Brigham Young - involved in brothels?

[_Drifting]

Brigham Young owned distilleries, a beer hall, and tobacco farms, and rented out houses as brothels in Salt Lake City.

Is this statement factually true?

[_MCB]

I don't know if that is true, but I wonder at plural wives who were financially independent, having their own homes. Maybe schoolteachers, milliners, seamstresses, midwives. Those professions don't require that much education or capital. What about the rest?

There was so much poverty, not that many brought dowries with them, did they?

[_subgenius]

Brigham Young owned distilleries, a beer hall, and tobacco farms, and rented out houses as brothels in Salt Lake City.

Is this statement factually true?

citation?
or are you just stirring the puddin'
cause this horse is dead
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10124&view=next
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19443&view=next
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1760367

[_subgenius]

While Joseph Smith and other authorities in the Mormon Church did not observe the Word of Wisdom, others felt that it should be a strict rule for the Church. In the minutes of a Conference held at Far West in 1837 the following statement is found: "The congregation, after a few remarks from Sidney Rigdon, unanimously voted not to support stores and shops selling spirituous liquors, tea, coffee, or tobacco." (History of the Church, Vol. 2, page 524) It is interesting to note that when Joseph Smith opened his store in Nauvoo, it was supplied "with sugar, molasses, glass, salt, tea, coffee &c., purchased in St. Louis." (History of the Church, Vol. 4, page 483) In spite of the vote taken at Far West, not to patronize any store selling these items, Joseph Smith seems to have had a thriving business. It appears that Joseph Smith's own home was supplied with tea and coffee. George A. Smith related the following: "...a certain family,...arrived in Kirtland, and the Prophet asked them to stop with him... Sister Emma,in the mean time, asked the old lady if she would have a cup of tea...or a cup of coffee. This whole family apostatized because they were invited to take a cup of tea or coffee, after the Word of Wisdom was given." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, page 214)

"Ordinance on the Personal Sale of Liquors.

"Section 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of Nauvoo, that the mayor of the city be and is hereby authorized to sell or give spirits of any quantity as he in his wisdom shall judge to be for the health and comfort or convenience of such travelers or other persons as shall visit his house from time to time.

"Passed December 12, 1843.

Joseph Smith, Mayor.

"When there was no whisky to be had here, and we needed it for rational purposes, I built a house to make it in. When the distillery was almost completed and in good working order, an army was heard of in our vicinity and I shut up the works; I did not make a gallon of whisky at my works, because it came here in great quantities, more than was needed." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p. 206) - B Young

"You know that we all profess to believe the 'Word of Wisdom.' There has been a great deal said about it, more in former than in latter years. We as Latter-day Saints, care but little about tobacco; but as 'Mormons' we use a great deal.... The traders and passing emigration have sold tons of tobacco, besides what is sold here regularly. I say that $60,000 annually is the smallest figure I can estimate the sales at. Tobacco can be raised here as well as it can be raised in any other place. It wants attention and care. If we use it, let us raise it here. I recommend for some man to go to raising tobacco. One man, who came here last fall, is going to do so; and if he is diligent, he will raise quite a quantity. I want to see some man go to and make a business of raising tobacco and stop sending money out of the territory for that article.
Brigham Young

even the most incompetent missionary teaches that the WoW is a lesson in self control and in realizing the liberating power involved when one avoids "addictive" substances and behaviors. I have seen many members apply the philosophy of WoW to their admitted sugar addictions, etc...

Once again, we see Drifting's thread ignore context and attempt, desperately attempt, to throw the baby out with the bath water. The precepts in the WoW are good - without a doubt, and obviously the revelation surrounding ts origin has relevance to the context of the time, such as the prior temperance movement, and that communities were beginning to "realize" that tobacco was probably not good for you.

So, though Drifting would love to cry "hypocrisy" from yonder hill, i fear that all he has done is cry.

[_Blixa]

Brigham Young owned distilleries, a beer hall, and tobacco farms, and rented out houses as brothels in Salt Lake City.

Is this statement factually true?

Eh, the first three items are technically "true" (there was a small, short-lived distillery If I recall correctly, and attempts to grow tobacco, like silk and grapes, didn't come to much, but that's not quite the same as owning distillerieS or tobacco farmS) but the last, and the subject of your OP, is not. This is not a bad overview of the history of prostitution in Salt Lake City.

[_Buffalo]

So yeah, about the brothels, what's up with that?

By the way sub, the WOW actually recommends the consumption of beer and wine. It doesn't prohibit anything except "strong drink" (ie whisky, gin, etc)

[_Drifting]

Eh, the first three items are technically "true" (there was a small, short-lived distillery If I recall correctly, and attempts to grow tobacco, like silk and grapes, didn't come to much, but that's not quite the same as owning distillerieS or tobacco farmS) but the last, and the subject of your OP, is not. This is not a bad overview of the history of prostitution in Salt Lake City.

Okay, that's the brothel's put to bed (as it were...)

[_moksha]

I see no reason to believe that President Brigham Young had his thumb in every pie.

[_grindael]

I'm not a big fan of Young's, but this comment may help with this. When Horace Greely came to Utah and interviewed Young, he asked (and was asked) some interesting questions by Young and Heber C. Kimball. At the end of the interview, Greely asked Young,

[Greely.] Mr Young I shall have to state in my report that I Consider your system of poligamy is reducing the female Here to the oriental state. I see no Chance for the female here for her to develop herself. I see no Female signs out in this City. I see no Chance for a woman ownly to be a first or fifteenth wife.

[Young]. A woman here has all the Chance or liberty here to develop her talent or Capabilities of doing good & filling her sphere that she has in any Country But I do not want any woman to Council & dictate me in the direction of my affairs. If I did I should think I ought to have been made a woman.

G. I don't Care whether a person is man or woman. I think they should have the privilege of Developing their Talent. It is well enough for a woman to bear Children But I think they ought to rule when they are Capable of it. Queen Elizabeth was the grea[test?] Ruler England Had And Catherine was one of the greatest Soyreigns of Russia But Poligamy I think has a tendency to bury up the talent of women.

H.C.K. Is it worse to be a mans second wife than to be a whore?

G. I don't know that it is.

Here Mr Greely Closed his interigations, Took his hat Bowed to the Company & retired. (Wilford Woodruff's Journal, Vol. 5, p. 367, July 13, 1859)

I do know that Frank Cannon (son of George Q. Cannon) had problems with this. (after Young's time) Abraham reported:

Wed. March 18th [1885]: I was in the office most of the day. This morning I received word from Charles Richards that Frank is some place in town on another drunk. I gave John Q. and the police notice and urged them to be on the lookout for him. Up to 8 o'clock p.m. no one knew definitely where he was, and I started out with the determination to learn of his whereabouts. I first visited his mother at Aunt M.A. Lambert's and then went on Main Street and searched until about 11 o'clock. The horrible information I obtained was that he was in Kate Flint's establishment and that his associations with that notorious prostitute are well known to several police officers. He has been drinking deeply and spending money very lavishly with fast women. Some of his suppers are said to have cost him $35. I was assured that he would go to Ogden in the morning and I therefore did not attempt to force an entrance to his stopping place.

Frank later apostatized, became a Senator, and wrote a tell all about Young. If anyone would have known about Young having that connection, I think he would have, but he doesn't mention it. This might help... http://forum1.aimoo.com/Folk_of_the_Fri ... 17050.html