Part II.—Organization, Meetings, and Legal Rights of Assemblies._Robert's rules of order revised

Art. XII.—Organization and Meetings.

§ 69. An Occasional or Mass Meeting.

(_a_) Organization 275

(_b_) Adoption of Resolutions 277

(_c_) Committee to draft Resolutions 280

(_d_) Semi-Permanent Mass Meeting 283

70. A Permanent Society.

(_a_) First Meeting 284

(_b_) Second Meeting 286

(_c_) Regular Meeting 291

71. Meeting of a Convention.

(_a_) An Organized Convention 292

(_b_) A Convention not yet Organized 296

Art. XIII.—Legal Rights of Assemblies and Trial of Their Members.

§ 72. Right of an Assembly to Punish its Members 299

73. Right of an Assembly to Eject any one from its Place of

Meeting 299

74. Rights of Ecclesiastical Tribunals 300

75. Trial of Members of Societies 302

=Plan for Study of Parliamentary Law.=

Introduction 305

Lesson Outlines 308

=Index= 313

ORDER OF PRECEDENCE OF MOTIONS.

The ordinary motions rank as follows, the lowest in rank being at the

bottom and the highest at the top of the list. When any one of them

is immediately pending the motions above it in the list are in order,

and those below are out of order. Those marked (⅔) require a ⅔ vote

for their adoption: the others require only a majority.

{Fix the Time to which to Adjourn }

{ (when privileged).{1}{2} }

{Adjourn (when privileged).{2} }

{Take a Recess (when privileged).{1}{2} } Privileged{2}

{Raise a Question of Privilege. }

Undebatable {Call for the Orders of the Day. }

{ }

{Lay on the Table.

{Previous Question (⅔). }

{Limit or Extend Limits of Debate (⅔).{1} }

}

{Postpone to a Certain Time.{1} } Subsidary

{Commit or Refer.{1} }

Debatable {Amend.{1} }

{Postpone Indefinitely. }

{

{A Main Motion.{1}

{1} Can be amended: the others cannot be amended.

{2} The first three motions are not always privileged. To _Fix the

Time to which to Adjourn_ is privileged only when made while another

question is pending, and in an assembly that has made no provision

for another meeting on the same or the next day. To _Adjourn_

loses its privileged character and is a main motion if in any way

qualified, or if its effect, if adopted, is to dissolve the assembly

without any provision for its meeting again. To _Take a Recess_ is

privileged only when made while other business is pending.

TABLE OF RULES RELATING TO MOTIONS

Answering 300 Questions in Parliamentary Practice

| Section in Rules of Order, Revised.

| | =Explanation of the Table.=--The rules at

| | the head of the 8 columns apply to all

| | original main motions, and to all other

| | cases except where a star (★) or a figure

| | indicates that the motion is an exception

| | to these rules. The star shows that the

| | exact opposite of the rule at the head of

| | the column applies to the motion, and a

| | figure refers to a note which explains the

| | extent of the exception. For example, “Lay

| | on the Table”; the Table shows that §28 of

| | the Manual treats of this motion; that it is

| | “undebatable” and “cannot be amended”; that

| | “no subsidiary motion can be applied” to it;

| | and that it “cannot be reconsidered”;--the

| | fact that the 4 other columns have no stars

| | or figures shows that the: rules at the head

| | of these columns apply to this motion, to

| | Lay on the Table, the same as to original

| | main motions.

| | [=See pages 11 and 12 for a fuller explanation.=]

| | | Debatable.

| | | | Debate Confined to Pending

| | | | Question.

| | | | | | | | | | Out

| | | | | | | | | | of

| | | | | | | | | | has

| | | | | | | | | |

+----+----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+-------+

| 17 |Adjourn (when | | | | | | | | |

| |privileged) 1 | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | ★ | -- | -- | -- |

| 54 |Adopt (Accept | | | | | | | | |

| |Report | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| 67 |Adopt | | | | | | | | |

| |of Order | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- |

| 67 |Adopt Standing | | | | | | | | |

| |Rules | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| | | | | | | | | | |

| 33 |Amend 3 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| 33 |Amend an | | | | | | | | |

| |Amendment | 4 | -- | ★ | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| 68 |Amend | | | | | | | | |

