Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

appeal to the house by any two members; on which appeal no member shall speak more than once, unless by leave of the house.

3. He shall rise to put a question, but may state it sitting.

4. Questions shall be distinctly put in this form, to wit: "As many as are of opinion that (as the question may be,) say Ay;" and, after the affirmative voice is expressed, "As many as are of the contrary opinion say No." If the speaker doubts, or a division be called for, the house shall divide those in the affirmative of the question shall first rise from their seats, and afterwards those in the negative. If the speaker still doubts, or a count be required, the speaker shall name two members, one from each side, to tell the members in the affirmative, which being reported, shall then name two others, one from each side, to tell those in the negative, which being also reported, he shall rise and state the decision to the house. No division and count of the house by tellers shall be in order, but upon motion seconded by at least one-fifth of a quorum of the members.

5. When any motion or proposition is made, the question, "Will the house now consider it?" shall not be put, unless it is demanded by some member, or is deemed necessary by the speaker.

6. The speaker shall examine and correct the journal before it is read. He shall have a general direction of the hall. He shall have a right to name any member to perform the duties of the chair, but such substitution shall not extend be. yond an adjournment."

7. All committees shall be appointed by the speaker, unless otherwise specially directed by the house, in which case they shall be appointed by ballot; and if, upon such ballot, the number required shall not be elected by a majority of the yotes given, the house shall proceed to a second ballot, in which a plurality of votes shall prevail; and, in case a greater number than is required to compose or complete a committee shall have an equal number of votes, the house shall proceed to a further ballot or ballots.

8. In all other cases of ballot than for committees, a majority of the votes given shall be necessary to an election; and where there shall not be such a majority on the first ballot, the ballot shall be repeated until a majority be obtained. And in all ballotings blanks shall be rejected and not taken into the count in the enumeration of votes, or reported by the tellers.

9. In all cases of ballot by the house, the speaker shall vote in other cases he shall not vote, unless the house be equally divided, or unless his vote, if given to the minority, will make the division equal; and in case of such equal division, the question shall be lost.

10. In all cases where other than members of the house may be eligible to an office by the election of the house, there shall be a previous nomination.

11. All aets, addresses, and joint resolutions, shall be signed by the speaker; and all writs, warrants, and subpoenas, issued by order of the house, shall be under his hand and seal, attested by the clerk.

12. In case of any disturbance or disorderly conduct in the galleries or lobby, the speaker (or chairman of the committee of the whole house) shall have power to order the same to be cleared. 13. No person, except members of the senate, their secretary, heads of departments, treasurer, comptrollers, register, auditors, postmaster general, president's secretary, chaplains to congress, judges of the United States, foreign ministers and their secretaries, officers who, by name, have received, or shall hereafter receive, the thanks of congress for their gallantry and good conduct displayed in the service of their country, the commissioners of the navy board, governor, for the time being, of any state or territory of the Union, who may attend at the seat of the general government during the session of congress, and who may choose to avail himself of such privilege, such gentlemen as have been heads of departments, or members of either branch of the legislature; and, at the discretion of the speaker, persons who belong to such legislatures of foreign governments as are in amity with the United States, shall be admitted within the hall of the house of representatives.

14. Stenographers, wishing to take down the debates, may be admitted by the speaker, who shall assign such places to them, on the floor or elsewhere, to effect their object, as shall not interfere with the convenience of the house.

Order of business of the Session.

15. After six days from the commencement of a second or subsequent session of any congress, all

bills, resolutions, and reports, which originated in the house, and at the close of the next preceding session remained undetermined, shall be resumed and acted on, in the same manner as if an adjournment had not taken place.

Order of business of the day.

16. As soon as the journal is read, the speaker. shall call for petitions from the members of each state, and delegates from each territory, beginning with Maine, and the territory of Wisconsin, alternately; and if, on any day, the whole of the states and territories shall not be called, the speaker shall begin on the next day where he left off the previous day. Provided, that, after the first thirty days of the session, petitions shall not be received except on the first day of the meeting of the house in each week.

17. The petitions having been presented and 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, order they are named in the 58th and 85th rules; and, when all the standing committees 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 through the call upon the committees before the house passes to other business he shall resume the next call where he left off. Resolutions shall then be called for in the same order, and disposed of by the same rules which apply to petitions: provided, that no member shall offer more than one resolution, or one

series of resolutions all relating to the same subject, until all the states and territories shall have been called.

18. After one hour shall have been devoted to reports from committees and resolutions, it shall be in order, pending the consideration or discussion thereof, to entertain a motion that the house do now proceed to dispose of the business on the speaker's table, and to the orders of the day; which, being decided in the affirmative, the speaker shall dispose of the business on his table. in the following order, viz.

1st. Messages and other Executive communications.

2d. Messages from the senate, and amendments; proposed by the senate to bills of the house.

3d. Bills and resolutions from the senate on their first and second reading, that they be referred to committees and put under way; but if, on being read a second time, no motion be made to commit, they are to be ordered to their third reading, unless objection be made; in which case, if not otherwise ordered by a majority of the house, they are to be laid on the table in the general file of bills on the speaker's table, to be taken up in their turn.

4th. Engrossed bills and bills from the senate on their third reading.

5th. Bills of the house and from the senate, on the speaker's table, on their engrossment, or on be ing ordered to a third reading, to be taken up

« AnteriorContinuar »