew in undertaking this great enterprise. I thought we ought to enter into it very carefully.

Tuesday, March 6, 1900

First Presidency at the office. Attended to various matters of business.

It being my son Georgius’ eighth birthday, I arranged to have him baptized at the temple to-day. The brethren were kind enough to get the font ready for me, and I baptized him and confirmed him a member of the Church. His brother Hugh then baptized him for his health, and baptized me for my health. Then Georgius and I were baptized for 39 persons – Members of Congress, Senators and others with whom I had been acquainted in the East, and who had been friendly to our people. I was glad to have this opportunity; I have had it on my mind for a long time to attend to this, but it has been postponed. I felt excellently in attending to this ordinance in behalf of these men, among whom were James A. Garfield, James G. Blaine, Samuel J. Randall, Justice Lamar, Attorney General J. S. Black, Geo. M. Landers, and Senator Sargent of California.

Wednesday, March 7, 1900

I expected to go to Provo this morning, but through the slowness of my driver in bringing the carriage for us, we missed the train – the first time in my life that I ever missed a train, with all the traveling I have done. I felt very much annoyed about it. I telephoned to Provo and had them postpone the Grand Central Co. meeting until 3:35, at which time I expect to reach Provo by another train.

Dictated my journal to Brother Winter.

At 2:30 I went to Provo to attend the meeting of the Grand Central Mining Co.. The prospects of the Company are not very bright, as they are exploring and spending money now in trying to develop the property.

Thursday, March 8, 1900

First Presidency at the office this morning.

At 11 o’clock we met at the temple. Beside the First Presidency, there were present Apostles Lyman, Teasdale, Grant, Woodruff and Clawson. President Snow offered the opening prayer, and Brother Woodruff prayed in the circle. Brother Lyman was selected to attend the conference at St. George. It was felt that his presence there would do good in encouraging the people. The southern country is suffering very much from drouth. Brothers Grant and Clawson reported the results of their visit to Arizona and Mexico, and spoke in the highest terms of the spirit of the people in the St. John Stake. It was decided to extend relief to them and an appropriation of $1500, in addition to $2500 already appropriated, was favored by President Snow.

The Presidency had a call to-day from Mr. Dickey, one of the Superintendents of the Western Union Telegraph Co. He was accompanied by Mr. Brooks, one of his assistants, whose office is at Denver. Mr. Dickey is an old acquaintance of mine. He came in to close the business connected with the purchase of the Deseret Telegraph Co. by the Western Union Co.

Friday, March 9, 1900

First Presidency at the office this morning. We had a call from Bishop Preston and Architect Kletting, who submitted some plans for the proposed new Deseret News building.

Brother L. G. Hardy called to see us. He has come down from Alberta and represents the condition of the people there. They have spent the money they received for their contract and have run in debt besides. They wish to obtain a loan of $700 from the Trustee-in-Trust to fence their land, and $500 for seed wheat. They also wish to make an arrangement to get land at $3 an acre and pay for it in installments from one to five years, the rate of interest to be seven percent. This was agreed to.

Saturday, March 10, 1900

First Presidency at the office to-day. I attended the Salt Lake Stake Conference this afternoon and made some remarks.

Sunday, March 11, 1900

The Stake Conference was held in the Assembly Hall this morning and in the afternoon in the Tabernacle. In the afternoon meeting, after the authorities had been presented, Brother George Teasdale spoke, and I followed him, occupying about 60 mins. and had considerable liberty.

Monday, March 12, 1900

President Snow was not at the office, having gone to Brigham City yesterday. President Smith and myself were at the office. There was no business of any importance.

Tuesday, March 13, 1900

First Presidency at the office.

At 10 o’clock I met with the Board of Directors of the Utah Light & Power Co. and we attended to various items of business.

Bishop Clawson returned from Washington yesterday and came to the office with Brother John Henry Smith, and they reported their labors there.

