2. In several of the revelations given to the Church in the beginning, the doctrine of common consent is made mandatory. In the revelation of April 6, 1830, the date of the organization of the Church--the Lord says: "The elders are to receive their licenses from other elders, by vote of the Church (branch) to which they belong, or from the conferences." * * * * * No person is to be ordained to any office in this Church, where there is a regularly organized branch of the same, without the vote of that Church." In section 26, verse 2: "All things shall be done by common consent in the Church, by much prayer and faith, for all things ye shall receive by faith." See also Sec. 124:144. The Saints by vote accepted the Twelve Apostles as the presiding quorum of the Church at this special conference August 8, and again at the regular conference in October. This fact settled the matter of succession according to the revelations. These authorities and their successors, have been sustained at each conference of the Church, twice a year, and at the quarterly conferences of the various stakes four times a year from that day to this. The question of succession was, therefore, settled at Nauvoo when the assembled Saints voted to sustain the Apostles as the presiding quorum of the Church. The attempt of any party or parties, before any other body, to set up the Church and to ordain officers in conflict with the action of the Church on the dates previously mentioned, would be illegally done; just as much so as if in the municipality, state or nation, after the majority of the citizens had elected officers (and that almost unanimously) to serve them, a few disgruntled, defeated, candidates and their sympathizers should appoint another election, hold it by themselves and then declare that the regularly and properly elected officers were rejected and unauthorized to serve. Such a thing in the nation could be no more foolish or absurd than were the attempts of apostates to set up a _new organization_ of the Church from a handful of disgruntled office-seekers and their sympathizers. In one case there would be as much authority as in the other and no more. But the contention of Reorganites has been, that the apostles assumed authority and powers that did not belong to them. That their duty was in the world and it was the prerogative of the high council of Nauvoo with William Marks and counselors, at their head, to direct the affairs of the Church. They say: "That the Twelve usurped authority, and assumed privileges and duties after the death of Joseph and Hyrum which did not belong to them, is seen in the fact that their mission and calling was to travel abroad among the branches, and throughout the world, preaching, organizing branches, thus building up the Church outside of Zion and the organized stakes. That such was their mission and calling may be seen in the law of the Church which is further confirmed in the teachings of the martyr as follows: