Salt Lake City— Elder A. M. Tenney, Dear Brother: Your letter of March 11, 1881, is before me and I write to answer it. I was glad to hear that all things were as favorable as they are in the payment of the St. John purchase. We have called something like a hundred men to go to St. John this season. How many will reach there I do not know. I hope it will be occupied by the Saints, so that the Gentiles will not wish to be there. I saw from a letter from Bishop Udall, that arrangements were made to enter a good deal of the land in the purchase. This I was pleased to see for I have considered this very important. Now BrotheSr Tenney, concerning your remarks upon the railroad contracts, I wish to say that the Presidency of the Church were not anxious for our people to engage in the railroad business at all, but as so many were anxious to engage in it, the Presidency and the Twelve both felt that it was important that some of the Quorum should be appointed to go to Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado and preside over the organization of our people in these territories who were engaged in the building of these railroads, and Erastus Snow, B. Young, J. W. Young and Jesse N. Smith were appointed a committee to go to these territories and organize the camp, and to direct and control all contracts made upon that railroad and see that all camps of the Saints attend to their prayers and observe the Sabbath and to see that all labor get their pay. They received strict written instructions what to do, and E. Snow and B. Young went to Arizona for that purpose, but nobody complied with the instructions, and the consequence is that John W. Young was called to Salt Lake City and the Twelve and the Presidency have sat for days in investigating this subject, and the final decision is that John W. Young and all the others must abide by their instructions and take counsel in the matter if they maintain their standing in the Church of Jesus Christ of LatteSr-day Saints. John W. Young has agreed to do this, to throw all of his contracts into their hands and to carry it on under their united counsel. And I would advise you and every other elder in the church, who are taking contracts upon that railroad, who are employing the Saints to work under them, to do as John W. Young has done, to take their counsel in these matters. If you are not satisfied with your settlement with J. W. Young, I would advise you to have E. Snow and B. Young to settle it between you. Another subject I wish to speak upon and that is the Lamanite Mission. I had a great deal of confidence in you in this matter, as you had the Spanish and were qualified to labor there, and I was in hopes that you would be able to carry that mission. But it seems that you are engaged in the railroad business and I do not know whether you will ever by at liberty to do anything upon that mission. You wished me to appoint somebody else to preside and you would work with them, but I thought you the best qualified to preside over it of any one there. But as you have resigned, I told Brother Snow to accept of your resignation, if you could not attend to it, and appoint some one in your place so that the mis- sion may not be given up, for I do consider the salvation of that people of more importance than building railroads or getting rich. I am always glad to hear from you. Remember me kindly to your family and to Brother Udall, if you see him. Your brother in the Gospel. W. Woodruff