Presidents Office
Gt Salt Lake City
May 14th 1866.
Hon Wm. H. Hooper. M. C.
House of Representatives,
Washington City D. C.
Dear Brother:-
My last to you was dated the 3rd instant which I hope you received or will receive by due course of mail. Since that we have heard through your letter to Bro. Geo. Q. We regret to hear that your health has been so poor, and hope that you have fully recovered by this time. You must not allow yourself to be agitated or annoyed by the threats and movements of our enemies. Do not lose a moment's sleep or a meal of victuals through anything they may say or do; but be calm and trust in God, and He will bring you through in safety as He has done so in every instance thus far. Your great anxiety to do every thing that you can, and the little chance that you have to gratify your wishes and have the truth recognized as you would like it to be, have the effect, I expect, to fret you and make you heart-sick. They can do nothing against the truth but for it, and we all must learn to put our trust in Him; as I have said before the Work is His, and He has promised to carry it off triumphant.
Your letter of the 12th or 15th of February allusion to which you have made in one or two letters, has not been received.
On the 3rd of May an ordinance was published which had been passed by the City Council April 4th. Enclosed I forward you a copy of the ordinance. On the 8th instant I was visited by Col. Potter <(Commander of the Post)> and Captains Grimes and Price. Colonel Potter had received a petition, signed by fifteen persons claiming the protection of the Military against the enforcement of this ordinance by the City Council. He called upon me to obtain my promise to the effect that I would prevent the property of "Gentiles" being destroyed without due process of law of course, he not considering the ordinance law. The notes of the conversation were taken down by our reporter, and I forward you a copy of them for reference in case you should need them. As you will see, there was not much courtesy manifested by them, and very little opportunity given to explain matters.
It certainly is a very strange proceeding for a military officer, commanding a United States Post, to act as the advocate and defender of gamblers, keepers of liquor saloons, &c., and to appeal to a private citizen for guarantees that the property of such should not be damaged under the ordinance passed by the City Council! Could anything be more unseemly and unreasonable? After some conversation I requested Colonel Potter to write me a letter and state therein what he wished of me. He promised that he would do so.
The accompanying is a copy of a letter signed by Capt. Price, which was forwarded me, with the view I suppose, to fulfil Col. Potters promice. But as you will readily perceive, instead of putting the requests he had to make of me in writing, he sought to fasten upon me that I had made a pledge to himself and accompanying officers "that the private property of Gentile citizens in Salt Lake should not be molested without due course of law"-- a pledge which would be obviously absurd for any officer to ask of a citizen, and which no citizen of sense would give! Every person of reflection can perceive in a moment what such a pledge would involve. The ordinance complained of does not contemplate the molestation of any property without due process of law; and the only property which could be molested under its provisions is such as might be found in houses of ill fame, gambling houses, illegal manufactories of liquor and liquor saloons. Whether such property can be called private or not is questionable. But think of the innumerable contingencies which might arise by which private property might be destroyed! Of course, if a store were burned or broken into, or property were destroyed in any manner belonging to gentiles, the same feeling which prompted Colonel Potter to ask me to protect their property against the action of the City Council would endeavor to make me responsible for such occurrences
As I had given no such pledge, nor said anything that could by any fairness be construed into a pledge of such a character, I requested Bro. George Q. to write to Colonel Potter, and deny the statement of Capt. Price respecting my having given such a promise, and ask him again to make his requests of me in writing. A copy of that letter is herewith enclosed.
To this letter there has been no response received. Our conclusion is that he sought counsel of those who were shrewder than he, and who could foresee what effect a letter from him to me containing such requests would have, and who advised him to drop it as quietly as possible.
I addressed a note to Col. Potter asking for a copy of the petition which he has given to Capt. Price to read in my office-- which he had told me I could have; but he said to the messenger who carried my note, that he had told me no such thing, and that he would not give me a copy. Were it necessary to prove that he did make such a promise, it could easily be done, as several of the brethren, beside myself, heard him but this matter is really too contemptible to notice. If the facts of the case were known at the War Department, they would displace him.
It would be gratifying to the citizens, your constituents, if you could bring sufficient influence to bear to have Col. W. Willard Smith appointed to command this Post. It is probable that Governor Durkee and Mr Head will make a rrquest of the proper department to the same effect. He has conducted himself in such a manner since he has been here that he has gained the respect and good feelings of the community, and this because he has confined himself to the duties of his position, and refrained from assuming the character of a Missionary and a Zealot.
With love, in which Presidents Kimball and Wells and Brother George Q. join, and praying the Lord to be with you and to give you the necessary wisdom and strength to accomplish every duty devolving upon you
I remain
Your Brother,
Brigham Young