The amended Constitution, which follows, was adopted by 437 affirmative votes out of a total vote of 442.
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS.
ARTICLE I.—Title.
This organization shall be called the United States Naval Institute.
ARTICLE II.—Object.
Its object is the advancement of professional, literary, and scientific knowledge in the navy.
ARTICLE III.—Headquarters.
The headquarters of the Institute shall be at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
ARTICLE IV.—Officers.
The officers shall be as follows:
A President.
A Vice-President.
A Board of Control.
A Secretary and Treasurer.
ARTICLE V.—Election of Officers.
Section 1. There shall be a meeting of the Institute at headquarters on the second Friday in October of each year, of which at least two weeks’ notice shall be given, at which meeting all the foregoing officers shall be elected by ballot in open session, and a majority of votes given by presence or proxy shall elect; regular or life members only being eligible for office.
Sec. 2. Absent members who have the constitutional right to vote may vote by proxy at such elections, and in the same manner on all questions involving changes in the Constitution and By- Laws, and upon questions involving the expulsion of members and the election of honorary members. On all other questions voting must be by actual presence. Life members shall have the full right of regular members to vote on every question. Honorary and associate members shall not have the privilege of voting. Each proxy must be signed by the member whose vote is to be represented.
Sec. 3. Members elected to the position of officers of the Institute will assume their respective duties at the date from which elected.
Sec. 4. Casual vacancies in the offices of the Institute may be temporarily filled by the Board of Control.
ARTICLE VI.—Duties of Officers.
Section 1. The President shall preside at business meetings of the Institute at which he may be present.
Sec. 2. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall preside.
Sec. 3. The Board of Control shall consist of seven members in good standing, regular or life, and its duties shall be the management of all the financial and administrative business of the Institute, including the censorship, printing, and control of its publications. The Secretary and Treasurer shall be, ex-officio, a member of the Board, its medium of communication, and the recorder of its transactions. Regular meetings of the Board of Control shall be held when called by the Secretary and Treasurer, and he shall issue a call for a special meeting at any time upon the written request of two members of the Board. A quorum shall consist of three members. In the absence of both the President and Vice-President at business meetings of the Institute, a member of the Board of Control shall preside. It shall be the duty of this Board to appoint a committee of three of its own members to audit and certify the books and accounts of the Secretary and Treasurer once every year.
Sec. 4. The Secretary and Treasurer shall keep a register of the members in which shall be noted all changes; an authenticated copy of the Constitution and By-Laws in force; a journal of the Proceedings of the Institute; a separate journal of the transactions of the Board of Control; a receipt and expenditure book; an account-current with each member. Under the authority of the Board of Control, he shall be the disbursing and purchasing officer of the Institute and the custodian of the funds, securities, and assets, and it shall be his duty to furnish members with receipts for dues paid. He shall attend to all correspondence and keep a record thereof, give due notice of meetings of the Institute and Board of Control, have charge of the stenographer and copyists employed to prepare records of the Proceedings, and he shall distribute all publications. The books of accounts of the Institute shall always be open to inspection by any member.
ARTICLE VII.—Membership.
Section 1. The Institute shall consist of regular, life, honorary, and associate members.
Sec. 2. Officers of the navy, marine corps, and all civil officers attached to the naval service, shall be entitled to become regular or life members, without ballot, on payment of dues or fees to the Secretary and Treasurer. Members who resign from the navy subsequent to joining the Institute will be regarded as belonging to the class described in this section.
Sec. 3. The Prize Essayist of each year shall be a life member without payment of fee.
Sec. 4. Honorary members shall be selected from distinguished naval and military officers, and from eminent men of learning in civil life. The Secretary of the Navy shall be, ex-officio, an honorary member. Their number shall not exceed thirty (30). Nominations for honorary members must be favorably reported by the Board of Control, and a vote equal to one-half the number of regular and life members, given by proxy or presence, shall be cast, a majority electing.
Sec. 5. Associate members shall be elected from officers of the army, revenue marine, foreign officers of the naval and military professions, and from persons in civil life who may be interested in the purposes of the Institute.
Sec. 6. Those entitled to become associate members may be elected life members, provided that the number not officially connected with the navy and marine corps shall not at any time exceed one hundred (100).
Sec. 7. Associate members and life members, other than those entitled to regular membership, shall be elected as follows: Nominations shall be made in writing to the Secretary and Treasurer, with the name of the member making them, and such nominations shall be submitted to the Board of Control, and, if their report be favorable, the Secretary and Treasurer shall make known the result at the next meeting of the Institute, and a vote shall then be taken, a majority of votes cast by members present electing.
Sec. 8. The annual dues for regular and associate members shall be three dollars, payable upon joining the Institute, and upon the first day of each succeeding January. The fee for life membership shall be thirty dollars, but if any regular or associate member has paid his dues for the year in which he wishes to be transferred to life membership, or has paid his dues for any future year or years, the amount so paid shall be deducted from the fee for life membership.
