ideas which have been so eloquently placed before us, and submit them
to you in their proper order. For days and days we have kept the nozzle
of the jug open and been filled to overflowing.
He added:
All measures necessary for the protection of our people seem to have
a resting place in his brain and I some times think there will be noth-
ing left for the Lord to do. I know this wholly arises from his anxiety
to place us legally beyond the reach of our enemies; but I have been
taught to believe that we are perfectly safe so long as our enemies con-
fine themselves to legal persecutions.2
1. C
annon to Young, May 29, 1873, BYOF.
2. Brigham Young Jr. to Brigham Young, June 6, 1873, BYOF.
Young to Kane, July 31, 1873
475
Though Brigham Jr. had hoped to stay only three more days, he and
Cannon did not leave until June 19. In a draft letter to an unknown recipient
that day (most likely to Young, but not included in this volume because of its
ambiguous nature), Kane wrote,
Brigham & Mr. Cannon leave this afternoon. I will not trust myself with
hasty or unconsidered written messages at our parting. I know you will
interrogate them upon all the facts that I have made to pass under their
view; that the whole of my work for you may stand or the whole of it
be rejected and fall. I carefully avoid presenting any middle course for
your adoption.3
In the featured letter to Kane, Young announced himself “very much
pleased” with the will, which he indicated he would print in Salt Lake and
send to Kane for corrections. On the same day that Young wrote this letter to
Kane, Cannon informed Kane, “The business of the Estate has been pushed
in certain directions, our Friend [Young] having very clear and decided views
upon several points.”4
Young also informed Kane in this letter that he had received a legal release
which Kane had drafted to be “signed by the tithepayers,” and that he would
“have it printed and circulated for signature” after he received some clarifi-
cations from Kane. An individual signing the release would surrender legal
claim to the donated tithing.5 Young’s concern for such a release may have
reflected pressure from dissident Mormons such as William Godbe. Earlier
that year, Godbe had asked Young to issue a “proper detailed report” showing
that the “funds intrusted to [his] care have not been misapplied but used for
Church purposes.”6
Finally, Young informed Kane of the failure of a colonizing mission to
northern Arizona. The expedition had left in April 1873, but the participants
3. Kane to unknown recipient, draf
t, June 19, 1873. Another draft letter, possibly to Young,
bearing a date of June 7 [1873], exists in the Kane Collection, BYU; this letter, much of which apparently involves advice on railroad dealings, is not included in this collection because most of it is illegible.
4. George Q. Cannon to Kane, July 31, 1873, BYU.
5. Kane’s “Form of Releases by Tithe Payer” stated, “We the undersigned assign to Brigham Young Senior individually to be held by him in his own right and for his own individual and sole interest and benefit.” Kane, draft, “Form of Releases by Tithe Payer,” undated, Kane Collection, BYU.
6. William S. Godbe to Young, January 1873, BYOF.
476
the prophet and the reformer
deemed the deserts of northern Arizona inhospitable and returned in July.
Instructed to settle on the banks of the Little Colorado River approximately 50
miles north of present-day Flagstaff, the party arrived to find the river com-
pletely dry.7 Chagrined by the failure, Young told Kane in this letter that he
would lead an expedition that October. He failed to do so, but told Kane in
November, “I have forgotten nothing connected with Arizona; my eye is con-
stantly on the mark.”8 A variety of problems delayed Mormon settlement of
northern Arizona until 1876, when colonists began to establish permanent
communities in the Little Colorado basin.9
John Young carried both his father’s and Cannon’s letters to Kane, whom
he visited in Kane, Pennsylvania on August 6–8, 1873.10
Source
Young to Kane, July 31, 1873, box 15, fd 6, Kane Collection, BYU.
Letter
Salt Lake City,
July 31st, 1873.
My dear General:
The departure of my son John W. for England, whither he goes
to transact business for me, furnishes me the desired opportunity of
writing to you.11 I perused with pleasure the letters and other docu-
ments which you sent me by the hands of my son Brigham and Geo.
Q. Cannon. They were very satisfactory and were another proof to me of
the kind and untiring interest which you feel in the prosperity of myself
and people. The Will I am very much pleased with, and I shall have it
7 . See Horton Haight to Young, August 4, 1873, BYOF.
8. Young to Kane, November 16, 1873.
9. Charles S. Peterson, Take Up Your Mission: Mormon Colonizing Along the Little Colorado River, 1870–1900 (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1973).
10. Harriet Kane, journal, August 6–8, 1873, Kane Collection, BYU.
11. John W. Young, accompanied by James Little, was traveling to England to “negotiate, sell, or dispose of the Utah Central and Utah Southern Railroad Companies bonds” that belonged to Brigham Young. See Brigham Young to John W. Young, July 31, 1873, BYOF; Brigham Young to James Little, July 31, 1873, BYOF.
