Letter to John Henry Smith, 27 March 1883
Salt Lake City, .
Elder John Henry Smith.
Dear Brother—Your letter of Feb. 27 arrived all safe, but I have not had
time to answer before, and now I have not much news to communicate,
only that God reigns and is our friend. Congress closed and Edmunds
had not had power to pass his bill, even through the Senate, against us. Geo.
Q. Cannon and John T. Caine are at home with us again, in good
health and feeling well. The devil, Edmunds, Van Zile, and that class
of men are no better pleased with us than before. Well, I do not expect
they ever will be. I think we are having the most pleasant March
we have ever seen in Utah, ploughing, sowing, and building have been
going on through most of the month. The Presidency and Twelve
are as well as usual. We have appointed a meeting of the Twelve for
April 2nd, Monday, when we expect eight of the Twelve present, to attend
to whatever business may be necessary to prepare for Conference. C. C. Rich
has had another attack and is quite poorly. Brigham Young and H. J.
Grant will not be with us at Conference. They are visiting the Laman-
ites of Arizona. They have visited all the seven villages, but have not re-
ported their labors to us yet. We shall keep Geo. Teasdale with us
until after Conference, though he expected to get off on his mission be-
fore. Our stonecutters are cutting the last course of the Temple granite
to the square, which we hope to see laid on the wall the coming summer.
In your letter you referred to the counsel you wished me to give you,
as your father did. Brother John Henry, I do not know what
counsel I can give you. You have passed your boyhood. You have
entered your manhood, with the apostleship and power of God upon
your head. You strictly keep the word of wisdom, and I am confi-