| |of Order | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 5 | -- | -- |

| 67 |Amend Standing | | | | | | | | |

| |Rules | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | -- | -- |

| | | | | | | | | | |

| 21 |Appeal, | | | | | | | | |

| |etc. 7 | ★ | -- | ★ | -- | -- | -- | -- | ★ |

| 21 |Appeal, all | | | | | | | | |

| |other cases | -- | -- | ★ | -- | -- | -- | -- | ★ |

| 33 |Blanks, Filling | -- | -- | ★ | -- | -- | -- | ★ | -- |

| 32 |Commit or | | | | | | | | |

| |Recommit | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8 | -- | -- | -- |

| | | | | | | | | | |

| 30 |Debate, to | | | | | | | | |

| |or Extend 9 | ★ | -- | -- | -- | -- | ★ | -- | -- |

| 25 |Division of | | | | | | | | |

| |the Assembly | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ |

| 24 |Division of | | | | | | | | |

| |the Question | ★ | -- | -- | -- | ★ | -- | 10 | 10 |

| 16 |Fix the Time | | | | | | | | |

| |Adjourn 1 | 11 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| | | | | | | | | | |

| 57 |Informal | | | | | | | | |

| |of a Question | -- | -- | ★ | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- |

| 28 |Lay on the | | | | | | | | |

| |Table | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | ★ | -- | -- | -- |

| 21 |Leave to | | | | | | | | |

| |Indecorum | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| 11 |Main Motion or | | | | | | | | |

| |Question | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| | | | | | | | | | |

| 26 |Nominations, | | | | | | | | |

| |to Make | -- | -- | ★ | -- | ★ | -- | ★ | -- |

| 26 |Nominations, | | | | | | | | |

| |to Close | ★ | -- | -- | -- | ★ | ★ | -- | -- |

| 26 |Nominations, | | | | | | | | |

| |to Reopen | ★ | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- |

| 23 |Objection to | | | | | | | | |

| |of a Question | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | 2 | 12 | ★ | ★ |

| | | | | | | | | | |

| 21 |Order, | | | | | | | | |

| |Questions of | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ |

| 20 |Order, to Make | | | | | | | | |

| |a Special | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ★ | -- | -- |

| 20 |Orders of the | | | | | | | | |

| |for | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ |

| 20 |Order of the | | | | | | | | |

| |pending | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| | | | | | | | | | |

| 27 |Parliamentary | | | | | | | | |

| |Inquiry | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ |

| 31 |Postpone | | | | | | | | |

| |Time | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| 34 |Postpone | | | | | | | | |

| |Indefinitely | -- | ★ | ★ | -- | 13 | -- | -- | -- |

| 29 |Previous | | | | | | | | |

| |Question 14 | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | 15 | ★ | -- | -- |

| | | | | | | | | | |

| 19 |Privilege, | | | | | | | | |

| |Questions of | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ |

| 19 |Privilege, | | | | | | | | |

| |when pending | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| 27 |Reading Paper | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| 18 |Recess, to | | | | | | | | |

| |privileged) 1 | 11 | -- | -- | -- | ★ | -- | -- | -- |

| | | | | | | | | | |

| 36 |Reconsider 16 | 4 | 17 | ★ | -- | ★ | -- | -- | ★ |

| 37 |Rescind or | | | | | | | | |

| |Repeal | -- | ★ | -- | -- | 2 | 18 | -- | -- |

| 33 |Substitute | | | | | | | | |

| |(same as Amend) | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| 22 |Suspend the | | | | | | | | |

| |Rules | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | -- | -- |

| | | | | | | | | | |

| 35 |Take from the | | | | | | | | |

| |Table | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | ★ | -- | -- | -- |

| 22 |Take up a | | | | | | | | |

| |Order | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | -- | -- |

| 25 |Voting, | | | | | | | | |

| |relating to | ★ | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |

| 27 |Withdraw a | | | | | | | | |

| |to | ★ | -- | ★ | ★ | 2 | -- | ★ | -- |

+----+----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+-------+

NOTES TO TABLE

1 See last footnote on page 5.

2 An affirmative vote on this motion cannot be reconsidered.

3 An Amendment may be made (_a_) by _inserting_ (or _adding_) words

or paragraphs; (_b_) by _striking out_ words or paragraphs; (_c_)

by _striking out certain words_ and _inserting others_; or (_d_)

by _substituting_ one or more paragraphs for others, or an entire

resolution for another, on the same subject.

