certain but before the motion to postpone indefinitely, all of which motions are debatable.-Rule XVI, clause 4.

The motions to refer and to amend are of equal rank one with the other.

It is competent for the House to refer a bill to any committee regardless of the ordinary jurisdiction of such committee.Journal, 1, 48, p. 703.

All proposed legislation shall be referred to appropriate committees, as provided in Rule XI.

Bills reported from the standing and select committees are referred to Committees of the Whole, or are placed on the House Calendar, as provided in Rule XIII, as follows:

There shall be three calendars of business reported from committees, viz: First. A Calendar of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union; to which shall be referred bills raising revenue, general appropriation bills, and bills of a public character, directly or indirectly appropriating money or property;

Second. A House Calendar, to which shall be referred all bills of a public character not raising revenue nor directly or indirectly appropriating money or property; and

Third. A Calendar of the Committee of the Whole House, to which shall be referred all bills of a private character.

Petitions and private bills are introduced and referred to committees by delivering them to the Clerk with the committee and the name of the Member introducing the same indorsed thereon.-See Rule XXII, clause 1.

All bills for improvement of rivers and harbors, and all bills of a private nature, shall be delivered to the Clerk, as in the case of memorials and petitions, for reference to appropriate committees.-Rule XXI, clause 3.

All other bills, memorials, and resolutions are introduced by delivering them to the Speaker, who refers them to appropriate committees:-Rule XXII, clause 3.

An erroneous reference of a private bill or petition is corrected by the committee by returning it to the Clerk with the proper reference indorsed thereon.-Rule XXII, clause 2.

Erroneous reference of public bills and resolutions may be corrected by the House without debate "on any day immediately after the reading of the Journal, by unanimous consent, or on motion of a committee claiming jurisdiction, or on

the report of the committee to which the bill has been erroneously referred."-Rule XXII, clause 3.

The erroneous reference of a bill to the Calendar of the House presents a privileged question in like manner as the erroneous reference to a committee.-Journal, 2, 50, p. 534.

A motion to correct and change an erroneous reference of a bill is not subject to debate or amendment.-Journal, 2, 53, p. 202.

Executive and other communications addressed to the House or to the Speaker and bills and resolutions of the Senate and bills of the House with Senate amendments are, each day after the approval of the Journal, laid before the House by the Speaker for reference by the House to appropriate committees. (See Rule XXIV, clause 1.)

Any Member is entitled to have the bill or communication read before the vote is taken on its reference.

The consideration of the question of the reference of a Senate bill may be interrupted by the report of a committee of conference.-Journal, 1, 52, pp. 262, 263.

Senate amendments to House bills which require consideration in the Committee of the Whole must be referred in the first instance to a standing or select committee of the House pursuant to Rule XI; but amendments of the Senate which do not require consideration in Committee of the Whole may be immediately acted on when laid before the House, and may be concurred in, disagreed to, or concurred in with amendments, as the House may desire. (See decision of Speaker Crisp, and rulings of Speaker Carlisle and of Speaker Reed therein cited.)— Congressional Record, 2, 52, pp. 1150-1153; Journal 2, 52, p. 68; ibid., p. 79.

(See Commit; Recommit.)

REJECTION.

There are several methods by which a bill may be rejected. For example:

A negative vote on the question, Shall the bill pass?

A negative vote on the question, Shall the bill be read a third time? (Under the rules and practice the question is never put on the second reading.)

An affirmative vote on a motion to strike out the enacting clause or to strike out all after the enacting clause.

An order that the bill be postponed indefinitely.

An order that the bill lie on the table practically amounts to a defeat of the bill, as there is no rule making it at any time regularly in order to move to take from the table bills, resolu tions, or motions which lie on the table.

A negative vote, however, on a motion to suspend the rules and pass a bill does not amount to a rejection, but leaves the measure in precisely the same status as before the motion was made.

A negative vote on a motion in Committee of the Whole that a bill be reported favorably to the House does not amount to a decision that the bill be adversely reported.-Journal, 1, 46, pp. 421, 422.

It is no ground for refusing to entertain an amendment that the House has previously rejected a substantially similar amendment to another part of the bill.-Journal, 1, 47, p. 1285.

While a motion to postpone to a day certain or indefinitely, or to refer, can not be repeated at the same stage of a bill on the same day (see Rule XVI, clause 4), yet the rejection of such motion does not preclude its renewal at a subsequent stage of the bill, or at the same stage on another day.

