Constitution Of The Scott County Soldiers’ Relief Association

NAME.

ARTICLE 1.  This organization shall be known as the “Scott County Soldiers’ Relief Association.”

OBJECT.

ARTICLE 2.  Its object shall be to provide such surgical aid, nurses, hospital stores, or any other needed aid to wounded and disabled volunteers, being residents of, or having enlisted from Scott county, as may be rendered necessary by an insufficiency of such aid or supplies wherever such volunteers may be located; and also to secure the prompt return to this county, and suitable interment free of expense to relatives or friends when necessary, of the bodies of such aforesaid volunteers as may be killed or die in the service of the Government.

QUALIFICATION OF MEMBERS.

ARTICLE 3.  Any person may become a member of this Association by contributing to its funds and signing the Constitution.

OFFICERS.

ARTICLE 4.

SEC. 1.   The officers of this Association shall be President, Vice President, Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary and Recording Secretary, who, with twelve other members of this Association, to be chosen as hereinafter provided, shall constitute an Executive committee, of which members shall be a quorum, and thirteen which shall be entrusted to the supervision and control of the business and finances of the Association; subject however, at all times to the discretion of the Association as expressed by a vote of a majority of the members present at any regular or properly called meeting.

SEC. 2.  The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Executive Committee; shall sign all orders on the Treasurer for the payment of the moneys directed to be paid by a vote of the Association, or the Executive Committee; shall unite with the Secretaries in calling a meeting of the Association whenever so directed by the Executive Committee, or on the written request of any five members of the Association; and shall perform such other duties as properly devolve upon him, or which are required of him by the Association.

SEC. 3.  In the absence of the President, of in the event of his inability to act, the Vice President shall perform any of all of the duties which would devolve on the President were he present and able to act.

SEC. 4.  The Treasurer shall receive all money paid to the Association; shall at all times keep a correct account of their receipts and disbursements; shall pay out the same only on the written order of the president, countersigned by the Recording Secretary; and shall present a full report of his official acts at the quarterly meeting, or oftener if requested by a vote of the Association.

SEC. 5.  The Corresponding Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Association, and shall carefully preserve all reports of special committees and agents, communications from persons in the military service of the Government, and all other correspondence of value and importance to the Association.

SEC. 6.  The Recording Secretary shall keep a faithful record of the proceedings of all the meetings of the Association, and of the Executive Committee; shall keep a correct list of the membership of the Association, and shall countersign all orders on the Treasurer, signed by the President, in accordance with a vote of the Executive Committee or of the Association, and shall keep a record of the date of such orders, the amount of each and to whom made payable.

SEC. 7.  The Executive Committee shall, at its first meeting after its election, appoint from its own membership, or otherwise, a Surgical Committee to secure the service of such surgeons and nurses as may be needed to provide them with requisite hospital and medical stores; a Burial Committee, to attend to the return of the bodies of soldiers to their friends, or to a suitable place of interment within the limits of Scott county, and such other committee as may be necessary to further the objects of the Association, and not otherwise provided for by this Constitution, or by a vote of the Association, and all committees so appointed shall report and be amenable to the Executive Committee.

FINANCE COMMITTEE.

ARTICLE 5.  There shall be a Finance Committee appointed by the Executive Committee, composed of one person from each ward in the city of Davenport, and from each township in Scott county, whose business it shall be to solicit donations of money, blankets, clothing, bandages and hospital stores, and to forward the same to the Treasurer of this Association, together with a full report of the names of the donors, and the amount of money or number of articles contributed by each; and each contributor may designate whether his contributions shall be applied to care of sick and wounded, or of bodies of the dead.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

ARTICLE 6.  The officers of the association shall be chosen viva voce for the term of six months, but shall serve until their successors are duly elected.

MEETINGS.

ARTICLE 7.  The quarterly meetings of the Association shall be held on the first Monday in January, April, July and October of each year, at which time the Executive Committee and other officers shall furnish full and complete reports of their proceedings, and a full exhibit of the affairs of the association.  The regular meetings shall be held on the first Monday of each month, or oftener, on the call of the Executive Committee, or of the President and Secretaries on the written request of any five members.

DISSOLUTION.

ARTICLE 8.  This Association shall be dissolved at the close of the existing war, or sooner, if so determined by a vote of two thirds of the members present, at any regular meeting; provided however, that notice of the proposed dissolution shall be given at the regular meeting previous to that at which said vote shall be taken.

AMENDMENTS.

ARTICLE 9.  This Constitution bay be altered or amended by a voted of the majority present, at any regular meeting, notice of the proposed alteration or amendment being furnished in writing to the Recording Secretary, and by him made public at least one week previous to the meeting at which such vote shall be taken.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 8, 1862, p. 1