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copy by mail to each Presbytery, and apportion and send the rest by private conveyance to the Presbyteries and other bodies, as shall be prescribed by the Assembly, only reserving a sufficient number of copies for binding. He shall have the charge of all the books and papers of the General Assembly, shall cause their minutes to be fairly transcribed into the book or books provided for the purpose, and give attested copies of all minutes and other documents, when properly required so to do.-1807, p. 377.

To Notify Presbyteries whose Commissioners have left without Leave.

c. Whereas, it has frequently happened that members of this Assembly, neglecting their duty and inattentive to the rules of decorum, have abruptly left the Assembly and returned home without leave of absence,

Resolved, That in all similar cases which shall occur in future, it shall be the duty of the clerk of this House to give notice thereof to the Presbyteries to which such delinquent members may belong; and that it be recommended to the said Presbyteries, in their settlements with such delinquents, not to allow them any compensation for services as members of the Assembly.-1801, p. 233.

Resolved, That it be the duty of the stated clerk hereafter to report to the several Presbyteries the names of the commissioners who, at the calling of the roll at the close of the Assembly, may appear to have left the Assembly without permission.-1820, p. 723.

Resolved, That as the names of persons who have left the Assembly without leave are to be published in the printed journals, therefore the stated clerk is liberated from the duty, enjoined by a standing rule, of writing to the Presbyteries on the subject.-1824, p. 125.

a. Salary of the Stated Clerk.

Fixed by the Assembly at $400 per annum.-1870, p. 127.

Stated Clerk to act as Treasurer of the Assembly.

The Committee on Finance also recommend that the stated clerk have added to his duties that of treasurer of the General Assembly, and that his salary be increased one hundred dollars.-1871, p. 512.

The duties of the stated clerk as treasurer of the General Assembly may be seen from the following:

ACCOUNT CURRENT OF THE TREASURER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, U. S. A.

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May. By payments to Commissioners, Traveling Expenses, to the Clerks of the Assembly:

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530 80

$24,986 13

. $16,447 37

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45 00

300 00

43 75

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a. Whereas, the business of former Assemblies has been impeded by the want of a recording clerk possessing that facility in the business which is acquired by experience; and whereas, it is not to be expected that any one person should perform this service permanently without receiving an adequate compensation for his labor; and whereas, this Assembly are persuaded that future Assemblies will see the reasonableness of the measure now contemplated, and co-operate on their part in giving it effect;

Resolved, That a permanent recording clerk be chosen, whose duty it. shall be from year to year to draught the minutes of the Assembly during their sessions, and afterward to perform such services respecting the transcribing, printing and distributing the extracts as shall be assigned to him from time to time, and that he be paid out of the funds of the Assembly three dollars per day for the time he shall be employed, as well during the sessions of the Assembly as after their dissolution.-1802, p. 235.

b. Resolved, That hereafter the permanent clerk shall receive for his services two dollars per day during the sessions of the Assembly, and one dollar and fifty cents per day while necessarily attending upon the business of the Assembly after their adjournment.-1806, p. 372.

c. The permanent clerk shall furnish all the stationery for the use of the Assembly and the several clerks. He shall make the original draught of all the minutes, and give certified copies, as occasion may require, of all such as may be proper to be transmitted to the trustees of the General Assembly or any of their officers. After the Assembly rises from year to

year he shall carefully revise the manuscript, render it correct and legible, and deliver it over to the stated clerk. He shall receive a reasonable compensation for the stationery supplied by him, and the pay (per diem) fixed by the last Assembly-that is, two dollars per day during the sessions of the Assembly, and one dollar and fifty cents per day while necessarily attending upon the business of the Assembly after adjournment.1806, p. 372; 1807, p. 377.

Printing the Roll.

d. Resolved, That it be a standing rule of this body that the permanent clerk annually cause to be printed a number of copies of the roll, not exceeding five hundred, for the use of the members, as soon as practicable after the appointment of the standing committees.-1840, p. 283, O. S.

e. Salary of the Permanent Clerk.

That the salary of the permanent clerk be fixed at the rate of three hundred dollars per annum.-1870, p. 127.

3. The Temporary Clerk.

a. Resolved also, That a temporary clerk be chosen by each Assembly as heretofore to read the minutes and communications to the Assembly, and otherwise aid the permanent clerk as occasion may require, and that he be paid one dollar per day for his services.-1802, p. 235.

b. The temporary clerk shall hereafter receive no pecuniary compensation for his services.-1806, p. 372.

[From 1856 onward, in the New School Assembly, two temporary clerks were chosen. In the reunited Assembly three have been chosen.—1870, pp. 12, 13; 1871, p. 490. Of those in the Assembly of 1870 two were ruling elders.]

c. Choice of Clerks not Confined to Members of the Assembly.

Resolved, That it be considered as the right of every member of the Assembly to vote for a clerk who is not a member of the body.-1793, p.

64.

d. The moderator and clerk are ministerial officers of the judicatory. In respect to their offices they are servants merely, and not members, of the body.

Of the clerk this would seem to be unquestionably true. The constitution knows nothing of the temporary clerk as distinguished from the stated clerk. As far as any provision of the "Book" is involved, it is plain that a judicatory may select any convenient person, though not a member, to record its transactions, and discharge all other duties pertaining to a clerk. For the part of those duties usually devolved upon a temporary clerk, we believe it is no infrequent thing for a Presbytery to employ a licentiate or other person not a member of the body.-1861, p. 457, N. S. [See chap. xii., sec. vii., above.]

