President's Office,
Great Salt Lake City, April 12 1860.
Pres. A. Calkin,
42 Islington, Liverpool, England,
Dear Brother:-Yours of Feb. 24 is at hand, as are also your Report, and the Emigration account current, and the business therein advised of is noted.
So far as it can possibly be done, it is just as necessary and proper to record names and amounts for donations as it is for tithings, since they are equally distinct modes for advancing the work; and persons helping in the one case are equally entitled to have their names known as in the other. By this method also there will be far less opportunity for imposition and extravagance, and a chance for knowing what funds are gathered, from whom, and for what disbursed.
Being familiar with the number in the families of br's Ross and Budge you certainly have the best means of knowing what amount would be most consistent for their emigration, all things considered; but it really appears to me that £200 to each of them is a decided leaning to extra liberal for the accomplishment of the purpose for which the money was collected. If £22 have comfortably emigrated an Elder and his wife, as has been the case, and £10 are deemed sufficient for a through passenger, upon what principle should £200 be required for a person and his wife, and, at most, one or two small children? Let that amount be established, as the basis of an Elder's transportation, and the cries of the poor who are so anxiously waiting and working for the day of their deliverance, will call displeasure and disaster upon the path of all who act so selfishly and unwisely. It is the chief duty of the Elders to labor diligently and with their mights, in a praiseworthy and fatherly manner, for the Salvation and deliverance of the people, for which reason it seems clear to me that Elder Ross and Budge will both do and feel far better, and advance their own and the interests of their brethren much more, if they use only what they really need of the £200 each for their emigration and some clothing and a few like articles, and hand over the balance to be used in emigrating the poor. Or, if they prefer it, let them retain £50 each, and turn over the other £150 each, for the above named purpose, or to assist in emigrating other Elders, and come here and work for their living, as others do. Drafts 155 & 156, for £30 and £4, inclosed in my letter of Jan. 4, contained on the face and back of 155 and the face of 156 all that was requesite for you to know, for the parties depositing the money here did not wish a farthing paid to the parties there until they were certainly ready to and actually would emigrate, for that was solely the design of the deposit. Such is still the case, and no money is to be paid on drafts 155 and 156, except upon the conditions above named, to wit, the emigration of the parties. With this express understanding, I again advise you that 155 was drawn in favor of Martha Herman, Bradford, Yorkshire, as you will find written on the back; and 156 was drawn in favor of Alice Wickham, Kensington Branch, London; the person making the deposit preferred notifying her therof, when, upon complying with the circumstances, she would have called for the money, thereby making the address unnecessary, which is the reason it was not forwarded at the time.
As you supposed, I learned from yours of Dec. 14, /59, of the £90 for Mrs. Wiseman and the £20 for Mrs Jabez Woodward.
Mrs. Brooks was paid the £25 mentioned by you, on the 24th of September, 1859, the first time she called for it.
By referring to the transfer or Trustee in Trust a/c you will find the Brebner draft for £84.2.0 included in the transfer made to you by br. O. Pratt; if, therefore, you have charged br. Pratt for that draft you must also credit him as he turned it over to you, according to the books sent from Liverpool. Bro. Eldredge received the money from you, as you state, and expended it for Trustee in Trust, all of which I knew nothing about until this morning. I have also just learned that our Delegate, Hon. W.H. Hooper, paid Mrs. Catherine Kent the £84.2.0, on the faith of the affair's being as represented to him by Mrs. Kent. From these fats you will understand that Br. Pratt transferred the draft to you, that you remitted the amount to br. Eldredge, who expended it for Trustee in Trust, that br. Hooper paid said amount to Mrs. Kent, which amount I will pay to br. Hooper, which will close the concern, and that Mr. Brebner need have no further care about the matter. Had I been apprised of the affair in its time, I would have adjusted it without so much delay. I will address a few lines to Mr. Brebner upon the subject, which I will inclose, unsealed, to you, and thank you to read, seal, and forward.
I have drawn upon you draft 163, for £8.0.0, favor of Lucy Brunyer, Chesterfield, near Liverpool; to be paid when she is ready to emigrate.
As previously advised, when you are ready to start you are authorized to' leave the affairs of your Presidency in charge of Elders Nathaniel V. Jones and Jacob Gates; and it will probably be best for Elder Jones, in addition to otherwise acting jointly with Elder Gates, to be the "Passenger Broker," unless it can be omitted till other Elders arrive. And be careful to instruct Elders Jones and Gates not to oppress the brethren by forcing books upon the branches or suffering the Elders to beg them to death.
The ox train f Florence, with which Elders Lyman, Rich and the other missionaries will journey to the frontiers, will probably leave here about the 1st of May, and through hauling out flour and bringing back freight and people will enable us to accomplish more with a less out lay of money. As you are doubtless aware, orders have at length been issued for the removal of the troops from Utah, except 3 companies 2nd Dragoons, 3 do 4th artillery, and 4 do 10th Infantry. You will learn in the "News" and Mountaineer that the Probate Court for this county had lately sent five persons to the Penetentiary for Larceny, and that Judge Eckles directly left his District and came to this city, where he issued a writ of habeas corpus for said five convicted and imprisoned thieves, directed to the Warden of the Penitentiary, placed it in the hands of a brother of one of the convicts to serve, and left for Camp Floyd, his place of resort, and where the writ was made returnable. The writ was promptely complied with, and on their arrival in Camp Floyd the prisoners were at once liberated by Judge Eckles, without hearing or examination of any description. Such is justice (?) and such the magnanimity of the law (!) under the illegal administration of a Federal chief Justice.
In relation to Alexander Smith and family, to whom you wrote Dec. 29,/59, and Jan. 5, /60. copies of which letters are before me, advising him that you were authorized to apply $115.00 on their emigration, I have now to advise you that I wish you, by the first convenient opportunity as to funds and time for emigrating, to forward them to Florence, using therefore such amount as may be necessary, charging the same to P.E. Fund a/c
Our Conference proceedings you will find in the current 'News'. There was a very full attendance, and a marked increase of unity and of the good spirit were characteristic of our meetings.
Br. Daniel Spencer has just called and requested me to advise you to pay to br. H.S. Eldredge the £208.0.0, be the same more or less, collected by you from the Tenant estate. Br. Spencer will forward bills for br. Eldredge to fill to part of the amount, and the balance he has loaned to me to be used to enable br. Eldredge to fill bills in his possession, for which reason I wish you to be careful to pay br. Eldredge the money as above requested.
The weather is very favorable, and affairs are moving in the right direction.
Your Brother in the Gospel,
Brigham Young