G.S.L. City, Jan. 1, 1861
Elder Dwight Eveleth,
San Francisco. Cal.,
Dear Brother:-After wishing you the compliments of the season, and the recurrence of many a happy new year, I think you for your very welcome letters of Oct 18 and Nov. 2, and for the numbers of the Cal. Farmer accompanying your letter of Oct.18.
As advised by you, in yours of Oct. 18, I have paid to Elder George Q. Cannon $100.00 which amount I wish you to pay to br. Meeder.
Br. Thomas Knowles has not paid to me the $50 00/100 you state that you ordered him to, and I am by no means certain that he is able to, as money is so scarce with most persons in Utah; still it may be that he can and will; I will drop a line to him by next mail, and trust to soon know what he intends to do in the matter.
Sister J.M. Ide called upon me a few days ago, and I paid to her $200 - 00/100, on her husband's order, conditioned that br. Ide would pay that amount on my order in California. With this understanding I have drawn a draft upon br. Ide, for said amount, and sold it to br. William S. Godbe who has payments to make in Cal. I shall by this mail advise br Ide of said draft, and trust he will be careful to pay it only in tenor of br
Godbe's endorsement.
I have hear nothing from Mrs. Betsey Whipple, of Provo, concerning the order on me, in her favor, for $100 00/100, as mentioned in yours of Nov 2, but presume it can readily be attended to when presented.
It appears, from your letter of the 2nd of Nov. that Mr. Meeder, in all this time and from all his wealth and increase, claims to have paid tithing for rolling forth the great work in which he has professed to be engaged, to the immense amount of $150 00/100 viz:--$50 00/100 to Elder Parley P. Pratt, Senr. and $100 00/100 to Elders Lyman and Rich. It is not marvelous that br. Meeder should be in the state of feeling you mention, when the course he chooses to take with his means is considered. Were all to do as little in proportion to their means, for promoting the cause of truth as br. Meeder appears to have done, the work of our God on this his earth would have been far in arrear of what it now is, so far as the works of his servants on the earth are concerned. But it is br Meeders prerogative, like that of all others, to exercise his agency and dispose of his means as he may elect; and for the use made of what the Lord has blest him with, he, also like all others, has to render an account. As I have already mentioned, I have paid to br. G.Q. Cannon, on your order $100.00 which sum you can pay to br Meeder; and I presume your order to Mrs Whipple will be promptly attended to on presentation, and I trust to be able to meet such further arrangements as you may make for adjusting br. Meeder's demands to his satisfaction. When br. Meeder is paid the $500, if he does not then forthwith pay his tithing in full, you are hereby authorized to take up his case and cut him off from the Church, for though each one has a right to take a course for heaven or hell, no one has a right to a place in the ship Zion while at the same time he is taking a course to impede her progress, or, if possible, cause her destruction. He has a perfect right to grunt about the heads of the Church, if he chooses, but he has no right to our fellowship in his complaining.
Sister Sargeant has just handed me a letter written by you to her, Dec. 18, and says she knows nothing about the deed you mention as being sued for. If the land was actually bought and paid for, as alleged, of course she has no objection to the party's having a deed, otherwise, of course they should not have a deed; the court should give the matter a careful and fair hearing and decision. In regard to her other affairs in California, if any such there be worth attending to, she does not wish to employ any one on expense when nothing can be got; or, if any thing is got that should be hers, to have it pocketed by the one she might intrust the matter with. If you could handily give this subject a little attention, without any particular expense or trouble, and find out whether she has any property there, I should be pleased to have you do so, and inform me, at your earliest convenience concerning the situation of the same.
You mention that you do not receive the Deseret News regularly; we can readily sympathise with you, for we also, almost every mail, fail to receive many of our papers from the east. In either case I presume that papers are mailed, and I know that much care is used in duly mailing the "News", but from some cause or causes many papers miss of their proper destination.
What is the talk in California about a Western Empire? How does California feel about the Unions splitting -- the old horse's dying and being dissected in the reign of king James the defunct?
Captain Walter M. Gibson, of whom I presume you have heard, is on his way to the Eastern rchipelago, by way of Los Angelos and San Francisco, Cal. His daughter accompanies him, and he has a letter of introduction from me to you; any courtesies you may extend to him will be kindly appreciated, and promise to be instrumental of good to the cause in which we are engaged; we have sent him forth without purse or scrip, as he is a new hand, and has to prove himself, as have others. By this mail I forward to you, under another envelope, 4 letters to Cap. Gibson and 1 to his daughter (to hand by eastern mail since their departure) which I wish you to hand to the Captain