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RULE II.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

There shall be elected by a viva voce vote at the commencement of each Congress, to continue in office until their successors are chosen and qualified, a Clerk, Sergeant-at-Arins, Doorkeeper, Postmaster, and Chaplain, each of whom shall take an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, and for the true and faithful discharge of the duties of his office, to the best of his knowledge and ability, and to keep the secrets of the House, and each shall appoint all of the employés of his department provided for by law.

RULE III.

DUTIES OF THE CLERK.

1. The Clerk shall, at the commencement of the first session of each Congress, call the members to order, proceed to call the roll of members by States in alphabetical order, and, pending the election of a Speaker pro tempore, preserve order and decorum, and decide all questions of order, subject to appeal by any member.

2. He shall make, and cause to be printed and delivered to each member, or mailed to his address, at the commencement of every regular session of Congress, a list of the reports which it is the duty of any officer or department to make to Congress, referring to the act or resolution and page of the volume of the laws or journal in which it may be contained, and placing under the name of each officer the list of reports required of him to be made; also make a weekly statement of the resolutions and bills upon the Speaker's table, accompanied with a brier reference to the orders and proceedings of the House upon each, and the dates of such orders and proceedings, which statement shall be printed.

3. He shall note all questions of order, with the decisions thereon, the record of which shall be printed as an appendix to the journal of each session; and complete, as soon after the close of the session as possible, the printing and distribution to members and delegates of the journal of the House, together with an accurate and complete index; retain in the library at his office, for the use of the members and officers of the House, and not to be withdrawn therefrom, two copies of all the books and printed documents deposited there; send, at the end of each session, a printed copy of the journal thereof to the executive and to each branch of the legislature of every State and Territory; preserve for and deliver or mail to each member and delegate an extra copy, in good binding, of all documents printed by order of either house of the Congress to which he belonged; attest and affix the seal of the House to all writs, warrants, and subpoenas issued by order of the House, certify to the passage of all bills and joint resolutions, make or approve all contracts, bargains, or agreements relative to furnishing any matter or thing, or for the performance of any labor for the House of Representatives, in pursuance of law or order of the House, keep full and accurate accounts of the disbursements out of the contingent fund of the House, keep the stationery accounts of members and delegates, and pay them as provided by law.

RULE IV.

DUTIES OF THE SERGEANT-AT-ARMS.

1. It shall be the duty of the Sergeant-at-Arms to attend the House during its sittings, to maintain order under the direction of the Speaker, and, pending the election of a Speaker or Speaker pro tempore, under the direction of the Clerk; execute the commands of the House, and all processes issued by authority thereof, directed to him by the Speaker; keep the accounts for the pay and mileage of members and delegates, and pay them as provided by law.

2. The symbol of his office shall be the mace, which shall be borne by him while enforcing order on the floor.

3. He shall give bond to the United States, with sureties to be approved by the Speaker, in the sum of fifty thousand dollars, for the faithful disbursement of all moneys entrusted to him by virtue of his office and the proper discharge of the duties thereof, and no member of Congress shall be approved as such surety.

RULE V.

DUTIES OF OTHER OFFICERS.

1. The Doorkeeper shall enforce strictly the rules relating to the privileges of the hall and be responsible to the House for the official conduct of his employes.

2. At the commencement and close of each session of Congress he shall take an inventory of all the furniture, books, and other public property in the several committee and other rooms under his charge, and report the same to the House, which report shall be referred to the Committee on Accounts to ascertain and determine the amount for which he shall be held liable for missing articles.

3. He shall allow no person to enter the room over the hall of the House during its sittings; and fifteen minutes before the hour for the meeting of the House each day, he shall see that the floor is cleared of all persons except those privileged to remain.

RULE VI.

The Postmaster shall superintend the post-office kept in the Capitol for the accommodation of Representatives, Delegates, and officers of the House, and be held responsible for the prompt and safe delivery of their mail.

RULE VII.

The Chaplain shall attend at the commencement of each day's sitting of the House and open the same with prayer.

RULE VIII.

OF THE MEMBERS.

1. Every member shall be present within the hall of the House during its sittings, unless excused or necessarily prevented; and shall vote on each question put, unless, on motion made before division or the com

mencement of the roll-call and decided without debate, he shall be exeused, or unless he has a direct personal or pecuniary interest in the event of such question.

2. Pairs shall be announced by the Clerk, after the completion of the second roll-call, from a written list furnished him, and signed by the member making the statement to the Clerk, which list shall be published in the Record as a part of the proceedings, immediately following the names of those not voting; Provided pairs shall be announced but once during the same legislative day.

RULE IX.

QUESTIONS OF PRIVILEGE.

Questions of privilege shall be, first, those affecting the rights of the House collectively, its safety, dignity, and the integrity of its proceedings; second, the rights, reputation, and conduct of members individually in their representative capacity only; and shall have precedence of all other questions, except motions to fix the day to which the House shall adjourn, to adjourn, and for a recess.

RULE X.

OF COMMITTEES.

1. Unless otherwise specially ordered by the House, the Speaker shall appoint, at the commencement of each Congress, the following standing committees, viz:

On Elections, to consist of fifteen members.

On Ways and Means, to consist of thirteen members.

On Appropriations, to consist of fifteen members.

On the Judiciary, to consist of fifteen members.

On Banking and Currency, to consist of eleven members.

On Coinage, Weights, and Measures, to consist of eleven members. On Commerce, to consist of fifteen members.

On Agriculture, to consist of fifteen members.