We had a call from Brother Reed Smoot, who accompanied two brothers of Bishop Harmon, of Springville, who has been sent to the penitentiary for adultery. They had a petition signed by upwards of four hundred people, asking for his pardon. It was thought better not to press this at the present time, as it was inopportune. The Governor would scarcely be likely to take any action previous to the election that is now pending, and they were counseled to not push the matter now. I suppose the facts are that Bishop Harmon confessed to adultery rather than to expose any person. He has not been guilty, as I understand, of this crime; but the woman with whom he is accused of having adulterous connection is really a plural wife. He felt, however, that it would be wrong for him to expose the Church in any way, considering the clamor that is now being made about plural marriages, and therefore elected to confess to the crime of adultery.

Brothers F. M. Lyman, A. H. Lund and Geo. Reynolds were appointed a committee to examine and revise such printed works as shall be presented for revision or acceptance before publication. The Pearl of Great Price has been gone through and references made in footnotes, by Dr. J. E. Talmage, after the fashion that Brother Pratt did with the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. When the matter was mentioned I told Brother Talmage very plainly that there must be no comments printed in the footnotes; the text must stand for itself. I said that I was very much opposed to the comments that now appear in our Book of Doctrine and Covenants and in the Book of Mormon, because they were, in my opinion, very unsuitable. He promised that nothing of that kind should be attempted.

The Grass Creek Coal Company had a meeting at the office this afternoon.

Brother N. W. Clayton has offered his stock in the Saltair Beach Co, amounting to $10,000, and his stock in the Salt Lake & Los Angeles Ry. Co., amounting to $5000, for the sum of $5000. President Snow consulted with President Smith and myself as to its purchase, and we thought it would be a good thing to buy it.

Wednesday, March 14, 1900

First Presidency at the office.

We had a visit to-day from Brothers Geo. C. & William C. Parkinson and their father, S. S. Parkinson, who described to us an organization that had been entered into some years ago of various interests in Franklin, Idaho, We had a visit to-day from Brothers Geo. C. & William C. Parkinson and their father, S. S. Parkinson, who described to us an organization that had been entered into some years ago of various interests in Franklin, Idaho, and in which Moses Thatcher had taken a very active part. The brethren gave a long recital of the condition of affairs and the steps that had been taken to deprive their father and their brother Frank of their rights in this company, and according to their statements Moses Thatcher had acted, if not dishonestly, at least in a very improper manner. They wished to know whether they would be justified in going to law without appealing in the first place to the Church tribunals. After hearing that the three brethren who were associated together in this business - Moses Thatcher, James Mack and Thomas Smart - all professed to have a membership in the Church, a motion was made that the case be referred to the High Council of the Cache Stake. Although these parties live in different Stakes, it was concluded that the First Presidency had a right to select which Stake it should be tried in, and as Brother Merrill presides over the Cache Stake and is a man of judgment and fairness it was thought that would be a good place for the trial of the case.

A very strong appeal was afterwards made by the Brothers Parkinson in favor of the Oneida Stake Academy, which was listened to favorably and they were led to hope that if the Trustee-in-Trust could possibly render them aid they should receive it.

Thursday, March 15, 1900

First Presidency at the office.

I met with the Utah Sugar Co. at 10 o’clock.

At 11 o’clock our usual meeting in the temple was held. The First Presidency and Apostles Lyman, Smith, Teasdale, Grant, Lund, Woodruff and Clawson were present. Brother Clawson was mouth in the opening prayer and I prayed in the circle. Considerable business was done.

A proposition was made by Brother Clawson for the Church to assist in erecting a monument to President Woodruff. President Woodruff left $600 in his will for a monument, and it was the intention now to have all the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations subscribe something, and then to have the Church assist, in putting up a monument that would cost two or three thousand dollars.

I enquired if President Woodruff had said in his will that he wished a monument, for himself.

The answer was that he had not said monument.