4 Undebatable when the motion to be amended or reconsidered is

undebatable.

5 Constitutions, By-Laws, and Rules of Order before adoption are in

every respect main motions and may be amended by majority vote. After

adoption they require previous notice and ⅔ vote for amendment.

6 Standing Rules may be amended at any time by a majority vote if

previous notice has been given, or by a ⅔ vote without notice.

7 An Appeal is undebatable only when made while an undebatable

question is pending, or when relating to indecorum, or to

transgressions of the rules of speaking, or to the priority of

business. When debatable, only one speech from each member is

permitted. On a tie vote the decision of the chair is sustained.

8 Cannot be reconsidered after the committee has taken up the

subject, but by ⅔ vote the committee at any time may be discharged

from further consideration of the question.

9 These motions may be moved whenever the immediately pending

question is debatable, and they apply only to it, unless otherwise

specified.

10 If resolutions or propositions relate to different subjects which

are independent of each other, they must be divided on the request

of a single member, which can be made when another has the floor. If

they relate to the same subject and yet each part can stand alone,

they may be divided only on a regular motion and vote.

11 Undebatable if made when another question is before the assembly.

12 The objection can be made only when the question is first

introduced, before debate. A ⅔ vote must be opposed to the

consideration in order to sustain the objection.

13 A negative vote on this motion cannot be reconsidered.

14 The Previous Question may be moved whenever the immediately

pending question is debatable or amendable. The questions upon which

it is moved should be specified; if not specified, it applies only

to the immediately pending question. If adopted it cuts off debate

and at once brings the assembly to a vote on the immediately pending

question and such others as are specified in the motion.

15 Cannot be reconsidered after a vote has been taken under it.

16 The motion to reconsider can be made while any other question

is before the assembly, and even while another has the floor, or

after it has been voted to adjourn, provided the assembly has not

been declared adjourned. It can be moved only on the day, or the

day after, the vote which it is proposed to reconsider was taken,

and by one who voted with the prevailing side. Its consideration

cannot interrupt business unless the motion to be reconsidered takes

precedence of the immediately pending question. Its rank is the

same as that of the motion to be reconsidered, except that it takes

precedence of a general order, or of a motion of equal rank with

the motion to be reconsidered, provided their consideration has not

actually begun.

17 Opens to debate main question when latter is debatable.

18 Rescind is under the same rules as to amend something already

adopted. See notes 2, 5, and 6, above.

ADDITIONAL RULES

_Incidental Motions._ Motions that are incidental to pending motions

take precedence of them and must be acted upon first. [See 13 for

list of these motions.]

No privileged or subsidiary motion can be laid on the table,

postponed definitely or indefinitely, or committed. When the main

question is laid on the table, etc., all adhering subsidiaries go

with it.

EXPLANATION OF THE TABLE OF RULES RELATING TO MOTIONS.

Every one expecting to take an active part in meetings of a

deliberative assembly should become sufficiently familiar with the

Order of Precedence of Motions, page 5, and the Table of Rules,

pages 6-10, to be able to refer to them quickly. This familiarity

can only be acquired by actual practice in referring to these tables

and finding the rulings on the various points covered by them in

regard to various motions. These six pages contain an epitome of

parliamentary law. The Order of Precedence of Motions should be

committed to memory, as it contains all of the privileged and

subsidiary motions, 12 in number, arranged in their order of rank,

and shows in regard to each motion whether it can be debated or

amended, and what vote it requires, and under what circumstances it

can be made.

In the Table of Rules the headings to the 8 columns are rules or

principles which are applicable to all original main motions, and

should be memorized. They are as follows: (1) Original Main Motions

are debatable; (2) debate must be confined to the immediately pending

question; (3) they can be amended; (4) all subsidiary motions can be

applied to them; (5) they can be reconsidered; (6) they require only

a majority vote for their adoption; (7) they must be seconded; and

(8) they are not in order when another has the floor. Whenever any

of the 44 motions in the Table differs from a main motion in regard

to any of these rules, the exception is indicated by a star (★) or a

figure in the proper column opposite that motion. A star shows that

the exact opposite of the rule at the head of the column applies to

the motion. A figure refers to a note which explains the extent of

the exception. A blank shows that the rule at the head of the column

applies, and therefore that the motion is in this respect exactly

like a main motion. Some of the motions are followed by figures

not in the columns: these figures refer to notes giving useful

information in regard to these motions.

