BILLS,FIRSTREADING。WHENabillisfirstpresented,theclerkreadsitatthetable,andhandsittotheSpeaker,whorising,statestotheHousethetitleofthebill,thatthisisthefirsttimeofreadingit,andthequestionwillbewhetheritshallbereadasecondtime?Thensittingdowntogiveanopeningforobjections,ifnonebemade,herisesagainandputsthequestionwhetheritshallbereadasecondtime?Hakew。137,141。Abillcannotbeamendedatthefirstreading。
6Grey286。norisitusualforittobeopposedthen:butitmaybedoneandrejected。D'Ewes335,col。1。3Hats。198。SEC。XXV。
BILLS,SECONDREADING。THEsecondreadingmustregularlybeonanotherday。Hakew。143。Itisdonebytheclerkatthetable,whothenhandsittotheSpeaker。TheSpeaker,rising,statestotheHousethetitleofthebill,thatthisisthesecondtimeofreadingit,andthatthequestionwillbewhetheritshallbecommitted,orengrossedandreadathirdtime?ButifthebillcamefromtheotherHouse,asitalwayscomesengrossed,hestatesthatthequestionwillbewhetheritshallbereadathirdtime?andbeforehehassoreportedthestateofthebill,nooneistospeaktoit。Hakew。143,146。
IntheSenateoftheUnitedStates,thePresidentreportsthetitleofthebill,thatthisisthesecondtimeofreadingit,thatitisnowtobeconsideredasinaCommitteeoftheWhole,andthequestionwillbe,whetheritshallbereadathirdtime?or,thatitmaybereferredtoaspecialcommittee。SEC。XXVI。
BILLS,COMMITMENT。IFonmotionandquestionitbedecidedthatthebillshallbecommitted,itmaythenbemovedtobereferredtoacommitteeofthewholeHouse,ortoaspecialcommittee。
Ifthelatter,theSpeakerproceedstonamethecommittee。Anymemberalsomaynameasingleperson,andtheclerkistowritehimdownasofthecommittee。ButtheHousehaveacontroulingpoweroverthenamesandnumber,ifaquestionbemovedagainstanyone,andmayinanycaseputinandputoutwhomtheyplease。
Thosewhotakeexceptionstosomeparticularsinthebillaretobeofthecommittee。Butnonewhospeakdirectlyagainstthebodyofthebill。
Forhethatwouldtotallydestroy,willnotamendit。Hakew。146。Town。coll。208。D'Ewes。623。col。2Scob47。
orasissaid,5Grey145。thechildisnottobeputtoanursethatcaresnotforit。6Grey373。Itisthereforeaconstantrule"thatnomanistobeemployedinanymatterwhohasdeclaredhimselfagainstit。”Andwhenanymemberwhoisagainstthebillhearshimselfnamedofitscommittee,heoughttoasktobeexcused。ThusMarch7,1606,Mr。Hadleywas,onthequestion'sbeingput,excusedfrombeingofacommittee,declaringhimselftobeagainstthematteritself。Scob。46。
Nobillshallbecommittedoramendeduntilitshallhavebeentwiceread,afterwhichitmaybereferredtoacommittee。Rule14。
Allcommitteesshallbeappointedbyballot,andapluralityofvoicesshallmakeachoice。Rule15。
Theclerkmaydeliverthebilltoanymemberofthecommittee。Town。
col。138。Butitisusualtodeliverittohimwhoisfirstnamed。
Insomecases,theHousehasorderedacommitteetowithdrawimmediatelyintothecommitteechamber,andacton,andbringbackthebill,sittingtheHouse。Scob。48。
Acommitteemeetswhen,andwheretheyplease,iftheHousehasnotorderedtimeandplaceforthem。6Grey370。Buttheycanonlyactwhentogether,andnotbyseparateconsultationandconsent;nothingbeingthereportofthecommitteebutwhathasbeenagreedtoincommitteeactuallyassembled。
Amajorityofthecommitteeconstitutesaquorumforbusiness。Elsynge'sMethodofpassingBills。11。
AnymemberoftheHousemaybepresentatanyselectcommittee,butcannotvote,andmustgiveplacetoallofthecommittee,andsitbelowthem。Elsynge12。Scob。49。
Butin1626,April24,theHouseofCommonsresolved,thatthoughanymembersmaybepresentattheexaminationofwitnesses,theymaynotbeatthedebate,dispositionorpenningofthebusinessbytheselectcommittee。
4Hats。124。
Thecommitteehavefullpoweroverthebill,orotherpapercommittedtothem,exceptthattheycannotchangethetitleorsubject。8Grey228。
