Virginia Free Press & Farmers’ Repository
September 1, 1831
p. 3 col. 3
Proceedings of the Harpers-Ferry Temperance Society.
At an adjourned meeting of the inhabitants in the neighborhood of Harpers-Ferry, the following Constitution for a Temperance Society, prepared by a committee appointed at a pervious meeting, was presented and unanimously adopted.
- The Society shall consist of all those who subscribe to its Constitution and Rules–and set in conformity to them– and the latter shall be presumed to be the case with every subscriber, until he shall have been expelled by the Society.
- It shall be called the Harpers-Ferry Temperance Society.
- It shall assemble, annually, on the first Monday in May, and at such other times as may be determined on. Its meetings shall be opened with prayer.
- The management of its concerns shall be entrusted to a President, a Vice President, and Secretary, and five Counsellors– all and each of whom shall be chosen by ballot, at the annual meeting in May; and when chosen, shall continue in office until others are chosen in their stead.
A majority of the votes of the members present shall be sufficient to constitute a choice, and also for the transaction of all other business by the Society: Provided that not less than one-third of all its members are present at the time, and that they shall have assembled in consequence of due public notice.
- The President shall have in charge one copy, at least, of the Records of the Society, and shall attend to the general management of all its concerns. He shall cause public notices to be given of all its meetings, three days before they are to take place; and shall, when present, act as a moderator– and, in general, preside at all meetings of the Society and at all meetings of its officers. He shall, whenever requested by as many as five members of the Society, call a special meeting or meetings, designating the time and place– and he shall, whenever the Secretary of the Society is absent, or unable to attend to his duties, appoint a Secretary pro tem.
- The duties of the Vice President shall be the same as those of the President, but they shall be exercised only when the President is absent, or is unable to attend to his duties.
- The Secretary shall record all the proceedings of the Society, and of its officers in their official capacities– making two copies of them, one for the President, the other for himself. He shall conduct the correspondence of the Societiy, under the direction of the President– and shall, in the absence of both the President and Vice President, exercise all the functions of the President, and perform his duties– and shall then appoint a Secretary pro tem.
- The Counsellors shall aid the Presiding Officer with advice, at all times, when required, and also in the discharge of his duties– and when unanimous, shall have a veto on any of his measures, which they may conceive to be either ill-timed or improper. In case of the absence of the President, the Vice President and the Secretary, they shall select and appoint a suitable person to discharge the duties of a President of the Society. They shall fill all vacancies that occur in their own body, and do it without delay.
- It shall be the duty of each member of the Society, to exert himself, perseveringly, but discreetly, against the use of ardent or distilled spirit, Whiskey, Brandy, Rum, &c.; and to endeavor, at all times, both by example and well-timed advice, to discountenance the HABITUAL use of strong drink, and especially to strive to prevent its constant use at regular periods daily, as a practice tending to produce incurable habits of intemperance;–
To abstain from the use of ardent spirit himself–
To abstain from offering it to others–
To abstain from buying and selling it–
To use his influence with those who are not members of the Society, to induce them to abstain from selling it, and if he cannot fully succeed, to induce them to abstain from selling it in small quantities for immediate use on the spot, or in drams– a practice most prolific of evil.
Members shall, also, both by advice and example, endeavor to discountenance the frequent and EXCESSIVE use of fermented liquor– ale, beer, wine, cider, &c.– taking good care, when offering advice, to do it discreetly, and so as not to injure a good cause, instead of promoting its success.
A proposition was then agreed to, providing that every merchant who might become a member, should be at liberty to sell the liquors he had on hand at the time of subscribing– and a subscription for membership immediately commenced, and became general. As soon as it was completed, the subscribers proceeded to the choice of officers for the Society. Whereupon,
JOHN H. HALL was chosen President,
JOSEPH G HAYES, Vice President,
JAMES B. DODD, Secretary,
Benjamin Moore,
William Anderson,
William Chambers,
J. William Roper,
Thomas Hughes, Counsellors.
It was then Resolved, That the Rev. Thomas J. Dorsey be officially invited to deliver an address to the Society on the subject of Temperance, in the Methodist Meeting House at Harpers-Ferry, at as early an opportunity as may be convenient for him– and
Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting be published in the Virginia Free Press.
The meeting then adjourned sine die.
JAMES B. DODD, Secretary.
Harpers-Ferry, 25th Aug. 1831
