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Meetings of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey

Standing Committee

Colonel Alexander M. Cumming, William Lloyd, Colonel Clifford Stanley Sims, Robert M. Boggs, Francis Barber, Herman Burgin, Edw. R. Pennington.

Delegates to the General Society

Hon. L. Q. C. Elmer, Rev. Charles C. Beatty, D.D., Judge John T. Nixon, Colonel Clifford Stanley Sims, Francis Barber Ogden.

Alternates

William B. Buck, Hon. John Fitch, Herman Burgin.

By-Laws, Rules and Amendments

The Standing Committee recommend the following codification of the Bye Laws of this Society and that the rules being suspended they be at once adopted.

BY-LAWS OF THE SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY

1. Meetings.
The Society shall hold an annual meeting on the fourth of July yearly, unless that day fall on Sunday in which case it shall be held on the day following. At such meeting the Society shall appoint the place at which the next annual meeting shall be held. Extraordinary meetings may be called by the President, or in case of his death, absence or inability to act by the Vice-President.

2. Quorum.
Nine members shall be necessary to constitute a quorum.

3. Order of Business.
The order of business shall be:
Prayer,
Roll Call,
Reading of Minutes,
Reports of President, Secretary, Treasurer, Standing Committee, Special Committees.
General Business,
Election of Officers.
Adjournment.

4. Officers.
The Society shall have a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and Chaplain to be chosen by a majority of votes at the annual meeting, and they with seven members of the Society, to be chosen in the same manner and at the same time, shall constitute the Standing Committee, of whom seven shall form a quorum. The Standing Committee shall appoint one of their number (who shall not be one of the officers above named) to act as Chairman of their body.

5. Delegates.
Five delegates whose expenses shall be borne by the Society shall be chosen by a majority of votes at the annual meeting to represent the Society at any meetings of the General Society which may be held during the ensuing year.

6. President.
The President, or in case of his death, absence or inability to act, the Vice-President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and shall preserve order in the course of proceedings according to the parliamentary rules of deliberative assemblies. He shall be ex-officio a member of all committees.

7. Secretary.
The Secretary, or in case of his death, absence or inability to act, the assistant secretary shall have custody of the books and archives of the Society, shall give notice of all meetings and shall record the minutes of the same in a fair and legible hand. He shall note in the book provided for that purpose, the dates of the admission and deaths of members, the various National, State or Society offices which they may fill and such other memoranda as may be proper.

8. Treasurer.
The Treasurer, or in case of his death, absence or inability to act, the assistant treasurer shall receive all moneys belonging to the Society, either as interest on the permanent fund or from other sources, and shall keep regular accounts, which previous to each annual meeting shall be audited by the Standing Committee. He shall deposit all moneys of the Society, not vested in Bonds or other lawful securities, in some Bank to be approved by the President, to the credit of the Society, subject to the draft of the Treasurer for the time being, or in case of his death, absence or inability to act, the Assistant Treasurer; he shall also invest the cash funds of the Society whenever there is a surplus in the Treasury, after leaving a reasonable margin for current expenses.

9. Standing Committee.
The Standing Committee shall have charge of the general concerns of the Society, and of such matters as may be specially entrusted to them. They shall examine all claims and, if just, authorize their payment, and shall recommend donations to the families of deceased members, in such cases as they shall judge worthy of relief. They shall have power to fill all vacancies by death, resignation or otherwise, such appointments to continue until the office or place be filled by the Society at an annual meeting, and they may with the concurrence of the Trustees, call in any of the moneys belonging to the Society and invest the same, and change the investments from time to time as may be to the interest of the Society.

10. Trustees.
The Permanent funds of the Society shall be invested in the names of three Trustees and the survivors of them, as joint tenants, said trustees to be chosen by a majority of votes at an annual meeting; and if at any time two vacancies shall occur in the office of such trustees it shall be the duty of the Standing Committee forthwith to fill the same, which appointments shall be valid until others be made by the Society.

11. Term of Office.
All officers, delegates, trustees and members of Committees shall continue in their respective authorities until other appointments are made in their stead.

