rolling in wealth, surrounded with everything the heart can wish. But go with me, and I will show you cases of destitution and suffering which will cause your soul, if you have one, to shudder with horror."
The clerks that were here ordered to put him out of the office, which was done immediately, but the enraged man, now that his lips were unsealed, continued to talk, in a loud tone of voice, until a number of people, attracted by curiosity, gathered around him. To them he explained the cause of the difficulty, and inveighed in unmeasured terms against those who were living in luxury and extravagance upon the industry and hard-earned savings of the poor.
The crowd was finally dispersed, and one of the clerks sent to the outraged blacksmith to inform him that he could have the flour at $6. He replied that he would die of hunger ere he would ever taste of it or touch it. The next day Brigham drove down to the poor man's house, taking the flour in his carriage, and induced him to accept it, and the same day the tithing-price of flour was reduced to $6 per hundred.
The best articles of everything paid in for tithing—the choice hams and beef, the best butter, cheese, etc.—are laid away until the families of the first Presidency, the clerks, and a few of the elect are supplied. The balance is served out to the mechanics and laborers. Thus the church dignitaries literally live off of "the fat of the land." Often when butter, or some other article not quite so abundant as usual, is called for by the workman, he is told "there is none in the store," while at the same time large quantities are stowed away; and scarcely is he out of sight, before some member of higher standing in the church visits the same store, and his wants are amply supplied.
As Brigham is not scrupulous on the subject of appropriating the means of the "church," that is, of the people, minor officers, as Bishops of settlements, do not hesitate to speculate upon their own account. This is more or less tolerated, according to the faithfulness of the party to the interests of
the heads of the church, and his diligence in "attending to counsel," or, in other words, in obeying orders. It is notorious that the Bishops all become quickly wealthy. Appoint a man Bishop of a settlement, and in two or three years his fortune is made; and he who previously lived in a log-cabin, with barely the necessaries of life, is soon in possession of a fine house, with carriages, horses, &c., at his command. Every Bishop is expected to "build up the kingdom" by having numerous wives. If he has less than half a dozen, he is scarcely considered as "doing his duty to the church," and at once exposes himself to remark, if not to censure.
Many incidents might be mentioned illustrative of the manner in which property is accumulated by the Bishops. When the army under Col. Johnson was located at Camp Floyd, a Bishop of one of the southern settlements sold to the officers at the camp, at fifty cents per pound, all the butter which had been paid in for tithing, and accounted for it at the general tithing-office, at the tithing price,—twenty-five cents per pound.
Frequently the people would in this way be deprived of luxuries which had been sold, and the proceeds of which had gone into the pockets of the Bishops and other officers of the church. On one occasion Kimball alluded in his sermon to the complaints of the people, that they could not get butter or anything else to eat on their bread. In response he told them, if their bread was hard and dry, "dip it in City Creek."
On the departure from the Territory of the army under Col. Johnson, Brigham bought a large quantity of bacon at one cent per pound, selling it again to the laborers on the public works at twenty-five cents. The large contracts of purchase are usually awarded to him, partly because he has more money with which to fulfil them, and partly because men of lesser means do not wish to cross his path, by interfering with his financial operations. A large quantity of condemned crackers were purchased at the same time, at a nominal sum, many of which were afterward dealt out
to the laborers on the public works, at fifteen cents per pound.