# Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies

Robert's Rules of Order is the informal short title of a book containing rules of order intended to be adopted for use by a deliberative assembly.
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POCKET MANUAL
OF
RULES OF ORDER
FOR
DELIBERATIVE ASSEMBLIES.
PART I.
RULES OF ORDER.
A COMPENDIUM OF PARLIAMENTARY LAW, BASED UPON THE RULES AND PRACTICE OF CONGRESS.
PART II.
ORGANIZATION AND CONDUCT OF BUSINESS.
A SIMPLE EXPLANATION OF THE METHODS OF ORGANIZING AND CONDUCTING THE BUSINESS OF SOCIETIES, CONVENTIONS, AND OTHER DELIBERATIVE ASSEMBLIES.
By Major HENRY M. ROBERT, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A.
SEVENTH THOUSAND, REVISED.
CHICAGO: S.C. GRIGGS AND COMPANY. 1876.
Copyright, 1876, By H. M. ROBERT.
KNIGHT & LEONARD, PRINTERS, CHICAGO.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
page :
| Table of Rules Relating to Motions | Table of Rules Relating to Motions | Table of Rules Relating to Motions | 8 |
| Preface | Preface | Preface | 11 |
| Introduction ||||
| | Parliamentary Law | Parliamentary Law | 13 |
| | Plan of the Work | Plan of the Work | 16 |
| | Plan of „ Part I | Plan of „ Part I | 18 |
| | Plan of „ Part II | Plan of „ Part II | 19 |
| | Plan of „ Part III | Plan of „ Part III | 19 |
| | Definitions and Common Errors | Definitions and Common Errors | 19 |
| Part I.—Rules of Order. ||||
| Art. I.—Introduction of Business ||||
| | § 1. | How introduced | 21 |
| | 2. | Obtaining the floor | 21 |
| | 3. | What precedes debate on a question | 24 |
| | 4. | What motions to be in writing, and how they shall be divided | 25 |
| | 5. | Modification of a motion by the mover | 26 |
| Art. II.—General Classification of Motions ||||
| | § 6. | Principal or Main motions | 27 |
| | 7. | Subsidiary or Secondary motions | 28 |
| | 8. | Incidental motions | 29 |
| | 9. | Privileged motions | 29 |
| Art. III.—Motions and their Order of Precedence ||||
| Privileged Motions. ||||
| | § 10. | To fix the time to which to adjourn | 30 |
| | 11. | Adjourn | 31 |
| | 12. | Questios of privilege | 33 |
| | 13. | Orders of the day | 34 |
| Incidental Motions. ||||
| | 14. | Appeal [Questions of Order] | 38 |
| | 15. | Objection to consideration of a question | 41 |
| | 16. | Reading papers | 42 |
| | 17. | Withdrawal of a motion | 43 |
| | 18. | Suspension of the Rules | 43 ​ |
| Subsidiary Motions. ||||
| | § 19. | Lie on the table | 44 |
| | 20. | Previous Question | 46 |
| | 21. | Postpone to a certain day | 53 |
| | 22. | Commit [or Refer] | 54 |
| | 23. | Amend | 56 |
| | 24. | Postpone indefinitely | 59 |
| Miscellaneous Motions. ||||
| | 25. | Filling blanks, and Nominations | 60 |
| | 26. | Renewal of a motion | 60 |
| | 27. | Reconsideration | 62 |
| Art. IV.—Committees and Informal Action. ||||
| | § 28. | Committees | 68 |
| | 29. | Committees„ Form of their Reports | 72 |
| | 30. | Committees„ Reception of their Reports„ | 73 |
| | 31. | Committees„ Adoption of their Reports„ | 75 |
| | 32. | Committee of the Whole | 76 |
| | 33. | Informal consideration of a question | 80 |
| Art. V.—Debate and Decorum. ||||
| | § 34. | Debate | 82 |
| | 35. | Undebatable questions and those opening the main question to debate | 84 |
