The John T. Caine papers are not extensive, but they effectively represent the man and his life's work. Their principal limitation is that they cover only some twenty years of his life, the time of his representation of Utah Territory in the United States Congress. Their strength, then, is the information they provide about the relationship of church and state, the relationship of the Mormon Church to the political parties and processes of the day, the nature of Congressional life at that time, and the great battle between Federal and theocratic order in the Rocky Mountain kingdom.

A good place to begin research on those topics is the correspondence file which contains twenty-seven pieces, dating from 1876 to 1902. Typical are letters from constituents, announcements of appointments and elections, as well as such national and local celebrations as the laying of the Capitol cornerstone in Texas and the centennial of the United States Constitution. Of particular note are the numerous letters from John Taylor and George Q. Cannon. Two lengthy ones from these representatives of the LDS church First Presidency stand out. One of April 1884, expresses concern about Caine's anti-Republican comments, showing that as early as 1884, Church leaders recognized the need to balance support between the two major political parties. This was eight years before the dictum which would retire John Caine and provoke Moses Thatcher. A second letter, from George Q. Cannon in 1886, details the hardships of the polygamous brethren in Utah and Idaho who were suffering persecution under the Edmunds Act. A Letter of 1882, from Phillip Van Zile of the Liberal Party challenges John Caine of the People's party to debate the "issues." Both the invitations and Cain's negative reply make clear the antagonism between Mormon and Gentile at the time, as well as the political relationship based on those differences. Taken as a whole, the letters show Utah's political and religious situation and Caine's Congressional and religious responsibilities, which at that time were identical.

Some two dozen personal letters were added to this collection in 1991. Their focus is the brief marriage of Caine's son Alfred Henry to Margaret Ann Mitchell, which lasted only nine years before Alfred's death from typhoid fever in 1890. Letters from both husband and wife are supplemented by several letters from John T. and from Margaret's mother, Margaret Thompson Mitchell. Their content is not, perhaps, substantial for the most part, but they offer the only view into Caine's domestic relations afforded by this collection.

A journal of John Caine's missionary experience constitutes the second file in the collection. Compiled by Kate B. Carter in 1943, there is no reference as to the condition or location of the original manuscript or to the principles of its edition. As printed, the journal indicated the excitement, apprehension, and difficulty of being a missionary in a foreign culture. Caine was surprised at the methods and attitudes towards death and funerals which the Island people displayed -- particularly the expensive banquets which preceded and followed the interment. He shows dismay with a brother who refuses another member of the Church a meal, remarking, "Oh, what a pity it is that we are forced to call such mean, contemptible beings, brother. They know nothing of brotherly love, they are even destitute of the innate feelings of humanity and hospitality which inhabits the breast of the most degraded savage." Yet other brethren showed generosity when they sold their watches to raise money for his unexpected trip home.

The collection contains nine Congressional addresses of John Caine. Among them is a handwritten rebuttal on lined paper to a proposed amendment to the Edmunds Bill which would have the governor of the Utah Territory appoint local officials, seeking to remove all self- governance from the Mormon community. Some resolutions reveal the intensity of the situation in Utah, and provoke interest as to the real state of affairs. One speech affirms that Utah Mormons are peaceful and denies rumors that armed bodies of men are preparing an uprising. Finally, there is John Caine's last speech which in 1893 petitioned and secured the Enabling Act which permitted statehood after some forty years of exclusion.

The clippings file in the collection is particularly noteworthy. It contains news accounts from such papers as the , the , the , and the , as well as numerous others. The clippings concern Mormonism, polygamy, political power, and Utah Statehood. Some of the articles are extensive and well-researched, but none are sympathetic; even factual statements are organized into anti-Mormon assertions. The file is valuable in that it brings together original clippings on a specific topic during a limited period from numerous areas of the country. To find the same documentation on microfilm would take considerable time and expense. Many of those news accounts were collected for the Congressman by a nineteenth-century press service, "National Press Intelligence.".

The miscellaneous papers of John Caine contain a list of contributors and the amounts donated to help Chicagoans after the fire of 1879. Caine had headed the citizens committee which collected the funds from both Mormon and Gentile merchants and Salt Lake's public figures. Caine was an owner of the newspaper and a document of 1885 sets forth the principles of the partnership. Also included among the miscellaneous papers are his invitation and ticket of admission to the inauguration of Grover Cleveland in 1893.

Various documents originally received and presently registered as part of the collection have been removed from the main body and catalogued as separate pamphlets. They are listed as seperations with their catalogue numbers, if available.