| 22 the Quorum of the Twelve as they were left when Joseph died was in that condition that Elder Young could not have been elected by a majority vote without casting his own vote for himself; and it would also require the votes of Kimball and Richards each voting for themselves to place them in the Presidency. William Smith, John E. Page, and Lyman Wight had before renounced the proceedings of the quorum, and were not present at that meeting. John Taylor and P. P. Pratt were in Salt Lake Valley and could not possibly have known anything of this movement before it was consummated.
This left just seven present, a majority of one only. They were Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, and George A. Smith. The moment they by their own act removed from the quorum Young, Kimball, and Richards, it left only four present, who had sanctioned this extraordinary movement; and when it was sanctioned by Taylor and Pratt, there were only six; hence the quorum was broken, and could no more act as a quorum until reorganized, as the law recognizes no less than a majority as forming a quorum. 9
They had previously elevated Amasa Lyman and Ezra T. Benson to positions in the quorum; but by what authority does not appear, as no revelation is upon record calling them to that position; and the evidence of their selection by a General Conference or High Council is wanting.
Brigham Young in a letter to Orson Spencer, dated January 23, 1848, and published in Millennial Star, volume 10, pages 114 and 115, states:-
"In December last we appointed a day to hold a conference on the other side of the river, in a large double block house, occupied by one of the brethren, where the saints congregated in such large numbers that we found it impracticable to continue our conference, the house being so crowded and many shouting at the windows to get in, so that we adjourned for three weeks to build a house capable of holding the saints. Accordingly, on the 24th, we convened
9 See Book of Doctrine and Covenants 104:11.
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