A congressional manual ; or, outline of the order of business : in the House of Representatives of the United States. With copious indexes.

Front matter

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Preface

This Manual has been undertaken and executed mainly with the view of giving gentlemen, who may not have served as members of our National Legislature, some small insight into the mode of transacting the business of Congress, especially in the House of Representatives of the United States. Members of the several State Legislatures will also find it serviceable in the performance of their legislative duties, while at the same time it will, in some measure,- qualify them for a seat in the House of Representatives of the United States, in the event of their promotion to that distinguished body. Perhaps, occasionally the old members of congress may find it a convenient reference.

This work contains the Declaration of Indepen- (loricoi the Constitution of the United States, Rules of both Houses of Congress, and Jeficrson's Manual, besides a mass of important parliamentary decisions worthy the attention of every man deflirous of becoming acquainted with the congres- Hional practice of the country.

IJVDEX

TO THE CONGRESSIONAL MANUAL.

JmendmentSy ofifored to bills on first reading, 38

Appropriaiion BUls, 57

B.

Bilbf mode of reporting, and receiving by the chair 81 General Appropriation, to be considered first when in committee of the whole on the state of the Union, 33

mode of pcaauig, by the house, 38

title of^ ih

mode of demanding the yeas and nays on, 39

reafdutiona and reports oif a first setsion, and undetermined, may be taken up in the second, (after the first six days of the session,) • in the same manner as if an adjournment had not taken place, 53

Business, priority o^ 54

local and private, 59

C.

Call of the AbUM. A call of the house afler previous

qoflBtkm ordered, not allowed. (See Previous

Question.) 46

Chbplain, elected for a session, 13

one selected yearly, 26

Clerk, oath of office administered to, 14

salary of, duties, franks, dtc. 41

list of oiders, 42 vi INDEX.

Page.

Clerk, JoumaUzing, reads the journal of the preceding day to the Speaker, before the house convenes on the succeeding day, 42

Committees^ joint, to wait on the President at the

opening of the two Houses, 16

standing, how appointed, 21

reports of, mode d calling and receiving them by the chair, 27 select, are called after standing committees, 27 of the whole on the state of the Union,

mode of going into, and reports from 33 mode of transacting business when in, ib

proceedings of the chair and House on

reports from 37

report of, when not in committee of the

whole on the state of the Union, 36

of former sessions, 53

Sooms, ib

of the whole, 58

Conferences, 60

Committee of conference mutually s^>aiBted without agreement — agreed to recede on one amendment, but could not agree as to the others, and so reported j 61

The House refusing to adhere, afterwards resolved

to recede, 62

Part of the report of conference rejected, 63

Further conference asked, 6&

Receding after conference, 65—69

D.

Delegates may speak, frank, dec, bat not vote, 17

their pay and mileage same as members, 17

District of Columbia, committee of 55

public grounds, 55

E.

Election of clerk and sergeant-at-arms, 13

of Speaker, a majority of the whole number necessary, 1 1

INDEX. vti

Page.

Franking, to what extent allowed, 54

H.

House of Representatives — ^notice to Senate of its organization, 16 daily hour of adjournment in early part of session, 16 call of the, proceedings on, &c fiO

I. J.

InauguraHon of the first President, General Washington, 84 Journal of the House, corrected if necessary, 17

M.

Majority of the whole number necessary to elect a

Speaker, 11 Manual, Jefferson's, rules of, to govern the House

adopted, 14 Message, mode of receiving and announdn^ firooi

Fmident of the United States, 18

printed confidentially before ddiveiy, ih

not seen by members till read in die House, 19

Mikage, duty of the committee on, 56

remarks concerning, 67

MoHon, to he on the table, 43

N- Newspapers, — ^memb^ars supplied with fhree daily, 20

O.

Oath of office, members arriving after the opening of

the session, take the 17 Opening of the House, 0 selection of seats at the, ib clerk puts the question to open, 10 Orders of the day, when to proceed in the consideration of the, Yl

▼fii rXDEX.

P. Page.

Petitions, B^eaket calls for under the 1 6th mle, commencing with Maine and Wisconsin altematelj, 25

commences where he left off the preceding

day, 26

mode 0(f presentiiig ind raceiving, ib

leading, called for, ih

may he presented daSy fat the first 30 days ib role ro^ecting, frequently suspended, ib

Postpone — to po^pone to a day certain takes precedence of a motion to postpone indefinitely 47 Postpanementf indejinite, last in the order of privileged motions, 48 President of the United Stedes,

General Washington and Mr. Adams met the House in session, 18

Mr. Jefferson sent the first inaugoral message, 18

Presidential TUk, 82—84

Previous Question, a majority mnst second the demand tor the 44 'DMmon of the question, when the proposition before the House will admit of it, may be permitted after the ptenma question has been ordered, ^44 Amendment pending when the question has ' .^ ^^ been seconded, cut off, 44 'x If a majority should not vote in favour of the ^ main question after tbe previous has been ordered, the qoealkupoes over t0 the next day, ^:^^ ' 46 A call of the Hotiaa tffe previous question

ordered, not allowed, 46

Relative to points of iirder, having been adjourned over, 46 To lie on the tabic, 47 Call of the House not in order after the previous question has been seconded, 46 Precedents of Order — Casting vote of the chair to

sustain its decision, 70

INDEX. ix

Pcige.

After one member has answered, on a call of the yeas and nays, not in order to address the House, • 70 Substitute rejected as not in order, 71 Right to the floor lost, ih Right of a memboK te jhange his vote, 72 Injunction of secnaj^tpiut be .taken off in secret session, • * ' 73 No debate after previoas question, 75 What is the main question, ib What amounts to a rejection of a bill, ih Motion must be reduced to writing if demanded, before debate, 76 Rejection of a bill, ih Main question cannot be amended, 77 Not in order to offer a resolution on a subject

already referred to a committee, 78 Report of committee of the whole, when not

in order, • 78

Previous question — motion to lie on the table, 79

The order of an engrossed bill, 81 Subject-matter bdng tinder consideration of the house, cannot bD superseded by another

. resolution of same tenor 87

Withdrawal of propositions ih

Reference to proceedings in Senate ih

Modification after amendpai^t 88

Striking out amendpicpl -.>• ih

Substitute piddiiig a^MWa to amend part 89

Orders of the day ii^*--^- »

Changing propfeaiti<i<r.it'BM<nict committed

into a call of the exaellt^re * 90

Votes outside the bar. QJfee Votes.) 91

Reconsidering order for yeas and nays, 92 Yeas and nays cannot be called on a motion

to second the call oC the previous question, 120 Increase of duty, 93, 98

Call for reading a memorial, ih

Amendment as a substitute ^^