Sec. 9. No member of the Institute shall be dismissed except by recommendation of the Board of Control, and by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Institute voting at any regular or called meeting, of which at least one month’s notice shall be given. Without the recommendation of the Board of Control, no member can be dismissed except by a three-fourths vote. In both the above cases there must be a total vote of at least a majority of all those members entitled to a vote, the voting to be either by presence or proxy. Members in arrears more than three years may, at the discretion of the Board of Control, be dropped for nonpayment of dues.
ARTICLE VIII.—Reserve Fund.
There shall be a Reserve Fund, consisting of the $3050 originally credited to that fund, together with all life-membership fees which have been or may hereafter be received, and the principal of this fund shall be held in perpetuity to guarantee the future interest of life members. The Reserve Fund shall be invested under the direction of the Board of Control, but no part of that fund shall be invested in any other than United States bonds unless by the unanimous vote of the Board of Control given in writing at a special meeting called for the purpose.
ARTICLE IX.—Meetings.
Section 1. Meetings of the Institute shall be called by the Secretary and Treasurer when directed by the Board of Control.
Sec. 2. Notice of meetings shall state the business that will be brought before the meeting.
Sec. 3. A stenographer may be employed when authorized by the Board of Control.
ARTICLE X.—Papers and Proceedings.
Section 1. There shall be published quarterly, or as much oftener as the Board of Control may decide, “Proceedings of the U. S. Naval Institute,” containing such papers and discussions as are approved by the Board of Control, together with editorial and professional notes deemed of value to the service.
Sec. 2. One copy of the Proceedings, when published, shall be furnished to each regular, life, honorary, and associate member, to each corresponding society of the Institute, and to such libraries and periodicals as may be determined upon by the Board of Control.
Sec. 3. Copies of the Proceedings and complete sets may be sold at a charge fixed by the Board of Control, and the Board shall also fix the price of annual subscription for others than members.
Sec. 4. A receipt and expenditure account of the Institute’s publications, showing the number on hand, shall be included in the report of the Secretary and Treasurer of each year.
Sec. 5. The Board of Control shall decide the size of the edition of each number of the Proceedings to be published, and also the number of reprints.
Sec. 6. The Proceedings shall be copyrighted in behalf of the Institute by the Secretary and Treasurer.
ARTICLE XI.—Annual Prize Essay.
Section i. A prize of two hundred dollars, with a gold medal, shall be offered each year for the best essay on any subject pertaining to the naval profession.
Sec. 2. The award for the above-named prize shall be made by the Board of Control, voting by ballot and without knowledge of the names of the competitors; and the time and manner of submitting such essays shall be determined and announced by said board.
Sec. 3. In the event of the prize being awarded to the winner of a previous year, a gold clasp, suitably engraved, will be given in lieu of a gold medal.
ARTICLE XII.—Amendments.
No addition or amendment to the Constitution shall be made without the assent of two-thirds of the members voting; the By- Laws, however, may be amended by a majority vote. Notice of proposed changes or additions shall be given by the Secretary and Treasurer at least one month before action is taken upon them. A total vote equal to at least half the number of regular and life members shall be required.
BY-LAWS.
ARTICLE I.
The rules of the United States House of Representatives shall, in so far as applicable, govern the parliamentary proceedings of the Society.
ARTICLE II.
- At both regular and stated meetings the routine of business shall be as follows:
- At executive meetings, the President, or, in his absence, the Vice-President, or, in the absence of both, a member of the Board of Control, shall call the meeting to order, and occupy the chair during the session; in the absence of these, the meeting shall appoint a Chairman.
- At meetings for the presentation of papers and discussion, the Society shall be called to order as above provided, and a Chairman shall be appointed by the presiding officer, reference being had to the subject about to be discussed, and an expert in the specialty to which it relates being selected.
- At regular meetings after the presentation of the paper of the evening, or on the termination of the arguments made by members appointed to or voluntarily appearing to enter into formal discussion, the Chairman shall make such review of the paper as he may deem proper. Informal discussion shall then be in order, each speaker being allowed not exceeding ten minutes in the aggregate, unless by special consent of the society. The author of the paper shall, in conclusion, be allowed such time in making a resume of the discussion as he may deem necessary. The discussion ended, the Chairman shall close the proceedings with such remarks as he may be pleased to offer.
- At the close of the concluding remarks of the Chairman, the society shall go into executive session, as hereinbefore provided, for the transaction of business as follows:
- Stated business, if there shall be any to be considered.
- Unfinished business taken up.
- Reports of officers and committees.
- Applications for membership reported and voted upon.
- Correspondence read.
- Miscellaneous business transacted.
- New business introduced.
- Adjournment.