---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Hull, Thomas
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 7
number: 4
published: 1904-02
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Thomas Hull, "Events of the Month," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 4 (February 1904): 312–320.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0704unse
  transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers.
  identifier: improvementera0704unse
start_page: 312
end_page: 320
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-02)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0704unse
  publication_year: 1904
  note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# Events of the Month

<!-- page:312 -->

EVENTS  
        OF 
        THE  
        MONTH.
Local.
        —
        December, 
        1903.
Domestic 
        Organization.
        —
        The 
        Brigham 
        Young 
        University, 
        Provo,.
has 
        established 
        a 
        domestic 
        organization 
        among 
        the 
        students 
        to 
        enable
the 
        faculty 
        to 
        supervise 
        their 
        actions 
        outside 
        of 
        the 
        school. 
        The 
        plan 
        is
to 
        organize 
        the 
        students 
        into 
        stakes, 
        corresponding 
        as 
        near 
        as 
        may 
        be 
        to
the 
        stakes 
        of 
        the 
        Church, 
        and 
        holding 
        the 
        name 
        of 
        the 
        stakes 
        from 
        which
the 
        students 
        come. 
        Presidencies, 
        aids, 
        teachers 
        and 
        other 
        officers 
        are
chosen 
        from 
        among 
        them, 
        whose 
        duties 
        are 
        to 
        visit 
        and 
        inquire 
        into 
        the
manner 
        of 
        living 
        of 
        the 
        students 
        under 
        their 
        charge. 
        A 
        conference 
        was
held 
        on 
        the 
        15th, 
        attended 
        and 
        addressed 
        by 
        President 
        Anthon 
        H. 
        Lund
and 
        Apostle 
        Hyrum 
        M. 
        Smith. 
        On 
        the 
        same 
        day, 
        the 
        grounds 
        for 
        the
new 
        intermediate 
        and 
        missionary 
        building 
        were 
        dedicated, 
        President
Lund 
        offering 
        the 
        dedicatory 
        prayer.
Ul-AH 
        Clubs.
        —
        There 
        are 
        at 
        least 
        four 
        clubs 
        in 
        Utah, 
        which 
        may 
        be
called 
        leaders: 
        Alta, 
        Weber, 
        Commercial 
        and 
        University. 
        The 
        last
named 
        has 
        recently 
        finished 
        a 
        magnificent 
        home 
        on 
        Brigham 
        street, 
        and
has 
        a 
        present 
        total 
        membership 
        of 
        184 
        college 
        men. 
        The 
        first 
        and 
        last
named 
        are 
        social 
        clubs, 
        while 
        the 
        Weber, 
        of 
        Ogden, 
        and 
        Commercial, 
        of
Salt 
        Lake, 
        are 
        primarily 
        business. 
        The 
        latter 
        two 
        held 
        a 
        banquet 
        on 
        the
14th, 
        when 
        200 
        business 
        men, 
        30 
        of 
        whom 
        were 
        from 
        Ogden, 
        enjoyed 
        a
banquet, 
        and 
        speeches 
        from 
        leading 
        members.
William 
        J. 
        Lynch, 
        Chief 
        of 
        Police.
        —
        For 
        nearly 
        a 
        year, 
        owing 
        to
a 
        dispute 
        between 
        the 
        City 
        Council 
        and 
        Mayor, 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        City 
        has 
        been
without 
        a 
        chief 
        of 
        police. 
        At 
        the 
        Council 
        meeting 
        of 
        the 
        14th, 
        Mayor
Ezra 
        Thompson 
        nominated 
        William 
        J. 
        Lynch 
        to 
        the 
        place, 
        and 
        he 
        was
confirmed 
        by 
        a 
        vote 
        of 
        10 
        to 
        4. 
        Mr. 
        Lynch 
        is 
        well 
        acquainted 
        with 
        the
work 
        of 
        the 
        police, 
        and 
        the 
        general 
        opinion 
        is 
        that 
        he 
        will 
        make 
        a 
        good
officer.
Benjamin 
        Cluff 
        Resigns.
        —
        After 
        a 
        faithful 
        service 
        of  
        twelve