There was some discussion on this subject, and I gave my views. I said that I was utterly opposed to this practice of begging means to erect monuments to our deceased brethren. I had not the least objection to proper headstones or something of that the family or immediate friends might erect; but I was opposed to this begging of the Church and the various organizations of the Church to raise money for any such purpose. It had been proposed by some of the Sunday school people that we should erect a monument to Brother George Goddard. I opposed that. Talk had also been indulged in about erecting a monument to Brother John Morgan; and various propositions of this kind came up from time to time. I thought I knew President Woodruff’s feelings, and I was sure he would not be in favor of any such proposition. I would be willing to do anything in our power to honor President Woodruff – a man whom we all loved, and for whom we all entertained the greatest reverence; but I thought it would be imprudent for us to do anything of this kind.

President Snow endorsed everything I said, as did Brother Lyman.

Brother A. O. Woodruff arose and said, On behalf of his father and family he declined the proposition.

I felt delicate about mentioning this lest I should be misunderstood; but there is such a tendency to start things of this kind and then expect others to subscribe until it becomes burdensome on the community, and I think there should be a stop put to it.

Mrs. McCune had invited me to attend a gathering at the Gardo House of the leading people of the Mutual Improvement Associations this evening, and my wife Sarah Jane and I went and enjoyed ourselves very much.

Friday, March 16, 1900

First Presidency at the office; no particular business there.

I was busy to-day making final preparations for starting the dining room again for my family. My wives have expressed a great desire to have us all eat together in a common dining room as we used to do. There are various reasons why they wish this. Some think they would see more of myself and have more of my company, and the children would have a better chance to see me. We can get together and have family prayers also; and it is felt that it will be every way beneficial and promote union and love. I was much gratified to have them manifest this feeling; and although it costs me more than living separately I feel as though I will try and meet any additional expense to gratify them and carry out this method of living, which I think is a good example. We took dinner together this evening. The two girls that have lived with my wives Martha and Caroline have undertaken to do our cooking, and I think it will be attended with the best of results. In the first place I believe it will be healthier, because we shall eat regularly, and in courses, and take more time at our meals, and will necessarily live a little better – all of which will conduce to good health. I am very thankful for the spirit manifested in this matter, as it is in the direction that I wish to operate. In attending to prayers I call on each member of the family to pray in turn; the same in asking blessing on the food. I commenced this evening with the youngest, and shall go on to the oldest, in the blessing; and in family praying I shall commence with the oldest and go to the youngest.

Saturday, March 17, 1900

First Presidency at the office; no particular business.

Sunday, March 18, 1900

I intended to go to the Davis Stake Conference this morning, but after dressing and getting ready I felt so upset that I concluded not to go.

This has been a day of some agitation to me, and I make a minute of it in my journal that I may not trust entirely to memory for what occurred.

Some weeks ago my wife Caroline’s son Mark was in family meeting when I asked the members of the family about entering into this association. They all answered favorably but him. He said he would like to think about it. I waited to hear from him more on the subject, but nothing has been said, and he is making his preparations to go to Canada and engage in the stock business there if he can get the necessary capital. A day or two ago his mother borrowed $800 to get him the necessary outfit. I have not been altogether pleased with the operation; for it has been not clear to me that it was likely to result in success. In one conversation I had with him I suggested the idea that he should learn something about agriculture and stock before he went there to work for himself. He replied that it would take a long time to do that, and he could not get married for some time (he is engaged to a daughter of Brother John R. Winder), and he said he did know something about farming. Well, I suppose he does, because all the boys have learned something in that line; but I do not consider his experience sufficient to entitle him to the name of a farmer. My feeling was that he ought to gain experience of some kind before he went so far away as Canada, and I said to him that he could go down and work at my farm Westover. We had a good farmer there and he could learn something more about agriculture, and when he acquired that knowledge then he would be in a position to undertake something for himself; but this did not meet with his approval. My fears about Mark are that he will not stick to this business in Canada. When he returned from his mission, learning from him and his mother that he was fond of stock, I suggested that he should go to the Agricultural College and get training there. I arranged for him to go and expended some little means to assist him in going there. He stayed there a short time – not more than a few months – then got tired of it and wanted to come home. His excuse for leaving there was that his health was not good, and he would like to learn bookkeeping. He entered the bookkeeping department of the Latter-day Saints College and worked there for some time. While I was away at a conference I got a letter from him that he would like to get employment at Z C.M.I. and wished me to recommend him, which I did, and he got a place at $30 a month. The wages were not high, but I encouraged him with the idea that by persevering and obtaining a knowledge of the business he would gradually get promoted and receive higher wages. He has been dissatisfied for some time with this position, and talked at one time of volunteering as a soldier. He hoped that he could get an appointment as a lieutenant, and spoke to my son Frank about it. When the prospect of receiving a commission failed he still talked of going into the service. He has been casting about in various directions to obtain a change of employment. As soon as the Canada proposition took form in his mind he then became more unsettled than ever, and now he is full of the desire to go and be a farmer and a stockraiser in Canada. I think he lacks application and likes change, and I fear that, notwithstanding the outlay of means that his departure will cause, he will not be satisfied there.

