SAMUEL STEVENS, JR. ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR

Dec, Ses. 1822

Proviso.
Officers.

cial Society; Provided nevertheless, that the said corporation may be
dissolved at any time by the consent of its members as is hereinafter
provided.
2. And be it enacted, That the affairs of the said society shall be
managed and conducted by a president, vice-president, secretary,
treasurer and standing committee of five members the whole to be
elected annually in such manner as the said society shall think pro-
per to appoint.

Succession.

3. And be it enacted, That the present members of the said so-
ciety and their successors by their corporate name, shall and may
have perpetual succession and shall and may, at all times hereafter
be persons able and capable in law, to purchase, take, have and enjoy
to them and their successors in fee or less estate or estates, any lands,
tenements, rents, annuities, chattels, United States stock, bank stock,
registered debt, or other public securities within this state by the gift,
purchase or devise of or from any person or persons, bodies politic
or corporate capable to make the same, and the same at their plea-
sure to alien, sell, transfer, or lease in such manner as they may
judge most conducive to the charitable uses of the said society;

Proviso.

Provided nevertheless, that the said corporation or body politic shall
not at any one time, hold or possess property, real, personal or mixed
exceeding in total value the sum of fifty thousand dollars.

Annual meet-
ing.

4. And be it enacted, That the members of the said corporation
and their successors may meet together on the fourth Tuesday in
January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
twenty three, at so no convenient place in the city of Baltimore, and
on the same day annually forever thereafter, and then and there elect
the officers of the said society, and enact such by-laws as may be ne-
-cessary for assuring and carrying into effect the benevolent purposes

Proviso

of this act; Provided, such rules and regulations and by-laws be not
repugnant to the constitution and laws of the United States or of the
state of Maryland.

Present offi-
cers.

5. And be it enacted, That all appointments of officers for the said
society, heretofore made by the members thereof, in their private
capacity, shall respectively continue, and be in full force until the
time specified by this act for the first election of officers for the said
corporation.

Legal capa-
city.

6. And be it enacted, That the said corporation and their success-
ors, by the name aforesaid, shall be forever hereafter able and capa-
ble in law to sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, answer and
be answered unto, defend and be defended in all courts of justice
and before all or any judges, officers or persons whatsoever, in all
and singular actions, matters and demands whatsoever, and that all
legal process that may be hereafter instituted by the said corpora-
tion, shall be in the name of the president and standing committee
of the Columbian Beneficial Society, and that all process that may be
hereafter instituted against the said society, shall be served on the
president on behalf of the same.

Powers.

7. And be it enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the said
corporation and their successors, forever hereafter, to have a com-
mon seal for their use, and the same at their will and pleasure of them
and their successors, to change, alter, break and make anew, from
time to time, as they shall think best, and shall in general have and
exercise all such rights, franchises, privileges and immunities, as are
by law incident and necessary to corporations of this kind, and which
may be necessary to. the corporations herein and hereby erected, to