Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

SECT. III. Mode of Election.

1. The ordinary election of delegate and fub-delegate fhall be on the fitting next before the first Thurfday in each calendar month, at which fitting no vifitor fhall be admitted.

2. No member fhall be allowed to offer himself as a candidate, nor to propofe any other, nor folicit votes for himself or another on pain of expulfion.

3. Every member, except fuch as have ferved as delegates for the two preceding months, fuch as have not been admitted a fortnight, and fuch as are members of any conftituted body, or excufed by a previous confent of the divifion, shall be confidered as eligible.

4. On the evening of election, each member shall bring with him a piece of paper, on which fhall be written the name of the member whom he wishes to be the delegate, and beneath that the name and number of the voter.

5. Such vote fhall be given to the president, without previous communication to any other member.

6. Precifely at nine o'clock, after which no vote fhall be received, the prefident fhall read the votes aloud; the fecretary shall enter in the minute book the names of all the members nominated, and against each the numbers of the members who have voted for him.

7. The prefident fhall read the fecretary's entry aloud, and if no error be difcovered in it, fhall declare whichever of the nominated perfons fhall have the greatest number of votes to be the dele gate, and the next greateft the fub-delegate.

8. Upon an equality of votes, the decifion fhall be by lot.

9. The election of fecretary and afliftant-fecretary, fhall be on the fame night, and conducted in the fame manner.

10. Every member, except the delegate and fub-delegate, is eligible as fecretary or affiftant-fecretary.

11. The election of prefident and vice-prefident, may be by open nomination and fhew of hands.

SECT. IV. Duty of Prefident and Vice-Prefident.

1. The prefervation of order, though a duty of every member, is particularly fo of the prefident.

2. He fhall take efpecial care to protect any member from interruption while fpeaking, provided fuch member fhall confine his difcourfe to the matter in queftion, and not exceed ten minutes in delivering it.

3. If any member (thinking the prefident remifs) fhall call another to order, that call fhall not be repeated by any other member. The prefident, if aware of the reafon of fuch call, fhall give his opinion on the point of order, if not aware of any fufficient reafon for the interruption, he thall require the member calling to order, to explain his reafons.

4. The general call of filence is the exclufive duty of the prefident; any other member calling filence is diforderly,

5. If he fhall find it convenient he may, previous to putting any question, recapitulate impartially the arguments which have been offered on it; at which time, and not before, he may give his own opinion.

6. He hall take efpecial care that the members be fatisfied, that the monthly account of the principal treasurer contains a receipt for as much money as has been raised in the divifion or divifions prefent.

7. Previous to quitting the chair, he fhall read the minutes as entered by the fecretary, and fign them.

8. If any part of them fhall appear to him to be erroneously entered, he shall notice the impropriety in the minute book.

9. He fhall, on no account, continue in the chair later than eleven o'clock, P. M. after that hour the perfons prefent are a private company, and not a divifion of this fociety.

10. The vice-prefident fhall be placed in that part of the room which is oppofite to the prefident.

11. His duty is to take care that members shall not be imperfely acquainted with the bufinefs in agitation, in confequence of their being remote from the prefident, and that they shall not fall into private and diforderly conversation.

SECT. V. Secretary and Affiftant-Secretary.

1. The fecretary of each divifion fhall also be treasurer of the fame. He fhall remain in office (mifconduct excepted) one month, and be re-eligible.

2. He fhall open the bufinefs of each meeting, by taking election of a prefident and vice-prefident, for which purpose he fhall not wait longer than fifteen minutes after the appointed time.

3. He fhall then give the minutes of the laft meeting to the prefident to be read, including the former president's objections, if any, and they fhall then be adjusted.

4. He fhall enter in the minute book every motion which shall be made and feconded; alfo the decifion on it, with the numbers of votes both for and against.

5. He fhall keep the divifion and fupernumerary books, and receive the monthly payments.

6. If any member default in payment, he fhall give notice of the fame, at the first meeting after the first Thursday in each calendar month; and if no other member is willing to call on the defaulter, it fhall be his bufinefs.

7. After the prefident he fhall fign all refolutions of the divifion, and all certificates of election.

8. All certificates fhall fpecify the number of votes as given.~ The word unanimous fhall never be used.

9. At the meeting next before the election of delegate, the fe cretary fhall read a lift of the names of fuch members as are ineligible by this conftitution; to which fhall be added the names of

fuch

fuch members as may give reasons fatisfactory to the divifion for wishing to be excufed ferving that office.

10. If any member fhall default in payment for one month fucceffively, without a caufe fatisfactory to the divifion be affigned, the fecretary fhall notice the default oppofite to his name in the minute book, and his number shall be given to the next admitted member.

11. If he cannot attend his duty in his divifion, he shall give notice to the affiftant-secretary, and fend the books to him or to the divifion.

12. The affiftant fecretary fhall, to the utmost of his power, affift the fecretary in his duty, particularly in calling on defaulters.

13. When the fecretary is prefent in a divifion, the affiftant-fecretary fhall act as door-keeper; the duty of that station is explained by Sect. II. Art. XI.

14. In the abfence of the fecretary or affiftant-secretary, the meeting shall appoint another door-keeper.

15. In case of removal or violent difperfion, it shall be the bufinefs of the secretary and affiftant-secretary to give notice to the members of a new place and time of meeting.

SECT. VI. Delegate and Sub-delegate.

