-- Feb 7, 1899; Tuesday
President [Lorenzo] Snow received a call from Brothers F[ranklin]. S. Richards and T[homas]. G. Webber, who submitted a draft of the proposed agreement between the Trustee-in-trust and some person to be named representing owners of property contiguous to the News corner; said person to be authorized to receive subscriptions from said property owners for paving the streets one block east, west and north of that corner and paying expenses incurred in securing the Federal building for the same. John C. Cutler was named and accepted as a suitable person to represent the property holders and he became a party to the document.
The sum of $53.00 was appropriated to defray court expenses in the case of Doutree vs. Rhodes and Indians, which case involved the water rights of Fillmore [Utah] Indians.
Elder Orson Smith, President of Cache [Utah] Stake, was a caller at the office. He had been offered $125.00 a month as agent for the Studebaker Company in Cache Valley, and he asked President Snow's advice as to whether or not he should accept the offer. The President readily consented to Brother Smith's doing this or any other legitimate work, in order to secure an income, of which he stood in need. (1)
-- Feb 9, 1899; Thursday
Presidents [Loernzo] Snow and [George Q.] Cannon were at the President's Office prior to attending the regular meeting of the Council of the Apostles in the Temple at 11 a.m. Present at the meeting: Presidents Lorenzo Snow and George Q. Cannon; Apostles Francis M. Lyman, John Henry Smith, George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant, Anthon H. Lund, Matthias F. Cowley, Abraham O[wen]. Woodruff and Rudger Clawson. ...
Appropriations were made as follows: A hundred and twenty-five dollars in favor of Elder Helaman Pratt of the Juarez [Mexico] Stake Presidency, to cover an amount already drawn by him; and fifty dollars in favor of Elder William Howard, one of the Presidency of Emery [Utah] Stake, to make up the amount of two hundred dollars allowed him as compensation. (1)
-- Feb 16, 1899; Thursday
Presidents [Lorenzo] Snow and [George Q.] Cannon proceeded from the President's Office shortly before 11 a.m., to meet with the Apostles at the Temple in regular council. There were present at this meeting Presidents Lorenzo Snow, George Q. Cannon and Franklin D. Richards; Apostles Francis M. Lyman, John Henry Smith, George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant, Anthon H. Lund, Matthias F. Cowley, Abraham O[wen]. Woodruff and Rudger Clawson. Apostle Brigham Young [Jr.] was absent, still sick.
A letter was read from A. W. Lundstrom of Lund, Idaho, to Brother Cowley, stating that the Bishop and other residents of that place had become discouraged on account of the hard winters and the scarcity of water for domestic use. The purpose of the letter was induce Brother Cowley to use his influence to hold the people there, as it was believed that the winters would become less severe as trees were planted and began to grow, and the people built more closely together, instead of being in a scattered condition as at present. It was the sense of the Council that the place should be sustained, and Brother Cowley was instructed to answer the letter accordingly.
A letter to Brother Lyman from President A[nthony]. W. Ivins of the Juarez Stake of Zion (Mexico) was read, stating that one of the brethren down there had met a man of the range riding a horse which the former recognized as his own. Upon asking the man what he was doing with the animal, he rode off, but returned and placed the brother under arrest. The latter demanded access to the Judge and was told that if he would pay the jailer word would be sent to the judge. He paid the jailer a dollar, and word was returned to him supposed to come from the judge that he would be fined two and a half dollars. The fine was paid. This was the third case of the kind that has happened.
Brother John Henry Smith reported his visit to Heber City [Utah], in company with Brother Lund. The brethren at that place had entertained the idea of doing away with the administration of the sacrament at Stake conferences, but had been advised by him and Brother Lund to continue it until otherwise instructed. Another question that came up was, How should persons ordained trace their ordination, through the man who was mouth, or through the man highest in authority who may have assisted in the ordination? They had answered, through the man who was mouth. Another question was, Whether the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob should be pronounced upon children whose parents had not been through the Temple. They had advised that children be blessed without distinction. Brother Smith now asked the views of the Council upon these points.
