at any time, be amended by annexing thereto, or incorpora ting therewith, any other bill or resolution pending before the House.*September 15, 1837.

49 When a motion has been once made, and carried in the affirmative or negative, it shall be in order for any mem ber of the majority to move for the reconsideration thereof --January 7, 1802--on the same or succeeding day--December 23, 1811; and such motion shall take precedence of all other questions, except a motion to adjourn†—— May 6, 1828-and shall not be withdrawn after the said succeeding

amendment, as a substitute for the motion or proposition under debate." On the 13th March, 1822, it was changed to its present form, in which the words new and substitute do not appear.

66

* The latter clause of this rule was adopted at the first session of the 25th Congress; and as originally reported by the committee, the following words were contained at the end of it: Nor by any proposition containing the substance, in whole or in part, of any other bill or resolution pending before the House." These words were stricken out by the House before it would agree to the rule; by which it would seem to be decided that a bill or resolution might be amended by incorporating therein the substance of any other bill or resolu tion before the House. Such has been the general practice of the House.

A difference of opinion and a discrepancy in action have sometimes occurred in administering this rule. Twenty years ago, and previously, a motion to reconsider could not be made after the subject was disposed of, if there was another subject before the House, until that subject had passed away; it was then often too late to make the motion. It was under this practice that Mr. Randolph was unable to move a reconsideration of the settlement of the celebrated Missouri question, (notice of which he gave out of time,) as, before he could do so, the bill had been taken to the Senate. The practice of late years has been changed, so as to allow the motion to reconsider to be made at any moment within the prescribed time. If the motion be made when a different subject is before the House, is entered, and remains until that subject is disposed of, and then "takes precedence of all other business, except a motion to adjourn." When any final vote has been taken, and a motion made to reconsider, that motion may be laid on the table; in which case, according to the practice of several years past, the vote stands as though the motion to reconsider had not been made. This is correct; as, if the House wished to retain the matter, it would agree to the motion to reconsider, instead of laying it on the table. Motions to reconsider should be promptly acted on, otherwise it is in the power of a single member (voting on the strong side against his sentiments, solely for the purpose of placing himself in a situation to make the motion to arrest business which a majority have determined to despatch.

day without the consent of the House; and thereafter any member may call it up for consideration.--March 2, 1848. 50. In filling up blanks, the largest sum and longest time shall be first put.--April 7, 1789.

ORDER OF BUSINESS OF THE DAY.

51. As soon as the journal is read, and the unfinished business 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 regular order, and then upon select committees; and 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-September 15, 1837-giving preference to the report last under consideration: Provided, That whenever any committee shall have occupied the morning hour on two days, it shall not be in order for such committee to report further until the other committees shall have been called in their turn. *- December 7, 1857.t

52. Reports from committees having been presented and disposed of, the Speaker shall call for resolutions from the members of each State and delegate from each Territory, beginning with Maine and the Territory last organized, alternately; and they shall not be debated on the very day of their being presented, nor on any day assigned by the House. for the receipt of resolutions, unless where the House shall direct otherwise, but shall lie on the table, to be taken up

* This proviso does not restrain the House from considering a report already made for a longer period than two days; simply prevents a committee from reporting further after occupying that period.

This rule, as it originally stood, was amended in the revision of the rules at the 1st session of the 36th Congress, viz: so as to provide for the consideration of the unfinished business at the last adjournment immediately after the journal is read; to give preference to the report last under consideration, without the necessity for the pendency of a motion to commit; other amendments were made at the same time, which were rescinded January 11, 1867.

in the order in which they were presented; 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 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.--January 14, 1829.

53. A proposition requesting information from the Presi dent of the United States, or directing it to be furnished by the head of either of the executive departments, or by the Postmaster General, shall lie on the table one day for consideration, unless otherwise ordered by the unanimous consent of the House-December 13, 1820-and all such propositions shall be taken up for consideration in the order they were presented, immediately after reports are called for from select committees, and when adopted, the Clerk shall cause the same to be delivered.—January 22, 1822.

54. 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―January 5, 1832; 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; hut if, on being read a second time, no motion being 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 being ordered to a third reading, to be taken up and considered in the order of time in which they passed to a second reading. The messages, communications, and bills on his table having been disposed of, the Speaker shall then proceed to call the orders of the day. -September 14, 1837.

55. The business specified in the 54th and 130th rules shall be done at no other part of the day, except by per mission of the House. -December 23, 1811.

56. The consideration of the unfinished business in which the House may be engaged at an adjournment shall be resumed as soon as the journal of the next day is read, and at the same time each day thereafter until disposed of; and if, from any cause, other business shall intervene, it shall be resumed as soon as such other business is disposed of. And the consideration of all other unfinished business shall be resumed whenever the class of business to which it belongs. shall be in order under the rules. -March 18, 1860.*.

OF DECORUM AND DEBATE.

57. When any member is about to speak in debate, or deliver any matter to the House, he shall rise from his seat and respectfully address himself to "Mr. Speaker"-April 7, 1789--and shall confine himself to the question under debate, and avoid personality.-December 23, 1811.

*The rule of November 13, 1794, for which this was substituted, provided that "the unfinished business in which the House was engaged at the last preceding adjournment shall have preference in the orders of the day; and no motion on any other business shall be received, without special leave of the House, until the former is disposed of." The object of the new rule was to give the unfinished business a more certain, as well as highly privileged, position. According to the construction given this rule, the unfinished business on private bill days is not resumed until the next private bill day, and the first hour after the reading of the journal on Monday is devoted to the objects contemplated by the 51st and 130th rules.

58. Members may address the House or committee from the Clerk's desk, or from a place near the Speaker's chair.

59. When two or more members happen to rise at once, the Speaker shall name the member who is first to speak.April 7, 1789.

60. No member shall occupy more than one hour in debate on any question in the House, or in committee; but a member reporting the measure under consideration from a committee may open and close the debate: Provided, That where debate is closed by order of the House, any member shall be allowed, in committee, five minutes to explain any amendment he may offer-December 18, 1847-after which any member who shall first obtain the floor shall be allowed to speak five minutes in opposition to it, and there shall be no further debate on the amendment; but the same privilege of debate shall be allowed in favor of and against any amendment that may be offered to the amendment; and neither the amendment nor an amendment to the amendment shall be withdrawn by the mover thereof, unless by the unanimous consent of the committee.— August 14, 1850: Provided, further, That the House may, by the vote of a majority of the members present, at any time after the five minutes' debate has taken place upon proposed amendments to any section or paragraph of a bill, close all debate upon such section or paragraph, or at their election upon the pending amendments only.-March 19, 1860.*

61. If any member, in speaking or otherwise, transgress the rules of the House, the Speaker shall, or any member may, call to order; in which case, the member so called to order shall immediately sit down, unless permitted to explain; and the House shall, if appealed to, decide on the

*This proviso was adopted so as to enable a majority to get a bill out of Committee of the Whole after a reasonable time has been occupied in debating amendments, and was reported at the same time with an amendment to the 123d rule, the effect of which was to prevent a practice of doubtful propriety by which the friends of a bill were in the habit of taking it out of Committee of the Whole by adopting a recommendation to strike out the enacting clause.