WILFORD WOODRUFF
.
Elder Heber J. Grant
Dear Brother:
You asked me a question the last time
we met ehich I was not prepared to answer at the time it was given.
I have gibven the subject some thought and reflection and I now feel
prepared to answer the question according 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 Twelve
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 eternal, everlasting, un-
changeable, and immovable as the pillars of heaven (as far as
this dispensation is concerned) which have been established by the
revelation 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 (ordained 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 presiding over Twelve men as
he is when organized into the Presidency of the Church and presid-
ing over two men. And this principle has been carried out now for
57 years, ever since the organization of the Church. When Joseph
Smith the Prophet was martyred, the Twelve Apostles stepped forth
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 Apostles came to organize the
First Presidency, which of the Twelve 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
Church while presiding over Twelve men as two men. When President
Young died who was the presiding authority of 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 the
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 enter into the heart of one of the Twelve
Apostles, nor any other man, except Daniel H. Wlells, 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 a
word of it, and Brother George Q. Cannon was the most opposed to it
of any man in the Quorum of the Twelve. Because President John
Taylor was the President of the Twelve Apostles, and he had been
virtually the President of the Church since the death of Brigham
Young. (Now if Brother Cannon has become converted from this
theory, or any 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
be the President of the church in case of the death of the Presi-
dent. If the President of the Twelve Apostles is not fit to be 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 (whoever he may be); notr any six Apostles combined have not
power to appoint a president for the Church. And as far as the
appointment of Brigham Young and John Taylor was concerned, there
never has been a dissenting voice with the Twelve Apostles. And
I certainly do not believe, should President Taylor die today,
that Brother George Q. Cannon nor any other man could use influence
or argument enough to convert a majority of the Twelve Apostles to
depart from the beaten track laid out and followed by the inspira-
tion of Almighty God for the last 57 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 ever heard,
but a revelation from the same God who had organized the church and
guided it by inspiration in the channel in which it has traveled for
57 years, before I could give my vote or influence to depart from
the paths followed by the Apostles since the organization of the
Church. Again, Presidents 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 ogf God upon
me before I sealed 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 endowlments. And I have now sealed upon your
heads all the keys of the kingdom 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 kindgom 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 on the earth before heaven and earth, and before
God, angels, and men, and if you do not do it you will 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 apos-
tles for the last fifty seven years. And I have full confidence to
believe that the Twelve Apostles hadve had experience and light
enough to shun any path pointed out to gratify the private inter-
est or any man or set or 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 of the church undertake to appoint a
prophet and president of the Church before the death of the Prophet
Joseph, but they apostatized 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
unto 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 case of
his death the deed should not go to the president of the Twelve
Apostles, but to the president whom the Twelve Apostles should
appoint (I certainly have no objection to that) saying that in the
appointment of Brigham Young and John Taylor it so happened in those
instances that the president of the Twelve Apostles was appointed
President, but it did not follow that that principle would be
followed out hereafter. And the argument was used to sustain it
that Elder Woodruff prophesied at a Conference at Ogden that
Joseph F. Smith would yet become president of the Church, and we
would have to deviate from the usual course in order to have that
fulfilled. Now if Elder Woodruff delivered such a prophecy by the
inspiration of the Lord (which I firmly believe 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 leaders of the
Church. It was said that that prophecy was recorded. I will also
make a statement, that I, Wilford Woodruff, heard Heber C. Kimball
and BPresident 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 Brigham Young would yet be the President of the Churlch, and
that was four years before there were any Twelve Apostles chosen,
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 revelation and change, Brigha, Young was president of the Church,
without turning to the right or left from the path marked out by
the revelation of God. And that prophecy is alrso recorded. And
there was not one chance in ten for that to be fulfilled that there
is for Joseph F. Smith to be president of the Church in the regular
channel of the order of God.
Now Brother Grant, I have given you my reasons for be-
lieving 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 arguments or light outside of what I
have presented as a path for the Twelve Apostles to walk in differ-
ent from what we have followed as a Church, and will forward it to
me, I will give it an investigation. But I will confess I do not
know the reason why Brother George Q. Cannon has brought this sub-
ject up and made it a matter of conversation several times since the
appointment of President Taylor to the Presidency, or that he should
depart from the principles he so strongly advocated in the appoint-
ment of President Taylor. I see no reason why we should be so
anxious to fix up vbridges to cross over, that we may never see in
this life. (It is a bridge I never expect to cross, for I do not
expect to outlive the President of the Church.) And I think we all
have sufficient business on hand to attend to without troubling
ourselves about affairs we may never see. Of course President
Taylor, like all other men, will die some time. When that day
scomes it will be quite time enough for the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles to attend to organization of the Presidency of the Church.
I will keep a copy of this communication.
I remain your Brother in the Gospel of Christ,
WILFORD WOODRUFF.