A Bill for
[“]An act to incorporate the President and Trustees of the Rushville Seminary.”

Sec[Section] 1^st Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly; That the persons hereafter [to] be elected, pursuant to the provisions of this act, and their su[c]cessors, be, and they are hereby created a body politic and corporate to be styled ^the^ “President and Trustees of the Rushville Seminary,” and in that name to remain in perpetual succession, with power to sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, to acquire, hold and convey property, real and personal; to have and to use a common seal, and the same to ^break^ alter and renew at pleasure; to make and alter from time to time, such bye-laws as they may deem necessary for the government and regulation of the said institution its officers, servants and property: Provided, Such bye-laws be not inconsistent with the constitution and laws of this State or of the United States.

Sec. 2. The President and Trustees of the said institution, shall be citizens of this State, and stockholders in the said corporation; and the Trustees shall consist of six persons, who, together with the President, shall be elected by the stockholders, annually, on the first Monday of January in each and every year, and shall hold their offices until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The elections shall be held at the court house in Rushville for the first election, and ever after at the Seminary or other house of the corporation. All elections for officers shall be by ballot, and may be made personally or by proxy, and conducted in such manner as shall be directed by the bye-laws.

Sec. 3. The stockholders shall have power at special elections, to be called by the President and Trustees, or a majority of them for that purpose, to fill all vacancies that may happen in the said board of President and Trustees by occasion of death removal, resignation or otherwise.

Sec. 4. The President and Trustees, before entering upon the discharge of their duties, shall severally take and subscribe an oath or affirmation before some competent officer, to sup-

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port the constitution of this State, and of the United States, and well and faithfully to perform the duties of their respective offices, to the best of their skill and abilities.

Sec. 5. The said President and Trustees shall hold the property of the said institution, solely for the purposes and advantages of education, and the promotion of literature and science in the said academy^Seminary^; and not as ^a^ stock for the individual profit and benefit of themselves, or of any contributor to the endowment of the same; and no particular religious faith shall ever be required of those who become President and Trustees, students, teachers officers or servants of the said institution.

Sec. 6. Said institution shall be permanently located in or near the town of Rushville in Schuyler county in this State; and the said President and Trustees shall be competent in law and equity, to take to themselves and their successors in office, in their corporate name and capacity any estate real, or personal and mixed, by the gift grant, bargain and sale, conveyance, will, devise or bequest, of person or persons, or body corporate and politic whatsoever; and the same estate, whether real or personal, to grant bargain and sell, convey, demise, let, place out on interest, or otherwise dispose of, for the sole and separate use and benefit of said institution. The said President and Trustees, shall faithfully apply all funds by them collected and received, according to the best of their judgement in erecting completing or repairing ^a^ suitable building or buildings, supporting the necessary officers, instructors and servants, and in procuring books, maps, charts, globes, philosophical and other apparatus necessary to the success of said Seminary Provided nevertheless, That in case any d[o]nation, devise or bequest shall be made to the said corp[oration] for a particular and specific purpose or purposes, not incompatible with the designs of this institution, and the corporation shall accept the same every such donation devise or bequest, shall be applied in conformity with the express conditions prescribed by the donor or devisor.

Sec. 7. The President and Trustees, shall annually and as soon as may be convenient after their own election and qualification into office, elect a Treasurer and Secretary, of the board of President and Trustees of the said corporation, who shall each be stockholders therein; and who when elected and qualified, shall continue in office until their successors are elected and qualified. The Treasurer before he enters on the duties of his office, shall execute a bond with approved security, to the President and Trustees of Rushville Seminary, in such penal sum as they may require, conditioned for the due and faithful performance of this duty as Treasurer; and in case of the death, removal, refusal or neglect to act of the Treasurer for the time being, it shall be lawful for the President and Trustees, at any of their meetings, to appoint another Treasurer, instead of the one dead, removing, refusing or neglecting to act as aforesaid, to remain in office till the expiration of the time during which his predecessor was entitled to serve; and all processes against the said corporation, shall be by summons, and the same shall be by leaving an attested copy thereof with the Treasurer, or at his usual place of abode, at least twenty days before the return thereof. Both the Treasurer and Secretary, shall before entering upon the duties of their offices, take an oath or affirmation, faithfully to fulfil the duties thereof respectively.

