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, it may not be improper to call attention to that portion of this rule which requires that the name of the member and that of the com- endorse the papers mittee shall be endorsed upon the paper to be referred. referred by them. In order to secure its appearance in the daily newspapers, Newspapers to members should furnish a memorandum of the contents a memorandum. and reference of the same to the reporters.] Members should be furnished with 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. 89. [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 committee-room 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 com- Not competent to mittee to amend a bill in a manner that the House itself" cannot amend it.-Journal, 2, 35, p. 389. [Indeed, it is the well-settled practice that the House cannot instruct a committee to do what the House itself cannot do.] A division of the question is not in order on a motion to commit or recommit with instructions, or on the differ- visible. ent branches of instructions.-Journals, 1, 17, p. 507; 1, 31, pp. 1395, 1397; and 1, 32, p. 611. pinstruct committee to do what House itself cannot do. To commit with instructions not di ments are to be mittee. "The committee may not erase, interline, or blot the How amendbill itself, but must, in a paper by itself, set down the noted by a com 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. 91. tion of a vote in "When a vote is once passed in a committee it cannot No reconsiderabe altered but by the House, their votes being binding committee. on themselves.”—Manual, p. 91. Committee can "If the committee are opposed to the whole paper, and not reject a paper, think it cannot be made good by amendments, they can Committee can not change title or subject. what order com port. not reject it, but must report it back to the House without amendments, and there make their opposition.”— Manual, p. 90. “The committee have full power over the bill or other paper, except that they cannot change the title or subject."-Manual, p. 89. When and in "As soon as the Journal is read, and the unfinished mittees are to re- 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 the following order, viz: Committee of Elections. Committee of Ways and Means. Committee on Appropriations. Committee on Banking and Currency. Committee on the Pacific Railroad. Committee of Claims. Committee on Commerce. Committee on the Public Lands. Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads. Committee on the Judiciary. Committee on Revolutionary Claims. Committee on Public Expenditures. Committee on Private Land Claims. Committee on Manufactures. Committee on Agriculture. Committee on Indian Affairs. Committee on Military Affairs. Committee on the Militia. 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 Mines and Mining. Committee on Freedmen's Affairs. Committee on Education and Labor. Committee on the Revision of the Laws. Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures. 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. ment. Committee on Expenditures in the War Department. ment. Committee on Expenditures in the Interior Depart ment. sumed where left After occupying morning hours on two days, not to report further. 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 through the call upon the committees before the Call of, to be reHouse passes to other business, he shall resume the call off. where he left off, 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. [But this proviso does not restrain the House from occupying the morning hour on more than two days in the consideration of a report.]—Rule 51. [The regular daily call for reports as provided for by Call of committhis rule is liable to be interfered with by "special or- how interfered ders," "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 Monday, and "motions 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 tees for reports, with. What commit tees report at any time. Right to report carries right consider. to Have leave to 128, the call of committees is limited on Fridays and Saturdays to "business of a private nature."] "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 on Appropriations to report (for the purpose of reference; the general appropriation bills at any time"-Rule and the Committtee of Ways and Means have leave to report, for commitment, at any time.-Rule 151. "A committee having leave to report at all times may report in part at different times."-Journal, 1, 27, p. 104. The right to report at any time carries with it the right to consider the matter when reported.—Journal, 1, 32, p. 195. 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, 22, p. 1409. "The several standing committees of the House shall report by bill or otherwise. have leave to report by bill or otherwise."-Rule 71. Committee can- It is not competent for a committee to report a bill subject not re where the subject-matter has not been referred to them by the House, by the rules, or otherwise.-Journal, 1, 31. p. 590. not report on a ferred by the rules or otherwise. Bill may be reported with a A bill may be reported with a recommendation that it recommendation do not pass, if based upon a paper regularly referred.— that it do not pass. Journal, 1, 32, p. 785. Select committee, how dissolved and revived. whether commit "The report being made, the committee is dissolved, and can act no more without a new power. But it may be revived by a vote, and the same matter recommitted to them."-Manual, p. 92. [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 489.] Dispute as to If it is disputed that a report has been ordered to be tee have ordered made by a committee, the question of reception must be put to the House.-Journal, 2, 27, p. 1410. report. Minority cannot make a report. A minority of a committee cannot make a report, a minority not being the committee.-Journal, 1, 24, p. 562. [The common practice, however, is to permit the minority to submit their views in writing, which are usually printed and considered with the majority report.] And when such views are accompanied by a resolution or bill such resolution or bill is not thereby brought before the House for its action, but must be submitted by some member.-Congressional Globe, 1, 31, p. 1345. The chairman of a committee submitting a report has a right to read it.-Journal, 2, 27, p. 409. Chairman may 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—and under the invariable practice, he is entitled to be recognized, notwithstanding another member may have risen first and addressed the Chair-Journal, 3, 17, p. 211—and his rights to close the debate is never denied him, even after the previous question is ordered, or de-* bate has been closed.-Journal, 1, 31, p. 1056. committee not to "The proceedings of a committee are not to be pub- Proceedings of lished, as they are of no force till confirmed by the be published. House."-Manual, p. 70. ceedings in com It is not in order to allude on the floor to anything Reference to prothat has taken place in committee, unless by a written mittee not in order. report sanctioned by a majority of the committee.Journals, 1, 26, p. 418; 1, 31, p. 393. "After committment and report thereof to the House, Recommitment. or 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 the bill.”—Rule 124. But recommitment cannot be moved after the previous question is ordered. Journal, 1, 29, p. 643. mitment. "If a report be recommitted before agreed to in the Effect of recomHouse, what has passed in committee is of no validity; the whole question is again before the committee, and a new resolution must be again moved, as if nothing had passed.-Manual, p. 92. "Two motions to recommit are not in order at the same Repetition of mo stage of a bill."-Journal, 1, 20, April 11. tion to recommit. tee, how created A select committee is created either by resolution, Select commitwhen resolutions are in order, or upon motion to refer, and filled. when the subject to be referred is before the House; the number of which it is to consist being designated in the |