This morning I asked his mother if she knew any reason why he had declined to enter into the family association. I said he had promised to give me an answer, but I had heard nothing from him, and I wanted to know. She then told me that things had occurred which had caused him to be very dissatisfied with the proposition to join the association. She said that my boys did not feel well toward Mark, and they manifested it in various ways, making it very unpleasant for him. I asked her what it was. One thing, she said, the boys had written on the fenceboards his name as Mark Croxall, and that remarks had been made by one and another in the family, showing that they did not look upon him as if he were one of my own children, and he had not been treated properly in this respect. What she said agitated me a good deal. In reply I said that I thought it very improper for him to go off with that kind of feeling towards us; that he ought to have come to me frankly and told me what his objections were and what his cause for feeling was; that I had always treated him as kindly as I would any son I had, and it was, I thought, very wrong to keep these things from me. I said I could not consent to his going off with this matter unexplained and cleared up. I did not want it said hereafter, when enquiry shall be made as to why he is not associated with the family, that he has not been treated properly by the family.

After Sunday school I told my wife and Mark that I wanted to see them and have conversation with them. I told Mark that I had wanted to know what his reasons were for declining to enter into the association. I said it was a matter, of course, that I did not wish to force upon him in the least; I wanted everyone of my children to feel that they were perfectly free to do as they pleased about this matter, and if they did not feel like associating themselves in this manner I would have no feelings. But, I said, I understand that you have reasons for not doing this which are of such a character that I want to hear them from yourself. I said, I want you to be frank and plain, and tell me all that there is in your heart about this matter, and have no concealment.

He then proceeded to state that the boys had written his name, Mark Croxall, on some of the fences, and that remarks had been made by one and another concerning us.

I asked him who he meant by “us”.

Well, he said, I will confine it to myself particularly; and to one very particular friend of his, whose name he would not reveal, had told him conversations about which he had heard in the family concerning his mother’s children that were not mine.

Another thing that made him think they had feelings against him was, the boys had played some tricks with his buggy. They had left all the other buggies there, but had interfered with his buggy.

I asked him if he knew who had done these things.

He said that Clawson had told him that Espy had done it, and there was feeling shown by different ones.

I was surprised at the trifling character of what he had to set forth as a reason for feeling that he was not welcome in the family, and I talked to him about as follows:

