To President F. D. Richards.--Burning of the woolen factory.--In
thirty minutes all consumed.--Forebodings that the people would be
discouraged.--Fears unfounded.--What was done within six months.--The
people superior to the loss.--A raid follows the fire.--An unlawful tax
follows the raid.--Statement of losses.--Business curtailed.--Checks
canceled.--Eleven industrial departments in operation.--The mercantile
flourishing.--Confidence preserved.
The following recital of loss by fire, followed by the most unwarranted
hostility against the hitherto successful enterprise of the conjoint
organization, illustrates beyond what continued prosperity could do,
the strength of union, and the genuine confidence cherished by those
constituting the United Order:
Brigham City, November 1ST, 1879.
_President F. D. Richards_:
The deep interest you have taken in our efforts to unite the people of
Brigham City, in their financial interests, induces me now to give you
a statement of some of our misfortunes and difficulties against which
we have been struggling.
Two years ago to-day, about two o'clock in the morning, we were aroused
from our slumbers by the ringing of bells and startling cries of Fire!
Fire! Fire! Our woolen factory was all in flames, and in less than
thirty minutes the whole establishment, with its entire contents of
machinery, wool, warps and cloth lay in ashes.
This involved a cash loss of over $30,000 (thirty thousand). While
viewing the building, as it was rapidly consuming, my mind became
exercised with painful thoughts and reflections, whether the people
would survive the severe pressure which would bear upon them through
this unforeseen calamity, or lose heart and courage in supporting our
principles of union. These misgivings, however, were unfounded, for the
people resolved at once to try again, and went to work with a hearty
good will, and, by extraordinary exertion, in less than six months had
erected another factory, and had it in operation, superior to the one
destroyed.
But this involved us in a large indebtedness. In view of liquidating
this liability, we engaged a large contract to supply timber and lumber
to the Utah Northern Railroad, incurring a heavy expense in procuring
a saw mill in Marsh Valley, Idaho, and moving there also our steam
saw mill. We were employing one hundred men--everything moving along
prosperously, when, suddenly, through influence of apostates, aided
by a mobocratic judge, a raid was made upon our camps, fifty of our
workmen were arrested and imprisoned, and our operations stopped.
And, although the embargo on our business was withdrawn, and the men
liberated by order of the President of the United States, through the
influence of Jay Gould, it came too late; thus we were compelled to
abandon this enterprise, sell our saw mill for one-half its value,
and move back our steam mill, etc., the whole involving an expense
and loss of over $6,000 (six thousand), besides the vexation in our
disappointments in raising the money to pay our indebtedness.
The following July, a tax of $10,200 (ten thousand two hundred) was
levied on our scrip by O. J. Hollister, United States assessor and
collector of internal revenue. Though illegal, unjust and highly
absurd, the payment could not be avoided; therefore we borrowed the
money and paid the assessment.
Through these and other unfortunate occurrences, we became greatly
embarrassed in our business. This embarrassment, as may be seen, is not
the result of the natural pressure of the times, nor of the financial
crisis which has broken up thousands of banking institutions and
business firms throughout the world, neither that of mismanagement, nor
any defect in our systems of operations; but, as before mentioned, it
has been brought about through a succession of calamities unparalleled
in the experience of any business firm in this or any other Territory.
The following is a showing of our losses, including the assessment, all
occurring in the space of about nine months:
Crops destroyed by grasshoppers, - - $4,000
Crops destroyed by drought, - - - - - 3,000
Burning of woolen mills, - - - - - - 30,000
Losses in Idaho, - - - - - - - - - - 6,000
By assessment on scrip, - - - - - - -10,000
Total, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - $53,200
We were then compelled to raise, within eighteen months, $30,000
(thirty thousand) independent of the $45,000 (forty-five thousand)
required during the same time to carry on our home industries.
Thus there appeared but one course left for us to pursue, viz: curtail
our business, close several of our departments, lessen the business of
others, and dispose of such property as would assist in discharging
our cash obligations, thus making every exertion to outlive our
misfortunes, and save ourselves from being totally wrecked. Accordingly
we have labored faithfully to this end, and, although no one has made
any abatement of his claims against us, except Zion's Co-operative
Mercantile Institution in canceling the interest on what we owed
them, we are now nearly out of debt, having but one cash obligation
to discharge, of $2,500 (two thousand five hundred), to Zion's
Co-operative Mercantile Institution, which will be paid this fall.
Our checks, in the hands of employees or other parties, have all been
redeemed, with the exception of a very few which we are prepared to
settle whenever presented.
We now have eleven industrial departments in operation; the business,
however, is not carried on quite so extensively as formerly.
The mercantile department is doing three times the business it was
previous to the curtailing of our home industries, and has the
patronage of nearly the entire people of Brigham City and surrounding
settlements.
It has been our uniform practice to submit all business matters
involving important interests of the people to the council of the
United Order, where the most perfect liberty and greatest freedom of
expression of thought and opinion have always been allowed and always
indulged.
The council is composed of sixty members, those most influential in the
community, selected on account of their integrity, faithfulness and
willingness to labor and assist in promoting the cause of union and
brotherhood.
Notwithstanding our severe reverses and the fiery ordeal through which
we have passed, the confidence of the people in our principles of union
has been preserved, and they feel that we have worked earnestly and
unselfishly to secure their interests and promote the general welfare.
Respectfully,
Lorenzo Snow.