Moved by W. E. Hannan that the Society appoint a committee of one to coöperate with a like committee from the Daughters of the American Revolution and representatives of other organizations in the state interested in marking the trails across Nebraska, for the purpose of deciding upon some plan of action. Seconded and carried. The president appointed the secretary as such committee. The names of those applying for membership were read. On motion of Charles Wake the secretary was instructed to cast the unanimous ballot of members present for the election to active membership of the following named persons.
The next order of business was the
annual election of officers. Dr. George L. Miller was
nominated for reelection as president. The secretary stated
that Dr. Miller had been proud to serve the Society, and
although he had said the evening before in his address that
he would not accept a reëlection, he might be willing
to serve if some arrangement could be made whereby he could
be relieved of attending board meetings. On motion of
Lorenzo Crounse the secretary was instructed to cast the
unanimous ballot of the Society for Dr. Miller as president.
The ballot was so cast and Dr. Miller was declared
elected. |
Professor H. W. Caldwell nominated for second vice president, Charles E. Bessey. The name of Samuel C. Bassett was also placed in nomination, but Mr. Bassett withdrew in favor of Dr. Bessey. On motion of Professor Caldwell the secretary was instructed to cast the unanimous ballot of the society for Dr. Bessey. The ballot was cast and Dr. Bessey declared elected. A. N. Yost nominated Clarence S. Paine for secretary, and on motion the rules were suspended and the president was instructed to cast the entire vote of the society for Mr. Paine for secretary. The ballot being cast, Mr. Paine was declared elected as secretary for the ensuing year. The secretary then offered the following: "As no provision has been made to relieve the president from the necessity of attending board meetings, I move that the vote whereby Dr. Miller was elected as president of this society for the ensuing year be reconsidered." Before the motion was seconded Professor Caldwell moved that the Society place upon its records a resolution relieving Dr. Miller of any necessity of attending its board meetings, except such meetings as he himself may desire to attend." Seconded and carried. After the announcements for the evening were read the meeting adjourned.  CLARENCE
S. PAINE, Secretary. A regular meeting of the board of
directors was held at the rooms of the Society in Lincoln,
April 13, 1909, present, Robert Harvey, vice president,
presiding, Governor Ashton C. Shallenberger, S. L.
Geisthardt, Dr. Charles E. Bessey, Nelson J. Ludi,
Chancellor Samuel Avery, Professor H. W. Caldwell, and the
secretary. |
Minutes of the meeting of January 13, 1909, were read and approved. The report of the secretary was then read and, on motion of Mr. Geisthardt seconded by Governor Shallenberger, was accepted and ordered placed on file. On motion of Mr. Geisthardt, seconded by Governor Shallenberger, a fund of $100 was appropriated for the use of the secretary's office, the secretary to make a report as to the condition of such fund at each regular quarterly meeting of the board. After some informal discussion of the proposal of the Public Archives Commission of the American Historical Association to donate $150 to aid in arranging and reporting upon the public archives of Nebraska, the secretary made a motion that the board respectfully decline the proposed appropriation, upon the ground that to carry out its purpose would require an additional appropriation by the Society larger than its funds would justify. Seconded by Mr. Geisthardt. After some discussion this motion was withdrawn, and Chancellor Avery offered the following motion: "That Dr. Ames, the chairman of the Public Archives Commission, be advised that this board would accept the appropriation of $150, adding thereto $100 for the purpose named, with the understanding that no further appropriation would be made by this board for such purpose." Seconded and carried. The following list of names of persons proposed for membership of the Society was read.
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Professor Caldwell moved that the
secretary be instructed to cast a ballot for the persons
named. Seconded and carried. The ballot was so cast. An adjourned meeting of the board of
directors was held at the rooms of the Society, in Lincoln,
April 17, 1909, present, Robert Harvey, vice president,
presiding, Nelson J. Ludi, Professor H. W. Caldwell, Dr.
Charles E. Bessey, Chancellor Samuel Avery, S. L.
