Salt Lake City. U.T.
4 November 1868
Elder H.J. Richards
New York City
Dear Brother:
Your letter of the 25 ult. came to hand yesterday. I am always pleased to hear of your welfare and progress and shall be happy to have you pay a visit to your home and family at the return of the warm weather. You can draw on me for the means you may need.
Your visit to your friends must have been very interesting to you. I am glad you went to see them. Is William Richards still on the old Homestead? I should be pleased to have some details from you, how the Pearson family are getting on.
I was glad to read in your letter that your studies grow more interesting to you each day and that you begin to feel you are accomplishing something thereby. The further you progress in your studies the more you will realize this feeling, and be able the better to appreciate the advantages your knowledge, rightly used will be, not only to yourself, but to the people of Deseret.
We are now enjoying some of the most beautiful weather ever experienced in these valleys. The nights are cool and clear, the days warm and bright. This gives us a great advantage in finishing our fall work, and pushing the railroad works forward with greater rapidity than could be done in the excessively warm weather of July and August, we find also that the hands can do much more in a day now than when they first began, through having become accustomed to the labor. The Railroad company are crowding up behind us with all their might but I expect to be ready for them when they get to my contract. The ties are already laid, I understand, as far as Bear River, and the track layers are not far in the rear. By the time you come through the "Iron horse" will carry very nearly to your journey's end.
Since conference very much has been done to introduce co-operation amongst our traders. We have determined to leave the outside merchants to take care of themselves, being resolved to sustain in our deal and trading those who are of the household of faith. At the same time we expect to control our own merchants for the good of the entire people, that in receiving the trade of the territory, they will be able to sell their goods at a smaller percentage than they have been in the habit of doing while only receiving a portion of the patronage of our citizens. Early next year we expect to establish a large wholesale co-operative establishment in which all our merchants will be interested, and which will spread out its branches into all the wards and settlements. already our retail traders have decided on a uniformity of price for their goods in their stores, and all subscribing to this co-operative movement will have placed on the front of their stores over their signs, the ensigna of the Association "Holiness to the Lord, Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution," that all may know who are our friends and the friends of Israel. Your friends and the people generally are well.
Praying the Lord to bless you, I remain,
Your Brother in the Gospel.
Brigham Young