II. The General Assembly shall consist of an equal delegation of bishops and elders from each Presbytery in the following proportion, viz. each Presbytery consisting of not more than twenty-four ministers, shall send one minister and one elder; and each Presbytery consisting of more than twenty-four ministers, shall send two ministers

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and two elders; and in the like proportion for every twenty-four ministers in each Presbytery; and these delegates so appointed shall be styled Commissioners to the General Assembly.

1. The Ratio of Delegation.

That every Presbytery shall, at their last stated meeting preceding the meeting of the General Assembly, depute to the General Assembly commissioners in the following proportion: each Presbytery consisting of not more than six ministers shall send one minister and one elder; each Presbytery consisting of more than six ministers and not more than twelve shall send two ministers and two elders, and so in the same proportion for every six ministers.-1786, p. 524.

[In 1819, p. 700, the ratio was altered by substituting the word nine for the word six, and the word eighteen in place of the word twelve. In 1826, p. 168, the ratio was increased from nine to twelve and from eighteen to twenty-four. In 1833, p. 401, the present ratio was adopted.]

2. Where a Presbytery sends more than its Proper Representation, the Last Elected are Refused.

The right of two persons to a seat in the Assembly from the Presbytery of Portage was questioned, whereupon their case was referred to the Committee of Elections. After considering the subject, the Committee reported that the names of the minister and elder last appointed should be erased, because the Presbytery is entitled to no more than two commissioners. This report was adopted.-1835, p. 466.

3. Only such Commissioners should be Appointed as design to Remain throughout the Sessions.

It is in the opinion of this General Assembly highly important that commissioners should not be appointed, unless it shall satisfactorily appear to the several Presbyteries that they design to remain throughout the sessions.-1827, p. 207.

[See also chap. xxii. of Commissioners to the General Assembly.]

4. Corresponding Members.-Ministers Casually Present not Invited.

Upon motion, it was agreed that whereas this Assembly, copying the example of their predecessors, have admitted several ministers who are not commissioners to join in their deliberations and conclusions, but not to vote on any question, and although this Assembly has been much indebted to the wise counsels and friendly assistance of these corresponding ministers, nevertheless, on mature deliberation, it was

Resolved, As the opinion of this house,

1. That no delegated body has a right to transfer its powers, or any part thereof, unless express provision is in its constitution.

2. That this Assembly is a delegated body, and no such provision is in its constitution.

3. Although such admission has hitherto produced no bad consequences, it may, nevertheless, at some future day be applied to party purposes, and cause embarrassment and delay; wherefore,

Resolved 4, Lastly, that the practice of this Assembly in this case ought not to be used as a precedent in future.-1791, p. 42.

5. Delegates from Corresponding Bodies.

[At first these were not allowed to vote, but in 1794 the Assembly asked, and the General Association of Connecticut acceded to the request, that the delegates from these bodies respectively shall have a right not only to sit and deliberate, but also to vote, on all questions which may be determined by either of them.-1794, p. 80; 1795, p. 96.

[The Assembly afterward (1827) asked that the right of voting be given. up, and since 1830 corresponding members have the right only to sit and deliberate, but not to vote.]

6. The Secretary of any of the Permanent Committees, the Stated and Temporary Clerks, have the Privileges of Corresponding Members.

a. Resolved, That it be a standing rule of the Assembly that the secretary of any of the permanent Committees shall be entitled to the same privilege as the delegates from corresponding bodies, while the business entrusted to that Committee is under consideration in the house.

The Assembly voted that the same privilege be extended to the stated and permanent clerks in reference to matters pertaining to their official duties.-1858, p. 581, N. S.

b. Resolved, That all the secretaries of the Boards of the Church have the privilege of corresponding members of the General Assembly, in discussions bearing upon the interests of the Boards which they severally represent. 1870, p. 85.

7. Committees of the Assembly.-Those appointed at each Annual Meeting are called Standing Committees, and are as follows, viz. :

I. THE COMMITTEE OF BILLS AND OVERTURES.

Its Appointment.

a. A Committee, consisting of Mr. Henry, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Wade, appointed to prepare and bring in overtures to the Presbytery, and also take cognizance of whatever may be laid before them, to prepare it for the Presbytery.-1710, p. 17.

b. The General Assembly, at every meeting, shall appoint a Committee of Bills and Overtures, to prepare and digest business for the Assembly. Any person thinking himself aggrieved by this Committee may complain to the Assembly.-1789, p. 8.

c. Powers and Duties of this Committee.

To the question concerning the business and powers of the Committee of Overtures, proposed last year, the Synod answer, that Committee is intended to introduce business into the Synod in an orderly manner, that they may give advice concerning either the matter or manner of overtures brought to them, but have not power to suppress anything that comes regularly before them from inferior judicatures according to our known rules, or such overtures and petitions as inferior judicatures or particular persons desire to have laid before this Synod.-1769, p. 393.

Petitions, questions relating either to doctrine or order, and usually all new propositions tending to general laws, should be laid before the Committee of Bills and Overtures before they be offered to the Assembly.1822, p. 42.

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