Manual of Parliamentary Practice / Rules of Proceeding and Debate in Deliberative Assemblies

by Luther Stearns Cushing

[3]. The most usual and convenient mode of organizing a deliberative assembly is the following:—The members being assembled together, in the place, and at the time appointed for their meeting, one of them addressing himself to the others, requests them to come to order; the members thereupon seating themselves, and giving their attention to him, he suggests the propriety and necessity of their being organized, before proceeding to business, and requests the members to nominate some person to act as chairman of the meeting; a name or names being thereupon mentioned, he declares that such a person (whose name was first heard by him) is nominated for chairman, and puts a question that the person so named be requested to take the chair. If this question should be decided in the negative, another nomination is then to be called for, and a question put upon the name mentioned (being that of some other [p11] ]person) as before, and so on until a choice is effected. When a chairman is elected, he takes the chair, and proceeds in the same manner to complete the organization of the assembly, by the choice of a secretary and such other officers, if any, as may be deemed necessary.

[4]. An organization, thus effected, may be, and frequently is, sufficient for all the purposes of the meeting; but if, for any reason, it is desired to have a greater number of officers, or to have them selected with more deliberation, it is the practice to organize temporarily, in the manner above mentioned, and then to refer the subject of a permanent organization, and the selection of persons to be nominated for the several offices, to a committee; upon whose report, the meeting proceeds to organize itself, conformably thereto, or in such other manner as it thinks proper.

[“In Congress, and all the lower houses of the State legislatures, and a few of the State senates, the presiding officer is called the Speaker; while in the United States Senate and a number of State senates the name President is used.”—Ed.]

[5]. The presiding officer is usually [p12] ]denominated the president, and the recording officer, the secretary; though, sometimes, these officers are designated, respectively, as the chairman and clerk. It is not unusual, besides a president, to have one or more vice-presidents; who take the chair, occasionally, in the absence of the president from the assembly, or when he withdraws from the chair to take part in the proceedings as a member; but who, at other times, though occupying seats with the president, act merely as members. It is frequently the case, also, that several persons are appointed secretaries, in which case, the first named is considered as the principal officer. All the officers are, ordinarily, members of the assembly[Footnote 1] ]; and, as such, entitled to participate in the proceedings; except that the presiding officer does not usually engage in the debate, and votes only when the assembly is equally divided.

[6]. In all deliberative assemblies, the members of which are chosen or appointed to represent others, it is necessary, before proceeding [p13] ]to business, to ascertain who are duly elected and returned as members; in order not only that no person may be admitted to participate in the proceedings who is not regularly authorized to do so, but also that a list of the members may be made for the use of the assembly and its officers.

[7]. The proper time for this investigation is after the temporary and before the permanent organization; or, when the assembly is permanently organized, in the first instance, before it proceeds to the transaction of any other business; and the most convenient mode of conducting it is by the appointment of a committee, to receive and report upon the credentials of the members. The same committee may also be charged with the investigation of rival claims, where any such are presented.

[8]. When a question arises, involving the right of a member to his seat, such member is entitled to be heard on the question, and he is then to withdraw from the assembly until it is decided; but if, by the indulgence of the assembly, he remains in his place, during the discussion, he ought neither to take any further part in it, nor to vote when the [p14] ]question is proposed; it being a fundamental rule of all deliberative assemblies, that those members, whose rights as such are not yet set aside, constitute a judicial tribunal to decide upon the cases of those whose rights of membership are called in question. Care should always be taken, therefore, in the selection of the officers, and in the appointment of committees, to name only those persons whose rights as members are not objected to.

[9]. The place where an assembly is held being in its possession, and rightfully appropriated to its use, no person is entitled to be present therein, but by the consent of the assembly; and, consequently, if any person refuse to withdraw, when ordered to do so, or conduct himself in a disorderly or improper manner, the assembly may unquestionably employ sufficient force to remove such person from the meeting.

[10]. Every deliberative assembly, by the mere fact of its being assembled and constituted, does thereby necessarily adopt and become subject to those rules and forms of proceeding, without which it would be impossible for it to accomplish the purposes of its [p15] ]creation. It is perfectly competent, however, for every such body—and where the business is of considerable interest and importance, or likely to require some time for its accomplishment, it is not unusual—to adopt also certain special rules for the regulation of its proceedings. Where this is the case, these latter supersede the ordinary parliamentary rules, in reference to all points to which they relate; or add to them in those particulars in reference to which there is no parliamentary rule; leaving what may be called the common parliamentary law in full force in all other respects.

[11]. The rules of parliamentary proceedings in this country are derived from, and essentially the same with, those of the British parliament; though, in order to adapt these rules to the circumstances and wants of our legislative assemblies, they have, in some few respects, been changed,—in others, differently applied,—and in others, again, extended beyond their original intention. To these rules, each legislative assembly is accustomed to add a code of its own, by which, in conjunction with the former, its proceedings are regulated. The rules, thus adopted by the several [p16] ]legislative assemblies, having been renewed in successive legislatures,—with such extensions, modifications and additions as have been from time to time, thought necessary,—the result is, that a system of parliamentary rules has been established in each State, different in some particulars from those of every other State, but yet founded in and embracing all the essential rules of the common parliamentary law.