32

SAMUEL STEVENS, Jr. ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

Dec. Ses. 1823.

' tenements, rents, annuities, pensions or other hereditaments, or any
less estates, rights, interests of or in the same, at their pleasure, to
grant, alien, sell, and transfer in such manner and form as they shall
think meet and convenient for the furtherance of the objects of the
said society; and also that they may take and receive arty sum or sums
and any kind of goods and chatties that shall be given or sold to them
by any person or persons, bodies politic or corporate, capable to make
a gift or sale thereof, and employ the same towards maintaining the
said society in such manner as they shall judge necessary and conve-
nient for the promotion of the purposes of the association.

Legal capa-
city.

4. And be it enacted, That the aforesaid members and their succes-
sors shall be able in law to sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded
in any court or courts, before any judge, judges or justices, within
this state or elsewhere, in all and all manner of suits, complaints
pleas, causes, matters and demands of whatsoever kind, nature or form
they may be, to make, have and use one common seal and the same
to alter at pleasure; all and every other matter and thing therein to
do in as full and effectual a manner as any other person or persons
bodies politic or corporate, within the state in like cases may or can
do.

Property
limited.

5. And be it enacted, That the yearly value of the messuages, hou-
ses, lands, tenements, rents, annuities, or other hereditaments, and
real estate of said society and corporation, shall not exceed thirty
thousand dollars, current money, and all gifts to the said society and
corporation after the yearly value of their estates shall amount to thir-
ty thousand dollars as aforesaid, and all bargains and purchases to
be made by the same corporation, which may increase the yearly value
of said estates above or beyond the aforesaid sum shall be absolutely
void and of none effect: Provided, each member of this corporation
shall be individually liable for the debts to be contracted, or that shall
be contracted by the directors thereof by virtue of their corporate
powers.

Powers.

6. And be it enacted, That the said society shall have power to de-
termine the amount in money, which each person shall pay on being
admitted a member of said society, the amount of monthly, quarter-
ly and yearly contributions which each member of the society shall pay,
and the fines which members of the society shall pay for violations of
the laws of the society; to regulate the distribution of the funds of the
society among the members and their families whom sickness or mis-
fortune may render proper objects of the benevolence of the society,
in the manner prescribed by the constitution of the society; to make
rules and regulations for the admission of members and for the expul-
sion of those whose misconduct may vender them unworthy to re-
main members thereof, and to make such other rules and regulations
as they consider necessary and expedient to accomplish the objects of

Proviso.

the society and are not repugnant to the laws of Maryland: Provided
always, that no bye-law or alteration in or amendment to the constitu-
tion shall be considered valid unless proposed for consideration one
month previous to its adoption, and unless two-thirds of the members
present concur in such alteration or amendment; and that any person
who may consider himself aggrieved by any law or regulation of the
society, or who is unwilling to submit to any law, rule or regulation
of the society, may at any time withdraw therefrom, and cease to be a
member on relinquishing all claim to the beneficial aid of the society,
and to all the contributions which he may have paid.