A discussion ensued, during which Brother Lyman stated that he had noticed at Brigham City [Utah] last Sabbath at the Stake conference that the sacrament was not administered, and he had advised that it be administered in the Sunday morning meeting, so that the children of the Sabbath school who attended that meeting might not be deprived of it. He favored the administration of the sacrament at the Stake Conferences. President Cannon thought that the advice given by the brethren at Heber City was very proper, and upon the subject of ordination he added, that in cases where a person holding higher authority in the Priesthood than the one who may be mouth took part in the ordination, his name should also be recorded as having participated therein. Referring to the blessing of children, President Cannon said that from the number of communications he had received on that subject he was inclined to think that there was too much formality about it. He regarded it as a very simple thing, and that there should be no distinction whatever in the blessing of children, whether of members or non-members of the Church, excepting such distinction as the promptings of the Spirit might suggest to him who should be mouth. Brother Smith ad[d]ed to his report that he had advised, where parents desired to change the name of a child at the time of its baptism, that the name be also changed upon the record showing the blessing of the child.
The question of ordaining children to the Priesthood was also considered, with reference to the practice of conferring the Priesthood upon children when their lives were despaired of through sickness. Would such ordinations hold good in case those children should live? The answer to this question was that such children should be re-ordained, with the consent of the people of
the Branch in which they lived, after reaching maturity. President Snow felt that the practice in question should not be approved. He doubted that such an ordination, that is in infancy or childhood, would do the one receiving it any particular good, that the child would derive any benefit from it. He had noted that it was quite a common belief where persons die without having all the wives they ought to have sealed to them that it involved personal disadvantage to the deceased; and the same in relation to blessings. He did not share in these views. Brother Lyman remarked that he did not feel like placing any blessing or responsibility upon a person about to die, that he might shrink from placing upon him if he were in good health.
Brother Smith brought to the attention of the Council the continuation of the Mutual Improvement League. The motive which prompted the organization of this league was to keep our young brethren from joining the Young Men's Christian Association, a similar institution. The league for some time past had been involved in debt, and the question had arisen as to whether or not it should be continued. The debt hanging over it amounted to about six hundred dollars. Brother Grant stated that the league could not be made self-sustaining, for the reason that the building which it occupied--the Social Hall--was not large enough to accommodate the number requisite to make it pay. He informed the Council that Brother Spencer Clawson had decided to vacate the building now owned and used by him and used in his dry goods business, and as he owned the Church some forty thousand dollars, he thought this building might be obtained and the top story could then be used by the league as a gymnasium, while the rest of the building was occupied by the Deseret News. This brought forth the comment from some of the brethren that if the Clawson building could be secured for the News it would need all the space for itself. On motion of Brother Lyman Brother Grant was requested to ascertain if the building in question, together with a smaller one on Main street, could be had, on account of Brother Clawson's indebtedness to the Church, for the Deseret News, thus giving it a business place on Main street. It was also decided after further discussion to discontinue the Mutual Improvement League, as it was not doing what was hoped for it at the time of its organization. Brother Grant and others felt sorry to take this action, but the motion to discontinue made by Brother Smith became the united sense of the Council. ...
Presidents Snow and Cannon were waited upon by Brother Thomas G. Webber, chairman of the committee on Federal building site, who called to consult with them about President Cannon's going to Washington [D.C.] in the interest of the News corner as that site. President Snow said that it would gratify him to have President Cannon go, provided he himself felt that his health would permit. President Cannon expressed his willingness to go.
The sum of three hundred dollars was appropriated in favor of the St. John [Arizona/New Mexico] Stake Academy, to help pay an indebtedness of five hundred dollars on a addition to their new building. This was done with the understanding that the Stake pay the running expense of the Academy. (1)
Endnotes:
1 - First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve minutes
LDS History Chronology: Lorenzo Snow
Mormon History Timeline: the life of Lorenzo Snow
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
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