[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 4th We travled to little Sandy 8 miles & to our Joy we met with Capt Sessions fifty. Here we found Parly Pratt fifty of company. I dined with Br Abbott & family while here I recieved A letter from Br J Ferguson from the Army.
In the Afternoon the quorum of the Twelve met in Council & one of the most interesting Councils we ever held together on the earth. In the Begining of the Council two of the quorum was reproved Sharply for undoing what the majority of the quorum had done in the organizing of the camps for travelling. At first it was not recieved but afterwards the error was recieved [&?] seen, confession made & much teaching given by the President & the power of God rested upon us & our hearts melted & our eyes in tears. The President said if he did not tell us our faults we would be destroyed but if he told us of them & reproved us we would live in love & our hearts be semented together.
Brothers Parley P Pratt & J Taylor had been to england & done a good work. Had returned to winter quarters, & there done wrong by disorganizing the two divisions & Companies that the quorum of the Twelve had spent the whole winter in organizing & which was Also governed by revelation. Br Parley took the lead in the matter & entirly disregarded our organization & mixed the companies all up.
Br Young Chastized him for his Course & taught us Principle Said that when we Set a part one or more of the Twelve to go & do a certain piece of work they would be blessed in doing that & the quorum would back up what they did. But when one or more of the quorum interfere with the work of the majority of the quorum they burn their fingers & do wrong.
When the majority of the quorum of the 12 plant a stake of Zion & esstablish A President over the Stake & Appoint A High Council there Has the minority of the Twelve one or more any right to go & interfere with those Councils? No unless they Should get corrupt & do wrong. Then it would be the duty of any one of the quorum of the Twelve to show them their error & teach them what was right, & should the majority of those councils get corrupt & try to lead asstray the people it would then be the duty of any one of the Twelve to disannul those councils & call upon the people to Sustain him & Appoint a new one. But while the Councils are trying to do right it would be the duty of the Twelve who might be with them to assist them in carrying out those views that the majority of the Twelve had esstablished.
The quorum of the Twelve all decided that Br Pratt had committed an error in not carrying out the organization as esstablished by the Twelve. Br Pratt at first had A hard spirit. Afterwords repented & Confessed his fault & the Power of God rested upon President Young & the whole quorum.
President Young Said that He felt Eternity upon him & was weighed down to the earth with this work & that Br Kimble felt the weight of it more than any other man except himself. Each one of the quorum expressed their feelings upon the subject & we all had a good time. Br Young said He should Chastize Br Parley or any one of the quorum as much as he pleased when they were out of the way & they Could not help themselves but He done it for their good & ownly done it when Constrained to do it by the power of God.
Br H C Kimball Addressed br Young & wished him to rest as much as possible & let his brethren bear his burtherns. He said He wanted Br Brigham to save himself for He was waring down. I feel tender toward you & want you to live, & If I or my Brethren do wrong tell us of it & we will repent. Br Brigham Said there was not a better set of men on the earth than the Twelve & He intended to chastize them when they need it that they might be saved & love him & stick by him. We all felt good to be there for the Lord was with us.
[source: Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
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