there was any definite arrangement between he
Church and any friends of Mr. Kearns.

Kearns was associated with Senator Clark of Montana and R. C. Kerens of
St. Louis in building a railroad from Salt Lake to Los Angeles, and the
Church owned some fifteen miles of track that had been laid from Salt
Lake City, as the beginning of a Los Angeles line. It was apparently
assumed by President Snow that Kearns' election to the Senate would
facilitate the sale of this Church railroad to the Clark-Kearns
syndicate. The Church had a direct interest in numerous iron and coal
properties in Southern Utah, and many members of the Church also had
private properties there, which the Los Angeles line would develop.
Some of Kearns' friends were negotiating for the purchase of Church
properties, and one of his partners was proposing to buy (and
subsequently bought) the Church's "Amelia Palace," a useless and
expensive property which Brigham Young had built for his favorite wife,
and which the Church had long been eager to sell.

My father had been in ill-health for some months and he was away from
Utah a large part of the time. President Snow took counsel of his Second
Councillor, Joseph F. Smith, and of Apostle John Henry Smith; and to
the Smiths, he indicated Thos. Kearns as the one whose election to the
United States Senate might do most to advance Snow's concealed purpose.
But the Smiths had other plans, that were equally advantageous to
the Church and more advantageous to the Smiths; they rebelled against
President Snow's dictation, and he ordered them both away on temporary
"missions."

As Joseph F. Smith was leaving the President's offices, in a rage, he
met an old friend, Joseph Howell, who (at this writing) is a member of
Congress from Utah, and was then a member of the Utah legislature. He
told Smith that President Snow had sent for him, and Smith, controlling
himself--without betraying any knowledge of the probable purpose of
Snow's summons to Howell--said affectionately: "Brother Howell, I want
you to make a promise to me on your honor as an elder in Israel. I want
you to pledge yourself never to vote in this legislature for Thomas
Kearns as Senator. I ask it as your friend, and as a Prophet to the
people."

Howell gave his promise, and proceeded to his interview with President
Snow. There he received the announcement that it was "the will of the
Lord" that he should vote for Kearns, and he had to reply that he had
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