<!-- page:313 -->

EVENTS 
        OF 
        THE 
        MONTH. 
        313
years 
        as 
        President 
        of 
        the 
        Brigham 
        Young 
        University, 
        Prove, 
        Benjamin
Cluff 
        has 
        resigned, 
        his 
        resignation 
        to 
        take 
        effect 
        on 
        the 
        23rd. 
        It 
        was
accepted 
        on 
        the 
        15th, 
        by 
        the 
        board 
        of 
        trustees, 
        and 
        Dr. 
        George 
        H. 
        Brim-
hall 
        was 
        chosen 
        acting 
        president. 
        Mr. 
        Cluff 
        will 
        engage 
        in 
        the 
        rubber
business, 
        in 
        Mexico, 
        as 
        manager 
        of 
        the 
        Utah-Mexico 
        Rubber 
        Co.
Death 
        of 
        John 
        W. 
        Hess.—
        A 
        noted 
        pioneer, 
        a 
        member 
        of 
        the
Mormon 
        Battalion, 
        and 
        a 
        man 
        of 
        unflinching 
        integrity, 
        was 
        President
John 
        W. 
        Hess, 
        of 
        Davis 
        Stake, 
        who 
        died 
        in 
        Farmington, 
        on 
        the 
        morning
of 
        the
        '16th. 
        He 
        was 
        the 
        son 
        of 
        Jacob 
        and 
        Elizabeth 
        Foutz 
        Hess, 
        and
was 
        born 
        in 
        Franklin 
        County, 
        Pennsylvania, 
        August 
        24, 
        lb24. 
        He 
        was
baptized 
        into 
        the 
        Church 
        with 
        his 
        father's 
        family, 
        in 
        March, 
        1834, 
        in
Richmond 
        County, 
        Ohio, 
        whither 
        the 
        family 
        had 
        removed 
        in 
        1832. 
        Then
came 
        removals 
        with 
        the 
        Saints 
        to 
        Ray 
        and 
        Caldwell 
        Counties, 
        Missouri,
and 
        later 
        to 
        Illinois, 
        and 
        then 
        again 
        to 
        Mt. 
        Pisgah, 
        Iowa, 
        Elder 
        Hess
bearing 
        the 
        blunt 
        of 
        the 
        trials, 
        the 
        burdens 
        of 
        the 
        family, 
        and 
        caring 
        for
his 
        partly 
        paralyzed 
        father, 
        whose 
        health 
        failed 
        owing 
        to 
        the 
        severe
hardships 
        which 
        he 
        passed 
        through. 
        On 
        July 
        10, 
        1846, 
        he 
        and 
        his 
        wife
having 
        arrived 
        at 
        Council 
        Bluffs, 
        on 
        their 
        westward 
        journey, 
        his 
        father's
family 
        remaining 
        in 
        Mt. 
        Pisgah, 
        he 
        enlisted 
        in 
        the 
        Mormon 
        Battalion, 
        in
Company 
        E, 
        Captain 
        Daniel 
        C. 
        Davis, 
        his 
        wife 
        Emmeline 
        Bigler 
        whom
he 
        had 
        married 
        in 
        Nauvoo, 
        November 
        2, 
        1845, 
        also 
        enlisting 
        as 
        one 
        of
the 
        four 
        women 
        to 
        accompany 
        each 
        company 
        as 
        laundresses. 
        After 
        his
return, 
        in 
        1843, 
        to 
        Mt. 
        Pisgah, 
        he 
        found 
        his 
        father 
        had 
        died 
        June 
        22,
1846. 
        In 
        the 
        spring 
        of 
        1849, 
        he 
        arranged 
        for 
        the 
        westward 
        journey,
taking 
        with 
        him 
        his 
        father's 
        family, 
        and 
        arriving 
        in 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        Valley
July 
        27, 
        settling 
        shortly 
        thereafter 
        in 
        Farmington. 
        In 
        March, 
        1865, 
        he
was 
        ordained 
        a 
        bishop 
        serving 
        in 
        this 
        capacity 
        for 
        27 
        years, 
        un-
til he 
        was 
        ordained, 
        September 
        22, 
        1882, 
        counselor 
        to 
        President 
        W. 
        R.
Smith, 
        upon 
        whose 
        death 
        he 
        was 
        made 
        president, 
        January 
        15, 
        1894.
This 
        position 
        he 
        held 
        until 
        death. 
        He 
        served 
        three 
        terms 
        in 
        the 
        Terri-
torial legislature, 
        in 
        1858, 
        1860, 
        1876; 
        was 
        commander 
        of 
        the 
        Davis
County 
        militia 
        for 
        many 
        years, 
        and 
        a 
        delegate 
        in 
        1895 
        to 
        the 
        Omaha
Trans-Mississippi 
        Congress. 
        He 
        filled 
        a 
        mission 
        to 
        the 
        Lamanites 
        and 
        to
Pennsylvania. 
        On 
        February 
        8, 
        1900, 
        he 
        was 
        ordained 
        a 
        patriarch 
        by
Elder 
        Francis 
        M. 
        Lyman, 
        and 
        remained 
        an 
        active 
        worker 
        in 
        his 
        callings
to 
        the 
        day 
        of 
        his 
        going 
        to 
        rest.
Lehi 
        Divided.
        —
        On 
        the 
        20th, 
        a 
        quarterly 
        conference 
        of 
        the 
        Lehi
ward 
        was 
        held. 
        Bishop 
        Thomas 
        R. 
        Cutler, 
        having 
        removed 
        to 
        Salt
Lake, 
        was 
        honorably 
        released, 
        after 
        having 
        served 
        the 
        people 
        as 
        bishop
from 
        September 
        5, 
        1873, 
        at 
        which 
        time 
        he 
        succeeded 
        David 
        Evans 
        who