Thepaperbeforeacommittee,whetherselect,orofthewhole,maybeabill,resolutions,draughtofanaddress,&;c。anditmayeitheroriginatewiththem,orbereferredtothem。Ineverycase,thewholepaperisreadfirstbytheclerk,andthenbythechairman,byparagraphs,Scob。49。pausingattheendofeachparagraph,andputtingquestionsforamending,ifproposed。Inthecaseofresolutionsondistinctsubjects,originatingwiththemselves,aquestionisputoneachseparately,asamended,orunamended,andnofinalquestiononthewhole:3Hats。276。butiftheyrelatetothesamesubject,aquestionisputonthewhole。Ifitbeabill,draughtofanaddress,orotherpaperoriginatingwiththem,theyproceedbyparagraphs,puttingquestionsforamending,eitherbyinsertionorstrikingout,ifproposed:butnoquestiononagreeingtotheparagraphsseparately。Thisisreservedtotheclose,whenaquestionisputonthewhole,foragreeingtoitasamended,orunamended。Butifitbeapaperreferredtothem,theyproceedtoputquestionsofamendment,ifproposed,butnofinalquestiononthewhole:becauseallpartsofthepaperhavingbeenadoptedbytheHouse,standofcourse,unlessaltered,orstruckoutbyavote。Eveniftheyareopposedtothewholepaper,andthinkitcannotbemadegoodbyamendments,theycannotrejectit,butmustreportitbacktotheHousewithoutamendments,andtheremaketheiropposition。
Thenaturalorderinconsideringandamendinganypaperis,tobeginatthebeginning,andproceedthroughitbyparagraphs;andthisorderissostrictlyadheredtoinParliament,thatwhenalatterparthasbeenamended,youcannotrecurbackandmakeanyalterationinaformerpart。
2Hats。90。Innumerousassembliesthisrestraintisdoubtlessimportant。ButinSenateoftheUnitedStates,thoughinthemainweconsiderandamendtheparagraphsintheirnaturalorder,yetrecurrencesareindulged:
andtheyseemonthewhole,inthatsmallbody,toproduceadvantagesoverweighingtheirinconveniences。
Tothisnaturalorderofbeginningatthebeginning,thereisasingleexceptionfoundinParliamentaryusage。Whenabillistakenupincommittee,oronitssecondreading,theypostponethepreamble,tilltheotherpartsofthebillaregonethrough。Thereasonis,thatonconsiderationofthebodyofthebill,suchalterationsmaythereinbemadeasmayalsooccasionthealterationofthepreamble。Scob。50。7Grey431。
OnthisheadthefollowingcaseoccurredinSenate,March6,1800。A
resolution,whichhadnopreamble,havingbeenalreadyamendedbytheHouse,sothatafewwordsonlyoftheoriginalremainedinit,amotionwasmadetoprefixapreamble,whichhavinganaspectverydifferentfromtheresolution,themoverintimatedthatheshouldafterwardsproposeacorrespondentamendmentinthebodyoftheresolution。Itwasobjectedthatapreamblecouldnotbetakenuptillthebodyoftheresolutionisdonewith。Butthepreamblewasreceived:becauseweareinfactthroughthebodyoftheresolution,wehaveamendedthatasfarasamendmentshavebeenoffered,andindeedtilllittleoftheoriginalisleft。Itisthepropertime,therefore,toconsiderapreamble:andwhethertheoneofferedbeconsistentwiththeresolution,isfortheHousetodetermine。Themoverindeed,hasintimated,thatheshallofferasubsequentpropositionforthebodyoftheresolution;
buttheHouseisnotinpossessionofit;itremainsinhisbreast,andmaybewithheld。TherulesoftheHousecanonlyoperateonwhatisbeforethem。ThepracticeoftheSenatetoo,allowsrecurrencesbackwardsandforwards,forthepurposesofamendment,notpermittingamendmentsinasubsequent,toprecludethoseinapriorpart,oreconverso。
Whenthecommitteeisthroughthewhole,amembermovesthatthecommitteemayrise,andthechairmanreportthepapertotheHouse,with,orwithoutamendments,asthecasemaybe。2Hats。289,292。Scob。53。
2Hats。290。8Scob。50。
Whenavoteisoncepassedinacommittee,itcannotbealteredbutbytheHouse,theirvotesbeingbindingonthemselves。1607,June4。
Thecommitteemaynoterase,interline,orblotthebillitself;butmustinapaperbyitself,setdowntheamendments,statingthewordswhicharetobeinsertedoromitted;Scob。50。andwhere,byreferencestothepage,lineandwordofthebill。Scob。50。SEC。XXVII。