Mark, you know that I have always treated you as a son in every respect, and I think this is very trifling what you have to say upon the subject. Let us now look at the other side of this question. I married your mother after all my other wives, and she became my legal wife. She supplanted my older wives. My wife Sarah Jane, who is my oldest living wife, was my wife years and years before you were born; and my other wives were sealed to me also years before you were born. But they are dropped to a certain extent, and she has become my wife before the world, recognized by the world as my wife, while the others have to stand back. My children come into this house to see me. They see the situation I am in. They cannot help but think of their mothers. They are not insensible to the condition of affairs; that their mothers are comparatively neglected while your mother is honored. You, her children, are also honored. You occupy the position of my only family. They look around in your mother’s house and they see the advantages she has through my living here. The very chair that I am sitting in, there is not a house on my place that has such a chair as this. In this room there are two pianos; both your sisters have a piano each, which I have purchased them. My other daughters are not so situated. The pictures on the walls that your mother has my other wives do not have. There are numerous things of this character that are plainly seen by my children. They love their mothers, and they desire their mothers to have every right that belongs to them. They are not blind that they cannot see what is going on around them; and although I take all the pains I can to preserve good feelings in my family, I am very happy to say there is good feeling. There must be some allowance made for the little boys and their feelings. I am thankful to the Lord that there is so little feeling; in fact, I am surprised, under the circumstances, that my family is so contented. Now, put yourself in their place, and how would you feel? You do not know how you would feel, but I do, if it were your mother’s case. Your sisters went to Boston with two of the other girls. They were treated exactly alike in every respect, and you five children have received from me all the kind treatment that a father could give to children. I have been exceedingly particular about this, because I did not want to put myself in a position where I could be criticized.

I then related to him about my boyhood; how I had lived with President Taylor, who was my uncle by marriage, and his family, but I had never taken any exception to their course. I had always loved them, and the result was that the Lord blessed me for my course in President Taylor’s family. I worked for years for him for nothing. If he had been my own father I could not have done more for him than I did.

I talked very plainly to him, and told him the spirit he was of was not right. I said further that I should make this a matter of record, because I did not want my character and the character of my family subject to his particular friend whose name he would not reveal.

Now, said I, you have told me, I understand, the reasons you have had for not joi[ni]ng the association:- your name has been written on the fences, Mark Croxall; your buggy has been disturbed, and you have been, you think, talked about by some of the family. Now, can you wonder that there should be some jealousies or feelings among the children? I do not approve of it; I am very much opposed to it, and I shall take pains to correct it; but you ought to have charity. You should look at these other children and their situation, and not at your own all the time. Put yourself in their place and see how you would feel if your father had left your mother and gone to live with a younger wife and with her strange children, and they preferred before you in many instances.

I had a very plain talk with him in the presence of my wife, and I felt relieved after the conversation. I make this conversation a matter of record, so that I will not trust entirely to memory. I feel that he has indulged in a very ungrateful spirit, and I would rather he would go away, if he has such a spirit as this, than to stay, because I do not want Clawson or any of the children to partake of it. I have treated him and all these children with the utmost affection. If they had been my own children I do not know that I could have done any better for them; in fact, as I told him, I have talked harshly to several of my sons, more than I have ever done to him. I have scolded and found fault with them, but I had not presumed to do such a thing with him. His mother and he both know this; for they have seen and heard me.

After I got through with them I sent for Espy and Edwin. My son Clawson told me that he thought they were the ones that had written this name on the fences. I asked these boys what their object was in writing this name. They said they did not know, particularly. I drew out of Espy, in response to a remark that I made to him, some explanation. I said to him, My dear boy, you ought never to do anything that will pain anyone. It is painful to these people to have their names written on boards in that way; they do not like it, and you should not do it. Well, he said, they are only Cannons by adoption. I said, Yes, that is so; but that was the name they bore, and you ought not to do such a thing as this. Well, he said, they ought not to do things towards us. I said, What have they done towards you? He said, I went into the parlor one day, and she was talking to mother and crying, and I heard Carol’s and Vera’s name used; she was telling something about what they had done. I asked him what it was. He said he could not tell, only Grace was crying. After he told me this, I sent for Grace, and asked her to tell me what had occurred at that time. She could not recall the incident; but she said there was one thing that had hurt her and made her feel badly, and that was that these two girls knew more about my movements and could give them information about me that they did not have themselves, and this hurt her feelings. She said she thought the time Espy referred to was when she was talking to her mother about their front hall. She said she felt badly that their front hall was not in a better condition; that visitors who came to see both Aunt Carlie and her mother saw that Aunt Carlie’s hall was nice and attractive and her mother’s was not, and she (Grace) felt humiliated. I asked Grace how she felt towards the girls. She replied, I feel very well toward Carol and Vera, and they do to me; but that occurred and I felt as though our hall ought to be fixed up, so that it would be as nice as their hall, so that visitors going from one house to the other would not see a difference.