<!-- page:314 -->

314 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
was 
        the 
        first 
        Bishop 
        oi; 
        the 
        ward. 
        All 
        the 
        priesthood 
        of 
        the 
        ward 
        were
present 
        at 
        the 
        forenoon 
        meeting, 
        when 
        it 
        was 
        agreed 
        that 
        the 
        ward
would 
        be 
        divided 
        into 
        four, 
        and 
        when 
        the 
        boundaries 
        of 
        each 
        ward 
        were
fixed. 
        Officers 
        were 
        also 
        chosen 
        and 
        unanimously 
        sustained, 
        on 
        the 
        nom-
ination of 
        Elder 
        John 
        Henry 
        Smith, 
        who, 
        with 
        Elder 
        George 
        Teas-
dale, 
        represented 
        the 
        First 
        Presidency. 
        The 
        following 
        bishops 
        and
counselors 
        were 
        chosen, 
        the 
        action 
        of 
        the 
        priesthood 
        meeting 
        being
ratified 
        by 
        the 
        people 
        in 
        the 
        afternoon 
        meeting: 
        First 
        ward
        —
        Andrew
Field, 
        bishop; 
        John 
        B. 
        Whipple, 
        George 
        Schow, 
        counselors. 
        Second
ward
        —
        James 
        H. 
        Gardner, 
        ^bishop; 
        A. 
        C. 
        Pearson, 
        William 
        F. 
        Gurney,
counselors. 
        Third 
        ward
        —
        Henry 
        Lewis, 
        bishop; 
        George 
        Glover, 
        Jackson
Wanless, 
        counselors. 
        Fourth 
        ward
        —
        John 
        Stoker, 
        bishop, 
        Samuel 
        A.
Smith, 
        James 
        Clark, 
        counselors. 
        Bishop 
        Cutler 
        was 
        born 
        in 
        Sheffield
Yorkshire, 
        England, 
        June 
        2, 
        1844, 
        and 
        came 
        to 
        Utah 
        in 
        1865. 
        The
people 
        of 
        Lehi, 
        as 
        a 
        unit, 
        extend 
        him 
        their 
        best 
        will 
        in 
        parting, 
        recogniz-
ing his 
        many 
        good 
        qualities 
        as 
        a 
        man 
        and 
        officer.
The 
        Coal 
        Mine 
        Strike.
        —
        On 
        the 
        17th 
        the 
        situation 
        in 
        the 
        coal
camps 
        was 
        such 
        that 
        the 
        officials 
        were 
        confident 
        that 
        the 
        critical 
        time
had 
        passed. 
        Many 
        of 
        the 
        strikers 
        had 
        departed, 
        including 
        Demolli, 
        the
agitator. 
        For 
        the 
        first 
        time 
        since 
        the 
        strike, 
        Nov. 
        9th, 
        the 
        normal 
        num-
ber of 
        men, 
        477, 
        only 
        73 
        of 
        whom 
        were 
        Italians, 
        were 
        at 
        work 
        in 
        the
Sunnyside 
        mine. 
        There 
        are 
        still 
        one 
        hundred 
        union 
        Italian 
        families 
        in
camp. 
        On 
        the 
        21st 
        the 
        Castle 
        Gate 
        mines 
        opened 
        without 
        trouble, 
        and
every 
        mine 
        in 
        the 
        county 
        is 
        now 
        in 
        operation, 
        and 
        the 
        strike 
        is 
        practic-
ally at 
        an 
        end. 
        On 
        the 
        2ord 
        the 
        gradual 
        recall 
        of 
        the 
        State 
        troops 
        from
Carbon 
        county 
        began 
        by 
        the 
        return 
        of 
        Company 
        H 
        to 
        Salt 
        Lake. 
        The
strike 
        up 
        to 
        the 
        end 
        of 
        the 
        year, 
        has 
        cost 
        the 
        state 
        about 
        $25,000. 
        On
the 
        27th, 
        President 
        Angus 
        M. 
        Cannon 
        gave 
        notice 
        in 
        the 
        tabernacle 
        that
men 
        could 
        find 
        employment 
        in 
        the 
        mines, 
        from 
        which, 
        on 
        the 
        day 
        follow-
ing, certain 
        labor 
        leaders 
        inferred 
        that 
        the 
        Church 
        was 
        fighting 
        the
labor 
        unions, 
        and 
        announced 
        that 
        they 
        would 
        fight 
        the 
        seating 
        of 
        Senator
Smoot. 
        It 
        is 
        emphatically 
        denied 
        that 
        the 
        officers 
        of 
        the 
        Church 
        in-
tended to 
        mix 
        in 
        the 
        affair 
        at 
        all. 
        The 
        notice 
        was 
        read 
        on 
        request, 
        just
as 
        such 
        notices 
        for 
        work 
        frequently 
        are.
Died.
        —
        In 
        Preston, 
        Idaho, 
        12th, 
        Hannah 
        Mary 
        Merrill, 
        born 
        Weber
county, 
        Nov. 
        22, 
        1868, 
        and 
        daughter 
        of 
        Robert 
        and 
        Jane 
        Baird.
        —
        In 
        Salt
Lake 
        City, 
        Thursday, 
        17th, 
        Thomas 
        Corless. 
        lie 
        was 
        one 
        of 
        the 
        pioneers
of 
        1848, 
        a 
        Salmon 
        River 
        missionary, 
        and 
        held 
        many 
        Church 
        positions 
        in
the 
        4th 
        ward. 
        He 
        was 
        born 
        in 
        England 
        in 
        1832.
        —Monroe, 
        18th,
James 
        H. 
        McCarty, 
        born 
        in 
        Kentucky, 
        May 
        9, 
        1831, 
        and 
        came 
        to 
        Utah 
        in

