accompanied by Eliza Turner at the organ, George Taggart on the violin, Octave Ursenbach on flute, with Samuel Francis, Jr., playing the bass viol. The choir and congregation together sang, "Oh,Ye Mountains High." Then during the service, the choir sang, "Awake, Ye Saints of God," and another anthem, unnamed. The visitors from Salt Lake City at this meeting were Elder Francis Marion Lyman, of the Quorum of the Twelve, J. Golden Kimball, of the First Council of Seventy, and Charles F. Middleton of the Weber Stake presidency.50 Shortly after the arrival of the pioneers in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, the first Thursday in each month was set apart as a day of fasting and prayer. The members of the Church were asked to bring on that day their contributions for the relief and sustenance of the poor, and hand them to the bishop of the ward. The Saints in Morgan followed this practice. On 5 November 1896, a letter written under the direction of President Wilford Woodruff informed the people of Morgan, and all other stakes of the Church, that the time for holding fast day would be changed from the first Thursday to the first Sunday of each month. The ward members would no longer assemble in the various ward buildings throughout Zion on the first Thursday of each month.51 Political Activity During theyears preceding Utah's admission to the Union as the forty-fifth state, there was much political excitement in the Territory. The Saints had been advised in 1893 by the First Presidency of the Church to divide on national party lines, Democrat or Republican, instead of staying with the People's Party (Mormon) and the Liberal party (Gentiles) of Utah.52 President George Q. Cannon told the people that although most of the members of the Church were traditionally Democrats, it was folly to continue the parry lines on which the citizens of the territory had divided as Mormons and non-Mormons. He said it would not do for all the Saints to join the Democratic Party, for if they did, the Gentiles would become Republicans and thus perpetuate the old feelings about politics. He suggested that it would be best for many of our people to become Republicans so the old fight would not continue. President Cannon said it would be all right for those who had strong convictions on the Democratic side to feel free to follow their convictions. But those who had no strong feelings on politics might go into the Republican Party. One thing certain, he told them, was that the old party fight between Mormons and non-Mormons must not continue.53 The people at last began to realize that if statehood were ever to be granted, they must lay aside their bickering and conform to the principles of democratic government. So Democratic and Republican clubs were organized throughout the territory. In Morgan County, Samuel Francis stayed a Democrat. He had been very active for several years in politics, and had been attending a state constitutional convention in Salt Lake City every six months since he had 56