12. Investments.
All investments shall be in the securities of the United States or of the State of New Jersey.

13. Debates.
Members shall be considered as bound in honor to keep secret any matter offered in debate, or any individual opinion expressed respecting admission, election or expulsion of members.

14. Honorary Members.
Honorary members whose number shall not exceed a ratio of one to four of the officers or their descendants, may be admitted into this Society, for their own lives only, provided, however, that should they refuse or neglect to attend two successive annual meetings and no satisfactory reason being assigned for their absence, said absence shall be construed to be ipso facto, a resignation of their membership and the Society may, thereupon, proceed to elect others in their place.

15. Pensions.
All applications for pensions or allowances shall be made in writing and addressed to the Standing Committee and shall contain the statement that the party so applying or applied for, is worthy of relief, being in necessitous circumstances.

16. Mileage.
The Treasurer shall pay mileage only to such members as shall answer to their names at Roll Call.

17. Invitations.
The President shall be empowered to invite not exceeding three guests, and the Standing Committee not exceeding six guests to dine with the Society at the annual dinner, said invitations to be issued through the Secretary in the name of the Society. This rule does not affect the members of other State Societies who may desire to be present.

18. Amendments.
No By-law or rule shall be amended or repealed nor any new by-law or rule made unless proposed at one annual meeting and agreed to at the next. But the Society by a unanimous vote may suspend the operation of any by-law or rule.

The proposed codification of the By-Laws of this Society was then considered and the same passed subject to the following amendments.

No. 2., Quorum; to add the words “or in absence thereof the meeting stands adjourned until the next 4th of July.”

No. 5., Delegates; to erase the words “whose expenses shall be borne by the Society.”

The rules were then unanimously adopted.

Hereditary Members

The Standing Committee notice in the official report of the Secretary General of the late meeting of the General Society in Philadelphia, a certain resolution, which involves the dignity and rights of this State Society, and therefore, after much deliberation recommend the passage of the following resolution:

Resolved, that the New Jersey State Society of the Cincinnati, feel compelled to notice the reference by the General Society, to the Committee on Rules and Ordinances of a resolution questioning the validity of the admission to and membership in this Society of Dr. T. Matlack Cheesman, and in reference to the said resolution, to state that Doctor Cheesman was regularly admitted to membership in this Society and is a member under and by virtue of certain rules and regulations, which this Society has seen fit and proper to adopt, and that, therefore, this Society denies the right of any other body to question its action in the premises.

Resolved, that the Secretary is directed to transmit copies of these resolutions to the Secretary General and to Dr. Cheesman.

Finance

The Standing Committee report, that the present permanent fund of the Society is $15,000. That they have examined the accounts for the past year as rendered by Wm. B. Dayton. Treasurer and find the same correct.

By this there is shown to be in the hands of the Treasurer the sum of $886.13 after allowing the following several disbursements made during the year, viz:

Attendance Fees $270.00
14 Donations at $25 350.00
Secretary’s Bill printing, postage 10.00
Dinner Bill 412.60
Safe Deposit Co 7.50
Assessment of General Society 20.00
F. B. Ogden expenses as Delegate 16.00
$1,086.10

together with investments added to permanent fund.

Resolved, that after the Treasurer has paid the expenses of this meeting he shall retain the sum of $25 for emergencies and that he distribute the balance of the income for the current year pro-rata to the persons heretofore named in this report, the amount to each, however, not to exceed the sum of $25.

Donations

Your Standing Committee recommend the following persons as beneficiaries of this Society, and that $25 be appropriated to each:

Miss Julia Pennington, Miss Sally C. Dayton, Miss Elizabeth Barber, Miss Mary DeHart, Miss Mary Gumming, Miss Mary Thomas, Mrs. C. A. Dunham, Mrs. John Buck, Mrs. E. F. Allen, Mrs. E. W. Lott, Mrs. Alice Ogden, the Misses Lloyd and Miss Eliza J. Reckless. Recommendations adopted.

Miscellaneous

In absence of Chaplain, the Rev. Doctor Luther Halsey, at the request of the President the meeting was opened with prayer by Rev. Doctor Hornblower.