<!-- page:315 -->

EVENTS 
        OF 
        THE 
        MONTH. 
        315
1854. 
        He 
        was 
        the 
        father 
        of 
        Justice 
        Wm. 
        M. 
        McCarty 
        of 
        the 
        Utah 
        Su-
preme Court.
        —
        In 
        Willai-d, 
        19th, 
        Charles 
        W. 
        Hubbard, 
        born 
        Mass.,Feb. 
        7,
1810, 
        first 
        bishop 
        of 
        Willard 
        and 
        pioneer 
        of 
        1848.—
        In 
        Mill 
        Creek, 
        20th
Susannah 
        Halford, 
        born 
        England, 
        January 
        1, 
        1825, 
        emigrated 
        to 
        Utah
with 
        the 
        first 
        P. 
        E. 
        Fund 
        company, 
        in 
        1852.—
        In 
        Coalville, 
        22nd, 
        Alpheus
Franklin, 
        age 
        74, 
        an 
        early 
        settler 
        of 
        Summit 
        county 
        and 
        a 
        skilled 
        me-
chanic.—
        In 
        Salt 
        Lake, 
        24th, 
        William 
        Rigby, 
        born 
        England, 
        Aug. 
        8,
        1838, 
        a
pioneer 
        of 
        1848, 
        and 
        an 
        Indian 
        war 
        veteran.
        —
        Wm. 
        D. 
        Owen, 
        in 
        Salt
Lake 
        City, 
        23rd, 
        born 
        in 
        London, 
        England, 
        June 
        14, 
        1810, 
        one 
        of 
        the 
        old-
est residents 
        of 
        the 
        city.—
        Elizabeth 
        H. 
        Watts, 
        born 
        Mississippi, 
        Dec. 
        8,
1815, 
        on 
        the 
        25th., 
        in 
        South 
        Weber.
        —
        George 
        Woodward, 
        one 
        of 
        the 
        orig-
inal 143 
        pioneers, 
        in 
        St. 
        George, 
        Utah.
        —
        Seth 
        Dustin, 
        born 
        October 
        25,
1825, 
        in 
        New 
        York, 
        a 
        Nauvoo 
        veteran, 
        on 
        the 
        23rd, 
        in 
        Garden 
        City, 
        Rich
county.
        —
        In 
        Farmers 
        Ward, 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        county, 
        28th, 
        Annie 
        C. 
        Anderson
a 
        pioneer 
        of 
        Sanpete 
        Valley.
        —
        Parley 
        P. 
        Prophet, 
        an 
        old 
        resident 
        of 
        South
Weber, 
        died 
        suddenly, 
        28th, 
        after 
        preaching 
        a 
        funeral 
        sermon 
        over 
        Eliza-
beth H. 
        Watts.
        —
        Martin 
        Harrow, 
        born 
        England, 
        an 
        old 
        resident 
        of 
        Salt
Lake, 
        30th.
        —
        In 
        Ogden, 
        31st, 
        Susan 
        Parry, 
        wife 
        of 
        Hon. 
        Joseph 
        Parry,
born 
        in 
        Connecticut, 
        1843, 
        came 
        to 
        Utah 
        in 
        1852.
Ore 
        for 
        St. 
        Louis.
        —
        If 
        careful 
        work 
        is 
        to 
        place 
        Utah 
        mines 
        in
their 
        true 
        light 
        before 
        the 
        nations, 
        at 
        the 
        great 
        St. 
        Louis 
        Exposition, 
        in
1904, 
        Don 
        Maguire, 
        who 
        has 
        that 
        subject 
        in 
        charge, 
        is 
        determined 
        that
this 
        shall 
        be 
        done. 
        On 
        the 
        22nd, 
        he 
        finished 
        his 
        visits 
        to 
        the 
        Silver 
        King
where 
        he 
        collected 
        from 
        this, 
        one 
        of 
        the 
        world's 
        greatest 
        mines, 
        twelve
cases 
        of 
        specimens 
        weighing 
        in 
        all 
        3000 
        pounds. 
        One 
        of 
        the 
        most 
        re-
markable of 
        these 
        is 
        a 
        rock 
        weighing 
        800 
        pounds, 
        a 
        blend 
        of 
        galena 
        car-
bonate and 
        copper 
        ores. 
        Other 
        properties, 
        the 
        Ontario, 
        Daly-West, 
        Daly-
Judge, 
        and 
        in 
        fact, 
        all 
        the 
        leading 
        mines 
        of 
        Park 
        City, 
        are 
        likewise 
        being
explored 
        for 
        specimens, 
        which 
        will 
        be 
        carefully 
        boxed 
        and 
        forwarded 
        to
S. 
        T. 
        Whitaker, 
        Ogden, 
        for 
        transmission 
        to 
        St. 
        Louis. 
        A 
        piece 
        of 
        coal
weighing 
        2800 
        pounds 
        is 
        to 
        be 
        among 
        the 
        exhibits.
The 
        Prophet 
        Joseph 
        Smith's 
        Birthday.
        —
        Among 
        the 
        many 
        celebrar
tions 
        in 
        honor 
        of 
        the 
        Prophet's 
        birthday, 
        23rd, 
        was 
        one 
        given 
        by 
        the
Daughters 
        of 
        the 
        Pioneers, 
        in 
        the 
        Barratt 
        Hall. 
        A 
        large 
        audience 
        en-
joyed the 
        program, 
        consisting 
        in 
        part 
        of 
        an 
        address 
        by 
        President 
        Joseph
F. 
        Smith 
        on 
        "Messengers 
        to 
        the 
        World, 
        and 
        the 
        first 
        Fruits 
        of 
        the 
        Mes-
sage;" an 
        address 
        by 
        Hon. 
        W. 
        H. 
        King, 
        on 
        "Joseph 
        Smith;" 
        a 
        song, 
        "The
S"er," 
        by 
        Charles 
        Kent; 
        and 
        "Brigham, 
        the 
        Friend 
        of 
        the 
        Prophet," 
        by
Mrs. 
        Maria 
        Y. 
        Dougall.