Sec. 8. The President and Trustees, shall have power to employ and appoint a principal for said institution, and all such instructors and instructresses, and also such servants as may be necessary; and shall have power to displace any or either of them, as they may deem the interest of the institution, and the cause of education therein to require; and to fill vacancies that may happen by death, resignation, or otherwise among said officers and servants.

Sec. 9. The lands within the jurisdiction of this State, held in perpetuity by the said institution, shall not exceed eighty acres at any one time; and if donations in lands shall be made at any time to said corporation, the same may be received

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and held in trust, by the said President and Trustees, and shall be sold within five years from the date of such donation, for the benefit of the institution, and in failure whereof, the lands so given, shall revert to the donor or grantor of the same, or to their heirs; and the said President and Trustees, shall in no case lease or rent out any land so held in trust, for a longer time than four years from the time of such donation or grant.

Sec. 10. The President and Trustees shall meet semi-annually or oftener, if they shall deem proper, and at the Seminary or other building of the institution; and it shall be the duty of the Secretary, to attend all the meetings of the board, and keep and preserve a fair and correct record of all their proceedings. A majority of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of the business appertaining to the institution; Provided, That the votes of a majority of the whole board, shall ^be^ necessary to elect any officer, instructor or servant thereof.

Sec. 11. That on the payment of Ten dollars to the Treasurer of the said institution, every free white person residing within this State, shall be considered a stockholder, and shall be entitled to one vote; and it shall be lawful for each and every stockholder for the time being of the said institution, his or her executors, administrators, or assigns, to give sell, devise, and dispose of their respective rights or shares in the said Seminary, and that their respective assignees shall be stockholders of said institution, and shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges in said institution, as the original stockholders are entitled to by this act Provided That a part of a right or share, shall not entitle the proprietor or owner thereof, to any privilege whatsoever in said institution.

Sec. 12. That Hart Fellows, Edward Doyle, John Scrips, Josiah Parrott, Jonathan G. Randall and Robert H Burton of the county of Schuyler be, and they are hereby appointed Commissioners to solicit and receive subscriptions of stock to said institution, and give receipts for the first instalment, to be

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paid on subscription; and when the sum of one thousand dollars shall be subscribed for, the said Commissioners or any three of them are hereby authorized to give public notice, by posting up advertisements at six of the most public places in the said county, of the time and place of holding an election for President and Trustees of said institution; which said election shall be held at the court house in Rushville between the hours of 12 o’clock A.M. and 6 o’clock P.M. on said day; and that the said Commissioners, or any three of them, are hereby appointed Judges of said election, and are authorized and empowered to hold the same. The second election, and every subsequent one, shall be held on the first Monday in January annually at the Seminary or other building of the institution between the hours of 12 o’clock A.M. and 6 o’clock P.M of said day. That each stockholder shall be required at the time of subscribing or at or before the first election for President and Trustees, to pay to the Commissioners the sum of Two dollars on each share by him or her subscribed, and the residue at such time or times as the President and Trustees shall direct and require: Provided That any stockholder or stockholders neglecting or refusing to pay the balance due on any share or shares, shall forfeit to said institution the money previously paid on such share or shares so neglected

Sec. 13. All elections for President and Trustees, shall be by ballot, with the name of the voter or stockholder written or printed on the ballot, and the number of the shares of stock he or she may hold in said institution, and shall be given to the Treasurer or Secretary of the Board or to the President and Trustees; any three of whom shall and may act as a board of election

Sec. 14. The said Seminary when in operation, shall at all times be open for the use and privilege of every free White person within the United States, who may wish to be instructed by the instructors and instructresses employed by the

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President and Trustees thereof; Provided Said white person will comply with the laws and bye-laws of the said institution, and pay the sums fixed by the President and Trustees for the instruction of pupils attending at the same; Provided nevertheless, That each and every stockholder in said institution shall be entitled to the admission of one pupil or student in the same for each and every share he or she may legally hold therein.

Sec. 15. That in case it should so happen that an election for President and Trustees, should not take place on any day, when pursuant to this act the same should be held, the said corporation shall not for that cause be deemed to be dissolved, but that it shall be lawful on any other day to hold an election in the place of the one omitted to be held, in such manner as shall be prescribed by the bye-laws and ordinances of said corporation.

Sec. 16. This act shall be in force from and after its passage