Explanatory Note. Citations in the Digest from the Constitution, Congressional Globe, Congressional Record, Journals, and Statutes, are indicated as in the following examples: Thus, Const. 1, 7, 2, 6, refers to article 1, section 7, subsection 2 of the Constitution, page 6 of this volume. Journal 1, 53, p. —, refers to the Journal of the House of Representatives, first session, Fifty-third Congress. (The Congressional Globe and Congressional Record are cited in like manner by reference to the session and Congress.) 27 Stat. L., refers to the twenty-seventh or last volume of the Statutes at Large of the United States. In some cases Statutes are cited thus: Laws (or Session Laws) 2, 43, p.—, referring to the volume of acts passed at the second session of the Forty-third Congress, and being the equivalent of 18 Stat. L. R. S. indicates the Revised Statutes of the United States (revision of 1878). Manual, refers to Jefferson's Manual, as comprised in this volume. II PREFACE. This compilation, being a manual of legislative procedure of the House of Representatives of the United States, is prepared and published in pursuance of law and a resolution of the House. The contents are: (1) The Constitution of the United States and amendments, with analytical index thereto; (2) Jefferson's Manual; the principles of procedure contained in the Manual being by Rule XLIV expressly adopted by the House so far as consistent with its other rules; (3) The rules of the House of Representatives as amended and in force at the adjournment of the first session of the Fifty-third Congress, with synopsis and marginal index; (4) A digest of the rules and practice of the House, including sections of the Constitution and statutes which relate to proceedings of the House and to the duties of its officers; (5) An appendix containing useful tables and catalogues not considered appropriate to the body of the digest. In the Digest proper the several rules and parts of rules relating to a particular subject are grouped together, thus presenting in compact form both the rules and practice relating to a point in question. Sections and paragraphs of the Constitution and laws are in like manner repeated in full where applicable. The decisions of Speakers and of chairmen of the Committee of the Whole are sometimes given verbatim, but generally the substance or effect of the decision only is presented. On some questions the decisions are conflicting; while as to many other matters the practice of the House has been so long and well established that express rulings respecting them have not been required. In such cases the prevailing practice is briefly stated. The general plan of Barclay's digest as published in the Forty-fourth Congress has been pursued, and so much of the text of Mr. Barclay's work is repeated as seems to be pertinent to the rules and practice of the House. Care has been taken, however, to eliminate from the text reproduced, decisions and references which have become obsolete by reason of changes in the rules and repeals of statutes. In the preparation of the preceding edition, decisions noted in the Journals since the Forty-first Congress, including those of the Fifty-second, were examined and epitomized from the Journals and Congressional Records. That work has been carefully revised and extended in this edition to embrace decisions of the House of Representatives at the first session of the Fifty-third Congress to October, 1893. Such parts of the statutes of the United States subsequent to the Revised Statutes, down to and including the laws passed at the first session of the Fifty-third Congress, as directly affect the procedure and functions of Congress are also presented. The notes and index to the Constitution are from the text published in the Revised Statutes prepared by Hon. Geo. S. Boutwell, and extended by Mr. Charles B. Reade for use in the Senate Manual, some additional citations of recent decisions being also added. Jefferson's Manual, with the Senate rules in italics, is also substantially from the text prepared by Mr. Reade for the Senate Manual. In the Appendix, the tabulated statement relative to the volumes containing debates in Congress is chiefly the work of Mr. A. W. Church, Librarian of the Senate. This table has been extended to include the several volumes of the Record published in the Fifty-second Congress. The table showing the period of each Congress, the Speakers and Clerks of the House, is after the plan of Mr. Lanman as published in his biographical and statistical work. The table of sessions of Congress convened at periods other than the date fixed in the Constitution was prepared by Mr. William T. Page. These several tables have been carefully revised and verified from original sources. CONTENTS. Rules of the House of Representatives, Fifty-third Congress. Digest of the Rules and Practice of the House of Representatives. Page. V |