History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

678 CHURCH AND STATE.
the October conference of 1877, "that one had the
right and authority to organize the church, and ordain
other apostles and a first presidency to build up the
kingdom of God."
On the decease of the president of the church, there
was for the second time in its history no quorum of
the first presidency, to which authority, and to no
other, as the prophet Joseph had declared, the twelve
were subject. Once more, therefore, until the presidency
was reorganized, the apostles must step forward
and take its duties upon themselves. 1 At a meeting
of the quorum, held two days after the obsequies of
Brigham, ten of the number being present, 2 it was
unanimously resolved that John Taylor, the senior
apostle and acting president of the apostles, should be
sustained in his office, and that the quorum should be
the presiding authority of the church. 3 But this res-
olution, as well as the election of all the authorities of
the church, from the twelve down to the deacons and
teachers, must be indorsed by a vote of each quorum
of the priesthood and of the people assembled in con-
ference.
The forty-eighth semi-annual conference of the
church was held, as was now the custom, in the great
tabernacle; 4 and in addition to the general congregation,
there were present more than five thousand of
the priesthood. First was presented the name of
John Taylor; then in their order and separately those
of each member of the twelve, together with councillors
John W. Young and Daniel H. Wells, 5 the
1 At the conference above mentioned, George Q. Cannon remarked that some
had been much exercised about the organization of a first presidency, ' but
he wished them distinctly to understand that whenever God commanded a
first presidency to be appointed it would not be revealed through any one but
his servant, who was now God's mouthpiece.' Deseret News, Oct. 10, 1877.
2 Apostles Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith were in England at the time.
Millennial Star, xxxix. 682. They arrived two or three weeks later. See
Deseret News, Oct. 10, 1877.
3 General Epistle of the Twelve, in Millennial Star, xxxix. 680-4. See also
Deseret News, September 12, 1S77; Mormon Pamphlets, Religious, no. 16.
* Completed in 1S70. A description of it is given elsewhere in this vol.
5 Daniel H. Wells was a native of Oneida co., N. Y., his father, who was a
direct descendant of the fourth governor of Connecticut, having served in the