what has been agreed to in committee actually assembled." -Manual, p. 85. committee. that committee member was no "A majority of the committee constitutes a quorum for A quorum of a business."-Manual, p. 85. But it is not necessary that the Not necessary committee shall be full when a paper is acted upon.-Journal, be full. 1, 34, p. 1143. Nor is it even necessary that every member Nor that every shall have been notified of an adjourned meeting, if it shall tified of an adappear that at such meeting a quorum was present, and that' a majority of such quorum authorized a report to be made.Same Journal, pp. 1433, 1434. journed meeting. be referred to "A committee cannot receive a petition but through the Petitions, how to House."-Manual p. 66. "Members having petitions and committees. memorials to present may hand them to the Clerk, endorsing the same with their names, and the reference or disposition to be made thereof; and such petitions and memorials shall be entered on the Journal, subject to the control and direction of the Speaker."-Rule 131. [This is the only mode of presenting a petition for reference now recognized by the rules. The rule, however, is construed to authorize the withdrawal of old papers from the files for the purpose of reference to the appropriate committee. And, in this connection, may not be improper to call attention to that portion of this rule, which requires that the name of the member and Members should that of the committee shall be endorsed upon the paper to be pers referred by referred. In order to secure its appearance in the daily newspapers, members should furnish a memorandum of the Newspapers to be contents and reference of the same to the reporters.] it endorse the pa them. furnished with a memorandum. how delivered to "The Clerk may deliver the bill to any member of the Matters referred, committee, but it is usual to deliver it to him who is first the committee. named.”—Manual, p. 84. [In the House of Representatives the long-settled practice has been, where the committee have a regular place of meeting, as is the case with all the standing committees, for the Clerk to take down to the committeeroom and deposit there all matters referred to said committee, and make an entry of the same in the docket of the committee; and when they have no committee-room, as is the case with some of the select committees, to deliver the matter referred to the chairman.] It is not competent for the House to instruct a committee Not competent to instruct commit- to amend a bill in a manner that the House itself cannot tee to do what not do. House itself can-amend it.-Journal, 2, 35, p. 389. [Indeed, it is the wellsettled practice that the House cannot instruct a committee to do what the House itself cannot do.] To commit with instructions not divisible. How amend. ments are to be. mittee. A division of the question is not in order on a motion to commit or recommit with instructions, or on the different branches of instructions.-Journals, 1, 17, p. 507; 1, 31, pp. 1395, 1397; and 1, 32, p. 611. "The committee may not erase, interline, or blot the bill noted by a com- itself, but must, in a paper by itself, set down the amendments, stating the words which are to be inserted or omitted, and where, by reference to the page, line, and word of the bill."-Manual, p. 87. No reconsideration of a vote in committee. Committee not reject paper. Committee can can not change title or subject. "When a vote is once passed in a committee it cannot be altered but by the House, their votes being binding on themselves."-Manual, p. 87. "If the committee are opposed to the whole paper, and think it cannot be made good by amendments, they cannot reject it, but must report it back to the House without amendments, and there make their opposition.”—Manual, p. 86. "The committee have full power over the bill or other paper, except that they cannot change the title or subject." -Manual, p. 85. When and in "As soon as the Journal is read, and the unfinished busi what order com port. mittees are to re-ness in which the House was engaged at the last preceding adjournment has been disposed of, reports from committees shall be called for and disposed of; in doing which the Speaker shall call upon each standing committee in the following order, viz.: Committee of Elections. Committee of Ways and Means. Committee of Claims. Committee on Commerce. Committee on the Public Lands. Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads. Committee on the District of Columbia. Committee on the Judiciary. Committee on Revolutionary Claims. Committee on Public Expenditures. Committee on Private Land Claims. Committee on Naval Affairs. Committee on Foreign Affairs. Committee on the Territories. Committee on Revolutionary Pensions. Committee on Invalid Pensions. Committee on Roads and Canals. Committee on Patents. Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. Committee of Accounts. Committee on Mileage. Committee on Printing. Committee on Enrolled Bills. Committee on the Library of Congress. Committee on Expenditures in the State Department. Committee on Expenditures in the Treasury Department. Committee on Expenditures in the War Department. Committee on Expenditures in the Navy Department. Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department. Committee on Expenditures in the Interior Department. Committee on Expenditures on the Public Buildings. And when all the standing committees shall have been called on, then it shall be the duty of the Speaker to call for reports from select committees: if the Speaker shall not get call of, to be rethrough the call upon the committees before the House passes off. to other business, he shall resume the call where he left off, giving preference to the report last under consideration. Provided, that whenever any committee shall have occupied After occupying the morning hour on two days, it shall not be in order for on two days, not such committee to report further until the other committees shall have been called in their turn. [But this proviso does not restrain the House from occupying the morning hour on more than two days in the consideration of a report.] sumed where left morning hours to report further. each alternate Reports from, on "On the call for reports from committees on each alternate Monday. Monday, which shall commence as soon as the Journal is read, all bills reported during the first hour after the Journal is read shall be committed, without debate, to the Committee of the Whole, and, together with their accompanying reports, printed; and if during the hour all the committees are not called, then, on the next alternate Monday, the Speaker shall commence where such call was suspended: Provided, That no bill reported under the call on alternate Mondays, and committed, shall be again brought before the House by a motion to reconsider."--Rule 51. Call of commit how interfered with. mo [The regular call for reports as provided for by this rule tees for reports, is liable to be interfered with by "special orders," "questions of privilege," and "privileged questions," also by the "call of States for bills on leave and resolutions," which by Rule 130 is in order every alternate Monday, and “ tions to suspend the rules," which, by Rule 145, may be submitted every Monday, at the expiration of one hour after the Journal is read. So, too, by Rule 128, the call of committees is limited on Fridays and Saturdays to "business of a private nature."] Right to report consider. "It shall be in order for the Committee on Enrolled Bills and the Committee on Printing to report at any time— Rules 100 and 101-and also for the Committee of Ways and Means to report (for the purpose of reference) the general appropriation bills at any time."-Rule 77. "A committee having leave to report at all times may report in part at different times."-Journal, 1, 27, p. 104. p. 195. The right to report at any time carries with it the right to carries right to consider the matter when reported.-Journal, 1, 32, And where authority is given to a committee to make a report at a particular time, the right follows to consider the report when made.-Journal, 1, 32, p. 1409. Have leave to re "The several standing committees of the House shall have otherwise. leave to report by bill or otherwise."-Rule 71. port by bill or Committee can not report on a red by the rules It is not competent for a committee to report a bill where subject not refer the subject-matter has not been referred to them by the or otherwise. House, by the rules, or otherwise.-Journal, 1, 31, p. 590. A bill may be reported with a recommendation that it do Bill may be re not pass, if based upon a paper regularly referred.-Jour- ported with a renal, 1, 32, p. 785. commendation that it do not pass. commit tee, how dissolv "The report being made, the committee is dissolved, and Select can act no more without a new power. But it may be revived ed and revived. by a vote, and the same matter recommitted to them.' Manual, p. 88. [This evidently refers to a select committee, and, under the practice of the House, a motion to recommit decided affirmatively has the effect of reviving the committee. See Journal, 2, 37, p. 874; 3, 37, p. 487 to 480.] as to whether commit If it is disputed that a report has been ordered in by a Dispute committee, the question of reception must be put to the tee have ordered House.-Journal, 2, 27, p. 1410. [The report. make a report. A minority of a committee cannot make a report, a minor- Minority cannot ity not being the committee.-Journal, 1, 24, p. 562. common practice, however, is to permit the minority to submit their views in writing, which are usually printed and considered with the majority report.] The chairman of a committee submitting a report has a Chairman may right to read it.-Journal, 2, 27, p. 409. read report. reporting to de "A member reporting the measure under consideration Right of member from a committee may open and close the debate”—Rule 60; bate. and, under the invariable practice, he is entitled to be recognized, notwithstanding another member may have risen first and addressed the chair-Journal, 3, 27, p. 211; and his right to close the debate is never denied him, even after the previous question is ordered, or debate has been closed.Journal, 1, 31, p. 1056. of committee not to be published. "The proceedings of a committee are not to be published, Proceedings as they are of no force till confirmed by the House.". Manual, p. 66. ceedings in com der. It is not in order to allude on the floor to anything that Reference to prohas taken place in committee, unless by a written report mittee not in orsanctioned by a majority of the committee.-Journals, 1, 26, p. 418; 1, 31, p. 393. "After commitment and report thereof to the House, or Recommitment. at any time before its passage, a bill may be recommitted; and should such recommitment take place after its engrossment, and an amendment be reported and agreed to by the House, the question shall be again put on the engrossment of |