Page:Platform and Constitution of the Socialist Labor Party of the United States of America (1896).pdf/7

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d. The Board shall declare vacant the seat of any of its members who shall have been absent from three consecutive meetings without sufficient excuse, and order the membership of its locality to fill the vacancy.

3. The Secretary of the Board may, or upon the demand of a majority of the members thereof, shall, call a session.

4. The members making a decision shall sign the same before transmittal to the National Executive Committee.

5. Duplicates of decisions and dissenting opinions shall] be filed with the Secretary of the Board before transmittal to the National Executive Committee.

6. No person connected with a case shall be qualified to sit on it. If the issue is one in. which the whole Section is interested and such Section happens to be the one that chooses the Board, then the National Executive Committee shall appoint another Section to choose 2 Board of Appeals for that that case.

VI. CONVENTIONS.

1. A National Convention of the Party shall be held every fourth or presidential year; but if five Sections in three different States so demand, a general vote shall be taken as to holding a special convention. A general vote shall decide as to the place, but the date of a convention shall be fixed by the National Executive Committee.

2. The Congressional District shall be the basis of representation.

A Section shall be entitled to one delegate for every one thousand S. L. P. votes cast in the Congressional District or Districts under its jurisdiction, and to one additional delegate for every major fraction thereof.

Sections whose Congressional District or Districts poll a smaller vote than one thousand shall be entitled to one delegate.

Where several Sections have jurisdiction of one or more Congressional Districts, they shall jointly elect the delegates to which they are entitled.

Delegates must be members of the Section or of one of the Sections electing them.

Each delegate shall have only one vote.

3. The expenses of delegates shall be borne by the Sections sending them. The expenses of the National Convention shall be paid by the Party.

4. The National Convention shall frame the national platform, decide the form of organization, select the seats of the National Executive Committee and Board of Appeals and investigate and decide all difficulties within the Party.

5. All acts of the Convention shall be submitted to the Sections for general vote.

VII. DUES.

1. The Sections shall levy upon each of their members a monthly tax of ten cents, to be paid monthly to the State Committee or in the absence of such, to the National Executive Committee.

2. The dues shall be receipted for by stamps to be furnished by the National Executive Committee to the State Committees at the rate of five cents each, and in the absence of such to the Sections at the rate of ten cents each.

3. Every State Committee or Section shall receive a first quota of stamps on credit, to be measured by the size of membership; such quota to remain a standing indebtedness. All stamps received subsequently must be paid for in cash, and the Secretary of the National Executive Committee, as well as secretaries of State Committees, shall not send out any stamps other than in compliance with this rule.

VIII. THE PARTY PRESS.

1. The National Executive Committee shall have control of the contents of the party organs, and shall act’ on grievances connected with the same.