<!-- page:316 -->

816 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA,
New 
        Electric 
        Light.
        —
        Springville, 
        Utah 
        county, 
        celebrated 
        the
completion, 
        on 
        the 
        29th, 
        of 
        the 
        new 
        electric 
        light 
        plant, 
        erected 
        by 
        the
city 
        at 
        a 
        cost 
        $30,000. 
        The 
        principal 
        streets 
        were 
        lighted 
        at 
        5 
        o'clock,
when 
        the 
        citizens 
        were 
        out 
        in 
        great 
        numbers, 
        and 
        the 
        brass 
        band 
        played
in 
        honor 
        of 
        the 
        event.
The 
        Iroquois 
        Theatre 
        Fire.
        —
        On 
        the 
        30th 
        in 
        Chicago, 
        nearly 
        six
hundred 
        people 
        were 
        killed 
        by 
        fire, 
        suffocation, 
        and 
        being 
        trampled 
        to
ieath, 
        in 
        the 
        Iroquois 
        theatre. 
        It 
        is 
        one 
        of 
        the 
        worst 
        holocausts 
        in 
        the 
        his-
tory of 
        our 
        country. 
        Lulu 
        P. 
        Alexander 
        of 
        Springville, 
        wife 
        of 
        Dr. 
        Alexan-
der, with 
        her 
        daughter, 
        aged 
        8, 
        and 
        lier 
        son, 
        aged 
        4, 
        were 
        among 
        the
victims, 
        which 
        brings 
        the 
        horror 
        home 
        to 
        Utah.
Utah 
        Light 
        and 
        Railway 
        Co.
        —
        On 
        the 
        31st 
        a 
        consolidation 
        of 
        the
Utah 
        Light 
        & 
        Power 
        Co., 
        and 
        the 
        Consolidated 
        Street 
        Railway 
        Co. 
        of 
        Salt
Lake 
        went 
        into 
        effect. 
        The 
        new 
        company 
        is 
        capitalized 
        for 
        $10,000,000.
President 
        Joseph 
        F. 
        Smith 
        was 
        chosen 
        president 
        of 
        the 
        new 
        consolidation,
with 
        W. 
        S. 
        McCornick, 
        L. 
        S. 
        Hills, 
        W. 
        J. 
        Curtis, 
        J. 
        R. 
        Winder, 
        Anthon
H. 
        Lund, 
        A. 
        W. 
        McCune, 
        Joseph 
        S. 
        Wells, 
        and 
        W. 
        P. 
        Reed, 
        directors; 
        R. 
        S.
Campbell 
        secretary 
        and 
        manager.
January, 
        1904.
Election 
        of 
        Power 
        and 
        Light 
        Officers.
        —
        The 
        Utah 
        Light 
        & 
        Rail-
way Co. 
        elected 
        officers 
        on 
        Januany 
        2. 
        President 
        Joseph 
        F. 
        Smith 
        was
chosen 
        president, 
        L. 
        S. 
        Hills 
        treasurer, 
        R. 
        S. 
        Campbell 
        secretary 
        and 
        gen-
eral manager. 
        The 
        systems 
        of 
        power, 
        light 
        and 
        transportation 
        will 
        be
improved, 
        and 
        to 
        these 
        ends 
        more 
        than 
        a 
        million 
        dollars 
        will 
        be 
        spent 
        in
the 
        next 
        five 
        years. 
        The 
        consolidation 
        is 
        generally 
        approved 
        by 
        the
public.
Patti 
        in 
        SALf 
        Lake.
        —
        Patti 
        sang 
        to 
        an 
        audience 
        of 
        about 
        five
thousand 
        in 
        Salt 
        Lake, 
        'after 
        an 
        absence 
        of 
        twenty 
        years. 
        Her 
        voice
was 
        a 
        disappointment 
        to 
        those 
        who 
        heard 
        her 
        on 
        her 
        former 
        visit, 
        but
she 
        sang 
        well 
        for 
        a 
        woman 
        of 
        61 
        years.
The 
        Smoot 
        Case.—
        On 
        the 
        9th, 
        Senator 
        Reed 
        Smoot 
        replied 
        to 
        the
petitions 
        and 
        charges 
        against 
        him, 
        presenting 
        through 
        Senator 
        Burrows
his 
        reply 
        in 
        printed 
        form 
        to 
        the 
        Committee 
        on 
        Privileges 
        and 
        Elections.
He 
        denies 
        that 
        he 
        is 
        a 
        polygamist, 
        and 
        declares 
        that 
        polygamy 
        is 
        not
sanctioned 
        by 
        the 
        Church, 
        and 
        denies 
        that 
        he 
        is 
        one 
        of 
        the 
        alleged 
        "self-
perpetuating 
        body 
        of 
        fifteen 
        men" 
        who 
        control 
        the 
        temporal 
        and 
        spirit-
ual, civil 
        and 
        religious, 
        affairs 
        of 
        the 
        Church, 
        or 
        that 
        there^is 
        such 
        a
body.    
        Arguments 
        in 
        the 
        case 
        will 
        be 
        heard 
        on 
        the 
        17th.
Joseph 
        Bull 
        Passes 
        Away. 
        -One 
        of 
        the 
        oldest 
        printers 
        in 
        the