The Table of Rules is constructed upon the theory that it is best

to learn the general principles of parliamentary law as applied to

original main motions, and then to note in what respects each other

motion is an exception to these general rules. Thus, the motion to

postpone definitely, or to a certain time, has no stars or figures

opposite it, and therefore it is subject to all of the above 8 rules

the same as any main motion: to postpone indefinitely has two stars

and the number 13 opposite to it, showing that the rules at the

head of these three columns do not apply to this motion. The first

star shows that debate is not confined to the motion to postpone

indefinitely, but that the main motion is also open to debate; the

second star shows that the motion to postpone indefinitely cannot

be amended; and the number 13 refers to a note which shows that a

negative vote on this motion cannot be reconsidered.

As has previously been stated, a star shows that the motion, instead

of being subject to the rule at the head of the column, is subject

to a rule exactly the reverse. Stars in the various columns,

therefore, mean that the motions are subject to the following rules:

(1) undebatable; (2) opens main question to debate; (3) cannot be

amended; (4) no subsidiary motion can be applied; (5) cannot be

reconsidered; (6) requires a two-thirds vote; (7) does not require to

be seconded; and (8) in order when another has the floor.

PREFACE.

A work on parliamentary law is needed, based, in its general

principles, upon the rules and practice of Congress, but adapted, in

its details, to the use of ordinary societies. Such a work should

give not only the methods of organizing and conducting meetings,

the duties of officers, and names of ordinary motions, but also a

systematic statement in reference to each motion, as to its object

and effect; whether it can be amended or debated; if debatable,

the extent to which it opens the main question to debate; the

circumstances under which it can be made, and what other motions can

be made while it is pending. Robert’s Rules of Order (published in

1876, slight additions being made in 1893) was prepared with a hope

of supplying the above information in a condensed and systematic

form, each rule being complete in itself, or giving references to

every section that in any way qualifies it, so that a stranger to the

work can refer to any special subject with safety.

The fact that during these thirty-nine years a half million copies of

these Rules have been published would indicate that there is a demand

for a work of this kind. But the constant inquiries from all sections

of the country for information concerning proceedings in deliberative

assemblies that is not contained in Rules of Order, seems to demand a

revision and enlargement of the manual. To meet this want, the work

has been thoroughly revised and enlarged, and, to avoid confusion

with the old Rules, is published under the title of “Robert’s Rules

of Order Revised.”

The object of Rules of Order is to assist an assembly to accomplish

in the best possible manner the work for which it was designed. To

do this it is necessary to restrain the individual somewhat, as the

right of an individual, in any community, to do what he pleases, is

incompatible with the interests of the whole. Where there is no law,

but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least

of real liberty. Experience has shown the importance of definiteness

in the law; and in this country, where customs are so slightly

established and the published manuals of parliamentary practice so

conflicting, no society should attempt to conduct business without

having adopted some work upon the subject as the authority in all

cases not covered by its own special rules.

While it is important that an assembly has good rules, it is

more important that it be not without some rules to govern its

proceedings. It is much more important, for instance, that an

assembly has a rule determining the rank of the motion to postpone

indefinitely, than that it gives this motion the highest rank of

all subsidiary motions except to lay on the table, as in the U.

S. Senate; or gives it the lowest rank, as in the U. S. House of

Representatives; or gives it equal rank with the previous question,

to postpone definitely, and to commit, so that if one is pending none

of the others may be moved, as under the old parliamentary law. This

has been well expressed by one of the greatest of English writers

on parliamentary law: “Whether these forms be in all cases the most

rational or not is really not of so great importance. It is much more

material that there should be a rule to go by than what that rule is;

that there may be a uniformity of proceeding in business, not subject

to the caprice of the chairman or captiousness of the members. It is

very material that order, decency, and regularity be preserved in a

dignified public body.”

H. M. R.

_February_, 1915.

INTRODUCTION.

PARLIAMENTARY LAW.

=Parliamentary Law= refers originally to the customs and rules for

conducting business in the English Parliament; and thence to the

usages of deliberative assemblies in general. In England these usages

of Parliament form a part of the unwritten law of the land, and in

our own legislative bodies they are of authority in all cases where

they do not conflict with existing rules or precedents.