Young to Kane, July 31, 1873
477
printed here and send you a proof for correction.12 Since its reception
I have been very busy making arrangements and putting my property
into such a shape that my family shall have a moderate and assured
provision for living. I shall also make a Will in the form that you have
forwarded to me.
There has been an outward quiet here this [p. 2] Summer, but
the unscrupulous people have not been idle. They are forming their
schemes and making what preparations they can for an onslaught upon
us next Winter. Affidavits and other documents are being drawn up, it
is said, and from the little which leaks out respecting their plans they
hope this next time to be very successful in reaching us. It is stated here
by one who professes to know, that Senator Carpenter has a Bill in hand
which contemplates the abolition of our Territorial government and
the substitution in its stead of a District of Utah, with Commissioners
to run the counties and these Commissioners to elect the Delegate
to Congress instead of the people.13 The Being in whom we trust has
delivered us thus far, and we have confidence in His power to do so in
the future, and therefore these rumors and threats have no disturbing
effect upon us.
As you know, I resigned last April the position of President of Zion’s
Co-operative Mercantile Institution. Its condition at that time was most
prosperous.14 A change has since taken place, and I find that not to lose
the [p. 3] ground already gained by its past operations, my name and
help are again needed.15 It is of great importance that the stability of this
Institution should be as much as possible beyond d
oubt.
12. F
or a copy of Brigham Young’s will at this juncture, see Young will, August 17, 1871, Kane Collection, BYU.
13. Senator Matthew Carpenter, a Republican from Wisconsin (1869–1875; 1879–1881).
14. Zion’s Co-operative Mercantile Institution was founded in 1868 to strengthen the Latter-day Saints’ competitiveness against the consumer goods being imported from the East via the transcontinental railroad. In April 1873, ZCMI issued its biannual report; between November 1872 and April 1873, ZCMI added over $220,000 to its capital stock and earned approximately $2.5 million. After Young’s resignation, Horace Eldredge took over ZCMI’s operations. See Martha Sontag Bradley, ZCMI: America’s First Department Store (Salt Lake City: ZCMI, 1991); Young to ZCMI Board of Directors, April 4, 1873, BYOF; “Climates, Health, and Wealth,” Deseret News, April 9, 1873, 8; Young to New York Herald, April 10, 1873, BYOF.
15. Young assumed control over ZCMI again and dispatched territorial delegate William Hooper to negotiate its debts with eastern creditors during summer 1873. See Young to John Sharp, November 12, 1873, BYOF.
478
the prophet and the reformer
The appointment of Trustees appears to be attended with good
results.16 If they faithfully discharge the duties entrusted to them, they
will relieve me from much care that has weighed upon me and be a
great benefit to the community. The form of Release which you for-
warded me to be signed by the tithepayers will answer excellently, and
I shall have it printed and circulated for signature as soon as I obtain
from you such suggestions as you may have to give concerning the con-
sideration which should be inserted.17
The Companies which were fitted out for Arizona failed to effect a
settlement. They reached the Little Colorado, but found it dry. It was
not such a country as they expected to find, and they returned. We shall
have a ferry boat built on which to cross the Colorado, and immediately
after Conference (Oct. 6th) it is my present intention to
myself with a suitable [p. 4] company with which to explore some parts
of Arizona, and I have no doubts about our finding good places where
settlements can be made.18
John W. will be able to relate to you particulars of affairs here con-
cerning which telegrams have been sent to the Eastern press.
We often think of yourself, Mrs. Kane and Evan and Willie and the
many pleasant hours we spent together. Your visit made impressions
that will never be forgotten. My family are in good health. They send
their love, in which I join to you, my dear Friend. Give my best respects
to Sister Kane, in whom I was happy to find all the good qualities which
had been described to me by her good husband; also to your children;
and that the Lord may bless and preserve you all is the constant prayer of
Your Friend,
Brigham Young
Major Gen. Thos L. Kane,
Kane, McKean Co.
Penn.
16.
George A. Smith had been appointed as Young’s successor as trustee-in-trust. Twelve men were appointed to assist Smith in his duties. Brigham Young to Willard Young, April 14, 1873, BYOF.
17. Kane, “Form of Releases by Tithe Payer,” undated, Kane Collection, BYU.
18. In fall 1871, Young directed John D. Lee to establish a ferry crossing the Colorado River in the southern Utah town of Paria. See W. L. Rusho, Lee’s Ferry: Desert River Crossing (Salt Lake City: Tower Productions, 1998), 33.