<!-- page:317 -->

, 
        EVENTS 
        OF 
        THE 
        MOUTH. 
        317
Church, 
        who 
        earned 
        the 
        title 
        of 
        "The 
        Mormon 
        Newspaper 
        Man," 
        Joseph
Bull, 
        died 
        at 
        his 
        home 
        in 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        on 
        the 
        11th. 
        With 
        the 
        exception 
        of
hirf 
        missions, 
        to 
        Europe, 
        in 
        1860, 
        four 
        years, 
        and 
        in 
        1877, 
        two 
        years, 
        and
two 
        years 
        in 
        California 
        with 
        the 
        Western 
        Standard, 
        and 
        a 
        short 
        period
as 
        a 
        laborer 
        in 
        the 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        Temple, 
        he 
        was 
        in 
        the 
        employ 
        of 
        the 
        Deseret
News, 
        in 
        various 
        capacities, 
        for 
        half 
        a 
        century. 
        He 
        was 
        born 
        in 
        Leicester,
England, 
        January 
        25,
        183ii!, 
        became 
        a 
        printer's 
        apprentice 
        at 
        the 
        age 
        of
fourteen 
        years; 
        left 
        Liverpool 
        January, 
        1851; 
        arrived 
        in 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        in
September, 
        and 
        in 
        January, 
        the 
        following 
        year, 
        began 
        work 
        on 
        the 
        News.
He 
        held 
        many 
        positions 
        in 
        Church 
        work, 
        and 
        was 
        ordained 
        a 
        Seventy 
        in
1858. 
        He 
        married 
        Emma 
        Green, 
        October 
        28, 
        1854, 
        who 
        died 
        October 
        24,
1895, 
        and 
        he 
        married 
        Zina 
        0. 
        Hyde, 
        January 
        7, 
        1897. 
        Only 
        a 
        few 
        days
before 
        his 
        death, 
        he 
        gave 
        the 
        Era 
        his 
        portrait 
        and 
        matter 
        for 
        a
sketch 
        of 
        his 
        life, 
        to 
        be 
        printed 
        in 
        our 
        series, 
        "Public 
        Workers," 
        which
will 
        appear 
        in 
        the 
        March 
        number. 
        He 
        was 
        a 
        man 
        of 
        push 
        and 
        energy,
rich 
        in 
        experience 
        and 
        faith.
Utah 
        Lake 
        Project.
        —
        The 
        report 
        of 
        Prof. 
        Swendsen, 
        local 
        engineer
in 
        charge 
        of 
        the 
        U. 
        S. 
        Geological 
        Survey, 
        shows 
        the 
        practicability 
        of 
        the
Utah 
        Lake 
        reservoir 
        project, 
        and 
        demonstrates 
        that 
        when 
        the 
        lake 
        is
properly 
        improved, 
        it 
        may 
        be 
        depended 
        upon 
        to 
        yield 
        1000 
        second 
        feet 
        of
water 
        daily 
        for 
        the 
        entire 
        irrigation 
        period 
        of 
        152 
        days. 
        The 
        report
sets 
        forth 
        all 
        the 
        facts, 
        plans, 
        and 
        estimate 
        of 
        costs, 
        and 
        makes 
        a 
        strong
recommendation 
        to 
        State 
        Engineer 
        Doremus 
        that 
        the 
        Lake 
        be 
        selected 
        as
the 
        first 
        project 
        to 
        receive 
        national 
        aid. 
        The 
        execution 
        of 
        the 
        work 
        will
depend 
        entirely 
        upon 
        the 
        land 
        owners 
        who, 
        if 
        the 
        work 
        is 
        done, 
        must 
        re-
imburse the 
        government 
        for 
        the 
        outlay, 
        as 
        there 
        is 
        practically 
        no 
        gov-
ernment land 
        to 
        be 
        benefitted. 
        The 
        project 
        has 
        been 
        presented 
        to 
        the
interested 
        owners, 
        and 
        to 
        Chief 
        Hydrographer 
        Newell, 
        of 
        the 
        govern-
ment service, 
        with 
        all 
        indications 
        that 
        the 
        experiment 
        will 
        be 
        tried. 
        The
result 
        of 
        a 
        successful 
        ending 
        of 
        the 
        enterprise 
        will 
        place 
        20,000 
        acres
additional 
        land 
        under 
        cultivation 
        in 
        the 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        valley, 
        besides 
        supply-
ing present 
        canals 
        with 
        surplus 
        water.
Miscellaneous 
        Events.—
        On 
        the 
        2nd, 
        Dr. 
        H. 
        Talbot, 
        of 
        Portland,
Oregon, 
        was 
        named 
        to 
        succeed 
        Rev. 
        J. 
        L. 
        Leilich, 
        as 
        superintendent 
        of 
        the
Methodist 
        church 
        of 
        Utah.
        — 
        Major 
        Hey 
        wood, 
        of 
        Bountiful, 
        in 
        charge
of 
        the 
        detachment 
        of 
        troops 
        at 
        Seofield, 
        and 
        a 
        member 
        of 
        the 
        state
militia 
        for 
        seven 
        years, 
        resigned 
        on 
        the 
        3rd.
        —
        On 
        the 
        4th, 
        Frank 
        J.
Hewlett 
        was 
        chosen 
        president 
        of 
        the 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        city 
        council; 
        and 
        Thomas
H. 
        Carr, 
        of 
        the 
        Ogden 
        city 
        council; 
        Sherman 
        Fargo, 
        of 
        Park 
        City 
        coun-
cil;   Marion 
        Snow,  
        of 
        Provo 
        council.
        —
        Horace   
        G.  
        Burt, 
        on 
        the 
        2nd,

<!-- page:318 -->

318 
        IMPRO 
        VE
        MEN 
        T 
        EKa 
        .
handed 
        in 
        his 
        resignation 
        as 
        president 
        of 
        the 
        Union 
        Pacific 
        railway
        —
On 
        the 
        6th, 
        Amassa 
        Gleason 
        and 
        Thomas 
        Brighton, 
        motorman 
        and 
        con-
ductor of 
        a 
        street 
        car, 
        were 
        fatally 
        shot, 
        at 
        11:45 
        p.m., 
        by 
        a 
        hold-up,
who 
        was 
        afterward 
        arrested, 
        and 
        later 
        confessed 
        to 
        the 
        foul 
        deed. 
        His
name 
        is 
        ("Jack") 
        John 
        M. 
        Shockley. 
        Both 
        his 
        victims 
        are 
        dead.
        —
        A
snow 
        storm 
        was 
        general 
        throughout 
        Utah 
        on 
        the 
        11th,
New 
        Book 
        on 
        Utah.
        —
        Hons. 
        Geo. 
        E. 
        Blair 
        and 
        R. 
        W. 
        Sloan 
        have 
        in
press 
        The 
        Mountain 
        Empire
        —
        Utah, 
        a 
        book 
        upon 
        the 
        resources 
        of 
        the 
        State.
It 
        is 
        to 
        be 
        a 
        valuable 
        compendium 
        of 
        information 
        to 
        be 
        distributed 
        at 
        St.
Louis 
        during 
        the 
        Exposition.
Death 
        of 
        Bishop 
        Tingey.—
        On 
        the 
        10th, 
        in 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        City, 
        Bishop
John 
        Tingey 
        died. 
        He 
        was 
        a 
        man 
        who 
        proved 
        faithful 
        in 
        all 
        his 
        work 
        to
the 
        end, 
        and 
        who 
        passed 
        through 
        many 
        hardships 
        in 
        early 
        Utah, 
        where
he 
        arrived 
        with 
        his 
        wife, 
        Phebe 
        Stafford, 
        in 
        September, 
        1852.
He 
        was 
        born 
        in 
        England, 
        December 
        27, 
        1821, 
        and 
        joined 
        the 
        Church
March 
        11, 
        1845. 
        In 
        1857, 
        he 
        took 
        part 
        the 
        Echo 
        Canyon 
        expedition, 
        was
a 
        ward 
        teacher 
        for 
        twenty 
        years; 
        ordained 
        a 
        Seventy 
        February 
        16,
        1853;
a 
        high 
        Priest 
        April 
        20, 
        1876; 
        a 
        Bishop 
        November 
        6. 
        1880; 
        a 
        Patriarch
September 
        13,
        1896. 
        He 
        was 
        the 
        fifth 
        bishop 
        of 
        the 
        Seventeenth 
        Ward,
serving 
        in 
        that 
        capacity 
        for 
        sixteen 
        years. 
        His 
        surviving 
        children 
        are
faithful 
        members 
        of 
        the 
        Church.
Domestic—
        December, 
        1903.
Islands 
        in 
        Great 
        Number.
        —
        The 
        Philippine 
        Commission 
        have 
        rec-
ommended that 
        the 
        navigation 
        laws 
        be 
        not 
        applied 
        to 
        the 
        islands 
        until 
        a
sufficient 
        number 
        of 
        American 
        vessels 
        ask 
        for 
        such 
        action. 
        Only 
        very
few 
        such 
        vessels 
        are 
        now 
        employed 
        either 
        between 
        the 
        numerous 
        islands,
or 
        the 
        islands 
        and 
        the 
        states. 
        Speaking 
        of 
        the 
        number 
        of 
        islands, 
        it 
        has
been 
        ascertained 
        by 
        the 
        coast 
        survey, 
        in 
        lively 
        action 
        during 
        December
that 
        the 
        archipelago 
        contains 
        3000, 
        1700 
        of 
        which 
        bear 
        names.
National 
        Convention.
        —
        It 
        is 
        decided 
        December 
        12, 
        by 
        the 
        Repub-
lican National 
        Committee 
        to 
        hold 
        the 
        National 
        Convention 
        in 
        Chicago,
beginning 
        June 
        21, 
        1904.
The 
        Purchase 
        of 
        Friar's 
        Lands.
        —
        In 
        the 
        last 
        days 
        of 
        December,
        the
prolonged 
        negotiations 
        for 
        the 
        purchase 
        of 
        the 
        lands 
        of 
        the 
        religious 
        ord-
ers, or 
        friars, 
        in 
        the 
        Philippines, 
        were 
        ended 
        when 
        an 
        agreement 
        was
reached 
        for 
        the 
        sale 
        of 
        the 
        property 
        to 
        the 
        island 
        government. 
        There
are 
        403,000 
        acres, 
        and 
        the 
        sum 
        to 
        be 
        paid 
        is 
        $7,239,784. 
        The 
        Pope 
        agreed

