Letter to John Taylor and George Quayle Cannon, 17 December 1885
Salt Lake City, .
Presidents John Taylor and George Q. Cannon.
Dear Brethren—
There is a subject that I feel it my duty to write
upon. Brother Thatcher has sent me his correspondence with
you upon the subject of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement
Associations. I have read his letter and your answer, also his
reply to the same, and I have tried to carefully study them
all, and I must say there are some things in yours and
Brother Cannon's letter that I am surprised at, and as the
Superintendent of the Young Men's Institutions, I feel it
my duty to reply to it.
In the first place, permit me to say that while I view
all earth and hell, including our own government, in
every department, with priests, editors, wicked men, and
devils all combined to crush us, as the Church and kingdom
of God on earth, with all our institutions, as far as they
have the power; while I view this at our doors, and know
that nothing can save us but the power of God, I feel
that the Twelve Apostles should have the most implicit
confidence in the First Presidency of the Church, and
