Salt Lake City. U.T.
4 August 1870
President Horace S. Eldredge
Liverpool
Dear Brother:-
Your favor of July 16, giving the details of the departure of the S.S. Manhattan from Liverpool, is to hand. The company of saints who sailed on this vessel passed through Omaha on Monday the 1st inst, and we expect to welcome them home tomorrow afternoon. I have received a telegram from Elder W.C. Staines stating that the "Minnesota" had arrived at New York, and that the saints who came by her, started on their journey "across the continent" on the 2nd inst. If they make the same time on the railroad as the first company, we may reasonably expect them to reach Salt Lake City, on or about the 14th inst.
Our election for Delegate to Congress. and for representatives in the Territorial Legislature, notwithstanding the persistent efforts of the "self styled "liberal party" passed off with the greatist order and good feeling. It was the first opportunity our ladies had had of proving their faith by their works in political matters. Many in the outside world fully expected that when the female suffrage bill was passed by our Territorial Legislature, and received the approval of Governor Mann, that it would prove the downfall of the Divine order of marriage instituted by God and practiced by the Saints. But now that the ladies have come forth in force and voted for the only man, who raised his voice in the Halls of Congress in defence of a plurality of wives, it is said that certain very wise ones, intend to have the bill pronounced unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of this Territory. I have not yet been informed what arguements they will advance to give consistancy to such a proceeding. I am told that General Maxwell has given notice that he intends to contest Captain Hooper's right to his seat in Congress as the delegate from this Territory.
The grasshoppers have almost entirely absented themselves from the Territory for the last few weeks, and our farmers have been busy in gathering in their hay and grain crops. I learn however that great numbers of the insects, have appeared within the last day or two at Manti, where they are doing great damage, and it is supposed by the citizens of that place, that they are laying their eggs. The weather is and has been for some time past exceedingly hot but I am happy to say the death rate in this city, remains very low. My own health and that of my immediate associates is good. I have caused enquiries to be made regarding
Your family and I learn they are in good health and spirits, with the exception of Sister Eldredge's mother, who is very low. Captain Hooper also, the particulars of whose return, you have doubtless read in the "Deseret News" is enjoying himself exceedingly, feeling however, a little tired.
The warm expressions of friendship to ourselves as a people, and of admiration of our labors, in reclaiming these once sterile valleys, indulged in by almost every lady and gentleman who visit our Territory, have induced us to frame a petition to Congress for the admission of Utah as a sovereign State in the Union, so worded that visitors in our midst can have the privilege of signing the petition and thus, to a small extent prove, if their expressions of good will are heartfelt or hypocritical; for I am sorry to say that many, who are loud in our praise while in our midst, when far away, forget the good they have seen, and the peace they have felt here, and give increased circulation and the weight of their influence to the misrepresentations and falsehoods so assidiously promulgated by our enemies. I am often asked by visitors "President Young, what can I do to serve you, when I return home?" I invariably answer "Simply tell the truth about us, and of what you have seen and heard in Salt Lake City." But do they do it? No, it is the hardest thing in the world, to get these same persons, when under the influence of the world, with its darkness, its ignorance, its follies and its crimes, to tell one word of truth about us. They would almost rather, that I should ask them to do anything, than to speek a word in favor of the work of God and its adherants, which they must do if they tell the truth on the subject
You will doubtless remember that early this spring, Dr Taggart Assessor of Internal Revenue for the district of Utah, assessed, at random, a tax amounting to nearly Sixty thousand Dollars, on the Tithing paid to the Trustee in trust, for the year 1868. Mr Hollister the collector of Internal Revenue by direction of the department afterwards carefully examined my books, and forwarded a lengthy report to his superiors at Washington, stating that in his opinion the tax should be reduced to between Four and Five thousand Dollars Since that time Congress has passed a law to the effect that for the future no Income tax shall be collected on the common fund of any community, if the amount of that fund is not in excess of One thousand Dollars for each and every family of five persons. This law is made retrospective in its action so as to include all unpaid taxes of this nature, at the date of its passage -- July 14th 1870 -- This of course affects the attempted taxation of our tithing; that, as you are well aware, in the aggregate, is but a very small fraction of two hundred dollars, per annum, for each Latter-day saint. Thus, in this, as in all other things, the Lord has caused the right to triumph, and the vexatious attempt to tax our tithing has fallen through, and our enemies have in this case as in every other of their unrighteous attempts been checkmated.
May our Father in Heaven, pour out upon you and the Elders associated with you the spirit of your missions, that you may be the instruments in His hands of doing much good, is the constant prayer of
Your Brother in the Gospel.
Brigham Young