Copy`
Holiness to the Lord,
St. George Temple.
P. O. Box 531.
Elder Heber J. Grant,
Dear Brother,
You asked me a question the last
time we met which I was not prepared to an-
swer at the time it was given. I have given
the subject some thought and reflection, and
I now feel prepared to answer the question, ac-
cording to my views. You asked me if I
knew any reason, in case of the death of the
President of the Church, why the Twelve Apostles
should not choose some other person to be the
President of the Church, instead of the President
of the Twelve Apostles. I think I do know
of several good sound reasons; which I
will now give you. In the first place there
are two or three plain truths which are eter-
nal, everlasting, unchangeable, and immovable,
as the pillars of Heaven, as far as this Dis-
pensation is concerned; which have been
established by the Revelations of God through
the mouth of the Prophet Joseph Smith. These
truths stare us in the face. First: When the
President of the Church dies, who then is
the Presiding Authority of the Church? It
is the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, or-
dained and organized by the Revelations of
God. And none else. Then, while these Twelve
Apostles preside over the Church, who is the
President of the Church? It is the President
of the Twelve Apostles. And he is virtually as
much the President of the Church, while pre-
siding over Twelve men, as he is when or-
ganized as the Presidency of the Church, and
presiding over two men. And this principle
has been carried out, now for fifty seven years;
ever since the organization of the Church.
When Joseph Smith the Prophet was mar-
tyred, the Twelve Apostles stepped forward as
the Presiding Authority of the Church, as
ordained of God, with Brigham Young at
their head, to preside over the Church and
direct its affairs. And when the Twelve Apos-
tles came to organize the First Presidency,
which of the Twelve Apostles stepped forth
to claim the right to preside over Brigham
Young? Not one. Nor any other man
except Sidney Rigdon, an Apostate.
Why did Brigham Young claim the right
of the Presidency? Because he was the
President of the Twelve Apostles, and he
was virtually as much the President of
the Church while Presiding over Twelve men,
as over two men. When President Young
died, who was the Presiding Authority
over the Church? The Twelve Apostles, and
none else. And who was the President of
the Church? John Taylor. Why? Because
he was the President of the Twelve Apostles.
And when the Twelve Apostles came to
organize a First Presidency again, which
of the Twelve Apostles was moved upon
to claim the right to preside over the
Church above John Taylor? Such
a thing did not enter into the heart of
one of the Twelve, nor any other man,
except Brother Daniel H. Wells, and
he said he had a Revelation that Joseph
F. Smith was the man to preside over the
Church. There was not one of the Twelve
Apostles believed one word of it.
And Brother George Q. Cannon was
the most opposed to it of any one of
the Quorum. ^And why did not any of the Twelve believe it?^ because, President John
Taylor was the President of the Twelve Apostles,
and he had virtually been the President of the
Church since the death of Brigham Young.
(Now if Brother Cannon has become converted
from this theory, or any one of the Twelve, they
certainly must have some very strong reasons
for it.)
Now Brother Grant, I have given you one of
the reasons why I consider the President of
the Twelve should become the President of the
Church, in case of the death of the President.
If the President of the Twelve is not fit to
become the President of the Church, he is not
fit to be the President of the Twelve Apostles.
Again, there is another eternal truth stares
me in the face. In case of the death of the
President of the Church, Brother George Q. Cannon,
Wilford Woodruff, the President of the Twelve,
nor any six of the Twelve Apostles, combined,
have the power to appoint a President
for the Church. It takes Twelve men or
a majority of them, to appoint a President
for the Church. And so far as the appointment
of Brigham Young and John Taylor, as
the President of the Church: there has never
been a dissenting voice with the Twelve A-
postles. And I certainly do not believe, should
President Taylor die to-day, that Brother
George Q Cannon, nor any other man, could
use argument enough, to convert a major-
ity of the Twelve Apostles to depart from the
beaten track laid out, and followed by
the inspiration of Almighty God, for the last
fifty seven years, by the Apostles, as re-
corded in the history of the Church.
As far as I am concerned, it would require
not only a much stronger argument than
I have ever heard, but a Revelation from the
same God who had organized the Church,
and guided it by inspiration in the chan-
nel in which it has travelled for fifty-
seven years, before I could give my vote, or
influence, to depart from the path followed
by the Apostles since the organization
of the Church.