REPORTOFCOMMITTEE。THEchairmanofthecommittee,standinginhisplace,informstheHouse,thatthecommittee,towhomwasreferredsuchabill,have,accordingtoorder,hadthesameunderconsideration,andhavedirectedhimtoreportthesamewithoutanyamendment,orwithsundryamendments,asthecasemaybe,whichheisreadytodo,whentheHousepleasestoreceiveit。Andhe,oranyother,maymovethatitbenowreceived。Butthecryof"now,now,"fromtheHouse,generallydispenseswiththeformalityofamotionandquestion。Hethenreadstheamendmentswiththecoherenceinthebill,andopensthealterations,andthereasonsofthecommitteeforsuchamendments,untilhehasgonethroughthewhole。
Hethendeliversitattheclerk'stable,wheretheamendmentsreportedarereadbytheclerk,withoutthecoherence,whereuponthepaperslieonthetable,tilltheHouseatitsconvenience,shalltakeupthereport。Scob。52。Hakew。148。
Thereportbeingmade,thecommitteeisdissolved,andcanactnomorewithoutanewpower。Scob。51。Butitmayberevivedbyavote,andthesamematterrecommittedtothem。4Grey361。SEC。XXVIII。
BILL,RECOMMITMENT。AFTERabillhasbeencommittedandreported,itoughtnot,inanordinarycourse,toberecommitted。Butincasesofimportance,andforspecialreasons,itissometimesrecommitted,andusuallytothesamecommittee。Hakew。151。IfareportberecommittedbeforeagreedtointheHouse,whathaspassedincommitteeisofnovalidity;
thewholequestionisagainbeforethecommittee,andanewresolutionmustbeagainmoved,asifnothinghadpassed。3Hats。131。note。
InSenate,January1800,thesalvagebillwasrecommittedthreetimesafterthecommitment。
Aparticularclauseofabillmaybecommittedwithoutthewholebill;
3Hats。131。orsomuchofapapertoone,andsomuchtoanothercommittee。SEC。XXIX。
BILL,REPORTTAKENUP。WHENthereportofapaperoriginatingwithacommittee,istakenupbytheHouse,theyproceedexactlyasincommittee。Here,asincommittee,whentheparagraphshave,ondistinctquestions,beenagreedtoseriatim,5Grey366。6Grey368。
8Grey47,104,360。1Torbuck'sDeb。125。3Hats。348。noquestionneedsbeputonthewholereport。5Grey381。
Ontakingupabillreportedwithamendments,theamendmentsonlyarereadbytheclerk。TheSpeakerthenreadsthefirst,andputsittothequestion,andsoon,tillthewholeareadoptedorrejected,beforeanyotheramendmentbeadmitted,exceptitbeanamendmenttoanamendment。Elsynge'sMem。53。Whenthroughtheamendmentsofthecommittee,theSpeakerpauses,andgivestimeforamendmentstobeproposedintheHousetothebodyofthebill:ashedoesalsoifithasbeenreportedwithoutamendments;puttingnoquestionsbutonamendmentsproposed:andwhenthroughthewhole,heputsthequestionwhetherthebillshallbereadathirdtime?SEC。XXX。
QUASI-COMMITTEE。IFonthemotionandquestion,thebillbenotcommitted,orifnopropositionforcommitmentbemade,thentheproceedingsintheSenateoftheUnitedStates,andinParliament,aretotallydifferent。Theformershallbefirststated。
The20thruleoftheSenatesays,"Allbills,onasecondreading,shallfirstbeconsideredbytheSenateinthesamemannerasiftheSenatewereinacommitteeofthewhole,beforetheyshallbetakenupandproceededonbytheSenateagreeablytothestandingrules,unlessotherwiseordered:"
thatistosay,unlessorderedtobereferredtoaspecialcommittee。
TheproceedingoftheSenateasinacommitteeofthewhole,orinquasi-committee,ispreciselyasinarealcommitteeofthewhole,takingnoquestionsbutonamendments。Whenthroughthewhole,theyconsiderthequasi-committeeasrisen,theHouseresumed,withoutanymotion,question,orresolutiontothateffect,andthePresidentreportsthat"theHouseactingasinacommitteeofthewhole,havehadundertheirconsiderationthebillintituled,&;c。andhavemadesundryamendments,whichhewillnowreporttotheHouse。”Thebillisthenbeforethemasitwouldhavebeenifreportedfromacommittee,andquestionsareregularlytobeputagainoneveryamendment:whichbeinggonethrough,thePresidentpausestogivetimetotheHousetoproposeamendmentstothebodyofthebill,andwhenthrough,putsthequestionwhetheritshallbereadathirdtime?