Geisthardt, and the secretary. |
meeting was called to order by Robert Harvey, first vice president, with the following members present: Governor Ashton C. Shallenberger, Chancellor Samuel Avery, Nelson J. Ludi, Professor H. W. Caldwell, Dr. Charles E. Bessey, S. L. Geisthardt, Robert Harvey, and the secretary. Minutes of the meeting of April 13 were read and approved. The secretary then read the communication of the first vice president to the attorney-general requesting his opinion upon the constitutionality of the amended bylaws, as follows: LINCOLN,
NEBRASKA, April 14, 1909.W. T. Thompson, Attorney General, Lincoln, Nebr. DEAR SIR: At a meeting of the board of directors of the State Historical Society held April 13, 1909, I was instructed to obtain from the attorney general a written opinion as to whether 2a and b of paragraph 2 of the amended by-laws of said Society, adopted at the annual meeting held January 12, 1909, is in conflict with article V of the constitution relating to the duties and authority of the secretary. There will be an adjourned meeting of the board Saturday, April 17, 1909, at 1:30 P. M., at which time your opinion is desired. Very
respectfully,ROBERT
HARVEY,First
Vice President and Acting President.On motion of Mr. Geisthardt, seconded by Chancellor Avery, the opinion of the attorney-general, which declared the amendment invalid, was accepted and ordered placed on file. The pending motion of Professor Caldwell to proceed to the election of a superintendent was then put to vote and defeated. Professor Caldwell proposed rules and regulations |
for the administration of the affairs of the Society, whereupon the secretary offered the following as a substitute: The secretary as the administrative officer of the Board is hereby given full authority to enforce the following: 1. No article of property belonging to
the Society shall be removed from the rooms or from its
place of storage without permission of the board or the
secretary. |
11. Employees will not be permitted to attend meetings of the board except upon request. 12. All employees shall be elected by the board annually at the April meeting. After the question was debated at length the motion in favor of the substitute was carried, and the foregoing rules and regulations declared to have been adopted. A motion offered by Mr. Ludi and seconded by Dr. Bessey provided that all employees of the Historical Society remain as at present until further orders of the board. Carried. It was then moved by the secretary that the chairman be authorized to appoint two members of an executive committee, of which the acting president should be chairman, to advise with the secretary in all matters but to have no power except such as might be from time to time specifically conferred by the board. Seconded by Dr. Bessey and carried. On motion of the secretary the apportionment of funds for the ensuing year, the nomination of employees and the fixing of salaries, was referred to the executive committee to report recommendations to the next meeting of the board. Seconded and carried. It was moved by Governor Shallenberger that the president and secretary be authorized to draw a warrant on the general fund in favor of the secretary for the sum of $300 for services from April 1, 1908, to April 1, 1909. Seconded by Mr. Geisthardt. Carried. Mr. Geisthardt then moved that the board adjourn to meet at 7:30 P. M., April 26, 1909. CLARENCE
S. PAINE, Secretary.Approved April 26, 1909. An adjourned meeting of the board of
directors was |
held at the rooms of the Society, in Lincoln, April 26, 1909, at half past seven o'clock in the evening. Present, Robert Harvey, acting president, presiding, Governor A. C. Shallenberger, Chancellor Samuel Avery, Dr. Charles E. Bessey, S. L. Geisthardt, Professor H. W. Caldwell, N. J. Ludi, and the secretary. Minutes of the meeting of April 17 were read, corrected and approved. The acting president announced the appointment of the following committees: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE--The chairman, the treasurer and the secretary. LIBRARY--Charlotte Templeton, Edith Tobitt, W. P. Aylsworth. MUSEUM--M. R. Gilmore, R. F. Gilder, Charles H. Morrill. OBITUARY--A. J. Sawyer, John W. Steinhart, Mrs. Kittie McGrew. PROGRAM--C. S. Paine, H. M. Bushnell, Myron L. Learned. PUBLICATIONS--C. S. Paine, Chancellor Samuel Avery, N. J. Ludi. The report of the executive committee on the nomination of employees, the fixing of salaries, the division of work and the arrangement of the budget was then presented by the secretary. Propositions by Addison E. Sheldon defining the future relations of the legislative reference department with the Society were rejected. The second division of the report of the executive committee was then presented as follows: In the matter of employees and salaries, your executive committee invites attention to the fact that there are at present six salaried employees as follows: |
For the ensuing year we respectfully recommend the election of the following named persons until April 1, 1910, at the salaries named:
It will be noted that according to the
foregoing the total salaries would be for this year $5,055,
$705 less than they would be next year under the same
schedule, owing to the fact that the salary of the secretary
begins May 1, and that of Mr. Watkins August 1. An agreement
has been reached with Mr. Blackman under which he is to be
employed but half time on half pay. Mr. Paine, Mr. Watkins
and all other employees will give their entire time and
attention to the work. |
As the disposition to be made of this
portion of the committee's report will materially affect
that which is to follow, we respectfully ask that action be
taken on this before proceeding. "C. S. Paine. |
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