Again, President John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff
are the only two men now living in the flesh, who
listened to the words and charge of Joseph Smith the Prophet
to the Twelve Apostles before his death. When
he said: "Brethren, I have had sorrow of heart
for fear I might be taken away with the
Keys of the Kingdom of God upon me, before I
seal them upon the heads of other men; but
I thank God I have lived to see the day
when I have had power to give the Twelve
Apostles their Endowments. And I have now
sealed upon your heads all the Keys of the King-
dom of God, and the Powers of the Holy Priesthood
which God has sealed upon me. And now
I roll off the labor and work of the Church
and Kingdom of God, upon the shoulders of
the Twelve Apostles. And I now command
you in the name of Jesus Christ, to round up
your shoulders and bear off this Church and
Kingdom of God upon the earth, before
Heaven and Earth, and before God, Angels, and men.
And if you don't do it, you'll be damned."
Now Brother Grant, with this declaration and
charge ringing in my ears, should I outlive
President Taylor, (an event I never expect to
see,) I should strongly urge my brethren of the
Twelve Apostles to follow the beaten track,
marked out, and followed, by the Prophets and
Apostles for the last fifty seven years. And
I have full confidence to believe, that the Twelve
Apostles, have had experience and light enough
to shun any path pointed out to gratify the
private interest of any man, or set of men,
against the interest of the Church and Kingdom
of God on the earth. I once knew, not
only Twelve men, but twice Twelve leading
men, who undertook to appoint a Prophet and
President to lead the Church, before the death
of the Prophet Joseph Smith, but they aposta-
tized and went to perdition. And it would
be a very dangerous precedent for us to
set, to depart from the order which God has
pointed out; and it will be a precedent
which the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will
never set from this time till the coming
of the Son of Man.
I was informed that President George Q. Cannon
used the argument, in the deeding of the Gardo House
to President Taylor, as the President of the Church,
that in the case of his death the Deed should
not go to the President of the Twelve Apostles
but to the President whom the Twelve should
appoint; (I certainly have no objections
to this,) saying that in the appointment of
Presidents Brigham Young, and John Taylor,
it so happened, in those instances, that the
President of the Twelve Apostles was appointed,
but it did not follow that that principle
would be carried out hereafter. And the ar-
gument was used that Elder Woodruff pro-
phesied at a Conference at Ogden, that Joseph
F. Smith would become President of the Church,
and we would have to deviate from the usual
course, in order to have that fulfilled. And it
was said, that prophecy was recorded. Now
if Elder Woodruff delivered such a prophecy, and
that by inspiration of the Lord, which I verily be-
lieve he did, it will be fulfilled as sure as
fate; and that too, without deviating from
the path marked out by the Lord and followed
by the Presidency of the Church. I will also
here make a statement that I, Wilford Woodruff,
heard Heber C. Kimball and Prest Joseph Young
say that they heard Joseph Smith say in their
presence, and in the presence of others in 1832,
the first time that Joseph Smith, ever had
an interview with Brigham Young, he
said that Brigham Young would yet be the
President of the Church. And that was three years
before there was a Quorum of Twelve appointed.
And no man knew that Brigham Young would
ever be an Apostle, unless God revealed it
to the Prophet. And still, after sixteen years
of revolution and change Brigham Young was
President of the Church, without turning to
the right or left, from the path marked out
by the Revelations of God. And that pro-
phecy is also recorded; and there was not
one chance in ten for that prophecy to
be fulfilled, that there is for Joseph F. Smith
to be president, in the regular channel of the
oOrder of God.
Now, Brother Grant, I have given you my reasons
for believing that, in case of the death of the President
of the Church, it is the right of the ^President of the^ Twelve Apostles
to become the President of the Church, and that the
majority of the Twelve Apostles will so decide, until
the coming of the Son of Man.
Now, Brother Grant, if you have any argument,
or light, outside of what I have presented, as
the path for the Twelve Apostles to walk in, dif-
derent from what we have followed as a Church,
and will forward it to me, I will carefully
give it investigation. But, I will confess,
I do not know the reason why Brother George Q.
Cannon has brought this subject up, and
made it a matter of conversation several
times since the appointment of President John
Taylor to the Presidency; or that he should
depart from the principle he so strongly ad-
vocated in the appointment of President Taylor.
I see no reason why we should be so anx-
ious to fix up bridges to cross over, that
we may never see in this life. It is a
bridge, I never expect to cross, for I never
expect to outlive the President of the Church.
And I think we all have sufficient business
on hand to attend to, without troubling our-
selves about affairs we may never see.
Of course President Taylor, like all other men,
will die some time—when that day comes,
it will be quite time enough for the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles to attend to the organiza-
tion of the Presidency of the Church.
I shall keep a copy of this communication
I remain
Your Brother in the Gospel of Christ
Wilford Woodruff