The Brigham Young Center

Great Salt Lake City,
January 24th 1867.

Mr. Joseph E. S. Russell,

Dear Brother:

A letter has been handed to the undersigned, by President Young, which should have been addressed to the Committee of the Ball entitled "Missionary Reunion" as they are the responsible parties.
 
In that letter you state that you were informed that President Young had erased your name from the list of persons invited to attend that party. This is a mistake.

Before the names were submitted to President Young your name had been expunged, and the reasons for doing so were merely stated to him. We wish it distinctly understood therefore by you that he neither moved nor suggested in this matter; but that the action which has been taken we are responsible for.

Upon receipt of your letter he expressed a wish that a ticket should be sent to you. But we felt, as managers of this Party, that your letter has not changed the case, and the impropriety of admitting you to the Party would be as great now as before the writing of your letter.

Conversant as we are with the circumstances to which you allude in your letter, we are rather astonished at the tone of injured innocence which you assume to the President. You speak as though you were greatly wronged by somebody, and that somebody had violated confidence by reporting your transgressions.

If we have been correctly informed, you, yourself, have communicated these facts more widely than any one else, as they have been told to us by Elders, who stated that you had revealed the facts to them. It is a painful subject to us, and we have avoided mentioning it. While we do not wish to hurt your feelings, or to throw the least obstacle in your pathway, still, you must be aware, that there is a distinction between the Elders who have been faithful and kept their covenants, and those who have not.

We can not, if we would, remove that distinction. The Elder who possesses knowledge, and is aware of the consequences of transgression, must expect to endure those consequences, should he yield to sin. When confidence is lost, a life of faithfulness and humility is needed to restore it. The mere confession of the sin will not do it, though, as far as it goes, it is commendable and satisfactory.

You have never been tried for these things, though you speak as if you had; a trial, however, can be had, should you so wish, before the High Council. Should what we here have written, not be satisfactory to you, we can write you more fully.

Your brethren

Signed

Daniel M Wells
Geo. Q. Cannon
Brigham Young Jun