-- Saturday, Jul 14, 1900
[Apostle Rudger Clawson Diary] Salt Lake City. Clear and warm. I spent the forenoon at the President's office. At 2 p.m. a meeting was held at the President's office. Present: President[s] Lorenzo Snow, Geo. Q. Cannon, [and] Joseph F. Smith, Apostles B. Young, Reed Smoot, and myself, and Elders Robt. T. Burton, J. R. Winder, F. S. Richards, and G. F. Gibbs, clerk.
The object of the meeting was to consider the matter of closing up the Utah Loan and Trust Co.'s business. Apostle Reed Smoot, one of the committee appointed by the Presidency and council of Apostles, made a brief report of the condition of said banking company, as follows, to wit:
Assets
$31,382
Donations promised
12,000
$43,382
Liabilities
107,670.11
Less certificates of deposits made by H. J. Grant
28,774.11
78,896
Less assets
43,382
Deficiency
$35,514
It was moved by Pres. Cannon and seconded by Jno. R. Winder that $35,000, or so much of it as may be needed, be set apart by the Trustee-in-Trust to liquidate the deficiency of the Utah Loan and Trust Co. and that the matter be submitted to the First Presidency and Twelve at their next meeting for their approval. Carried by unanimous vote. (1)
-- Jul 19, 1900; Thursday
At 11 o'clock the council meeting of the Presidency and the Apostles was held in the Temple. There were present: Presidents George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith, Brigham Young [Jr.], F[rancis]. M. Lyman, John Henry Smith, George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant, John W. Taylor, Anthon H. Lund, Matthias F. Cowley, Rudger Clawson and Reed Smoot. ...
Brother Grant now referred to the correspondence read at this council from Pres[ident]. Andrew Kimball, and said Brother Taylor and himself learned that Brother Kimball had entered into a private contract with the railroad people which he could not carry out, and that the people of his stake were under no obligation whatever to help him carry his burden. He was advised to get out of it as soon as possible. They learned that the contractors were advancing means to pay his men as he was not making enough to meet his payroll; and they believed the railroad people were too smart for Brother Kimball; that they were making him believe that the honor of the whole Mormon people was at stake in his failure to carry out the contract he had entered into, which they believed was a one-sided affair. At first the contract was made in the name of Phillips and Kimball, but Phillips threw it up as soon as he saw a mistake had been made, and it would have ruined him to have gone on with it. These brethren felt that Brother Kimball should have done as Brother Phillips did, but instead of doing that he obligated himself to carry out the contract himself, and he was now paying dearly for his experience.
Brother Grant said that after talking with Brother Kimball and showing him that his people were in no way bound, morally or any other way to stand by him in his undertaking, he had to admit that this was the fact, although loath to do so. He still felt, to use his own language, that he was entitled to their moral support.
Brother Grant now drew the attention of the council to the great responsibility the Church was assuming, either directly or indirectly, in allowing the B[righam]. Y[oung]. Academy Expedition to go on according to the program mapped out by its leader, Brother [Benjamin] Cluff. From what he had seen and heard he freely and frankly stated that the expedition ought to be disbanded. His reasons for this were these: In the first place he thought it was a big mistake in the Church allowing Brother Cluff to carry out his expedition ideas under Church auspices, as the members of the expedition were of the opinion that in responding to the request of Brother Cluff to join the expedition that they were doing nothing more nor less than performing missionary duties. The Expedition consisted of a crowd of young men without experience, and it was not at all unlikely that when they got into Mexico they would have their horses and baggage stolen from them, and perhaps get into worse trouble. Speaking of the morals of the expedition he said that their behavior at Thatcher was unbecoming; and as evidence of Brother Cluff's poor judgment Brother Grant said he invited Bro[ther]. Mosiah Hancock, a man well on to seventy years, to accompany the expedition believing that they
might find some new plates as a result of their explorations. Brother Grant could not help but believe that they would be in jeopardy of their lives and belongings while traveling in Mexico. He heard that in nearly every settlement Brother Cluff had invited some one or more to accompany the expedition, and it was generally understood that it was a church affair. If this be so, the speaker felt that some experienced man or men should go with them. He verily believed that if they were allowed to go on they would never reach to the place of their destination, and that the Church would be put to great expense to bring them home again. If they were allowed to go on he believed the number should be reduced, and he also had reason to believe that some of the boys would be pleased to be released. He believed also it was a grave and serious mistake, and that lives would be lost unless something were done to either reduce or disband the expedition. ...
Brother Young suggested that Brother J. H. Ward receive the usual amount allowed him to help in the publication of the German paper, the "Beobachter." He had received $30. a month for the past six months in addition to a special appropriation, and Brother Young thought he was worthy of more. It was the sense of the council that Brother Ward be allowed what he had asked for, namely, the special appropriation of $10. a month be continued with the addition of what he was already receiving, making in all $40. a month. ...
President Cannon sent word to President [Lorenzo] Snow, at his residence, Beehive House, that he and President Smith would like to confer with him in regard to the Brigham Young Academy expedition when he should be able to meet with them. President Snow has been confined to the house for some time on account of poor health. (2)
Endnotes:
1 - Stan Larson (editor), A Ministry of Meetings: The Apostolic diaries of Rudger Clawson, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1993, http://bit.ly/rudgerclawson
2 - 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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