Governing Documents Review Committee Report 6-2-11

Document 3DOCUMENT OF DECEMBER 10, 1868 (ADOPTED AT CHEOAH)[copy]Cheoah. December 10 th , 1868.In General Council assembled of the Eastern Cherokees being desireous ofholding our General Councils in some organized and established manner andunder a like form as other tribes of Indians who are desireous of adopting arepublican form of Government and restricting – controlling and compensatingour rulers, do hereby enact as follows:That hereafter each Cherokee Settlement or Town shall be entitled to onedelegate for each 150 members of such settlement who shall represent them inGeneral Council and that said General Council shall meet once in each year on[1 st Monday] of [October] . That said General Council shall from their numberwhen convened elect one of their number who shall be Chairman or President ofsaid Council and who shall be President or Chief of said Eastern Cherokees forthe term of time so directed by Said Council not exceeding four years, and incase of choice each Settlement may petition said Council in writing upon anysubject. Said Council shall have power to elect a Secretary, and Interpreter ofthe Council and Marshal of the Nation and fix the duties, compensation of thesame.Said Council shall have the power to prepare and adopt by laws andrules for general government of the people, and the duties of each nationalofficer and also the compensation of said Council and assess the National fundsand property to pay the same.Governing Documents Review CommitteeSaid Council may prepare by laws and police regulations and other rulesand submit the same to the Nation in General Council assembled and a majorityvote shall adopt or reject the same. They shall also prepare a system ofschools in each Settlement and provide for the election of a Superintendent orBoard of Trustees who shall organize the same in accordance with saidregulations.Said Council may in their discretion fix a place and day or days for holdinga National fair-where each person may present samples of grain, stock, weaving,knitting, spinning, needlework, butter, and any article of agricultural product orfruit and domestic, or mechanical product and also a measured, and provenamount of crop per acre and the numbers of acres cultivated in any crop and fixcommittees to grant premiums thereon and name the same and one premiumfor the best general system of farming to be shown by general statement.45