<!-- page:319 -->

EVENTS 
        OF 
        THE 
        MONTH. 
        319
to 
        the 
        transaction, 
        and 
        said 
        when 
        he 
        heard 
        the 
        news: 
        "This 
        is 
        the 
        best
Christmas 
        box 
        I 
        could 
        have 
        had." 
        The 
        sum 
        will 
        be 
        spent 
        mostly 
        for 
        the
support 
        of 
        the 
        Catholic 
        Church 
        in 
        the 
        islands. 
        The 
        lands 
        will 
        be 
        sold 
        to
present 
        tenants 
        on 
        easy 
        terms. 
        The 
        Franciscan 
        monks 
        or 
        friars 
        will
leave 
        the 
        islands; 
        the 
        Recollects 
        will 
        remain, 
        about 
        100 
        in 
        number; 
        the
Dominicans 
        will 
        be 
        cared 
        for 
        by 
        their 
        university; 
        and 
        the 
        Augustinians
will 
        again 
        occupy 
        their 
        building 
        in 
        Iloilo, 
        taken, 
        and 
        now 
        occupied, 
        by
government 
        troops. 
        Bonds 
        will 
        be 
        issued 
        to 
        pay 
        for 
        the 
        lands, 
        four 
        per
cents, 
        due 
        in 
        thirty 
        years, 
        and 
        will 
        be 
        as 
        valid 
        as 
        regular 
        government
bonds, 
        hence 
        as 
        valuable.
Governor 
        Taft.
        —
        Governor 
        Taft 
        sailed 
        from 
        Manila, 
        December 
        24,
and 
        will 
        visit 
        the 
        Emperor 
        of 
        Japan 
        on 
        his 
        way 
        home. 
        His 
        departure 
        ex-
cited universal 
        regret, 
        and 
        a 
        procession 
        of 
        15,000 
        soldiers, 
        sailors, 
        con-
stables, and 
        labor 
        unions 
        escorted 
        him 
        to 
        the 
        Luneta 
        where 
        he 
        reviewed
it. 
        There 
        has 
        been 
        great 
        progress 
        in 
        the 
        islands, 
        and 
        only 
        time 
        for 
        edu-
cation and 
        raising 
        crops 
        is 
        needed 
        to 
        cause 
        great 
        prosperity 
        and 
        prog-
ress.
The 
        Iroquois 
        Theatre 
        Fire.
        —
        If 
        the 
        fire 
        at 
        the 
        ring 
        theatre 
        in
Vienna, 
        in 
        1881, 
        when 
        875 
        lives 
        were 
        lost, 
        and 
        the 
        burning 
        of 
        Lehman's
Theatre, 
        in 
        St. 
        Petersburg, 
        in 
        which 
        between 
        six 
        and 
        seven 
        hundred 
        per-
sons perished, 
        are 
        excepted, 
        the 
        fire 
        and 
        panic 
        at 
        the 
        Iroquois 
        Theatre,
Chicago, 
        December 
        30, 
        at 
        which 
        585 
        lives 
        were 
        lost, 
        and 
        142 
        persons 
        in-
jured—
        are 
        the 
        most 
        appaling 
        in 
        history. 
        The 
        fire 
        was 
        started 
        by 
        a 
        de-
fective electric-light 
        wire. 
        The 
        Iroquois 
        was 
        considered 
        one 
        of 
        the 
        safest
theatres 
        in 
        the 
        world, 
        it 
        cost 
        $500,000 
        and 
        was 
        opened 
        November 
        23,
1903. 
        The 
        fire 
        escapes 
        were 
        not 
        in 
        position, 
        and 
        the 
        alleged 
        fire-proof
asbestos 
        curtain 
        was 
        totally 
        destroyed,
        —
        serious 
        defects. 
        The 
        loss 
        to 
        the
owners 
        was 
        $20,000. 
        New 
        Year's 
        day 
        was 
        observed 
        throughout 
        Chicago
as 
        a 
        day 
        of 
        mourning, 
        and 
        as 
        a 
        result 
        of 
        the 
        fearful 
        holocaust 
        the 
        thea-
tres and 
        their 
        safety, 
        for 
        the 
        public 
        have 
        been 
        looked 
        into 
        not 
        only 
        in
Chicago, 
        but 
        in 
        all 
        the 
        large 
        cities 
        of 
        the 
        nation, 
        and 
        even 
        in 
        Europe.
January, 
        1904.
Porto 
        Ricans 
        Not 
        Aliens.
        —
        The 
        Supreme 
        Court 
        at 
        Washington 
        has
decided 
        by 
        unanimous 
        vote 
        that 
        citizens 
        of 
        Porto 
        Rico 
        are 
        not 
        aliens
within 
        the 
        meaning 
        of 
        our 
        emigration 
        laws, 
        because 
        they 
        owe 
        no 
        allegi-
ance to 
        a 
        foreign 
        power, 
        but 
        are 
        governed 
        by 
        the 
        Congress 
        and 
        execu-
tive officers 
        of 
        the 
        United 
        States. 
        While 
        the 
        court 
        declined 
        to 
        say
whether 
        they 
        are 
        citizens, 
        it 
        is 
        only 
        one 
        step 
        more 
        to 
        recognizing
their  
        citizenship,  
        and 
        from 
        that 
        to 
        the 
        fact  
        that 
        they 
        may 
        become

