REVIEWS a Valuable Addition to the Literature
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REVIEWS A Valuable Addition to the Literature Church, State, and Politics: The Diaries Utah's Republican Party and presided of John Henry Smith edited by Jean over the state constitutional convention in Bickmore White (Salt Lake City: Signa- 1895. Also active in regional and national ture Books in association with Smith affairs, he served in offices in the Irriga- Research Associates, 1990 [1991], xxx + tion Congresses and the Trans-Mississippi 703 pp., $75.00. Commercial Congresses. At the time of his death, he was a member of the Capi- Reviewed by Thomas G. Alexander, tol Commission, entrusted with oversee- professor of history and director of the ing the construction of a building to house Charles Redd Center for Western Studies Utah's state government. at Brigham Young University. In addition to politics, Smith helped REVIEWERS EXPECT TO APPLY somewhat promote a number of business enterprises, different criteria to an edited diary than including Cannon, Grant, and Company; to a monograph, interpretive book, or col- the Mexican Colonization and Agricul- lection of essays. Instead of asking ques- tural Company; ZCMI; Consolidated tions about the scope of the research, the Wagon and Machine; the Utah-Idaho felicity of writing style, the selection of Sugar Company; the Independent Tele- facts, and the soundness of the interpre- phone Company; and the Utah-Mexican tation, we want to know about the impor- Rubber Company. He was, by any mea- tance of the diarist, his or her perceptive- sure, a man of importance — one of a ness in understanding and commenting handful of those who actively shaped the on contemporary events, and his or her future of Utah and the Church from the candidness in discussing problems. We ex- 1880s through the first decade of the twen- pect also to comment on the value of the tieth century. interpretation, supplementary informa- We ask, then, how Smith's diary com- tion, and identifications of people, places, pares with those kept by other important and things supplied by the editor. people of the time. On balance, while the In general this edition of John Henry diary is valuable because it chronicles Smith's diaries, which he kept at times events, it is not as reflective or candid as between 1874 and 1911, stands up very diaries of Anthon H. Lund and Emmeline well. Smith, son of Sarah Farr Smith and B. Wells, or as detailed as those of George George Albert Smith of the LDS Church's F. Richards, Abraham H. Cannon, Frank- First Presidency, ranks among the first lin D. Richards, and Heber J. Grant. echelon of Church leaders who kept dia- Smith often passed rapidly over events, ries during the late nineteenth and early noting various facts but failing to com- twentieth centuries. He served as a mis- ment on them. The entries on the state sionary in England during the early constitutional convention, for instance, 1870s, an apostle from 1880 until April tend to be short notes on what delegates 1910, and a member of the First Presi- discussed or agreed to without a personal dency from then until his death in Octo- commentary on the events. With some ber 1911. A key figure in the political notable exceptions, he treated meetings of accommodation of Mormonism with the the Council of the Twelve and First Pres- United States, he helped to organize idency similarly. 172 DIALOGUE: A JOURNAL OF MORMON THOUGHT Some of the exceptions are important. known companies in which Smith had For example, on 6 September 1898, invested. What, for instance, were the shortly after the death of Wilford Wood- objectives of the Utah-Mexican Rubber ruff, Smith reported that Lorenzo Snow Company? What was its capitalization? sent for him, told him he wanted him to Who were the other investors? Was it suc- run for United States senator, commented cessful? Some of the information can be on the indebtedness of the Church, and gleaned piece by piece from the diary, but "said he did not agree with Prest. Geo. some of it cannot, and a succinct note Q\ Cannon's business methods" (p. 406). summarizing the story of the company At the same time, the diary provides would have helped. many valuable insights. Because he oper- Annotation could also have helped to ated at the center of political and ecclesi- explain alternative versions of incidents. astical power, Smith's comments give us On Saturday, 18 February 1911, for a detailed chronicle of events and person- instance, Smith recorded in his journal: alities. Moreover, his diary presents an intimate portrait of a husband and father John W. Taylor came into the office this dealing with problems of his wives and morning very much angered at President Francis M. Lyman and the Twelve. He children. We learn, for instance, a great ordered A. H. Lund and John Smith out deal about dividing time and resources of the office. He demanded an Interview between two wives, about George Albert with Prest. Joseph F. and me. He was quite Smith's illness, and about Glenn Smith's wild. He staid over two hours. He said he wanderings. As social and ecclesiastical had cursed My son George Albert for some- history, the diary details the lives of LDS thing He had said about . and had missionaries in the 1870s when the rapid threatened to kill him. He demanded that conversions of the 1840s had long since President J. F. Smith call the Counsel of passed and missionaries worked as glean- fifty to protect him from the Twelve in his ers rather than reapers. Most important, violations of the law. (p. 666) it tells of the day-to-day activities of a key Taylor's version of the event as individual during a period of stress and reported in the transcript of his trial is rapid change. somewhat different. He denied having Jean White's editorial work is compe- cursed George Albert Smith but said he tent, though this reviewer would have had told "John Henry Smith that his son liked more information. The introductory was talking against me and if he did not biographical and family information is stop talking the curse of God would rest very useful. The list and short biograph- upon him and I told Brother [Anthony ical sketches of the most prominent indi- W.] Ivins if George Albert didn't stop he viduals mentioned in the diary are ade- would have to answer to me the first time quate, though more information would I met him" (Fred C. Collier and Robert have been useful, and some people are R. Black, eds., The Trials for the Member- conspicuously absent. For instance, John ship of John W. Taylor and Matthias F. R. Winder was a counselor in the Presid- Cowley, 2nd Printing [n.p., 1976], 9). ing Bishopric before his call to the First The editor could also have directed Presidency, and neither Moses Thatcher readers to other diarists who discussed the nor William Spry is identified in the list. votes on the Woodruff Manifesto in the 6 In addition, we could well use more October 1890 general conference. Smith, explanation in the notes of a number of for instance, wrote that "the people voted the topics covered in the entries. By the that he [Wilford Woodruff] had the right standards I learned as assistant editor for to make this manifesto and that it was the Ulysses S. Grant papers, the diary is authoritative" (p. 242). Marriner W. Mer- underannotated. For example, I wanted rill disparaged the vote with a comment to know more about several of the lesser- that many did not vote. Franklin D..