PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST.
OF
LATTER-DAY SAINTS,
P. O. BOX B.
Salt Lake City, U. T. .
President W. Paxman,
Dear Brother: Your kind and very interesting communication of Feb. 23rd
reached us on March 19th. We were pleased to learn of the continued growth of
the Church, and of the progress you are making in the printing of the Book of
Mormon. Your request for $500.00 to help you meet your engagements with the
printers was duly considered by the Council of the Apostles, and in the present
straitened condition of the finances of the Church, it was decided that the utmost
we could do was to send you the amount you ask—$500.00—as a loan. We have
accordingly arranged that the amount be forwarded as desired by you, through
the Union Bank of Australia at Auckland. We have also sent to Brother Marriott
the £10.0.0 due him.
Among the Elders called for New Zealand was Elder Geo. T. Smith, of George-
town. His health was, however, so poor that when he reached San Francisco with
the other brethren it was considered advisable for him to return, which he did
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very reluctantly, as he was exceedingly anxious to honorably fill his mission.
Since he reached home we have deemed it wisdom to entirely release him, on
account of his poor health, and have encouraged him to the performance of those
duties which he can perform in the midst of the saints without imperiling his
life by the changes and hardships of a foreign mission.
Have you any suitable Elder or Elders now with you whom you can recommend
to succeed you when you are released to return home, or do you think it will
be necessary or desirable that some Elder specially called to preside in Aus-
tralasia be sent from here?
We are anticipating a largely attended and very enjoyable General Conference.
For the first time in several years the majority of the General Authorities of
the Church will, in all probability, be present. Myself, Elders Lorenzo Snow,
Franklin D. Richards, Geo. Q. Cannon, Moses Thatcher, J. H. Smith, H. J. Grant, John W.
Taylor and D. H. Wells expect to attend, and possibly Elder F. M. Lyman may be
released from the penitentiary in time to be present during the last day's ser-
vices. Presiding Bishops Preston, Burton and Winder will also be with us. We
hope to be able during the Conference to attend to several matters of importance
connected with the growth and development of the work of the Lord.
The day after Conference will be a busy one with us. About sixty Elders
will be set apart on foreign missions, principally to Great Britain, Scandinavia,
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Germany, Switzerland, Holland, and the State of pennsylvania. On the same day
the first Convention of the Officers and Teachers of our Church schools will
be held, to consider matters connected with the organization and conduct of our
Academies. The progress made since the General Church School Board was organized
has been very encouraging. Twenty Church institutions of learning are running,
with an attendance, during the past winter, of about fifteen hundred scholars;
and we do not think we overestimate when we say that double that number of schools
will be in operation the next school year. There is scarcely a Stake but what
has one or more schools now open, or is arranging to commence next August. The
chief difficulty that, at present, presents itself is the lack of suitable breth-
ren to act as Principals. Where they are all coming from is the question that
we cannot now answer, but when the time comes that they are needed, we doubt not
but, as in other things, the Lord will raise up men to accomplish this portion
of His work.
We are patiently waiting for the decision of the Supreme Court of the United
States in our appeal against the escheatment of Church property under the pro-
visions of the Edmunds-Tucker law. We expected it before this, but have been
disappointed. There is a miserable scramble going on in Washington for the Utah
Offices. The "ring" here are working for the re-instatement of Judge Zane, and
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the appointment of such men as McBride, Varian and "Kentucky" Smith (Idaho) to
other offices. Their hope is to get men into position to steal Salt Lake City
and Utah Teritory politically as they stole Ogden at the last election. Some
accounts represent President Harrison as quite prejudiced on our question, others
speak more favorably. We have hopes that he will not appoint local men to fill
the various U. S. offices in the Territory; at any rate, that he will not select
men such as those proposed by our enemies.
March has been a pleasant, warm and showery month, and the prospects for
water in some parts of the Territory during the coming summer are slightly improved
But as a general thing the amount of snow stored in the mountains is below the
average.
My health and that of the brethren associated with me is generally good, and
no contagious diseases prevail, to any extent, among the people.
Praying the Lord to continually bless you and all the Elders laboring with
you, that all your efforts may be crowned with success, and with love and kindest
regards,
I remain your Brother in the Gospel,
W Woodruff