_ /2— 's /' — - 414 '"*' ^ CONSTITUTION OF THE Rhode Island Historical Society, ADOPTED, DECEMBER 20, 1870. P R O V I D E N C E : PUOVIDENCE PRESS COMPANY. PI{ INTERS. 1871. CONSTITUTION OF THE Ehode Island Historical Society, ADOPTED, DECEMBER 20, 1870. ' •> • • • • • • • • • c • •• • • , • J w c o • • ' • • • • « « » » ' ••• . ! . • • » « • ••••• •»• PROVIDENCE: PROVIDENCE PRESS COMPANY, PRINTERS 1871. n. ^,H A.^. S-a-^_ CONSTITUTION. ARTICLE I.— Of Membership. Section i. The Rhode Island His- torical Society shall be composed of Resident, Corresponding, Honorary and Life Members. Sec. 2. No person shall be eligible as a resident member, unless, at the time of his election, he shall reside in the State of Rhode Island; nor shall any person be eligible as a corresponding or honorary member who shall not, at the time of his election, be a resident out of said State. Life members may be either resident or non-resident. Sec. 3. No person shall be eligible as a member unless he be recommended by the committee on membership : and all votes on the admission of members shall be by ballot. Sec. 4. Whenever a vote shall be 4 CONSTITUTION. taken on the admission of a member, and there shall be found three ballots against his admission, the presiding offi- cer counting the votes, shall declare the election postponed until the next regu- lar meeting of the Society. At the next meeting, if the recommendation of the committee be not withdrawn, he may be admitted by the major vote of the members present and voting. Sec. 5. Every corresponding or hon- orary member elect, who shall not ac- knowledge his membership in writing, or sign the constitution within one year from the time of his admission, shall not be considered a member of the society. Sec. 6. Each resident member shall, on his admission, pay an admission fee of five dollars ; and thereafter such tax or taxes as the society may impose, not exceeding three dollars, in any one year. A member on the payment at one time of fifty dollars to the treasurer, may become a member for life, and shall thereafter be exempt from all assess- CONSTITUTION. 5 ments or annual tax, and shall be entitled to all the privileges of a resident mem- ber. Sec. 7. Neglect to pay any tax for the period of one year after demand in writing from the Treasurer, shall be deemed a withdrawal from the Society ; and the Treasurer is required to report the names of such delinquent members in order that they may be stricken from the rolls of the Society. Sec. 8. Resident and Life members alone shall be entitled to vote at the meetings of the Society. ARTICLE II.^Of Society Meetings. Section 1. The Society shall hold four regular meetings in each year ; on the third Tuesday in January, and on the first Tuesdays in April, July and October. Sec. 2. Special meetings shall be called by the Secretary on the written request of the President, or any five resident or life members. 6 CONSTITUTION. Sec. 3. Notice of all regular or spe- cial meetings of the Society shall be given by advertisement thereof or other- wise as the Society may direct. Sec 4. Seven resident or life mem- bers shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. ARTICLE III. — Of Officfrs and their Duties. Section i. The officers of the So- ciety shall be a President, two Vice- Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer, one Librarian and Cabinet Keeper for the Northern, and one for the Southern Cabinet, a Committee on Nominations of new Members, a Committee on Lec- tures and Reading of Papers, a Com- mittee on Publications of the Society, a Committee on Care of Grounds and Buildings, and an Audit Committee. All of these Committees, excepting the Audit Committee, to consist of three resident or life members, and the Audit Committee to consist of two resident or life members. Sec. 2. The officers of the Society CONSTITUTION. 7 shall be chosen at the regular meeting of the Society holden in January in each year, and shall hold their offices for one year and until others be elected in their places. In case the Society make no election at said meeting, they may do so at their next, or any other meeting regularly called, and they may fill any vacancy in any office at any regular meeting. Sec. 3. The President shall preside at all meetings, preserve order, give the casting vote, and perform such other du- ties as usually appertain to such an office. In his absence, one of the Vice Presi- dents shall discharge his duties, and in their absence, the Society may appoint a chairman for the meeting. Sec. 4. The Secretary shall keep a fair record of all the proceedings of the Society, and notify its meetings ; and shall be the organ of communication of the Society. Sec. 5. The Treasurer shall have charge of the pecuniary concerns of the Society,, shall collect all admission fees 8 CONSTITUTION. and taxes, and shall pay all bills against the Society when properly audited. At the meeting in January he shall present his accounts, after they shall have been examined by the Audit Committee, and shall exhibit his books and papers to the Society when required. Sec. 6. The Librarians and Cabinet Keepers shall safely keep, in such places as the Society shall designate, all books, manuscripts, papers, documents and other articles committed to their charge. Members of the Society by consent of the Cabinet Keeper, shall have liberty to read or examine any book or manu- script in the cabinets, but will not be allowed to remove the same therefrom, unless by a special vote of the Society; and when thus removed, the person taking the same shall in each case sign a receipt therefore, conditioned to pay to the Society such sum of money as the Cabinet Keeper may deem, proper, in the event of its non-return to the Cabinet within three months from the date of receiving the same. CONSTITUTION. 9 Sec. 7. "The Committee on Nomi- nation of New Members/' shall endeav- or to increase the number of mmbers of the Society, by propounding from time to time the names of such persons as they think will be desirable additions thereto, consent of such persons having been first obtained. Sec. 8. "The Committee on Lec- tures and Reading of Papers," shall en- deavor to have lectures and papers of a Historical character read before the Society, as often as possible, in order to maintain and increase an interest therein. Sec. 9. "The Committee on Pub- lications of the Society,'* shall have charge of the printing and binding of all publications of the Society, unless otherwise ordered by a special vote, and they shall from time to time recommend the printing of such matter in our col- lections or obtainable from other sources, as they may deem of importance and within the limit of our means. Sec. 10. "The Committee on Care lo CONSTITUTION. of Grounds and Buildings/' shall have the general charge of the grounds and buildings of the Society, see that they are kept in good order, and have au- thority to contract debts for expense of the same, not exceeding in any one year one hundred dollars, unless by special vote of the Society. Sec. II. The Audit Committee shall examine all claims on the Society be- fore they are presented to the Society to be acted on ; and shall, before the January meeting of the Society, ex- amine the Treasurer's accounts and re- port thereon. ARTICLE VI.— Of Amendments. This Constitution may be amended or repealed by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at any regular meeting of the Society, provided, that notice of such proposed amendment shall have been presented in w^riting at a previous meeting. CONSTITUTION. ii ARTICLE V. This Constitution shall go into full effect immediately. Resohedy That all Constitutions, By-Laws, Acts or Resolutions inconsistent with this Constitution, are hereby repealed. The above resolution and all the sec- tions of the Constitution, excepting sec- tions 7, 8, 9 and 10 of Article 3, were adopted November 15, 1870. True copy, ATTEST : GEO. T. PAINE, Secretary, OFFICERS FOR 1870. PRESIDENT, Hon. SAMUEL G. ARNOLD. VICE PRESIDENTS, Hon. ZACHARIAH ALLEN, Hon. GEORGE A. BRAYTON. SECRETARY, GEORGE T. PAINE. cabinet keeper northern depart- ment. Rev. EDWIN M. STONE. CABINET KEEPER SOUTHERN DEPART- MENT, BENJAMIN B. HOWLAND. TREASURER, RICHMOND P. EVERETT. iLS?,''^ ^^ CONGRESS 014 075 393 2