I found that all that Mark had taken such exception to was just children’s feeling. My folks, I know, have no such feeling. They may have dropped a chance remark; but, as I said to Mark, I have learned in my life not to make a man an offender for a word. Children may say things that afterwards they would be ashamed of, and too much ought not to be expected from them.

On the whole I felt gratified with the day’s proceedings. I think that I understand matters now better than I did and will be able to repress any wrong feeling. I especially exhorted Mark to have charity. There were three or four of the boys together, and I had my son Espy read to us the 13th chap. of I Corinthians, where Paul dwells on charity. I told the boys that they must cultivate that feeling and, if they were injured, not think that they must retaliate.

Monday, March 19, 1900

First Presidency at the office; no particular business.

Tuesday, March 20, 1900

Meeting of the Utah Light & Power Co., at which we attended to considerable business.

At 12 o’clock I kept an appointment made for me by Brother H. B. Clawson at his house to meet a gentleman by the name of Heywood, who had some information that Brother Clawson thought would be valuable to me in connection with the Inland Crystal Salt Co.

Wednesday, March 21, 1900

First Presidency at the office; attended to general business.

There was a very long article read to us to-day by Brother E. H. Anderson, written by my son-in-law, W. H. Chamberlain, who had sent it to the Improvement Era for publication. The title was, The Origin, Nature and Destiny of Man. The article showed a great deal of research, and in it he advanced some ideas which agreed with some of President Snow’s views. He set forth the atomic theory, and when mentioned to me by President Smith he said that he in reading it had not been able to answer it in his feelings. After listening to it we deemed it unsuitable for publication. It was listened to by the First Presidency and by Brothers Brigham Young and George Teasdale of the Apostles.

Spencer Clawson called to see if he could not float his scheme to re-establish himself in business. He is owing the Church $40,000 and he is anxious to get the endorsement of the Church for $100,000. He thinks that in the course of a few years he can pay the Church back and be able to meet all his liabilities. President Snow is reluctant to do anything of this kind.

Thursday, March 22, 1900

First Presidency at the office. At 11 o’clock we met at the temple with Brothers Brigham Young, F. M. Lyman, John Henry Smith, George Teasdale, A. H. Lund, A. O. Woodruff and Rudger Clawson of the Twelve Apostles. I did not feel very well and I begged to be excused from clothing in my temple apparel. The opening prayer was by Brother Brigham Young, and Brother John Henry Smith was mouth at the altar. Considerable business was done. Brother Brigham Young made a report of his labors in the south.

There was a meeting of the Co-op. Wagon & Machine Co., which I attended.

23 March 1900 • Friday

Friday, March 23, 1900

First Presidency at the office, and in company with Bishop Preston we made a number of appropriations to various Stakes.

At 3 o’clock the General Board of Education met.

Saturday, March 24, 1900

First Presidency at the office.

We had a meeting this morning with Brothers Reed Smoot and B. Cluff, Jr., in which they set forth the wants of the Brigham Young Academy at Provo. It was decided to reduce the appropriation to the Academy to $20,000, $25,537 being the amount asked for.

Yesterday, at the meeting of the General Board, Brother Maeser spoke in advocacy of the appropriation that the Church had to make being divided fairly among the different Church schools, giving as a reason therefor that the children in the outer settlements – for instance, in Mexico – were as precious as the children in the larger places. I took the liberty of giving my views on this subject. I admitted that the statement as to the value of the children who lived in the remote settlements being equally great with those who lived near the centers was entitled to considerable weight; but it did not seem to me to be a wise thing to take our appropriation and diffuse it among a lot of small schools or academies. I believed it would be wise to help them, and encourage them to give [get?] as good an education in their institutions as possible; but it seemed to me that it would be the part of wisdom for us to build up one or more institutions of a high character among us, to which children could be sent to gain a knowledge of those branches that we now had to send east to obtain. It had been proved beyond question that it is a very dangerous thing to send our children to eastern colleges. It seemed to me, therefore, that our aim should be to endeavor to place at least one, and perhaps two or three of our institutions of learning on a high plane, where our children could get higher education without the necessity of going east. Whereas if we spent all our appropriation among the many academies that are established we lost this advantage and the ends of education were not, in my opinion, promoted as they would be by pursuing a different policy. After hearing my remarks, President Snow took the same view.

