Autobiographical Notes, circa 1850-1880 [A-22]

baptism for the dead, both of which occurred on Sunday, Nov 21^st, 1841. A large congregation assembled and Elders Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and John Taylor baptized about forty and persons and Elders Willard Richards, George A Smith and Wilford Woodruff confirmed them.

During the following week a company of about 200 Saints arrived from England, and I was now again in the midst of hundreds whom I had baptized in America, the "Islands of the Sea" and England and Wales.

356 TULLIDGE'S QUARTERLY MAGAZINE.

said that he was a man of excellent business qualities.

CHAPTER III.

UTAH OBTAINS AN HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE THROUGH HER COMMERCIAL MEN.

IT was the merchants of Utah who first brought the Mormon community fairly into socialistic importance. And this affirmation is true of them, both in their results at home and in the influence which they exercised abroad for the good of the people and the glory of Utah. Moreover, in the general sense of the public weal, this affirmation is as true of the Walker Brothers and Godbe and Lawrence, as it is of Jennings and Hooper or Eldredge and Clawson. The very construction of society and the necessities and aims of commerce convert the enterprises and life work of this class of men into the public good. Over a quarter of a century, for instance, the Walker Brothers and Godbe and Lawrence have been identified with the material prosperity and destiny of this Territory. The welfare of the country is their own good as a class;—the glory of the commonwealth glorifies their houses and augments their own fortunes. Of all men, the life-work and enterprise of the class who establish commerce, build railroads, develop the native mineral resources of the country, and construct the financial power of the State, must per force tend to the public prosperity as well as conserving and preserving society. And if this is the case with those influential men of commerce and great enterprises who have gone outside the pale of the Church, yet are still identified with the community in all their essential interests, how much more, specially speaking, is it the case with those men who have remained inside the pale of the Church and built up her commercial and financial power? The Church owes to her apostles of commerce and finance more than many would like to confess; and yet in this point of their extraordinary service to the Church is at once the significance and potency of "Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution." This will be strikingly illustrated in the circumstantial history of "Z. C. M. I.," towards which we are traveling in these preparatory commercial views.

Often has it been told what the community has done for the merchants, and as often have those same merchants—who built up the commercial and financial power of the Church—been ungraciously twitted that they have made their money out of "this people." Let us look at the other side now, and ask something of what the merchants have done for the community, and what "this people" have made out of the merchants? And this line of review of our commercial history is very necessary to be understood, insomuch as it will be suggestive of what the community already owe to the existence of "Z. C. M. I." And, furthermore, the remarkably successful example of that unique Institution during the last twelve years, under the united incorporation of these apostles temporal with the apostles spiritual, will foreshadow the vast results which the community will derive in the future in the growth and augmentation of the power and resources of said Institution.

A cursory view has been given of the destitute condition of the Mormon people during the first period of the settlement of these Valleys. As late as 1856, there was famine in Utah, and the community was barely preserved by the leaders wisely rationing the whole and dividing among the people their own substance. But it was neither the economy and wisdom of the leaders, nor the plentiful harvests that followed, that redeemed Utah from the depths of her poverty, and the anomalous isolation of a people reared in lands of civilization and plenty. She was redeemed from her social destitution by a train of Providential circumstances on the one hand, and the extraordinary activities of her merchants on the other. As we have seen, the Providence came in a United States Army; the temporary existence of Camp Floyd; the departure of the troops, leaving their substance to the community; the needs of the Overland Mail line; the construction of the telegraph lines; and then again the arrival of another U. S. army under Colonel Connor, and the establishment of Camp Douglas with several thousand soldiers to disburse their money in Salt Lake City after their pay days, besides the constant supplies which the camp needed from our country, and often labor from our citizens. It was then, under these changed and propitious circumstances, that our Utah mer-

Just before the April Conference the Prophet administered the ordinance of rebaptism to the church, baptizing many himself, among whom were the Twelve, who afterwards assisted him in baptizing and confirming the multitude. This was the first time I was rebaptized. At since my and the Prophet Joseph administered the close of the administration the Prophet lifted up his hands to heaven and blessed the people and the Spirit of

356 TULLIDGE'S QUARTERLY MAGAZINE.

said that he was a man of excellent business qualities.

CHAPTER III.

UTAH OBTAINS AN HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE THROUGH HER COMMERCIAL MEN.

IT was the merchants of Utah who first brought the Mormon community fairly into socialistic importance. And this affirmation is true of them, both in their results at home and in the influence which they exercised abroad for the good of the people and the glory of Utah. Moreover, in the general sense of the public weal, this affirmation is as true of the Walker Brothers and Godbe and Lawrence, as it is of Jennings and Hooper or Eldredge and Clawson. The very construction of society and the necessities and aims of commerce convert the enterprises and life work of this class of men into the public good. Over a quarter of a century, for instance, the Walker Brothers and Godbe and Lawrence have been identified with the material prosperity and destiny of this Territory. The welfare of the country is their own good as a class;—the glory of the commonwealth glorifies their houses and augments their own fortunes. Of all men, the life-work and enterprise of the class who establish commerce, build railroads, develop the native mineral resources of the country, and construct the financial power of the State, must per force tend to the public prosperity as well as conserving and preserving society. And if this is the case with those influential men of commerce and great enterprises who have gone outside the pale of the Church, yet are still identified with the community in all their essential interests, how much more, specially speaking, is it the case with those men who have remained inside the pale of the Church and built up her commercial and financial power? The Church owes to her apostles of commerce and finance more than many would like to confess; and yet in this point of their extraordinary service to the Church is at once the significance and potency of "Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution." This will be strikingly illustrated in the circumstantial history of "Z. C. M. I.," towards which we are traveling in these preparatory commercial views.

Often has it been told what the community has done for the merchants, and as often have those same merchants—who built up the commercial and financial power of the Church—been ungraciously twitted that they have made their money out of "this people." Let us look at the other side now, and ask something of what the merchants have done for the community, and what "this people" have made out of the merchants? And this line of review of our commercial history is very necessary to be understood, insomuch as it will be suggestive of what the community already owe to the existence of "Z. C. M. I." And, furthermore, the remarkably successful example of that unique Institution during the last twelve years, under the united incorporation of these apostles temporal with the apostles spiritual, will foreshadow the vast results which the community will derive in the future in the growth and augmentation of the power and resources of said Institution.

A cursory view has been given of the destitute condition of the Mormon people during the first period of the settlement of these Valleys. As late as 1856, there was famine in Utah, and the community was barely preserved by the leaders wisely rationing the whole and dividing among the people their own substance. But it was neither the economy and wisdom of the leaders, nor the plentiful harvests that followed, that redeemed Utah from the depths of her poverty, and the anomalous isolation of a people reared in lands of civilization and plenty. She was redeemed from her social destitution by a train of Providential circumstances on the one hand, and the extraordinary activities of her merchants on the other. As we have seen, the Providence came in a United States Army; the temporary existence of Camp Floyd; the departure of the troops, leaving their substance to the community; the needs of the Overland Mail line; the construction of the telegraph lines; and then again the arrival of another U. S. army under Colonel Connor, and the establishment of Camp Douglas with several thousand soldiers to disburse their money in Salt Lake City after their pay days, besides the constant supplies which the camp needed from our country, and often labor from our citizens. It was then, under these changed and propitious circumstances, that our Utah mer-

God reasted upon the congregation

At the April Conference there were 275 ordained to the office ^under the hands^ of Elders Brigham Young, Heber C Kimball, Orson Pratt, Lyman Wight, Willard Richards, George A Smith and Wilford Woodruff. off While these ordinations were going on Elder John Taylor was in the stand delivering a discourse to the multitude, while others ofthe Elders were baptizing and confirming at the font and elsewhere.