Captain Dayton, Major Howell, Captain Ogden, Major Bloomfield, General Dayton.
Major Bloomfield, from the Committee appointed for that purpose, reported a set of By-Laws for the Government of the Society which are as follows :
By-Laws of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey, adopted July 5th, 1790.
I. The Stated Meetings of the Society shall be alternately at ElizabethTown and Trenton, and when necessary the President or, in case of his absence, the Vice-President may call extra-meetings, on giving thirty days’ public notice.
II. In order to give due weight and dignity to the transactions of the Society, and to prevent its interests from being at any time subject to the control of too inconsiderable a proportion of its members, at least one-sixth of the whole number shall be present to transact business, and in case the President and Vice-President shall both be absent, the members present are hereby authorized to elect a chairman for the time being.
III. At every Anniversary meeting the Society is to elect its officers for the ensuing year. Deputies to represent them at the general meeting, and a Committee of nine members, who shall form a Standing Committee for the purpose of affording temporary relief to persons entitled to the same, to receive and report on the Claims of Officers, and shall transact all such other business as cannot be deferred without manifest injury until the next meeting of the Society; the agreement of five of whom shall be necessary to decide thereon.
IV. All elections in the Society shall be by ballot.
V. The Treasurer shall give bond and security in double the sum in his hands to the President, his executors, administrators and assigns, in trust for the Society, for the faithful performance of his duty, he shall keep a regular account of all monies of the Society which come into his hands, and shall present a true state of his accounts and books to the Standing Committee whenever called upon by them, and to the Society for their inspection at their stated meetings.
VI. The Mode of obtaining relief by persons entitled thereto shall be in the first instance by application to the Standing Committee, who shall examine into the merits and, if the necessity of the case requires it, recommend them to the President, or in his absence to the Vice-President, to issue his warrant on the Treasurer for such sum as they may think expedient, having always in view and paying the strictest attention to economy and the state of the Society’s funds.
VII. The recommendation to be in the following form to wit:
By the Standing Committee of the New Jersey Society of the Cincinnati:
Application having been made to us on behalf of . . . . . . . . . . . . . as a person entitled to the benefit of the Society, and we having made strict examination into the circumstances of . . . . . . . . . . . . . ‘s case do recommend to the President (or Vice-President, as the case may be) to issue a warrant on the Treasurer for the sum of . . . . . . . . . . . . . to afford the said . . . . . . . . . . . . . a temporary relief until . . . . . . . . . . . . . ‘s case can be laid before the Society at their next meeting.
Signed by the Committee,
Present.
to which the President shall annex his warrant on the Treasurer for the sum specified in the recommendation ; and the case of the applicant shall be laid before the next meeting of the Society, who will order such further relief as to them shall seem proper.
VIII. All such incidental charges of printing, books, papers, etc., as are necessary shall be paid by warrant from the President, the accounts having first been examined and allowed by any three of the Standing Committee.
IX. The expenses of each stated meeting shall be paid out of the interest arising from the funds.
X. The Deputies to the general society shall be allowed their reasonable expenses; the accounts of which shall immediately upon being presented be examined by the standing Committee and such sums as any three allow shall be paid out of the Funds on warrant from the President.
XL No monies shall be paid by the Treasurer but on warrant as above prescribed, or in the order of the Society at their meeting; which order shall be entered on the Journals, and a copy of it be given to the Treasurer, signed by the President and countersigned by the Secretary.
XII. The members of the Society shall be considered as bound in honour not to mention out of the Society any matter offered in debate or any individual opinion given respecting the admission or expulsion of any member.
XIII. In case of the death or removal from the State of the Treasurer or Secretary the Standing Committee shall have power to make a temporary appointment until the next meeting of the Society.
XIV. An oration shall be delivered at each Anniversary meeting, for which purpose two orators shall be chosen, at the present and one at each succeeding annual meeting the person last chosen always to be considered the second orator upon whom the duty shall devolve in case by any means the first be prevented therefrom, and due notice be given by him of such inability.
XV. At every meeting of the Society the following rules with respect to order in debate shall be observed.
| Sec. I. — Duty of The President | The President for the time being shall not engage in any public debate without leave of the Society, except so far as to regulate the form of preceeding, and upon all occasions shall support the strictest order agreeably to the rules hereby established. |
| Sec. 2. — Conducting Business | The first business of each meeting shall be to read the minutes of the preceding one, and communications to the Society next, the reports of the Committees shall be received and considered, and lastly the officers and Standing Committee shall be elected. |
| Sec. 3. — Manner of Voting. | The manner of voting on any question shall be by those in the affirmative rising, and those in the negative keeping their seats; but should any doubt arise as to the majority, and any member request the Yeas and Nays, the names of the members shall be severally called by the Secretary. |
| Sec. 4. — On Motions | Nothing shall be deemed or taken for a motion unless seconded. When any motion is made the same shall be determined upon before any new matter shall be introduced unless the previous question be first demanded. The President shall have a right to require the motion in writing if he should think proper. |
| Sec. 5. — Conduct of Members. | No member shall interrupt the business by entering of Members, into private conversation during a debate or whilst any business is before the Society that requires general attention, but every person shall keep his seat except the member that is up to speak or communicating information. Every member rising to speak or to give information shall address the chair and should two rise at the same time for either purpose, the President shall determine which may speak first. No member shall speak or offer information, without rising or speak more than twice a day on any subject without leave of the Society; and in all debates and proceedings the members shall confine themselves within the strictest rules of decency and decorum towards the chair and each other. |
A letter from Col. Frelinghuysen enclosing a copy of the oration was read and agreeably to the resolve of last meeting, the oration was laid up among the archives of the Society.
A circular letter from the Secretary General was read and ordered to be filed.
Captain Dayton, who was appointed to deliver an oration before the Society at this meeting having informed the Society that he was unavoidably prevented by indisposition, Resolved unanimously that his reason be deemed satisfactory.
Ordered, that the Secretary transmit to the Secretary-General an accurate return of the persons composing this State Society as soon as it can be conveniently completed.
Ordered, that the Standing Committee meet at four o’clock on Saturday afternoon preceding the next meeting of this Society at Elizabeth Town.
Resolved, that the Revd. Dr. J. F. Armstrong be requested to accept the thanks of this Society for his excellent discourse and that he be desired to furnish the Society with a copy to be deposited among the archives.