But as a people we have not the respect which the English have for

customs and precedents, and are always ready for such innovations as

we think are improvements; hence changes have been and are constantly

being made in the written rules which our legislative bodies have

found best to adopt. As each house adopts its own rules, the result

is that the two houses of the same legislature do not always agree

in their practice; even in Congress the order of precedence of

motions is not the same in both houses, and the previous question

is admitted in the House of Representatives but not in the Senate.

As a consequence of this, the exact method of conducting business

in any particular legislative body is to be obtained only from the

Legislative Manual of that body.

The vast number of societies—political, literary, scientific,

benevolent, and religious—formed all over the land, though not

legislative, are deliberative in character, and must have some system

of conducting business and some rules to govern their proceedings,

and are necessarily subject to the common parliamentary law where

it does not conflict with their own special rules. But as their

knowledge of parliamentary law has been obtained from the usages in

this country, rather than from the customs of Parliament, it has

resulted that these societies have followed in part the customs of

our own legislative bodies, and our people have thus been educated

under a system of parliamentary law which is peculiar to this

country, and yet so well established as to supersede the English

parliamentary law as the common law of ordinary deliberative

assemblies.

The practice of the National House of Representatives should have

the same force in this country as the usages of the House of Commons

have in England, in determining the general principles of the common

parliamentary law of the land, were it not for the fact that while

the English Parliament has continued to be a strictly deliberative

assembly, the business of our House of Representatives has grown so

enormously that it has been obliged to make such changes in its rules

and practice as will allow the majority to suppress the debate, if

there has been previous debate, and if there has been none, to limit

the debate to forty minutes; and also to suppress a question for

the session even without any debate. These deviations from the old

parliamentary law, while necessary in the House of Representatives,

are in violation of the fundamental right of a deliberative assembly

to have questions thoroughly discussed before it is called upon to

take action upon them, unless a large majority, at least two-thirds,

is prepared to act at once. In ordinary deliberative assemblies the

right to debate questions before taking final action upon them should

never be suppressed by less than a two-thirds vote, and the motion to

lay on the table should be used only for its legitimate parliamentary

purpose of laying aside a question temporarily.

Where the practice of Congress differs from that of Parliament, the

common law of this country usually follows the practice of Congress.

Thus, in every American deliberative assembly having no rules for

conducting business, the motion to adjourn, when it does not dissolve

the assembly, would be decided to be undebatable, as in Congress, the

English parliamentary law to the contrary notwithstanding; so if the

previous question were negatived, the debate upon the subject would

continue, as in Congress, whereas in Parliament the subject would

be immediately dismissed; so, too, the previous question could be

moved when there was before the assembly a motion either to commit,

or to postpone definitely or indefinitely, just as in Congress,

notwithstanding that, according to English parliamentary law, the

previous question could not be moved under such circumstances.

The old common parliamentary law gives the same rank to the motions

for the previous question, to postpone definitely, to commit, and

to postpone indefinitely, so that no one of them can be moved while

another one of them is pending; the House makes them rank in the

order just named; while the Senate does not admit the motion for the

previous question, and makes to postpone indefinitely outrank all

the others. The practice of the House in this matter establishes the

parliamentary law of this country, as it does in all cases where

its practice is not due to the great quantity of its business or

the necessities of party government. This may be illustrated by the

motions to lay on the table and the previous question. The House

of Representatives has completely changed the use of the motion to

lay on the table from that of merely laying aside a question until

the assembly chooses to resume its consideration [see foot note,

=28=], to a motion to kill the pending proposition. To make it more

effective for this purpose, they have allowed it to be made before

the member reporting a bill from the committee is allowed to speak,

and when a question is laid upon the table it cannot be taken up

except by suspending the rules, which requires a two-thirds vote. For

reasons previously given, such rules are necessary in Congress, but

in ordinary assemblies they would do more harm than good. The same

vote should be required (two-thirds vote) to stop debate and bring

the assembly to a vote on the final disposition of the question,

whether the intention is to adopt or to reject the proposition. The

previous question and the motion to lay on the table require the same

vote in Congress, and should in all assemblies where to lay on the

table is used for killing propositions.