By request of the President, Col. Sims read the Principles of the Society.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.

The Standing Committee report that they have received a Communication from the Rhode Island State Society of the Cincinnati, and recommend the adoption of the following preamble and resolutions:

Whereas, the Society of Cincinnati in the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was from various unfortunate circumstances, beyond its control, unable to hold regular meetings after the 4th of July, 1835, although having voted so to do, in consequence of which those hereditarily entitled to membership were unable regularly to obtain it, and,

Whereas, a petition was in 1876 presented to the Rhode Island General Assembly by certain citizens of that State praying for an act of legislation abrogating the Charter of Incorporation of the Rhode Island State Society of Cincinnati which had been granted by that body in 1814, the petition being based on the ground that the annual 4th of July meetings therein required had not been held in each year, and requesting further that the property and funds of the Society be transferred to another corporation, which petition by the State Constitution had to lie over one year before action, and the Judiciary Committees meanwhile to advertise through the newspapers for all concerned to show cause why the petition should not be granted, and whereas certain gentlemen hereditarily entitled to membership in the Rhode Island Society under the General Institution of the Cincinnati (viz. Hon. Nathanael Greene, Hon. James M. Clarke, Hon. Samuel Hendry Greene, Genl. Wm. W. Brown, Doctors Henry E. Turner, David King, and others having become apprised of this published notice to show cause, did as the only apparent practicable course, on the 12th day of December, 1877, at the State House, Providence, after due and extended published notice on their part, and careful investigation of the claims of all participants, and after obtaining the advice and encouragement of all accessible members of the Cincinnati, with appropriate ceremonies and due acknowledgment of responsibility, reinstate their honorable old Society, and thereby prevent the abrogation of its charter of Incorporation (which had never been surrendered) or diversion of its funds and property; and did also thereby secure the dismission of the citizens petition, and whereas from the very peculiar circumstances of the case, they had to take this action promptly and without preliminary formal agency of the General Society, after every effort to obtain it, but with the direct assistance and presence of a member of the Cincinnati resident in Rhode Island, and with the advice and encouragement of other members, and.

Whereas, it appears that after the reinstatement of the Society, its reinstating members went before the Judiciary Committees of the Rhode Island General Assembly, according to the Statute, and duly proved themselves to be the true successors of the original incorporators under the Institution of the Cincinnati, and also subsequently, equally satisfied a Committee of the General Society on the 22d May last, that they were and are the eldest lineal descendants at Common Law of original members of the Rhode Island Society, as well as personally worthy, and.

Whereas, the Rhode Island General Assembly did, on the 26th March, 1878, confirm them in all their corporate rights, and privileges, and declare them by law, to be the true legal successors of the original incorporators, and did subsequently at the special legislative session in June, express its continued confidence, by giving them, by resolution, the use on all occasions of the historic standard borne by the 1st Regiment Rhode Island Continental Infantry during the Revolution, which had been presented by the original members to the State, February, 1784, and.

Whereas, the gentlemen composing that Society ask recognition and paternal encouragement at our hands, and show us a highly respectable organization having an original permanent fund (although small) and all its valuable records since 1783, and a membership based on the terms of the General Institution.

Resolved, that the New Jersey State Society of the Cincinnati hear with pleasure of the resuscitation of the Rhode Island State Society, and extend to them their paternal congratulations.

Resolved, that this Society hereby formally recognize the Rhode Island State Society of Cincinnati, as again forming a constituent part of the Cincinnati, and its members as entitled to all privileges of membership as Cincinnati. Recommendations adopted.

The Standing Committee also report that your Committee have received a letter from the Regent of the Valley Forge Centennial Association, asking the aid of this Society in making up the fund for the purchase of Washington’s Headquarters at that place, and they recommend the adoption of the following resolution.

Resolved, that while it would afford the New Jersey State Society of the Cincinnati much pleasure to contribute to the fund of the Valley Forge Centennial Association, the primary duty they owe their beneficiaries preclude their doing so, as their fund is but small. Adopted.