rise," whereupon the Chairman will leave the chair, and the President resume his seat. The Chairman should then proceed to his seat on the floor, and, addressing the President, say, "The committee of the

nega.

whole have had under consideration the resolution relating to, and have instructed me to report the same with certain amendments," or "without amendment," or " tived," as the case may be. The President repeats this report, and says: "the resolution is before the meeting. In case the resolution has been negatived in committee of the whole, he will say: "will the meeting agree to the report of the committee?”

When a committee wish to rise before they have gone through with their business, they can do so upon a motion to that effect being seconded and carried whereupon the Chairman will report 66 progress, and ask leave to sit again." If leave is granted, the time is named; and to kill a bill effectually, the members sometimes name a day beyond the session;* if refused, the effect is to bring

Another way to kill a bill is, to postpone the motion for agreeing to the report of a committee.

up the resolution at once before the Society. This course is very often pursued in our Legislature, when the friends of a bill are confident that they have a majority in its favor.

Amendments made in committee of the whole, may be stricken out of the Society, and matters stricken out in committee, may be re-inserted when the subject is under discussion before the meeting.

In committee of the whole, the President of the Society has a right to participate in the debate and proceedings, as if he were a private member.

The amendments made in committee of the whole are to be incorporated with the resolution, and so reported.

Suppose several resolutions are submitted to the committee of the whole, and the first is negatived. If the others are all dependant on the first, the committee must rise, and report the first resolution negatived.

In a committee of the whole in Parliament, when a vote is once passed, it cannot be altered by the committee, their votes being binding on themselves. This rule excludes the motion to reconsider from committee of

the whole. On taking up a bill reported by a committee of the whole, with amendments, the practice in Parliament is, for the clerk to read the amendments only. The Speaker then puts the question on the first amendment, and so until the whole are adopted or rejected. When the amendments of the committee are gone through with, other amendments may be proposed in the house.

OF PRIVILEGED QUESTIONS.

As a general rule, the question first moved and seconded, shall be put first. But this rule gives way to what are called privileged questions. The usage in our State Legislature on this subject is, that no business regularly before the house shall be interrupted except by a motion

To adjourn,

For the previous question,

For postponement,

For commitment, or

For amendment.

A motion for postponement precludes commitment; a motion for commitment pre

cludes amendment, or decision on the original resolution.

In Congress, the motion to lie on the table is also a privileged question, and takes precedence of the previous question. The rule is, that when a question is under discussion, no motion shall be received but to adjourn, to lie on the table, for the previous question, to postpone to a day certain, to commit or amend, to postpone indefinitely; which sev eral motions have precedence in the order in which they are arranged. No motion to postpone to a day certain, to commit, or to postpone indefinitely, being decided in the negative, is again allowed on the same day, and at the same stage in the bill or proposition. A motion to strike out the enacting words of a bill, has precedence of a motion to amend, and, if carried, is considered equivalent to its rejection.

The operation of privileged questions is as follows. 1. If a proposition before the meeting is deemed useless or inexpedient, the majority may get rid of it by the previous question, or by indefinite postponement. 2. If the members desire further

time to reflect on a resolution, or have more important matters requiring immediate attention, the usual motions are to postpone for the present, or to postpone to a day certain. 3. When a proposition is regarded with favor, but is defective in its details, it may be committed to a committee with instructions, or if the defects can be reached by amendments, the simple motion to amend is usually resorted to.

Besides these motions, which, for the time being, take the place of the main question, incidental questions frequently arise and delay a vote on the original proposition. These are questions concerning the presence of an individual not belonging to the meeting, a quarrel between two members, questions of order, motions for the reading of papers, suspending a rule, &c. When these matters are settled, the question interrupted is resumed at the point where it was suspended.*

* It sometimes happens that questions multiply and assume a complicated form. 1, A resolution may be before the meeting, and 2, a motion made to amend. 3, A motion is made to commit. 4, While these motions are pending, a question of order arises in debate, which gives