| | 36. | Decorum in debate | 87 |
| | 37. | Closing debate, methods of | 89 |
| Art. VI.—Vote. ||||
| | § 38. | Voting, various modes of | 91 |
| | 39. | Motions requiring more than a majority vote | 97 |
| Art. VII.—Officers and the Minutes. ||||
| | § 40. | Chairman or President | 100 |
| | 41. | Clerk, or Secretary, and the Minutes | 105 |
| Art. VIII.—Miscellaneous. ||||
| | § 42. | Session | 109 |
| | 43. | Quorum | 112 |
| | 44. | Order of Business | 114 |
| | 45. | Amendment of the Rules of Order, etc. | 117 ​ |
| Part II.—Organization and Conduct of Business. ||||
| Art. IX.—Organization and Meetings. ||||
| | § 46. | An Occasional or Mass Meeting | An Occasional or Mass Meeting |
| | | (a) Organization | 119 |
| | | (b) Adoption of resolutions | 121 |
| | | (c) Committee on resolutions„ | 122 |
| | | (d) Additional Officers | 126 |
| | 47. | A Convention or Assembly of Delegates | 126 |
| | 48. | A Permanent Society. | A Permanent Society. |
| | | (a) First meeting | 129 |
| | | (b) Second meeting | 132 |
| | 49. | Constitutions, By-Laws, Rules of Order and Standing Rules | 135 |
| Art. X.—Officers and Committees ||||
| | § 50. | President or Chairman | 139 |
| | 51. | Secretary, or Clerk, and the Minutes | 140 |
| | 52. | Treasurer | 143 |
| | 53. | Committees | 147 |
| Art. XI.—Introduction of Business. ||||
| | § 54. | Introduction of Business | 150 |
| Art. XII.—Motions. ||||
| | § 55. | Motions Classified according to their object | 152 |
| | 56. | To Modify or Amend. | To Modify or Amend. |
| | | (a) Amend | 154 |
| | | (b) Commit | 155 |
| | 57. | To Defer Action. | To Defer Action. |
| | | (a) Postpone to a certain time | 156 |
| | | (b) Lie on the table | 156 |
| | 58. | To Suppress Debate. | To Suppress Debate. |
| | | (a) Previous Question | 157 |
| | | (b) An Order limiting or closing debate | 159 ​ |
| | 59. | To Suppress the question. | To Suppress the question. |
| | | (a) Objection to its consideration | 160 |
| | | (b) Postpone indefinitely | 160 |
| | | (c) Lie on the table | 161 |
| | 60. | To Consider a question the second time. | To Consider a question the second time. |
| | | (a) Reconsider | 161 |
| | 61. | Order and Rules. | Order and Rules. |
| | | (a) Orders of the day | 164 |
| | | (b) Special orders | 165 |
| | | (c) Suspension of the rules | 165 |
| | | (d) Questions of order | 166 |
| | | (e) Appeal | 167 |
| | 62. | Miscellaneous. | Miscellaneous. |
| | | (a) Reading of papers | 167 |
| | | (b) Withdrawal of a motion | 167 |
| | | (c) Questions of privilege | 168 |
| | 63. | To close a meeting. | To close a meeting. |
| | | (a) Fix the time to which to adjourn | 168 |
| | | (b) Adjourn | 169 |
| Art. XIII.—Miscellaneous ||||
| | § 64. | Debate | 170 |
| | 65. | Forms of stating and putting questions | 171 |
| Part III.—Miscellaneous. ||||
| | § 66. | Right of an Assembly to Punish its members | 175 |
| | 67. | Right of an Assembly to Eject any one from its place of meeting | 176 |
| | 68. | Rights of Ecclesiastical Tribunals | 176 |
| | 69. | Trial of Members of Societies | 177 |
| | 70. | Call of the House | 181 |
| Index | Index | Index | 185 |
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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