Letter to John Taylor, 2 February 1880
Bro Taylor, there is another subject I wish
to say a few words upon (although it is against the
wish of Bro Lot Smith) it is this. Sunset, Brigham
City, and St Joseph who live in the United Order
have been very zealous to sustain the Z. C. M. I. in
Salt Lake in all their purchases but they have
been the most unfortunate of human beings in all
their deal with that Institution, especially in all
Machinery, Bro Smith sent money to buy the best
threshing machine in market, sent to R Burton &
E. F. Sheets to help pick it out, it was put unto
Hiram Clawsons hands and he sent an old
Whitmans threshing machine that he had had
on hand a long time and could not sell to any
body else, and it was freighted down here to
Sunset 700 miles and as soon as it was opened it
would have been taken back if it had not been
more than 300 miles, it has been a curse to them
ever since it was brought here, in spite of all
they can do it wastes grain and only can thresh