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320 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA
an 
        organized 
        territory. 
        They 
        are 
        now 
        entitled 
        to 
        admission 
        into 
        this 
        coun-
try without 
        obstruction.
Death 
        of 
        James 
        Longstreet.
        —
        A 
        veteran 
        of 
        the 
        Mexican, 
        Indian
and 
        Civil 
        Wars, 
        James 
        Longstreet, 
        died 
        on 
        January 
        2, 
        aged 
        83 
        years. 
        He
held 
        the 
        rank 
        of 
        Lieutenant 
        General 
        in 
        the 
        Confederate 
        service, 
        was 
        at
one 
        time 
        minister 
        to 
        Turkey, 
        and 
        since 
        1897 
        has 
        served 
        as 
        U. 
        S. 
        Commis-
sioner of 
        Pacific 
        railroads.
Foreign.
        —
        December, 
        1903.
Big 
        Money.
        —
        On 
        the 
        18th, 
        Cardinal 
        Gotti 
        is 
        reported 
        to 
        have 
        given
the 
        Pope 
        nine 
        million 
        dollars 
        which 
        had 
        been 
        bequeathed 
        to 
        the 
        Cardinal
in 
        trust 
        by 
        Pope 
        Leo; 
        and 
        two 
        millions 
        was 
        found 
        in 
        a 
        wall 
        of 
        the 
        late
Pope's 
        room.
President 
        Diaz.
        —
        It 
        is 
        generally 
        believed 
        that 
        President 
        Diaz, 
        of
Mexico 
        will 
        lay 
        down 
        his 
        office 
        some 
        time 
        before 
        the 
        expiration 
        of 
        his
term 
        as 
        president, 
        December 
        1, 
        1904. 
        His 
        age 
        and 
        his 
        desire 
        to 
        visit
Europe 
        lend 
        belief 
        to 
        this. 
        The 
        only 
        two 
        successors 
        named 
        are 
        J. 
        V.
Limantour, 
        Minister 
        of 
        Finance, 
        and 
        General 
        Reyes, 
        a 
        military 
        hero 
        of
Indian 
        descent.
Affairs 
        in 
        the 
        Congo.
        —
        A 
        steady 
        stream 
        of 
        evidence 
        keeps 
        flowing
in, 
        charging 
        that 
        most 
        unspeakable 
        brutalities 
        are 
        still 
        being 
        practiced
in 
        the 
        Congo 
        Free 
        State, 
        and 
        this, 
        too, 
        with 
        the 
        connivance 
        of 
        King 
        Leo-
pold. The 
        latest 
        testimony 
        comes 
        from 
        Roger 
        Casement, 
        a 
        British 
        Con-
sul in 
        the 
        Congo 
        State. 
        He 
        has 
        just 
        made 
        a 
        1,000 
        mile 
        tour 
        of 
        investi-
gation at 
        the 
        instigation 
        of 
        the 
        British 
        Government, 
        and 
        he 
        fully 
        con-
firms the 
        worst 
        reports 
        of 
        the 
        slavery 
        and 
        barbarism 
        perpetrated 
        on 
        the
natives.
New 
        Railway.
        —
        A 
        very 
        interesting 
        report 
        has 
        just 
        been 
        published
by 
        the 
        Congo 
        Free 
        State 
        Government 
        concerning 
        the 
        railway 
        now 
        being
built 
        from 
        the 
        Upper 
        Congo 
        to 
        the 
        Great 
        Central 
        African 
        Lakes. 
        This
railway 
        will 
        bring 
        Stanleyville 
        into 
        communication 
        with 
        Ponthierville 
        by
winding 
        about 
        the 
        great 
        falls, 
        and 
        it 
        will 
        open 
        up 
        to 
        traffic 
        and 
        civiliza-
tion one 
        of 
        the 
        ricliest 
        tracts 
        of 
        land 
        ir 
        the 
        world. 
        Stanleyville 
        will
then 
        doubtless 
        become 
        the 
        commercial 
        center 
        of 
        the 
        district. 
        Added 
        to
this 
        report 
        is 
        annexed 
        an 
        account 
        giving 
        information 
        relative 
        to 
        big
game 
        shooting 
        in 
        the 
        State. 
        The 
        elephant, 
        rhinoceros, 
        buffalo, 
        hippota-
mus, 
        leopard, 
        giraffe, 
        zebra 
        and 
        all 
        sorts 
        of 
        deer 
        still 
        abound, 
        especially
about 
        the 
        station 
        of 
        Kiro, 
        in 
        Lados.