-- Dec 18, 1899; Monday
Presidents Lorenzo Snow and George Q. Cannon were at the office, and at 2 P.M. they went to the Temple to participate in a birthday party given by the Temple workers in honor of Bishop John R. Winder.
At 5:30 P.M. Elder Brigham Young [Jr.] and his son, Brigham S. Young, met President Snow on business pertaining to the Church coal property at cedar [Utah]. They said that certain parties were now interesting themselves in the purchase of this property, and they wanted an option for ten days from the President at the very lowest price for which he would sell. President Snow had previously offered to sell the property for $150,000, but he now told Brother Young that he would sell it to him for $125,000, cash down, and give him an option at this price for five days. If he could possibly do so, he would extend this time, he said, provided the parties with whom Brother Young was about to deal needed further time. The President intimated that another party had approached him, and might come back in a day or two, for which reason he did not like to give too long an option, but he would favor Brother Young with an extension if he could possibly do so, and he thought he could. President Snow offered to turn over the Jones property for $15,000--the price for which Brother Jones had offered to sell it to the Church--provided Brother Young succeeded in selling the Church property and paying him $125,000 for it, or $140,000 in all for Church and Jones properties. The President told Brother Young that he would not assume the responsibility of transferring to him the Jones property for $15,000, as he did not know whether Brother Jones would adhere to his verbal agreement; but he agreed to give him the advantage involved, Brother Jones having offered it at a lower price to President Snow than to Brother Young. (1)
-- Dec 19, 1899; Tuesday
Presidents Lorenzo Snow and Joseph F. Smith were at the office.
Brother J. Fewson Smith called and met President Snow, reporting his recent trip to Canada. He accompanied President Smith and Brother Rudger Clawson as engineer to help settle the difficulty existing between our brethren who were working on the Alberta canal and the engineer of the company that is constructing it. Brother Smith now reported that he succeeded in settling the difficulty to the satisfaction of the people, also of Mr. [Elliot T.] Galt and the engineer.
The sum of $300, appropriated some time ago by President Snow in favor of the Park City [Utah] meeting house, was covered by an order issued today to Brother [Thomas] Allen, the presiding officer of that branch.
Dr. Karl G. Maeser and President J[oshua]. H. Paul, of the L.D.S. College, conferred with the Presidency over a difficulty between the College Board and the teachers employed by Prof[essor]. Nelson, the principal of the Commercial department. The following account of the matter is copied verbatim from the minutes kept of the interview by Secretary George F. Gibbs:
"These teachers were employed by Brother Nelson, at a time when he was running that department of the college in a measure, independently of the board; and when he employed them it was not known by him whether any part of the college appropriation would be allowed to his department by the board, in fact he had been given to understand in some way that the board would not sustain him because of his independent attitude toward them; but in order to run the school he had to make arrangements with his teachers even before an appropriation was made to the college, and he entered into an agreement to pay them two thirds cash, and one third in scrip, provided an appropriation should be made; if no appropriation should be made then the two thirds cash was all they were to get. After the usual appropriation was made to the college and its board had employed a new President, Brother Paul instead of Brother Done, the question arose, what should be done in order that the board and new President should have complete control over the business department as well as the college proper. It should be stated that Brother Nelson had bought school apparatus and furniture amounting to about $3,000, in order to run the commercial department, and he had done this without the knowledge or consent of the board, and he had heretofore collected and disbursed independent of the board the tuition of his department; and now that the board had taken a step to bring him into line he held that they should either buy him out or assume the payment of his teachers as well as himself. The board held they could not do this without the consent of the First Presidency as they had not funds with which to do it. An audience was therefore obtained, the board and Brother present. After quite a lengthy talk, the Presidency authorized the purchase of the furniture at Brother Nelson's own figures, also the employment of his teachers at the salaries agreed on by him; but the question of the kind of pay was not raised at the time, and the board afterwards would not make any distinction in paying the teachers of the business department, as to kinds of pay, from the other teachers employed directly by the college president, and this caused quite a little feeling. The question was brought to the First Presidency and referred by them to the college board. They decided they could make no distinction as to the kinds of pay between the teachers employed in the college. Brother Nelson and his teachers appealed to President Snow, who, on recommendation of President Angus M. Cannon, referred the matter to the Stake Board. Brother Nelson had at first asked for an arbitration of the difficulty which the board
felt it could not accede to, and in referring the matter to the stake board, Brother Nelson expressed his satisfaction, being under the impression that the members of the stake board were all new men who had not heard the question, excepting President Angus M. Cannon, President of the College Board, and he understood that Brother Cannon, who was also President of the Stake Board, was not to sit on the appeal as President of the Stake Board. But President Cannon did sit on the appeal also, and Brother Nelson took exceptions to this in an appeal again to the Presidency. It should be stated that Brother Nelson's teachers now claimed the one third scrip as well as the two thirds cash; or, in order to meet the minds of the board trustees, in order that no distinction as to the kinds of pay he made, they suggested that their salaries be raised to cover the difference. Quite a long conversation was had on this subject, during which Brother Paul stated that if the salaries of Brother Nelson's teachers would be raised it would cause dissatisfaction with the teachers he himself had employed, as Brother Nelson's teachers were already well paid in the amount represented by the two thirds excepting in two cases, and Brother Paul thought it would be proper to readjust their salaries but none of the others. Nothing was definitely done, but it will no doubt come up again."
Brother William A. Rossiter delivered to President Snow today a deed for twenty-three inches of land on Main Street immediately north of Savages Store, and immediately south of the Council House corner, making a present of it to the Church. At the time the Church sold the property known as the Constitutional Building, of which this was a part, Brother Rossiter bought the property on which Brother C. R. Savages store now stands, the latter being unable though desirous to do so at the time. Afterwards Brother Savage bought his property of Brother Rossiter at an advanced price, and the latter made a present of this margin to the Church. He now makes the present of this land also, which he acquired at a profit from the same transaction.
An order was issued today for the sum of $300, appropriated some time ago in favor of the Park City meeting house.
Mr. George C. Anderson called, having just come from Canada. He expressed himself as being pleased to learn that Brother J. Fewson Smith had reported a satisfactory settlement with the sub-contractors and the canal people, when he represented. He intimated that the company would be pleased to have our brethren continue working on the canal next spring; also to have the Church send other emigrants to that part. ...
An appropriation was made today by President Snow, of all the tithing of Blackfoot [Idaho] Ward for the year 1899, to assist the people of that Ward in building a meeting house, they having none at the present time. (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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