On Foreign Affairs, to consist of eleven members.

On Military Affairs, to consist of eleven members.

On Naval Affairs, to consist of eleven members.

On the Post-Office and Post-Roads, to consist of eleven members.
On the Public Lands, to consist of eleven members.

On Indian Affairs, to consist of eleven members.

On the Territories, to consist of eleven members.

On Railways and Canals, to consist of eleven members.

On Manufactures, to consist of eleven members.

On Mines and Mining, to consist of eleven members.

On Public Buildings and Grounds, to consist of eleven members.

On Pacific Railroads, to consist of eleven members.

On Levees and Improvement of the Mississippi River, to consist of eleven members.

On Education and Labor, to consist of eleven members.

On the Militia to consist of eleven members.

On Patents, to consist of eleven members.

On Invalid Pensions, to consist of fifteen members.

On Pensions, to consist of eleven members.

On Claims, to consist of fifteen members.

On War Claims, to consist of eleven members.

On Private Land Claims, to consist of eleven members.

On the District of Columbia, to consist of eleven members.

On Revision of the Laws, to consist of eleven members.

On Expenditures in the State Department, to consist of seven members.

On Expenditures in the Treasury Department, to consist of seven members.

On Expenditures in the War Department, to consist of seven members. On Expenditures in the Navy Department, to consist of seven members.

On Expenditures in the Post-Office Department, to consist of seven members.

On Expenditures in the Interior Department, to consist of seven members.

On Expenditures in the Department of Justice, to consist of seven members.

On Expenditures on Public Buildings, to consist of seven members.
On Rules, to consist of five members.

On Accounts, to consist of seven members.

On Mileage, to consist of five members.

Also the following joint standing committees, viz:

On the Library, to consist of three members.

On Printing, to consist of three members.

On Enrolled Bills, to consist of seven members.

2. He shall also appoint all select committees which shall be ordered by the House from time to time;

3. The first-named member of each committee shall be the chairman; and in his absence, or being excused by the House, the next-named member, and so on, as often as the case shall happen, unless the committee by a majority of its number elect a chairman;

4. The chairman shall appoint the clerk of his committee, subject to its approval, who shall be paid at the public expense, the House having first provided therefor.

RULE XI.

POWERS AND DUTIES OF COMMITTEES.

All proposed legislation shall be referred to the committees named in the preceding rule, as follows, viz: Subjects relating,

1. to the election of members: to the Committee on Elections;

2. to the revenue and the bonded debt of the United States: to the Committee on Ways and Means;

3. to appropriation of the revenue for the support of the government: to the Committee on Appropriations;

4. to judicial proceedings, civil and criminal law: to the Committee on the Judiciary;

5. to banking and currency: to the Committee on Banking and Cur

rency;

6. to coinage, weights, and measures: to the Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures:

7. to commerce, life-saving service, and light-houses, other than appropriations for life-saving service and light-houses: to the Committee on Commerce, and the Committee on Commerce shall have the same privileges in reporting bills making appropriations for the improvement of

rivers and harbors as is accorded to the Committee on Appropriations in reporting general appropriation bills;

8. to agriculture and forestry: to the Committee on Agriculture, who shall receive the estimates and report the appropriations for the Agricultural Department;

9. to the relations of the United States with foreign nations, other than appropriations therefor: to the Committee on Foreign Affairs;

10. to the military establishment and the public defense, other than the appropriations for its support: to the Committee on Military Affairs; 11. to the naval establishment, other than the appropriations for its support to the Committee on Naval Affairs;

12. to the post-office and post-roads, other than appropriations for their support to the Committee on the Post-Office and Post-Roads;

13. to the lands of the United States: to the Committee on the Public Lands;

14. to the relations of the United States with the Indians and the Indian tribes, other than appropriations therefor: to the Committee on Indian Affairs;

15. to territorial legislation, the revision thereof, and affecting Territories or the admission of States: to the Committee on the Territories; 16. to railways and canals other than Pacific railroads: to the Committee on Railways and Canals;

17. to the manufacturing industries: to the Committee on Manufactures;

18. to the mining interests: to the Committee on Mines and Mining; 19. to the public buildings and occupied or improved grounds of the United States, other than appropriations therefor: to the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds;

20. to the railroads and telegraphic lines between the Mississippi River and the Pacific coast: to the Committee on Pacific Railroads;

21. to the levees of the Mississippi River: to the Committee on Levees and Improvements of the Mississippi River;

22. to education and labor: to the Committee on Education and Labor; 23. to the militia of the several States: to the Committee on the Militia; 24. to patents, copyrights, and trade-marks: to the Committee on Patents;

25. to the pensions of the civil war: to the Committee on Invalid Pen sions;

26. to the pensions of all the wars of the United States, other than the civil war: to the Committee on Pensions;

27. to private and domestic claims and demands, other than war claims, against the United States; to the Committee on Claims;

28. to claims arising from any war in which the United States has been engaged: to the Committee on War Claims;

29. to private claims to lands: to the Committee on Private Land Claims;

30. to the District of Columbia, other than appropriations therefor: to the Committee for the District of Columbia;

31. to the revision and codification of the statutes of the United States: to the Committee on the Revision of the Laws;

32. The examination of the accounts and expenditures of the several departments of the government and the manner of keeping the same; the economy, justness, and correctness of such expenditures; their conformity with appropriation laws; the proper application of public moneys; the security of the government against unjust and extravagant demands; retrenchment; the enforcement of the payment of moneys

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