In order to counteract the influence against the Latter-day Saints, the ladies in Salt Lake City held a mass-meeting in the Tabernacle to protest to Congress against the passage of the Cullom Bill or any other bill which might militate against the practice of plural marriage. The meeting was one of great enthusiasm. Stirring speeches were made and resolutions adopted and forwarded to Congress.
On the 10th of January Elder Woodruff wrote: "This is a great day in Utah. Some twelve or fifteen thousand people of the city and surrounding country, men, women, and children, assembled around the railroad depot to celebrate the completion of the Utah Central Railway, and to see the last rail laid and the last spike driven by President Young. This railroad was built by the laboring men of the Latter-day Saints. There were present bands of music from the City and Camp Douglas. On the stand were the First Presidency, the Twelve Apostles, the officers of the Union and Central and Pacific Railroad, including the officers of Fort Douglas.
"A large steel mallet was used on the occasion. It was made by James Lawson and elegantly chased on the top, and there was engraved upon it a bee hive surmounted by the inscription "Holiness to the Lord." Under the bee hive were the letters "U. C. R. R." The spike was constructed of home made iron and manufactured by the late Elder Nathaniel V. Jones. It was ornamented like the mallet and the ornamentation was also the work of Brother Lawson. Before the ceremony of laying the last rail commenced, the sun, which had been completely concealed by the clouds during the early part of the day, burst forth with great brilliancy as if determined to enhance the general joy by his genial rays. The ceremony took place about nine o'clock, after which a salute of thirty-seven guns was given,—a salute for each mile of the road. Captain Croxall's band enlivened the scene by its strains of sweet music."
The following prayer was then offered by Elder Woodruff: "O God, the Eternal Father, we have assembled on this occasion to celebrate one of the grandest events of the generation in which we live, and to offer up the gratitude of our hearts with thanks-giving for Thy merciful and protecting care that was over us when we were led into these Valleys by Thy servant Brigham Young twenty-two years ago. We found then a complete desert inhabited only by wild beasts and a few red men, who roamed over the plains. To-day we behold the teeming thousands of the Anglo Saxon race assembled here to celebrate the completion of a line of railroads into this City, which has opened up commerce between us and all the world. Thou hast enabled the Saints who have gathered here from the nations of the earth, to fill these Valleys of the Mountains with six hundred miles of cities, towns, villages, gardens, orchards, vineyards, and fields; and the desert has been made to blossom as the rose. We should be ungrateful did we not acknowledge Thy hand in Thy protecting care, which has been over us and which has enabled us to assist in levelling these mountains and exalting the valleys and in laying an iron band which has bound this continent together from ocean to ocean and made all the various states and territories of this mighty nation neighbors to each other. For all these blessings we render the gratitude of our hearts unto Thee, and we pray that Thy blessings may rest upon this day. We dedicate this railroad unto Thee, the Lord our God. We pray that Thy blessings may rest upon it, and upon those who have built it and labored on it. We thank Thee for the peace and quietude we have enjoyed, for the many years that we have dwelt in these Valleys of the Mountains. Continue Thy blessings, O God, we beseech Thee, unto the inhabitants here and throughout the nation. These favors and blessings we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, Amen."
"A speech was then read by George Q. Cannon for President Young. Telegrams from Governor Stanford of California and others, expressing their regrets at not being able to be present, were then read, after which addresses were made by Wm. Jennings, Col. B. O. Carr of the Union Pacific, T. B. Morris, chief engineer of the Western Division of the U. P. R. R., John Taylor, and Mr. Campbell, superintendent of the Utah Division of the Central Pacific R. R. These were all published in the News of January 11th, 1870, with the exception of Mr. Campbell's which the recorders could not hear. The benediction was pronounced by Henry W. Naisbitt. In the evening the streets were enlivened by great throngs of people. The illumination of the City began at six o'clock p. m., and by seven o'clock there was the greatest brilliancy throughout the streets and in the skies. All public buildings and stores were illuminated. I attended a grand ball in the Theatre where two hundred persons could occupy the floor at the same time in the dance. There were some fifteen hundred people present, including the military officers of Camp Douglas. All the federal officials, including the Judges, were there. I took with me three of my wives, Phoebe, Emma, and Sarah. We ate supper at the Townsend House."
On the 16th of January Elder Woodruff with a number of others started by train to Ogden for the purpose of attending the funeral of Bishop C. W. West, who had died in California. On the way to Ogden the train was delayed by an accident so that those aboard reached that place only in time to witness the burial service. "Coming back, we held in the car one of the best meetings I ever attended in my life. We had twenty-two speeches and about the same number of songs. Among the speakers were Elders John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith, and Brigham Young, Jr., much of the spirit of God rested upon us, and strong testimonies were borne. We reached home about ten o'clock."
On January the 27th he recorded the death of his Uncle Ozem Woodruff, who had died the preceding December at the advanced age of ninety-two. About the same time he was industriously mailing papers to his friends in the East in order that he might circulate the speech against the Saints by Vice-president Schuyler Colfax and the reply thereto by Elder John Taylor.
The conference of April 6th, that year, was poorly attended owing to the inclemency of the weather. There was a foot of snow at the time on the ground. Naturally, some excitement existed at the time in consequence of the legislation by congress. Conference was held but one day and then adjourned until the 5th of May, when it reconvened and lasted three days.
The latter part of May was made interesting to the people of Salt Lake by a visit of the Boston Board of Trade. The company occupied eleven Pullman cars, and consisted of one hundred and twenty wealthy merchants and business men from the City of Boston. They attended the Tabernacle meeting and were addressed by Elders Woodruff and George A. Smith. In the afternoon President Young spoke to about three hundred strangers and a large congregation of the Saints. After the service, President Young, George A. Smith, D. H. Wells, John Taylor, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, and George Q. Cannon were invited to dine in the palace cars with the noted visitors.
On the fourth of June a large party of the leading men of the Church started on one of their tours through Malad and Bear Lake Valleys. President Young was indefatigable in his travels throughout the Church. He was everywhere present with counsel and encouragement to build up the Zion of God. The people were not allowed to sleep upon the laurels they had won. They were not permitted to settle down to an indifferent comfort. On that trip they were received everywhere with honor and enthusiasm.