Arizona weekly citizen., 1884-02-16
THE PIONEERS.
Adoption of Constitution and By-LaWs
 and Election of OHicers.

resnn.ative men of the city and of the organlzation. The officers elected at the primary meeting were in their places.
 After the assemblage had been called to order by President Oury the object of the meeting was briefly stated, namely, for the adoption of the constitution and bylaws. It was agreed to dispose sep arately of each article or section as read
 by the secretary. The committee to
 whom was referred the work of drafting the governing claws of the society de cided upon the adoption of bylaws and constitution very similar to those Of the CailfornIa Society of Pioneers. Their report was adopted Saturday night with but few alterations. When Article IT
 was read, appertaining to the line of de- marcation, Colonel Poston arose and said:
 "Mr. President: I move to strike out
 the first day of January, 1870, and to in seit the fourth day of July, 1876.
 The patriotism which inspired the
 pioneers to bear the American flag into
 the hornets nest of aboriginal savages
 will now have some weight in inducing you to accept as the day of opening the
 centennial anniversary of American
 independence at Philadelphia on the 4th
 of July, 1876.
 On that memorable occasion 1 came
 home from Old England, where the charms of hereditary tradition had de- taiaed me five years. to mingle my adOratiOn with the people of the New World; and as soon as the achievements | of century had been exhibited to an admiring audience at Philadelphia, (and the Presidential count was recorded my steps sought the wilderness again to graft the aspirations of the nineteenth century upon the ''cereus Eiganteus.' Of the desert which has been adopted as the emblem of your society, and to blend the part with the future. In this self imposed task, the gener- ous impulse Of all who have felt the
 rays of an Arizona sun has showered
 our table with letters and telegrams. In reading these responses l have been grieved to observe that the door of hospitality has been shut in the face
 of many who responded to the invita- ton. In the cabin of the Pioneer where my father and grandfather trOd the wilderness west of the "blue ridge the
 latch string was always on the outside
 of the door; and l should be sorry to see Q latch string hung cut of the Pioneers door forbidding the entrance
 of a weary traveller because he bears not the badge of 1870.
 This society was not proposed for thIs
 Ancient and Honorable Plebl0;" nor | exclusively for the ancient and hOuora- | bic citizens who inhabit 1t; but for the whole Territory.
 No pent mp Utica contracts our powers. The whole boundless continent | is ours, Generosity is a noble larcesse, | and brings a grelt TevenUe-if it comes ! not in sheckels t comes iu more valuable ! currency.
 \ little more generosity on the part of some of the citizens of Tucson would have made il a great railroad center. | That time has passed. \ httie generos- | ity now will make Tucson the central place of meeting for the pioneers of O. l chise, of Graham, Of Apache. Of Pinal,o ,of | MarIcopa, If Gla and of other counties | whose inhabitants have suffered as much | 8s the residents of Pima county III the | rough abrasion of found civilization. If nothing else can touch your sensi- 1 biities the pecuniary benefits of hb- | eraI society are worth consideration. In submitting these remarks, NIT. | President, allow me to offer tribute to | the Nestor of Pioneers; and to imploTe | the Agamemnon of the ArgOnauts of the | Western continent, ln case of tie vote;
 to east the generosity of his influence in | favor of the rising future, instead of the l dead past.
 Let us be generous; and surround the | grave of the Pioneers with the halo of | immortality. which Eliminates the
 brow of the future.
 In the Aureole which will always sur ! mount the saguarO III the vanishing sun i light. let the Pioneers see a vista of | repose in some Pacific world, where the | argonaut5 will anchor in a Celestial | Colchis and feed upon the lotos leaves | of eternity"
 The motion presented being seconded, l NIT. Wm. Zeckendorf advocated It. He | believed that many men who came to
 the Territory prior t. 1876 had to expe- l rience similar vici>sItudes and hard | ships of frontier life to those who were
 residents here before 1870. He believe that this GTest body of men were enti- | tied to consideration.
 Hon. II. $. Stevens hardly agreed with his colleague He argued to leave the
 date as at present fixed by the constItu- | ton.
 Upon a vote being taken Colonel Post ] on's amendment was almost unanimously y | lost. only Colonel Toole. Dr. Handy, ! Wm. Zeckendorf and couple of other gentlemen voting in the affirmative. When Article V was reached H. S.. ! Stevens moved to make the number of directors rive instead of four Carried.
 The question of proper regaiia, as | provided for in Article XIV, caused con- | siderable discussion. Colonel Ioole did | not believe in an elaborate uniform. All | that was necessary for the officers to
 wear was a rcsette on the lapel Of their
 coats. H. s. Stevens favored the regalia
 as reported, and the article as It 0rigi-
 nally stood was finally accepted. An additional article. No. 20, was added to the constitution on motion of l II. $. Stevens, as follows:
 All citizens who were III route to thls
 Territory during the year 1869, with the intention of becoming residents but did
 not arrive until 1870 shall be ehgable under the 2ud article Of this constitution
 to become members of this Association.
 In considering Section II of the by laws. which relate to the reception of honorary members, MT. Stevens thought there was an omission m not granting them pecuniary assistance from the sO- ciety in case of distitution.
 MT. Thos Gates favored these views. In the history of many sOcietles wealthy honorary members had been elected, who donated thousands of dollars to the organizations. That after while diversity overlook them, and fnan- cial assistance was needed. IL was wrong not to make some provision to- wards repaying their past generosity.
 The amendment was, however, re- jected.
 After the Constitution had been adopted as a whole. Mir. Stevens moved that a committee of five on permanent organization be appointed. Such mo tion being carred, the chairman named H. :. Stevens. Samuel Hughes, Charles T. Etchells, H. E. Lacy and James Lee
 During the absence of this committee Colonel Poston presented this letter