Notwithstanding the rejection of a motion to adjourn, to fix the day to which the House shall adjourn, or take a recess, the same motion may be renewed at any time if other business has intervened. (See Rule XVI, clause 5.)

REPEAL.

Whenever an act is repealed, which repealed a former act, such former act shall not thereby be revived, unless it shall be expressly so provided.-R. S., sec. 12.

The repeal of any statute shall not have the effect to release or extinguish any penalty, forfeiture, or liability incurred under such statute, unless the repealing act shall so expressly provide, and such statute shall be treated as still remaining in force for the purpose of sustaining any proper action or prosecution for the enforcement of such penalty, forfeiture, or liability.-R. S., sec. 13.

REPEAL PROVISIONS OF THE REVISED STATUTES.

The foregoing seventy-three titles embrace the statutes of the United States, general and permanent in their nature, in force on the first day of December, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, as revised and consolidated by commissioners appointed under an act of Congress, and the same shall be designated and cited as The Revised Statutes of the United States.-R. S., sec. 5595.

All acts of Congress passed prior to said first day of December, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, any portion of which is embraced in any section of said revision, are hereby repealed, and the section applicable thereto shall be in force in lieu thereof; all parts of such acts not contained in such revision, having been repealed or superseded by subsequent acts, or not being general or permanent in their nature: Provided, That the incorporation into said revision of any general and permanent provision, taken from an act making appropriations, or from an act containing other provisions of a private, local, or temporary character, shall not repeal or in any way affect any appropriation, or any provision of a private, local, or temporary character, contained in any of said acts, but the same shall remain in force; and all acts of Congress passed prior to said last-named day, no part of which are embraced in said revision, shall not be affected or changed by its enactment.-R. S., sec. 5596.

The repeal of the several acts embraced in said revision, shall not affect any act done, or any right accruing or accrued, or any suit or proceeding had or commenced in any civil cause before the said repeal, but all rights and liabilities under said acts shall continue, and may be enforced in the same manner, as if said repeal had not been made; nor shall said repeal in any manner affect the right to any office, or change the term or tenure thereof.-R. S., sec. 5597.

All offenses committed, and all penalties or forfeitures incurred under any statute embraced in said revision prior to said repeal, may be prosecuted and punished in the same manner and with the same effect as if said repeal had not been made.-R. S., sec. 5598.

All acts of limitation, whether applicable to civil causes and

REPORTERS, OFFICIAL.

proceedings, or to the prosecution of offenses, or for the recov ery of penalties or forfeitures, embraced in said revision and covered by said repeal, shall not be affected thereby, but all suits, proceedings, or prosecutions, whether civil or criminal, for causes arising or acts done or committed prior to said repeal, may be commenced and prosecuted within the same time as if said repeal had not been made.-R. S., sec. 5599.

The enactment of the said revision is not to affect or repeal any act of Congress passed since the 1st day of December, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, and all acts passed since that date are to have full effect as if passed after the enactment of this revision, and so far as such acts vary from, or conflict with any provision contained in said revision, they are to have effect as subsequent statutes, and as repealing any portion of the revision inconsistent therewith.-R. S., sec. 5601.

REPORTERS.

OFFICIAL REPORTERS OF DEBATES.

The appointment and removal, for cause, of the official reporters of the House, including stenographers of committees, and the manner of the execution of their duties, shall be vested in the Speaker:-Rule XXXVI, clause 1.

No person shall be employed as a reporter of the House without the approval of the Speaker.-R. S., sec. 54.

By resolution of the House of March 3, 1873, it is provided that the reports of the House proceedings and debates shall be furnished to the Congressional [Public] Printer by the present corps of Globe reporters, who shall hereafter, until otherwise ordered, be officers of the House, under direction of the Speaker, and shall receive the same compensation now allowed to the official reporters of committees.-Journal, 3, 42, pp. 582, 583. There are five official reporters of the House who report the debates and proceedings of each day's sitting, which are published the succeeding day in the Congressional Record.

An assistant, to be appointed by the chief of the official reporters, is authorized by the Legislative appropriation act of July 11, 1888.-25 Stat. L., p. 261.

It was held that a Member is not entitled, as a matter of right, to inspect the original copy from the reporters' notes,