[George Q. Cannon] I have been desirous to see some of the city council in relation to the franchise to be granted to the Union Light and Power Company, and the following members came to the office today: Arthur Barnes, John Allen, E. M. Weiler and Henry Wallace. I explained to them with some detail what we were aiming to accomplish, and set before them our situation and how desirable it was that our brethren in the city council should recognize what we were doing, and not treat us as a foreign corporation.
I afterwards spoke to them about the Arthur Pratt businessâ€"not so much that either as to bring to their attention the necessity of union; that it was a city council of thirteen Mormons and two Gentiles and that the Latter-day Saints would be blamed for everything that was not right and therefore they ought to act in harmony and not as partisans.
Arthur Barnes made the remark that they were elected as Democrats, on a Democratic ticket. I dwelt on that and showed that they should be latter-day Saints first, above all things. I told them that if they divided and pulled against each other, as they had started out to do, they would bring themselves into discredit. I talked with exceeding plainness to these brethren, as did President [Wilford] Woodruff also.
I fear that this conversation will not effect any great change in their feelings, but we shall have given them our views, and if they do not act upon them they will be without excuse. In parting with them I told them, as a servant of God, that they would always be safe in following the counsels of the servants of the Lord.
[Source: George Q. Cannon, Diary]
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