B. H. Roberts
"(quoting Mosiah 29:32) To my mind Joseph Smith, in bringing forth that principle through the Book of Mormon--the principle of personal, moral, responsibility to God for the government that obtains in free republics--has contributed one of the mightiest thoughts to the political life of the age in which he lived, that any man has brought forth in all the contributions that have been made to political thought in America. Patrick Henry's idea that men had an inherent right to rebel against insufferable tyranny is not equal to it. Jefferson's great doctrine of the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed with the inalienable rights of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, is not greater than this Book of Mormon doctrine. Webster's great contribution of 'nationalism,' viz., that this nation was an indestructible union of indestructible states, is not superior to it. And Lincoln's great thought, that the principle of the Declaration of Independence, that all men are of right free, must hold good as to the colored race as well as to the white race, does not surpass it. Because this great Book of Mormon thought is this: that while governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, there goes with that the awful, moral responsibility, direct to God, of every man and woman participating as sovereigns in a free government, for the kind of government that obtains in such country. The great doctrine of direct, moral responsibility to God of a free people is indeed a soul-inspiring utterance, but it is also an awe-inspiring condition, and on its face bears evidence of the divine source whence it comes.
"It was upon this principle of confidence in the ability of the people to govern themselves that the Lord inspired those whom we call the 'fathers of our republic,' the founders of the constitution--it was upon this great principle of belief in the ability in the people for self-govermnent, that the corner stones of this republic were laid." (Conference Report, Oct. 1912, pp. 33-4)
Ezra Taft Benson
"Keep in mind that the people who have created their government can give to that government only such powers as they themselves have. They cannot give that which they do not possess. . . .
"The proper function of government is limited only to those spheres of activity within which the individual citizen has the right to act. By deriving its just powers from the governed, government becomes primarily a mechanism for defense against bodily harm, theft, involuntary servitude. It cannot claim the power to redistribute the wealth or force reluctant citizens to perform acts of charity against their will. Government is created by man. No man can delegate a power that he does not possess. The creature cannot exceed the creator." (Conference Report, Oct. 1968, pp. 18-19)