Active Steps Taken to Advance the Hospital Movement

Enthusiastic Meeting Held Yesterday, at Which a Constitution Was Adopted.  Other Business

The ladies of the hospital committee met in regular session yesterday morning in the Y. M. C. A. rooms.  A large number of representative ladies of the city ere [sic] present and the meeting was very enthusiastic.  There is now very little doubt but that the hospital will be built.  When such ladies as those present at the meeting yesterday take hold of an enterprise it is sure to prove a success.

Previous to this meeting Mrs. T. ap R. Jones, secretary of the hospital board had sent letters to thirty different ministers of the town asking that each church send two delegates to this meeting but on account of the notices reaching some of the pastors too late all the churches were not represented.  Communications were, however, received from several of the churches stating that they would have delegates present at the next regular meeting.  The reports from the delegates present were very flattering.

The committee appointed to investigate the advisability of incorporating the organization made their report stating that it would be to the best interests of the movement to incorporate and the officers were advised to take immediate steps in securing a charter.

A committee of three was appointed to make arrangements for securing rooms in which to hold their meetings.  They have been using the Y. M. C. A. rooms but cannot have them permanently without paying for them and needing their funds for the hospital, they decided to find other rooms.  Mr. Baldwin, secretary of the Y. M. C. A. agreed to present the matter to the directors at their next meeting and ask that the ladies be allowed to use the association parlors.  The committee appointed to secure suitable rooms was composed of Mrs. H. G. Bayless, Miss Fanz and Mrs. T. ap R. Jones.

Mrs. Bayless had prepared a constitution and by laws which was read before the board.  The articles had been carefully prepared and without any corrections were approved by the board.  The following is the constitution and by-laws:

Constitution

Article I — Name:  This organization shall be called the Hospital Building and Promoting Board.

Article II — Object:  The object of this organization shall be the united effort of its members to secure funds for the erection of a hospital for the citizens of Knoxville, without the distinction of race, creed or medical school.  It shall be the privilege of this board to assist in the promotion of the hospital after the erection.

Article III — Membership:  The General Board shall consist of one hundred women or more who are interested in the advancement of this work.

Article IV — Officers, Section 1.  The officers of this board shall be a president, vice president, recording secretary, corresponding secretary and treasurer.
Directors, Section 2.  There shall be ten directors who together with the five officers shall comprise the executive committee.
Committees, Section 3.  There shall be as many standing committees as the board shall deem necessary to appoint from time to time, their chairmen being selected from the directors.

Article V — Amendments:  Amendments to this constitution must be made in writing notice having been given at a previous meeting of the executive committee and approved by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the committee, such amendments shall be in full force thereafter.

By-Laws

Article I — Duties of president:  It shall be the duty of the president to preside at all meetings of the general board and also of the executive committee, to call special meetings when requested by five members and appoint all committees outside of standing committees.

Article II — Vice president:  It shall be the duty of the vice president in the absence of the president to perform the duties of the president.

Article III — Recording secretary:  The recording secretary shall make faithful record of the proceedings of all meetings and shall notify all committees of their appointments.

Article IV — Corresponding secretary:  The corresponding secretary shall have charge of all correspondence and shall keep its record on file.

Article V — Treasurer:  The treasurer shall keep a record of all money received by the board.  All checks for the disbursement of money shall be signed by herself and counter-signed by the chairman of the finance committee, all funds being kept in one of the chartered banks in this city.  She shall make her reports in writing audited by the finance committee.

Article VI — Duties of committees.  Section 1.  The executive committee shall be empowered to transact all business unless of sufficient importance to be brought before the general board.
Sec. 2. The committee on finance shall have charge of all deposits and appropriations and shall examine all bills and all claims and audit the books and vouchers of the treasurer.  The chairman of this committee shall countersign all checks for the disbursement of money.

Article VII — Meetings:  The regular meetings of the general board shall be held the first and third Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m.  Special meetings may be called when found necessary in the progress of the work.

Article VIII — Amendments:  These by-laws may be amended by a majority of the members of the executive committee, written notice having been given at a previous meeting.

Miss Woodruff made a motion that the board apply to the city for the first appropriate and accordingly a committee was appointed consisting of Mrs. Ashmore, Miss Woodruff, Mrs. McWilliams, Mrs. H. H. Ingersoll and Mrs. Henderson who will present the matter to the city council at its next meeting.

The next regular meeting of the board will be held in the Y. M. C. A. parlors next Wednesday morning at ten o’clock.

Source:  Knoxville Daily Journal and Tribune, April 9, 1896, page 3