1. Every individual delegate is the immediate fervant of the divifion which he reprefents, and his functions cannot be annulled or fufpended but by their confent, unless expelled the fociety by trial of Jury, agreeably to the XIth fection.

2. While a delegate he is not eligible to any other station or office, either by his divifion of any conftituted body.

3. His duty is to attend the meeting of delegates, and affift in the performance of their collective duty, as hereafter described. 4. To attend his own divifion duty, and faithfully to report proceeding of the committee of delegates.

5. To compare the account of the principal treasurer with that of the treasurer of his own divifion, and to remark to his divifion whether they agree or no.

6. On all questions which may occur in the committee of delegates, he fhall vote according to the inftructions of his confti

tuents.

7. On any question which has not been difcuffed and decided by his conftituents, he fhall vote according to his own judgment for the intereft of the fociety.

8. If on any queftion which his conftituents have decided, new arguments fhould arife which he may think likely to change their opinion, he fhall have liberty to vote for an adjournment of one week; fubject however to the judgment of the divifion, whether his doubts were real or fictitious.

9. If he cannot attend the meeting of delegates, he fhall give notice as early as poffible to the fub-delegate.

10. The

10. The fub-delegate having received fuch notice, fhall act as

delegate.

11. The fub-delegate fhall always be admiffible in the committee of delegates as a vifitor.

12. While prefent as a visitor he must be silent, but may take

notes.

13. The fub-delegate attending the committee before the delegate, though without notice, fhall act as delegate for that fitting, whenever the delegate is more than ten minutes later than the appointed time.

14. If the delegate fhould vacate his feat, the fub-delegate shall fucceed him for the remainder of the month, and another fubdelegate fhall be chofen.

SECT. VII. The Committee of Delegates.

1. The committee of delegates is the reprefentative and legiflative body of this fociety.

2. Their duty is indivifible, and the reprefentation fhall not be impaired by any appointment, either of themselves collectively or of any other conftituted body, which may fubject the members thereof to be absent from their meeting, or to be parties concerned in any fubject under their difcuffion.

3. Not lefs than three-fourths of their whole number shall be a quorum, except in cafe of perfecution.

4. There fhall be no difparity or diffimilitude between the members, by officers of prefidency or fecretaryship.

5. Every committee of delegates fhall, on the laft Thurfday in each calendar month, elect four perfons to ferve the offices of prefident, vice-prefident, fecretary, and affiftant-fecretary, in the next enfuing committee.

6. Members of the electing committee are eligible as officers of the enfuing, and officers of electing fhall be re-eligible.

7. This election is their final act collectively; individually they must report at the enfuing meetings of their conftituents, which done, they invariably cease to be delegates, and shall not be re-eligible for two fucceeding months.

8. The duty of the four officers abovementioned, is fimilar to those bearing the fame names in a divifion; but they shall have no vote in the committee, nor give any opinion, unless requested, except on queftions of order.

9. After forming the committee, by receiving and entering their certificates, they fhall each be fubject to difmiffion, if the then prefent committee fhould think proper to appoint others.

10. The entries in the minute book thall be figned at least by two of them, and the minutes of each meeting fhall be read in the enfuing meeting, and open to the infpection of every individual delegate.

11. In cafe of any perfecution which may be brought on this fociety, they fhall provide a place for the meeting of delegates, and give notice thereof to as many delegates as poffible.

12. Such

12. Such meeting, not being fewer than one-third of the deles gates, fhall have all the power of a committee of delegates; but hall on no pretence enlarge the term of their delegation.

13. The efpecial object of fuch meeting fhall be to fee that the executive powers are not negligent or dilatory in rallying the difperfed divifions, and renewing a complete representative body.

14. The duty of the committee of delegates, is to direct the 'conduct of the executive powers, in all matters which do not require fecrecy or expedition.

15. To examine the conduct of the executive powers, whether it be agreeable to their own directions, or the directions of any former committee of delegates.

16. If the executive power fhall have done any thing without confent of a committee of delegates, it fhall, on difcovery, be the bufinefs of the then committee of delegates to examine whether the act was proper, and whether the want of fuch authority was juftifiable by the neceflity of fecrecy or dispatch.

17. Their confent to any thing propofed to be done, or their approbation of any thing which has been done by the executive powers, fhall be to the latter a complete juftification, except fuch confent or approbation fhall be obtained by mifreprefentation of facts.

18. They fhall take fpecial notice of the conduct of every individual member, both of the felect commmittee and the council; and if they fhall perceive any perfonal oppofition to prevail between any two members of thofe bodies, they hall take the firft opportunity to remove them both, rather than endanger the fpreading of difcord.

19. For the purpofe of electing members of the felect committee and special committees, they fhall always have a complete lift of the names and numbers of the felect committee then existing.

to. They may enter in their minute book remarks on the conduct, whether moral or political, of any member of the select committee, or of the council, or any perfon eligible to thofe ftations.

21. If the executive powers, for the purpofe of obtaining their approbation, fhall communicate any thing which a majority of the delegates fhall approve as neceffary to be fecretly done, the whole committee of delegates are bound to fecrecy.

22. Their election of one-third of the council, and of the felect committee, fhall be conducted in the fame manner as the election of a delegate.

SECT. VIII. The Select Committee.

1. Shall not exceed the whole, nor be less than half the number of the committee of delegates.

2. Every individual member of this committee is the fervant of the whole fociety, and not refponfible to any particular di

vifion.

3. They

« ZurückWeiter »