The modifications made by the House in regard to the previous

question have made that motion extremely simple and useful, and its

practice establishes the parliamentary law of the country as to

the previous question, except in respect to its being ordered by a

majority vote and forty minutes’ debate being allowed after it has

been ordered, if the proposition has not been previously debated. It

is necessary in Congress for the majority to have the power to close

debate, but, such a power being in conflict with the fundamental

rights of a deliberative assembly, Congress has modified it so as not

to cut off debate entirely. In an ordinary assembly, with sessions

not exceeding two or three hours, it should, and it does, have the

power by a two-thirds vote to close debate instantly, just as by the

same vote it may suspend the rules.

In matters of detail, the rules of the House of Representatives are

adapted to the peculiar wants of that body, and are of no authority

in any other assembly. No one, for instance, would accept the

following House of Representatives rules as common parliamentary law

in this country: That the chairman, in case of disorderly conduct,

would have the power to order the galleries to be cleared; that any

fifteen members would be authorized to compel the attendance of

absent members; that each member would be limited in debate upon

any question to one hour; and that the motion to suspend the rules

can only be entertained on the first and third Mondays of each

month. These examples are sufficient to show the absurdity of the

idea that the rules of Congress in all things determine the common

parliamentary law.

While some of the rules of Congress are adapted only to legislative

assemblies, and others only to the House that adopts them, yet its

rules and practice, except where manifestly unsuited to ordinary

deliberative assemblies, should, and do determine the parliamentary

law of the country. The people of the United States will never

accept the rules and practice of the legislature, or of deliberative

assemblies, of any state, or even of any section of the country, as

of equal authority with the practice of the National Congress in

determining the parliamentary law for the whole country.

Since, however, the sessions of Congress last from three to six

months, and at times to nearly a year, whereas the great majority

of ordinary deliberative assemblies have sessions lasting not more

than two or three hours; and since the quorum in Congress is a

majority of the members, while in most societies it is less than

one-fifth, and often less than one-tenth, of the members; and since

the members of Congress are paid to devote all their time during a

session to the business of Congress, and can be compelled to attend,

whereas in ordinary assemblies the members have other duties and

their attendance is simply voluntary; and as the work of Congress

is enormous and is mostly done by standing committees, of which

there are fifty-six, or in committee of the whole, while in ordinary

assemblies the assembly itself attends to most of its business,

and the rest is done usually by special committees rather than by

standing committees or in committee of the whole—as these differences

exist, it is evident that the rules and practice of Congress

require to be modified in some respects to adapt them to ordinary

deliberative assemblies. Sometimes the old common parliamentary law

is better adapted to ordinary societies, as with the motion to lay on

the table. Where the two houses differ, sometimes the Senate practice

is better adapted to ordinary assemblies, as in allowing each member

to speak twice to the same question each day; while in allowing the

previous question and in making the motion to postpone indefinitely

the lowest of subsidiary motions, the practice of the House seems

better adapted to ordinary assemblies. The House allows a majority

to order the previous question, but if there has been no debate on

the question, forty minutes’ debate is permitted after the previous

question has been ordered. This rule is not adapted to assemblies

whose entire session may not last two hours. They should have power

to close debate instantly by a two-thirds vote. This is in accordance

with the general principle that the assembly by a two-thirds vote may

suspend the rules, even the rule permitting debate.

As there would naturally be differences of opinion as to the

application of the above principles, and it is important that the law

should be definite, every deliberative assembly should imitate our

legislative bodies and adopt some Rules of Order for the conduct of

its business.{3}

{3} Any society adopting these Rules of Order should be governed by

them in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are

not inconsistent with the by-laws and rules of order of the society.

[See p. 268 for the form of a rule covering this case.] Its own rules

should include all of the cases where it is desirable to vary from

the rules in the Manual, and especially should provide for a Quorum

[=64=] and an Order of Business [=65=], as suggested in this Manual.

PLAN OF THE WORK.

These Rules are prepared to meet partially this want in deliberative

assemblies that are not legislative in their character. They have

been made sufficiently complete to answer for the rules of an

assembly until it sees fit to adopt special rules conflicting with

and superseding any of the rules of detail, such as the Order of

Business, etc. They are based upon the rules and practice of Congress

so far as these are adapted to ordinary deliberative assemblies with

short sessions and comparatively small quorums, as has just been

explained. In cases where these Rules differ from the practice of

Congress, usually the congressional rule will be found in a foot

note. The foot notes need not be referred to for any other purpose

than to ascertain the practice of Congress.

This Manual contains a Table of Contents, Table of Rules, Part I,