Afterprogressinamendingabillinquasi-committee,amotionmaybemadetoreferittoaspecialcommittee。Ifthemotionprevails,itisequivalentineffecttotheseveralvotesthatthecommitteerise,theHouseresumeitself,dischargethecommitteeofthewhole,andreferthebilltoaspecialcommittee。Inthatcasetheamendmentsalreadymadefall。
Butifthemotionfails,thequasi-committeestandsinstatuquo。
Howfardoesthis20thrulesubjecttheHousewheninquasi-committee,tothelawswhichregulatetheproceedingsofcommitteesofthewhole?
TheparticularsinwhichthesedifferfromproceedingsintheHouse,arethefollowing。
1。Inacommittee,everymembermayspeakasoftenashepleases。2。
ThevotesofacommitteemayberejectedoralteredwhenreportedtotheHouse。3。Acommittee,evenofthewhole,cannotreferanymattertoanothercommittee。4。Inacommittee,nopreviousquestioncanbetaken。Theonlymeanstoavoidanimproperdiscussionis,tomovethatthecommitteerise:
andifitbeapprehendedthatthesamediscussionwillbeattemptedonreturningintocommittee,theHousecandischargethem,andproceeditselfonthebusiness,keepingdowntheimproperdiscussionbythepreviousquestion。
5。Acommitteecannotpunishabreachoforder,intheHouse,orinthegallery。9Grey113。ItcanonlyriseandreportittotheHouse,whomayproceedtopunish。
The1stand2dofthesepeculiaritiesattachtothequasi-committeeoftheSenate,aseveryday'spracticeproves;andseemtobetheonlyonestowhichthe20thrulemeanttosubjectthem。ForitcontinuestobeaHouse,andtherefore,thoughitactsinsomerespectsasacommittee,inothersitpreservesitscharacterasaHouse。Thus3。Itisinthedailyhabitofreferringitsbusinesstoaspecialcommittee。4。Itadmitsthepreviousquestion。Ifitdidnot,itwouldhavenomeansofpreventinganimproperdiscussion;notbeingableasacommitteeis,toavoiditbyreturningintotheHouse:forthemomentitwouldresumethesamesubjectthere,the20thruledeclaresitagainaquasi-committee。5。ItwoulddoubtlessexerciseitspowersasaHouseonanybreachoforder。6。Ittakesaquestionbyyeaandnay,astheHousedoes。7。ItreceivesmessagesfromthePresidentandtheotherHouse。8。Inthemidstofadebateitreceivesamotiontoadjourn,andadjournsasaHouse,notasacommittee。SEC。XXXI。
BILL,SECONDREADINGINTHEHOUSE。INParliament,afterthebillhasbeenreadasecondtime,if,onthemotionandquestion,itbenotcommitted,orifnopropositionforcommitmentbemade,theSpeakerreadsitbyparagraphs,pausingbetweeneach,butputtingnoquestionbutonamendmentsproposed;andwhenthroughthewhole,heputsthequestionwhetheritshallbereadathirdtime?ifitcamefromtheotherHouse;or,iforiginatingwiththemselves,whetheritshallbeengrossedandreadathirdtime?TheSpeakerreadssitting,butrisestoputquestions。Theclerkstandswhilehereads。
ButtheSenateoftheUnitedStatesissomuchinthehabitofmakingmanyandmaterialamendmentsatthethirdreading,thatithasbecomethepracticenottoengrossabilltillithaspassed。Anirregularanddangerouspractice;because,inthisway,thepaperwhichpassestheSenateisnotthatwhichgoestotheotherHouse;andthatwhichgoestotheotherHouseastheactoftheSenate,hasneverbeenseeninSenate。Inreducingnumerous,difficult,andillegibleamendmentsintothetext,theSecretarymay,withthemostinnocentintentions,commiterrors,whichcanneveragainbecorrected。
Thebillbeingnowasperfectasitsfriendscanmakeit,thisistheproperstageforthosefundamentallyopposed,tomaketheirfirstattack。
Allattemptsatearlierperiodsarewithdisjointedefforts;becausemanywhodonotexpecttobeinfavorofthebillultimately,arewillingtoletitgoontoitsperfectstate,totaketimetoexamineitthemselves,andtohearwhatcanbesaidforit;knowingthat,afterall,theywillhavesufficientopportunitiesofgivingittheirveto。Itstwolaststagesthereforearereservedforthis,thatistosay,onthequestionwhetheritshallbereadathirdtime?Andlastly,whetheritshallpass?Thefirstoftheseisusuallythemostinterestingcontest;becausethenthewholesubjectisnewandengaging,andthemindsofthemembershavingnotyetbeendeclaredbyanytryingvote,theissueisthemoredoubtful。Inthisstage,therefore,isthemaintrialofstrengthbetweenitsfriendsandopponents:anditbehoveseveryonetomakeuphisminddecisivelyforthisquestion,orhelosesthemainbattle;andaccidentandmanagementmay,andoftendo,preventasuccessfulrallyingonthenextandlastquestionwhetheritshallpass?
