Salt Lake City U.T.
4 November 1868.
President George Nebeker
Laie, Oahu, Sandwich Islands.
Dear Brother:-
Your favor of the 12th ult. containing the gratifying intelligence of your starting your sugar manufactory is received. As you may imagine the news of your success is very pleasing to us. We often think of you and your labors on those far off islands, and remember you constantly in our petitions to the throne of grace, that you may be "endowed with power from on High," sufficient to enable you to fill your mission to the glory of God, the salvation of the people to whom you are sent and your own exaltation and
happiness.
So that you may fulfil the spirit of your mission--the elevating and upraising of the degraded children of those islands, wherever practicable, employ the natives as much as possible to do the work. That is, where you have to employ labor, let it be our native brethren rather than outsiders; and when employed treat them with all kindness and forbearance, let them have reasonable recreation and amusement such as is without evil, and leads not to sin; do not permit the meetings to be neglected, so that the people may feel you are fathers to them and not taskmasters; neither work them to hard lest they feel that you are making them slaves; nor permit them to idle away the time, nor waste your property. In all things act as just stewards, over the things placed in your charge, and to the people be as servants of the Holy One, that they may feel encouraged to work for you, to live by you, and to listen and obey your counsels and teachings. All this I expect, probably you have done. I have no knowledge to the contrary, but if there is any little thing you have not attended to I am happy to make the suggestion.
Take great pains to manufacture the sugar very nice and clean, do not let the natives work at it in their dirt. As soon as the railway gets through we hope to have the pleasure of eating sugar, grown and manufactured by our own brethren, if they do dwell on one of the far off Western Islands.
Until to day the weather has been remarkably fine, but a change has now taken place, and snow is falling with every appearance of winter having set in. This continued spell of fine weather has been very favorable to the Railroad Company. The Eastern Co. were nine (9) miles west of Bear River on the morning of the third inst., and they talk of crouding forward all the winter. All my grading is finished in Echo, and the ties are being bedded there. There yet remains considerable heavy work to be done in Weber Canon, but I fully expect to be ready for the iron horse when it makes its appearance. Some of the leading men in the company talk as though they were determined to push the road along all the winter no matter at what expense, to use the words of one of them when the difficulties of laying the road through those parts during a severe winter were pointed out to him "the elements had nothing to do with laying their track." Whether they get to this valley or have to stop at Echo, or behind that point this winter, we are satisfied that it will be just as the Lord wishes. "So far will they go and no further" than is in accordance with His Divine will, and for the good of the faithful in Israel. As for us, we must do our part and do it well. The way we act in this matter, will either increase our influence for good in all the world, will measurably stay the tongue of calumny, and give the lie to the silly stories of which we are ever the subjects; or if we falter in our labors it will fill the country with evil rumors, and we shall be charged with impeding the progress of the great highway and interfering with what all civilization is now regarding as a most potent means to unite the commerce of the world. So far as we are concerned we want the railroad, we are not afraid of its results. We know the better the truth is known, the more it will be loved by the good, the virtuous and the noble of the sons of men. And when this road is finished our friends can come and see us, and witness the peace, the order, the freedom from crime, that possesses the cities of Zion, and they will compare them with the sinful depraved cities of our neighbors, and we shall loose nothing by the comparison.
Peace prevails in all our borders, save in the extreme South. I learn through our Telegraph line that a band of Navajoes have undertaken to steal the horses of the settlers at St George and on the Muddy. Elder Erastus Snow has however acted with great promptness, and set guards at the mountain passes, and sent platoons of cavalry to intercept or overtake the enemy. Two of the Navajoes, I am informed have been killed, and a considerable number of the stock retaken.
The health of the people remains good, so is my own I am thankful to say. So little of any exciting interest has transpired since my last to you that I believe I have now all the items of any great moment.
In future in writing to me address your letters to T.W. Ellerbeck or George Reynolds, as bro. G.D. Watt is not at present working in the Office. His silk mission fills up all his time.
With love to yourself, the elders and the saints in which bros. Smith and Wells join; and ever praying for your prosperity and happiness
I remain,
Your brother in the Gospel
Brigham Young