Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-02-13
III UNION.
Adjourned MeetIng Last Night.
Constitution and Bylaws Re-
Ported and Adopted.

aDu nOL untli an ncur neu De6n spent lL
efforts to obtain light (which was finally
successfully wes the meeting organized.
|. Col. VIM. r. Moore, the President,
called the meeting to order, and an
, bounced its object t. bs TO receive a re-
i, port CT tbs Committee appointed to draft
q Constitution and By-Isws.
, As C3l. Moore was a member OF the
said Committee, on motion, Mr.. VIM. 3
Pickett took the chair temporarily.
On motion the members Of the press
present we're requested to act as seerets-
Ties of the meeting.
Gen. Chalmers, Chairman Of the Com
mittee, reported the Constitute and
Bylaws as follows:
The Committee to whom the forma-
ton of a Constitution and Bylaws were
referred, beg leave TO report as follows
CONSTITUTION.
l. The citizens and taxpayers of the
county Of Shelby and city OF Memphis,
Tenn, impressed with the Importance Of
preserving the integrity and credit of our
city and county, and believing that 8 sys-
tenn Of reckless expenditure, waste and
extravaganza, has been pursued for sew
eFal years, and that TetTenchment q
reform are necessary to save us from
ruin and feeling confident that this re-
suit can be best accom- lished by united
efforts, therefore, We do hereby agree
to unite and form ourselves into an or
ganizstion to be called "The Citizens
UniOn.h
2 The object and purpose of this
Union shall be to find out and expose all
misconduct and corruption on the part of
public officers to oppose by all lawful
means, the reckless administration OF
the affairs Of the city and county, the
imprOvident expenditure OF public
money, and the injudicious pledging Of
the public credit.
). No person shall be q member OF the
Union who is not q taxpayer of the
county Of Shelby or City Of Memphis.
4. The officers OF this Union shall be q
President, q Vice-Pfesident, s Secretary,
and a Treasurer, who shall be elected by
ballot, each member being entitled to
enc vete, and q majority OF ell the votes
cast being necessary TO q choice, and
these officers shall hold their respective
offices for the period of one year, or IN
Gil their SUCCESSORS are elected.
5. This Constitution msy be amended,
but all amendments must be proposed st
q regular meeting, and lay over until the
next regular needing bsfore being acted
/ on, ami no amendment shall be made
without the consent OF twO-thirds of
/ those present.
G. That twenty-five persons shall be
necessary to constitute q quorum for the
transaction OF business.
After reading the above, Gen. Chal-
msrs stated that the committee who had
drafted IL had met in the spirit Of kind
ness and Cancellation. There were some
differences Of opinion among them, but
there was q idea with which they
we're all most profoundly impressed
Ehaf rafrNnok > oVt n ND rofNrpos r naaaa
saTy to preserve the city Of Memphis
from absolute ruin.
Tee Constitution was then read by
sections and adopted, as follows Sec
lions l, ., 5, 4 and . as read,
On the reading OF section @, Mr..
Bingham proposed twenty-five (25)
as au amendment. On vote the amend
ment YES adopted,
Mr.. Bingham vas so f1ll OF talk, how
aVer, that he voted against his own
amendment, and then tried to amend II.
After growing exceedingly hSt, and get
ting high up in the gamut, he was in
formed of his mistake, aud subsidized.
The reading Of the bylaws was taken
up. On reading Of the first seotIoa, Mr..
Bingham wss uptu q tEice, and proposed
a. lie papers instead Of one.
Mr.. Vance suggested ftca papers.
On vote AIr. Biughsm's amendment
was voted dogn, and Mr.. Vance's
adopted. The article, g. amended, then
passed.
Articles 2d, 81, All, 9th aud 9Th were
adopted as read. 1t now stands as fol-
lows:
/. This Union shall hold its regular
meetings on the first S iturdsy in every
month at 3 pm, at such place as the
President may direct, and the President
shall have power to call a meeting at any
time by giving notice thereof in two OF
the city papers.
,. There shall be four standing COM
miJtees for the preparation Of business :
An Executive Committee, a Committee
on Finance, a Committee on Abuses and
a Committee on Remedies, to be COM
posed OF three members, each 10 be ap-
pointed by the President, whose duty it
shall be to Investigate and report upon
all matters referred TO them st the next
meeting thereafter.
3, Tbat no matter shall be discussed
until it has been reported on by q COM
mitteei and ell resolutions shall be le-
fsrred without DEBATE 10 en- appropriate
committee.
4. That the expenses OF the Union
shall be paid bya an assessment on each
member In proportion to his taxable
property provided that no assessments
shall be greater upon any One member
for Que year than the sum of tE1 hun
dred $1,000 dollars, and all other sssess-
ments in proportion thereto, taking the
taxable property Of each as a basis, the
assessment 10 be made by the Finance
Committee and collected by the Treas
Urer, and any member who fails for a
longer period than Two months to pay
his assessment shall be stricken from the
roll.
.. The Committee on Abuses shall,
without any special instruction there
for, keep s vigilsnt watch on the acts
and doings OF all the public Officers OF
the city and county, and that whenever
they discover that an abuse OF pc wer and
office has been, or is about to be, perpe-
trated, they shall instantly report the
sSas 10 the President, who shall at once
Onven ali the Seahers Of the Stand
ing Committees, and il all TIE Commit
tees, each Committee voting separately,
can sgree upon a remedy for the evil, the
Executive Committee shall at once pro-
coed to apply the remedy, but in the
event q majority Of either goNmittee
shall dissent the President shall call q
meeting Of the Union to consider the
same.
b. IN me ABSENCE OF the PRESIDENT the
Vice President, in mis- sbsence the SeCre-
tsry, and 10 his absence the Treasurer,
shall exercise the powers and duties OF
President.
1t was moved That the chair appoint o
committee consisting of two members
from each ward to solicit membership.
The chair then requested all parties
who wished to sign the Constitution and
Bylaws TO give In their names. The
following gentlemen then gave in their
names.
J. Il Chalmers, L. Y. Dixon, w. L.
Vauce, w, r. Moore, s. G. Mount, r. G.
Bfinkley, Miles Owen, W. s Pickett, B
M~ontedOnico, DR.. A. K. Taylor and J.
3. Bingham.
Here the list hung fire, and after sew
eral appeals from the chair, Judge Dix
on RrOss and said that hs thought the
conduct of certain gentlemen present
this evening was, TO ssy the least,
very curious. There is something
wrong. II every enc that has come here
has come with the same motive as l and
Others. why do they not do az we have
done? Some of them were very urgent
yesterday, and now bold back, It is very
curious.
Col. Moore also thought the action
rather curious. This meeting, he con.
ceived, Was but q continuation Of veSter-