Whenthebillisengrossed,thetitleistobeendorsedontheback,andnotwithinthebill。Hakew。250。SEC。XXXII。
READINGPAPERS。WHEREpapersarelaidbeforetheHouse,orreferredtoacommittee,everymemberhasarighttohavethemoncereadatthetable,beforehecanbecompelledtovoteonthem。
Butitisagreat,thoughcommonerror,tosupposethathehasaright,totiesquoties,tohaveacts,journals,accounts,orpapersonthetablereadindependentlyofthewilloftheHouse。Thedelayandinterruptionwhichthismightbemadetoproduce,evincetheimpossibilityoftheexistenceofsucharight。Thereisindeedsomanifestaproprietyofpermittingeverymembertohaveasmuchinformationaspossibleoneveryquestiononwhichheistovote,thatwhenhedesiresthereading,ifitbeseenthatitisreallyforinformation,andnotfordelay,theSpeakerdirectsittobereadwithoutputtingaquestion,ifnooneobjects。Butifobjectedto,aquestionmustbeput。2Hats。117,118。
Itisequallyanerror,tosupposethatanymemberhasaright,withoutaquestionput,tolayabookorpaperonthetable,andhaveitread,onsuggestingthatitcontainsmatterinfringingontheprivilegesoftheHouse。Ib。
Forthesamereason,amemberhasnotarighttoreadapaperinhisplace,ifitbeobjectedto,withoutleaveoftheHouse。Butthisrigourisneverexercised,butwherethereisanintentionalorgrossabuseofthetimeandpatienceoftheHouse。
Amemberhasnotarighteventoreadhisownspeech,committedtowriting,withoutleave。Thisalsoistopreventanabuseoftime;andthereforeisnotrefused,butwherethatisintended。2Grey227。
AreportofacommitteeoftheSenateonabillfromtheHouseofRepresentatives,beingunderconsideration,onmotionthatthereportofthecommitteeoftheHouseofRepresentativesonthesamebillbereadinSenate,itpassedinthenegative;February28,1793。
Formerlywhenpaperswerereferredtoacommittee,theyusedtobefirstread:butoflate,onlythetitles:unlessamemberinsiststheyshallberead,andthennobodycanopposeit。2Hats。117。SEC。XXXIII。
PRIVILEGEDQUESTIONS。WHILEaquestionisbeforetheSenate,nomotionshallbereceivedunlessforanamendment,forthepreviousquestion,orforpostponingthemainquestion,ortocommitit,ortoadjourn。Rule8。
Itisnopossessionofabill,unlessitbedeliveredtotheclerktoberead,ortheSpeakerreadsthetitle。Lex。Parl。274。ElsyngeMem。95。Ord。HouseofCommons64。
Itisageneralrule,thatthequestionfirstmovedandseconded,shallbefirstput。Scob。28,22。2Hats。81。Butthisrulegiveswaytowhatmaybecalledprivilegedquestions;andtheprivilegedquestionsareofdifferentgradesamongthemselves。
Amotiontoadjournsimplytakesplaceofallothers;forotherwise,theHousemightbekeptsittingagainstitswill,andindefinitely。Yetthismotioncannotbereceivedafteranotherquestionisactuallyput,andwhiletheHouseisengagedinvoting。
Ordersofthedaytakeplaceofallotherquestions,exceptforadjournment。
Thatistosay,thequestionwhichisthesubjectofanorder,ismadeaprivilegedoneprohacvoce。Theorderisarepealofthegeneralruleastothisspecialcase。Whenanymembermovesthereforefortheordersofthedaytoberead,nofurtherdebateispermittedonthequestionwhichwasbeforetheHouse;forifthedebatemightproceed,itmightcontinuethroughtheday,anddefeattheorder。Thismotion,toentitleittoprecedence,mustbefortheordersgenerally,andnotforanyparticularone;andifitbecarriedonthequestion,"WhethertheHousewillnowproceedtotheordersoftheday,"theymustbereadandproceededoninthecourseinwhichtheystand。2Hats。83。Forpriorityofordergivespriorityofright,whichcannotbetakenawaybutbyanotherspecialorder。
