Bro. Jos. F. Smith addressed the
conference. His subject was the priesthood. He advanced ideas which were new to
me, that is, for an Elder in Israel to preach. He conveyed the idea that it was
by virtue of the High Priesthood that an apostle acted and not by virtue of the
apostleship; that the office of an apostle was an appendage and that a man
acted in that as he did as a Bishop (if not a literal descendant of Aaron) by
virtue of being a High Priest. He also advanced curious, & as I think,
unsound ideas about the offices of deacon and Elder and their relationship to
the Aaronic and Melchisedec priesthoods. He conveyed the idea also that a
revelation or doctrine, to be binding, should be submitted to the various
quorums of the priesthood, an idea not <so> incorrect of itself as the
manner and spirit in which it was put forth. He dwelt in his positive and
emphatic style upon the idea that no one man had the right to enforce his
doctrines upon the Church without the sanction and concurrence of the
priesthood and people. If he did not have President Brigham Young in his mind,
he was unfortunate in his selection of words and in his manner of presenting
his thoughts; for I could not help thinking that he had him in his mind. My
brother Angus also gathered obtained the same impression. (George Q.
Cannon, Journal, January 6, 1878)