An Epistle of the First Presidency to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
[Salt Lake City]: 1886. Early edition. Paperback. 14 pp. Thin octavo [22 cm] Light brown printed wrappers. Good. The covers are almost completely detached. There are two 5 inch long dark tape stains on the covers near the spine. There are numerous minute stains on the bottom edge of the rear cover. The edges of the pages have several light moisture stains. Item #16958
Read April 6th, 1886 at the Fifty-Sixth General Conference held at Provo, Utah. A fascinating speech written by John Taylor and George Q. Cannon while in hiding during the federal polygamist raids of the 1880s and prior to their incarceration in the old territorial prison in Sugarhouse. A vitriolic polemic railing against the federal government, the Edmunds-Tucker Act and more. From page 16..."There are now in the city some 6 brothels, 40 tap rooms, a number of gambling houses, pool tables and other disreputable concerns, all run by non-Mormons". The authors go on to cite statistics indicating some 26,000 population in the city of which slightly more than 20,000 are Mormons, and 5,000 non-Mormons. According to the authors, the non-Mormon element is responsible for almost 1200 crimes, versus under 100 offences by the Saints. An early "conference" report prior to the formal establishment of same. Flake #1663.
Price: $150.00