Afterthese,thereareotherprivilegedquestionswhichwillrequireconsiderableexplanation。
ItisproperthateveryParliamentaryassemblyshouldhavecertainformsofquestionsoadapted,astoenablethemfitlytodisposeofeverypropositionwhichcanbemadetothem。Suchare1。Thepreviousquestion。2。Topostponeindefinitely。3。Toadjournaquestiontoadefiniteday。4。Tolieonthetable。5。Tocommit。6。Toamend。Theproperoccasionforeachofthesequestionsshouldbeunderstood。
1。Whenapropositionismoved,whichitisuselessorinexpedientnowtoexpressordiscuss,thepreviousquestionhasbeenintroducedforsuppressingforthattimethemotionanditsdiscussion。3Hats。188,189。
2。Butasthepreviousquestiongetsridofitonlyforthatday,andthesamepropositionmayrecurthenextday,iftheywishtosuppressitforthewholeofthatsession,theypostponeitindefinitely。3Hats。
183。Thisquashesthepropositionforthatsession,asanindefiniteadjournmentisadissolution,orthecontinuanceofasuitsinedieisadiscontinanceofit。
3。Whenamotionismadewhichitwillbepropertoacton,butinformationiswanted,orsomethingmorepressingclaimsthepresenttime,thequestionordebateisadjournedtosuchdaywithinthesessionaswillanswertheviewsoftheHouse。2Hats。81。Andthosewhohavespokenbeforemaynotspeakagainwhentheadjourneddebateisresumed。2Hats。
73。Sometimes,however,thishasbeenabusivelyused,byadjourningittoadaybeyondthesession,togetridofitaltogether,aswouldbedonebyanindefinitepostponement。
4。WhentheHousehassomethingelsewhichclaimsitspresentattention,butwouldbewillingtoreserveintheirpowertotakeupapropositionwheneveritshallsuitthem,theyorderittolieontheirtable。Itmaythenbecalledforatanytime。
5。IfthepropositionwillwantmoreamendmentanddigestionthantheformalitiesoftheHousewillconvenientlyadmit,theyreferittoacommittee。
6。Butifthepropositionbewelldigestedandmayneedbutfewandsimpleamendments,andespeciallyifthesebeofleadingconsequence,theythenproceedtoconsiderandamenditthemselves。
TheSenate,intheirpractice,varyfromthisregulargradationofforms。
Theirpractice,comparativelywiththatofParliamentstandsthus:FortheParliamentary,Postpmt。indefinite-
Adjournment-
LyingontheTable-
TheSenateuses,Postp。toadaybeyondthesession。
Postp。toadaywithinthesession。
Postpmt。indefinite。
Lyingonthetable。Intheir8thruletherefore,whichdeclaresthatwhileaquestionisbeforetheSenate,nomotionshallbereceivedunlessitbeforthepreviousquestion,ortopostpone,commit,oramendthemainquestion,thetermpostponementmustbeunderstoodaccordingtotheirbroaduseofit,andnotinitsParliamentarysense。Theirrulethenestablishesasprivilegedquestions,thepreviousquestion,postponement,commitmentandamendment。
Butitmaybeasked,havethesequestionsanyprivilegeamongthemselves?
Or,aretheysoequal,thatthecommonprincipleofthe"firstmoved,firstput"takesplaceamongthem?Thiswillneedexplanation。Theircompetitionsmaybeasfollow:Commit,AmendPrev。Qu。