34 Now, Moroni being a man who was appointed by the chief judges and the voice of the people, therefore he had power according to his will with the armies of the Nephites, to establish and to exercise authority over them.

35 And it came to pass that whomsoever of the Amalickiahites that would not enter into a covenant to support the cause of freedom, that they might maintain a free government, he caused to be put to death; and there were but few who denied the covenant of freedom.

15 And it came to pass that he sent a petition, with the voice of the people, unto the governor of the land, desiring that he should read it, and give him (Moroni) power to compel those dissenters to defend their country or to put them to death.

16 For it was his first care to put an end to such contentions and dissensions among the people; for behold, this had been hitherto a cause of all their destruction. And it came to pass that it was granted according to the voice of the people.

The situation described in Alma 46 obviously pre-dated Alma 51. It begs the question, "Didn't Captain Moroni already have the power and authority to put to death defiant dissenters?"

There is an important distinction here. Captain Moroni was a military leader and he had military power and authority. The Amalakiahites were dissenters who were actively rebelling and joining the enemies of the Nephite people.

When he put the defiant Amalakiahites to death, he was operating under his military power and authority. He was addressing acting enemies who were seeking to ally themselves with other active enemies.

In the second example, the dissenters were internal. This was a matter for civil authorities. However, Captain Moroni obviously saw the threat they imposed.

He had no power or authority over a civil situation. However, he recognized that action needed to be taken. He officially asked for civil authority and power to address the problem through the democratic process. Citizens joined him in his appeal.

He waited for the democratic mechanisms to work and decide whether to grant him this power and authority. Ultimately, it did, then he acted.

The other example of his deference to civil authority was when he restored Pahoran to power and eliminated the internal insurrection and rebellion that had displaced the civil government.