Presidents Office
Gt Salt Lake City,
Mar. 10 1866.
Elder Thomas Taylor,
Post Office Box 3957, New York City.
Dear Brother:-
When you left here it was expected that we would select and appoint Bro. W. E. Staines to go to New York to travel with the people from N. Y. to the frontiers and to take charge of business on the Rail Road Lines; and also some person to go to the fruntiers to take charge there, and Bro. B. H. Schettler to keep the books. Since receiving the telegram from Bro's. Bullock and Riter informing us of their arrival at New York we have concluded that you will have help enough there without our sending any person from here, and have informed Bro's Staines and Schettler that they will not be required to go down.
If yourself and brother John T Caine should not be fully able to transact all the business that will require attention in New York you can call such others of the Elders as are qualified and whom you can obtain, to your assistance. Brothers Bullock and Riter can go to the fruntiers and attend to the business that will be required there, in preparing for the Saints, &c. They must be practicular in keeping their books, so that they will be able to render an account of all business that passes through their hands, and when bro. John T. arrives at the fruntiers that he will be able to investigate every thing and straighten any matter that may not be right while it is fresh on their minds, that confusion may be avoided after you reach home. You should give them the necessary instructions on these points before they start, and continue to give them such counsel and directions as they may need afterwards. Bro. Joseph Felt will probably be a good selection to act as travelling aget to travel to and from the fruntier, as he understands Danish in addition to his mother tongue, whether he, or some other travelling Elder, is selected for this duty, he should be wide awake and attentive to his duties. You can probably arrange with the R. Road Co's to have such agent travel free.
Enclosed you will find a copy of a letter which I received a few days ago from a Committee appointed to write to me by the Chamber of Commerce of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Their offer sounds pretty fair and liberal. I telegraphed them that I should send a copy of their letter to our Agents, and that they would soon be in the West to make arrangements; but they would necessarily have to be governed by circumstances. Immediate steps should be taken, if not already done, to ascertain what can be done about carring our people from the terminus of the Rail Road in Iowa to the Bluffs or Omaha. It strikes me that if a suitable arrangement could be made, that this would be an advantageous route for our emigrants to travel, and then from Omaha by rail to the Loup Fork, to which point, I understand, the Rail Road from Omaha will be completed by the time our emigrants will be along. Should any arrangements of this kind be made, we would like you to telegraph immediately and we then would know to what point we would have to send our teams to meet the people. It would be a great saving of travel for the teams in going and returning if they could pick up the people at Loup Fork instead of having to go to the
River for them.
You must be sure and recollect that, if you succeed in having the people brought up to the Loup Fork you will have to make suitable arrangements there for them. There will be no houses for them to go to, and no provisions to be bought, and you will have to frieght, up to the point of debarkation, the provisions and any other articles that you will need to fit out the trains.
We have not heard any particulars since you left except through telegram. We have received a telegram from bro. H. B. Clawson on business; and as it made no allusion to other matters we concluded that you were all well and that every thing was going on right with you.
Your families are all well so far as heard from peace and general good health prevails here. The weather is rather mild, and at present, the indications are that we will have an early Spring.
With love to Bro's Hiram, John T. and yourself and all the Elders who may be with you and praying the Lord to bless you and give you all emment success in your various duties & labors.
I remain
Your Brother,
Brigham Young