92
Young to Kane, November 16, 1873
in this letter, Young informed Kane that he had completed his will, using
forms drawn up by Kane and Philadelphia lawyer Eli Price. Young called it “the
best legal form he had ever seen” and said that it had “been carefully got up
with a view of preventing the estates of the Elders from going into the Courts
and swindled by the Lawyers.”1 On Kane’s advice, Young also signed over many
of the church properties in his own name, including Temple Square, to George
A. Smith, his successor as trustee-in-trust for the church (though many of these
properties reverted back to Young on Smith’s death two years later).2
The foresight of Kane and Young in preparing Young’s will averted a poten-
tial crisis following Young’s death in 1877. During the disposition of Young’s
estate, Kane corresponded with the executors of the will, particularly George
Q. Cannon and Brigham Young Jr., regarding how to head off legal chal-
lenges.3 A few heirs disputed the will in court, leading to an out-of-court settlement. Nevertheless, most heirs and Mormon leaders eventually pronounced
themselves satisfied.4 Cannon reported,
1. Y
oung also praised William Clayton’s assistance, calling him “the most capable man in the community to make out Wills in strict conformity to law.” School of the Prophets, November 10, 1873, CHL.
2. Arrington, American Moses, 423.
3. See Cannon’s letters to Kane dated December 6, 1877, December 15, 1877, January 24, 1878, January 25, 1878, February 3, 1878, April 22, 1878, May 27, 1878; Kane to Elias Smith, November 9, 1877; Smith to Kane, December 1, 1877; Brigham Young Jr. to Cannon, June 16, 1878, January 17, 1878, all in Kane Collection, BYU.
4. Arrington, “The Settlement of the Brigham Young Estate, 1877–1879,” Pacific Historical Review 21 (1952): 1–20. While some of Young’s opponents charged that his wealth ran into the millions, his estate was valued at $1.6 million. Following the return of church properties, the payment of debts, and executors’ fees, the heirs received $224,000.
480
the prophet and the reformer
figure 92.1 Brigham Young in 1876.
Source: Reproduced by permission from the Utah State Historical Society.
The sharks have tried to devour; but they have been greatly disappointed
thus far. The general opinion has been, especially among the lawyers,
that it would be impossible with so many legatees to escape litigation,
and many of them have done all in their power to bring it about; but, so
far, without success. Brigham [Young Jr.] and myself have found your
advice invaluable, and we have often had occasion to remark how true
we had found your views and statements to be.5
Kane’s advice to legally separate and define the interests of the church and
Young proved to be one of his important services to both.
Source
Young to Kane, November 16, 1873, draft, box 15, fd 6, Kane
Collection, BYU.
5. C
annon to Kane, September 6, 1878, Kane Collection, BYU.
Young to Kane, November 16, 1873
481
Letter
Salt Lake City,
Nov. 16, 1873
My dear Friend:
I take the present opportunity of writing to you by the hand of Geo.
Q. Cannon who leaves for the East in the morning.6
Rheumatism has troubled
has
throughout the Territory, and my general health is now quite good.7
I have paid some attention to my affairs and have completed my Will
according to the form furnished me by yourself and Mr. Price. I think
it embodies a very comprehensive and equitable plan, and seems to be
admirably adapted for large families. I have had it printed, and have
recommended its general adoption.
I cherish very wa
rm remembrances of yourself, Mrs. Kane, Evan and
Willie and think much of the pleasant visit you made us, and hope you
will ere long be able to make us [p. 2] another visit. I am preparing a
house
come again I hope you will bring all of your children with you.8
I have forgotten nothing connected with Arizona; my eye is con-
stantly on the mark. The kind providences of our Father will bring all
things around aright in good time if we do our part.
With love to yourself, Mrs. Kane and your family, and praying the
Lord to preserve your life and to bless yourself and family with every
thing necessary for your comfort and happiness
I remain, as ever,
Your Friend,
Brigham Young
Major General Thos L. Kane
Kane, McKean Co., Pa.
6. C
annon was traveling to Washington, D.C., to take his seat as Utah territorial delegate for the first time. Bitton, George Q. Cannon, 184.
7. For Young’s travels to the northern Utah settlements of Cache Valley, see Kenney, Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, August 22, 1873, 7:150; Brigham Young to John W. Young, October 3, 1873, BYOF. Woodruff noted that Young “was quite Lame with the inflamitory Rheumatism.”
8. Likely a reference to the Gardo House, on which construction was begun in 1873. The elaborate Victorian-style mansion was meant to serve as the official residence of the church’s president. See Sandra Dawn Brimhall and Mark D. Curtis, “The Gardo House: A History of the Mansion and Its Occupants,” Utah Historical Quarterly 68.1 (Winter 2000): 4–37.
93
Kane to Young, December 4, 1873
in this letter, Kane expressed frustration that no trusted Latter-day Saint had
visited him since June 1873—when Brigham Young Jr. and George Q. Cannon
had come to Kane, Pennsylvania—until a visit from Cannon in late November
or early December. This neglect, he complained, meant that his “professional
labors of months are rendered in great part nugatory.” Kane particularly
regretted that George A. Smith, the church’s new trustee-in-trust, had failed
to visit even though Kane had earlier—likely during the June discussions with
The Prophet and the Reformer Page 67