The Secretary then proposed for honorary membership the following: Horace E. Deemer, Red Oak, Iowa. William J. Leverett, Council Bluffs, Iowa. On motion the Secretary was instructed to cast the unanimous ballot of the members present for the election of these gentlemen to honorary membership. The Secretary: The ballot is so cast. Then followed the election of officers for the ensuing year. George D. Bennett moved that "the present officers be reelected to succeed themselves as follows: President, George L. Miller, Omaha; 1st Vice-President, Robert Harvey, St. Paul; 2d Vice-President, James E. North, Columbus: Secretary, Clarence S. Paine, Lincoln; Treasurer, Stephen L. Geisthardt, Lincoln." There being no other nominations, Mr. Samuel B. Iiams moved that the rules be suspended and the Secretary be instructed to cast the ballot of the Society for the officers named. Mr. H. H. Wilson moved to amend by making it the duty of the mover of the motion to cast the ballot. The amendment was accepted. The question upon the motion was put by the Secretary and unanimously carried. The ballot being cast by Mr. Iiams, the following were declared by the President to be the duly elected officers of the Society for the year 1908: President.. 1st Vice-President. 2d Vice-President. Secretary. Treasurer.. George L. Miller, Omaha Robert Harvey, St. Paul James E. North, Columbus ..Clarence S. Paine, Lincoln Stephen L. Geisthardt, Lincoln The following amendments to the Constitution, recommended by the Executive Board, were then presented by the Secretary and ordered laid upon the table: First-To amend article IV, second paragraph, by striking out "upon signing blank membership form, furnished by the Secretary," and substituting therefor the following: "provided further, that any person donating to the Society property to the value of $5 shall be entitled to active membership without payment of membership fee, and be considered an active member during the continuance of such loan, without payment of fee." Second-To amend article IV, third paragraph, by striking out the words "the Secretary shall furnish each life member with an engraved certificate of the same, suitable for framing," and substituting therefor the words "said life membership shall entitle the holder to all the privileges of the Society, including the right to vote, and to receive publications without the payment of membership fee or other dues.” Third-To amend article IV, paragraph four, by adding the following: "The Secretary shall furnish each member an engraved certificate of membership, suitable for framing." Fourth-To amend article IV by the addition of another paragraph as follows: "Any society in Nebraska, organized for the purpose of gathering and preserving facts relative to the history of this state and of its individual citizens, may, upon application, become an auxiliary member of this Society, be represented at all general meetings thereof by one delegate, and make a report of its work annually to this Society." Fifth-To amend article V, fourth paragraph, by striking out the words "shall collect and.” Sixth-To amend article V, fifth paragraph, by inserting after the word "correspondence" the following: "he shall collect all membership fees or other moneys due to the Society, and turn the same over to the Treasurer, taking his receipt therefor." The regular program was then presented as follows: Piano solo Miss Marilla Hunter . Horace E. Deemer Address, "The Part of Iowa in the Organization of Ne braska," Vocal solo.. Mrs. Kittie Austin Aylsworth Address, "The Last Battle Between the Pawnee and Sioux in Nebraska"... William Z. Taylor The meeting was then, by the President, declared adjourned. CLARENCE S. PAINE, Secretary. REPORT OF THE SECKETARY. FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1907. Members of the Nebraska State Historical Society: In submitting this, my first annual report, I do it with a feeling that, however much has been accomplished in the past year, it must seem little indeed when compared with what remains to be done to place this Society in that commanding position among similar institutions which it ought to occupy. My predecessors in office laid well the foundation for a great historical library and museum, and the citizens of Nebraska owe to them, for their self-sacrificing labors, a debt which will never be liquidated. Considering the small appropriations available and the consequent lack of help and of facilities, they assembled an immense quantity of very valuable material, which only needed to be made accessible in order to be of inestimable benefit to historians, students, scientists, and all investigators. The sorting, arranging, classifying, and cataloguing of this material has been the principal work of your present Secretary and his assistants during the past months. While it can not be said that this work is wholly completed, we are at least able to report substantial progress. REVIEW OF THE PAST. The Nebraska State Historical Society was organized in 1878, but for some years little more was attempted than to maintain an organization and hold annual meetings, at which historical addresses were delivered. The first volume of transactions and reports was issued from the press in 1885. During the next eight years a good start was made in the collection of Nebraska newspapers and in the accumulation of a library. There were also published, during this period, three more volumes of transactions and reports. In 1895, with an increased appropriation and the opening of the new rooms provided by the University, which it then seemed would afford ample accommodations for years to come, the work of the Society took on new life and vigor. Rapid progress was made in the next few years, and the biennial appropriations increased from $1,000 in 1883 to $10,000 in 1901, and altogether ten volumes of publications had been issued, the last of these appearing in July, 1902. No more volumes were published until 1906 when a start was made on the series known as "The Debates and Proceedings in the Nebraska Constitutional Conventions." The first volume of this series appeared in January, 1907, the second will soon be delivered, and the third is partly in type. There will be four volumes of this series. The present volume of Proceedings and Collections is designated Vol. X, Second Series, to make allowance for the two volumes of the constitutional series yet to come. OUTLINE OF THE YEAR'S WORK. Among the special lines of work which we have undertaken during the year may be mentioned the following: the organizing and cataloguing of the library and museum; the invoicing, classifying, and arranging of our exchange material; the providing of a complete system of permanent financial records; the reorganization of the Nebraska Territorial Pioneers' Association and the building up of its membership; the acquisition of new members for the Historical Society and the correction of its membership roll; and the preparation of a miscellaneous volume covering the proceedings of the Society from 1901 to 1907 inclusive. The accomplishment of these things has led to the doing of many others of minor con sequence, which in the end will result in great good to the Society. We have also given special attention to the establishment of friendly relations and the perfecting of exchange arrangements with the historical societies of other states. An especial effort has been made to get into personal touch with all of these societies, to keep in constant communication with them, and to effect the exchange of such duplicate material as we have accumulated for such as might be had from these various societies. Your Secretary has personally and very largely at his own expense visited all of the societies of neighboring states and made himself familiar with their plans and purposes. These visits have tended to the establishment of a closer relationship with these societies, which can but result in good to our work in the future. In line with this idea, an invitation was extended some months ago to the secretaries or librarians of all the historical societies of the Mississippi valley to meet in Lincoln, October 17–18, 1907, for the purpose of forming an organization for the advancement of historical research, and the collection and conservation of historical material in these western states. In response to this invitation there assembled in Lincoln on the dates named the representatives of several of the most progressive of these societies. A formal meeting was held in the University Chapel, and several business sessions were held at the rooms of the Historical Society, which resulted in the organization of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, which held its second meeting in Madison, Wisconsin, December 28, 1907. BUILDING PROPOSITION. From 1902 to 1907 the efforts of the Board and its officers seem to have been devoted chiefly to the work of securing a new and permanent home for the library and collections of the Society, although progress was made in building up the museum during these years. Little encouragement was given the building proposition until the last legislature made an |