on of President Woodruff's
decision and without aiding the Smiths in their conspiracy.

Either at this conference or one of the later ones, two or three
apostles came into the room; and among them was Apostle Brigham Young,
son of the Prophet Brigham who had led the Mormons to the Salt Lake
Valley. When he understood my refusal to abandon my candidacy, he said
angrily: "This is a serious filial disrespect. I know my father never
would have brooked such treatment from me." And I retorted: "I don't
know who invited you into this conference, but I deny your right to
instruct me in my filial duty. If my father doesn't understand that the
senatorship has lost its value for me--that it's a cross now--then my
whole lifetime of devotion to him has been in vain."

My father rose and put his arm around my shoulders. "This boy," he
said, "is acting honorably. I want him to know--and you to know--that
I respect the position he has taken. If he is elected, he shall have my
blessing."

That was the only understanding I had with him--but it was enough. I
could know that I was not to lose his trust and affection by holding to
our obligations of honor; and--an assurance almost as precious--I could
know that he would not consciously permit legislators to be crushed by
the vengeance of the Church if they refused to yield to its pressure.

A few days after my arrival in Utah, and while this controversy was at
its height, my father's birthday was celebrated (January 11, 1896),
with all the patriarchal pomp of a Mormon family gathering, in his big
country house outside Salt Lake City. All his descendants and collateral
relatives were there, as well as the members of the Presidency and many
friends. After dinner, the usual exercises of the occasion were held in
the large reception hall of the house, with President Woodruff and my
father and two or three other Church leaders seated in semi-state at one
end of the hall, and the others of the company deferentially withdrawn
to face them. Towards the end of the program President Woodruff
rose from his easy chair, and made a sort of informal address of
congratulation; and in the course of it, with his hand on my father's
shoulder, he said benignly: "Abraham was the friend of God. He had
only one son on whom all his hopes were set. But the voice of the Lord
commanded him to sacrifice Isaac upon an altar; and Abraham trusted the
Lord and laid his son upon the altar, in obedience to God's commands