Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-05-30
To the business Men and Farmers OF
Marshall Coansy.

NafslAall County.
The undersigned were elected officers of the
Marshall County Agricultural Society, at the
election last fail. We came into eflice at the
annual meeting in January. When the meet
l ing convened. and the matters were turned
! over to US, we found nothing but a book
purporting to be a record, and the treaSurer'S
report there filed. The book contained prin-
ecpally notice of meeting, and list OF pre-
miums to be offered, and The committees APP
pointed.
! There were some provisions pflrporting 10
be constitution. but it was Incomplete and
under its provisions no organization had been
perfected. The records formerly owned or
kept lave been lost Or destroyed. The drec-
tors provided tor had not been elected. No
article OF association had ever been flied. nor
was there any record Of anv such PROCEEDINGS
ever having been had. as are required by law :
and we had before Us only the tact that such
q society had been acting for many years and
That the names OF but few OF the life members
We're known; tha original list-Ii ever made
! having been lost. The society was c0nsideri-
bly, N debt, had deed for its fair grounds had
no money. and no way OF controlling its menl-
bers no laws liking The duty or liability Of
Office =; no directors and no power to appoint
any, only al the annual election, held on The
last day OF the fair, and that had never been
done. Finding ourselves unable to act, and
knowing the property Of the society would
be forfeited TO the state if the company ldpsed:
the meeting decided to re-organize, and in
order ID me- Ike the thing practical Norkaz
sk s4,iktL-t'il. II was AIGaiuluQ-N i, e..le3 70
organize as Jolnt stock company. Don't get
the ldeI, now. chat we, the officers decided to
10 t1ls; )ut the old members present at the
annual meeting. We, as officers, could do
nothing.
BY order Of the meeting resolution was
passed to re-org anize, setting forth the facts
4 fO ar-+ff OF
association. and the regulations deemed neces-
sary, reseTving all rights of the society eXis-
ting, and the members thereof to report at an
adjourned meeting, and then the meeting ad-
Journed to the time fixed
the committee prepared articles of associa-
ton; re-organizing the company on a Joint
stock basis ; providing for board of directors,
and fixing the duty OF officers. and putting
the capital stock at 1000, With power TO in
crease to $4,000, which is all the statute al
lows. Notice was sent to every person known
To be a life member. OF the action taken. and
the time and place Of meeting. At the next
meeting the committee reported.and the report
was adopted. The articles required-iis by
stat ute-thirty persons at least. and also $500
subscribed, before they could proceed. The
meeting again adjourned to procure subScri-
bers, and complete the organizations On
the l1th day of May the society again met the
required amount was subscribed. and the as-
socEltiOn organized by electng board OF di-
rectOrs and the directors organized by elect
ing the same officers as Were elected by the
society last tall.
In the Old society, any person paying SO,
became a life member; and the life members
only had vote. Any person paying 81,
could make entries for exhibition, and have
family ticket to the lair. Under the new or
ganiZation, the shares of stock are fixed at
80, and every person subscribing and paw
hry-n aaTfIfi 70, md
ANY person ca take rs many shares as he or
she pleases, but no person can have more than
ten votes. The old life members are members
ana stock holders In the new company. by
virtue of the old position and payment. They
get certificate for three-fifth~ OF one share
have vote to that amount, draw dividends
to that amouht, and by subscribing and pay
lng D., more- get one full share but they
are not obliged to do so, aud are members the
same as before, whether they pay any more or
not.
All persons paying 81. become honorary
members; admIssihleto the fairs as before. No
rights are cut of ; no one is at any disadvan-
tage; but all have the same rights they had be-
fore. and many more they did not h,lpe 10 the
old company.
Certain busy-bodies with more talk than
wisdom, have been sending out the impress
ION that the new organization Is TRYING to
gobble up the old one, and thus get the
Nnole thl1g INTO the hands of few men in
town. There is not one word of truth in it
norany foundation for any such statements or
opinions. As it was when we came in. it was
eVerybody's business and no one TO attend to
1T; If officers failed in doing their duty, there
was no way to remove or punish them; if
there was any vacancy, there was no way to
I'LL it; if money was wanted. there was no
way to get it, and no one authorized to hold it /
or stand responsible for it if any one lent it to
the society. In fact, there was no organiza- /
ton under which we could do anything As
1t Is now, the same persons are members who /
were so before, and we have many new ones. I
we have officers who are responsible and ac-
countaole, and if they do not do their duty
we cat put them out and put others in, and |
make them account for their business; we |
have system of businefs with proper book :
and papers; we have meaus Of raising money,
holding property, and enforcing bylaws; we
have record evidence of our existence as a
corporation, and are in condition to go
ahead and do business and have exhibit i
tons and fairs that will have some order and |
system, and result in profit and not failure. |
1t was to try and make success thar we
were elected; we have done the best we could
and it has been a laborious uphill business,