Sunday, March 25, 1900

I attended meeting at the tabernacle. Brother Brigham Young spoke for about 30 mins, and I followed and occupied about 40 mins. I had great freedom and enjoyed my own remarks. In the evening attended ward meeting, partook of the sacrament, and was much interested in listening to the remarks of the home missionaries.

Monday, March 26, 1900

First Presidency at the office. I was busily employed sorting my letters, as I have made a change in my desk.

Tuesday, March 27, 1900

First Presidency at the office.

I attended a meeting of the Utah Light & Power Co.

Busy again with my old correspondence.

At 2 o’clock, accompanied by my wife Caroline and my daughters Emily and Grace, I went out, on the invitation of President Snow, to Saltair Beach with him and his wife, President Smith and a number of the brethren.

Wednesday, March 28, 1900

I was busily employed to-day, as I have been for two or three days, signing certificates of stock as President of the Utah Light & Power Co. I have signed 750 certificates and have 250 more to sign.

Thursday, March 29, 1900

First Presidency at the office this morning, and at 11 o’clock repaired to the temple, where they met with Brothers Young, Lyman, Smith, Teasdale, Taylor, Lund, Woodruff and Clawson of the Twelve Apostles. We clothed in our temple apparel and offered prayer. As President Snow was not feeling well, he did not clothe, neither did Brother John Henry Smith. Brother Brigham Young opened with prayer and Brother Grant was mouth in the circle.

Brother Lyman made a statement to the Council concerning the desire of President Kingsbury, of the State University, to get Brother James E. Talmage, who is professor of geology there, to do other work. He receives the highest salary of any professor there excepting the President, and he only spends a short time in his class. Brother Talmage is averse to doing anything of this kind. I was asked by President Snow to see Brother Talmage and tell him our feelings concerning this matter; we were all in favor of his complying with the request.

Bother Clawson brought forward a suggestion that the saints belonging to each temple district should be asked to donate a certain amount towards the support of the temples once a year. I expressed myself quite freely upon this proposition. I said that we could consistently preach tithing and fast offerings, but when the saints did this we ought not to be calling upon them all the time for collections of different kinds. The poor of the Church were entitled to the ordinances of the Church without money and without price, but those who could, of course, should pay something towards the support of the temples. I spoke at some length on this subject of our making such constant calls on the people. I was averse to it, and thought it ought to be stopped. President Snow agreed with me.

Other subjects were brought before the meeting, and we had an excellent time.

Friday, March 30, 1900

First Presidency at the office. Before President Smith arrived we had a call from President Canute Petersen, of Sanpete Stake, his counselor, Henry Beal, and Professors Noyes and Livingstone of the Sanpete Stake Academy. They wanted $2000 for the academy. They made an excellent statement of their situation and it was very well received, because they had shown a willingness on all hands to work for exceedingly low salaries in order to maintain the school, and President Snow was quite willing to let them have the amount they asked for.

Hon. Thomas Fitch, who in former years was somewhat intimately associated with us as attorney for the Church and for President Young, is here on a visit, and he delivered a speech this evening at the Exposition Building in the interest of the Republican party. Presidents Snow, Smith and myself sat upon the platform and listened to him. He is one of the finest orators in the country. The house was crowded and he was listened to with the greatest attention.

Saturday, March 31, 1900

First Presidency at the office.

President Snow invited Mr. Fitch and wife to go out to the lake, and a number of us accompanied him there.