The Senate, in their practice, vary from this regular gradation of forms. Their practice, comparatively with that of Parliament, stands thus:
| For the Parliamentary, | The Senate uses, |
| Postmt. indefinite. | —Postmt. to a day beyond the session. |
| Adjournment, | —Postmt. to a day within the session. |
| Laying on the table. | { Postponement indefinite. |
| { Laying on the table. |
In their 8th Rule, therefore, which declares, that while a question is before the Senate, no motion shall be received, unless it be for the previous question, or to postpone, commit or amend the main question, the term postponement must be understood according to their broad use of it, and not in its Parliamentary sense. Their rule then establishes as privileged questions, the previous question, postponement, commitment, and amendment.
But it may be asked, Have these questions any privilege among themselves? or are they so equal that the common principle of the "first moved, first put," takes place among them? This will need explanation. Their competitions may be as follows:
| 1. Prev. Qu. and Postpone | In the 1st, 2d, and 3d classes, andthe 1st member of the 4th class, therule "first moved, first put," takesplace. |
| Commit | |
| Amend | |
| 2. Postpone and Prev. Qu. | |
| Commit | |
| Amend | |
| 3. Commit and Prev. Qu. | |
| Postpone | |
| Amend | |
| 4. Amend and Prev. Qu. | |
| Postpone | |
| Commit |
In the 1st class, where the previous question is first moved, the effect is peculiar; for it not only prevents the after motion to postpone or commit from being put to question before it, but also from being put after it. For if the previous question be decided affirmatively, to wit, that the main question shall now be put, it would of course be against the decision to postpone or commit. And if it be decided negatively, to wit, that the main question shall not now be put, this puts the House out of possession of the main question, and consequently there is nothing before them to postpone or commit. So that neither voting for nor against the previous question will enable the advocates for postponing or committing to get at their object. Whether it may be amended, shall be examined hereafter.
2d class.—If postponement be decided affirmatively, the proposition is removed from before the House, and consequently there is no ground for the previous question, commitment, or amendment. But if decided negatively, that it shall not be postponed, the main question may then be suppressed by the previous question, or may be committed or amended.
The 3d class is subject to the same observations as the 2d.
The 4th class.—Amendment of the main question first moved, and afterwards the previous question, the question of amendment shall be first put.
Amendment and postponement competing, postponement is first put, as the equivalent proposition to adjourn the main question would be in Parliament. The reason is, that the question for amendment is not suppressed by postponing or adjourning the main question, but remains before the House whenever the main question is resumed; and it might be that the occasion for other urgent business might go by, and be lost by length of debate on the amendment, if the House had it not in their power to postpone the whole subject.