The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-01-19

on subject different from that unde,
consideration should be admitted un
der color of amendment.
Whenever any member thinks thai
the business of the assembly is going
on contrary to proper order he rises
in his place and addresses the chair
saying: Mr.. Chairman, I rise to 8
point Of order. He is then asked tt
state his point of order, which he does
Thereupon either with or without de
bate the presiding officer decides the
question Of order.
If an amendment to an amendment
or, in other words, If an amendment
in the the third degree be offered, 8
point of order will rule it out Or, II
the president Of No. should attempt
to proceed with the order of business
without ordering the secretary to rea6
the minutes Of the previous meeting
a point Of order would stop him. Or
If the visiting committee should at
tempt to report Immediately after the
meeting opened, point of order that
such report could only be heard at the
order Of business known as "Report
of Committee on Sick" would be well
taken, and so on.
Even after measure has passed the
ordeal of consideration of debate and
amendment and of final passage by the
assembly, 1T has not yet in American
assemblies reached an end. It is sub
ject to motion to reconsider. In Eng
land, the motion to reconsider is not
known. If any error has been COM
mitted it is rectified by another act.
A motion to reconsider, If agreed to,
reopens the entire question for further
action. A motion to reconsider is ap-
plicable to almost all motions. The
exceptions are the motion to adjourn,
to lay on the table when decided in
the affirmative, suspension Of rules,
and the motion to reconsider itself.
A motion to lay on the table decided
negatively cannot lie reconsidered if
other business has been entered upon.
for that would be an equivalent Of the
motion and should take that form.
After the previous question has been
partly executed it cannot be reconsid-
cred. By this infer that if the pre-
vious question is ordered and the pre-
siding officer begins to put the amend
ments, and having put one before the
assembly which disposes of it one way
or the other, member should rise and
move to reconsider the vote by which
the previous question was ordered, it
would not be in order. A question
can be reconsidered but once. A vote
on reconsideration cannot be recon-
sidered.
A motion to reconsider must be
made on the day on which the action
sought to be reconsidered was had,
and before any action has been taken
by the assembly in consequence of it.
In the house of representatives the
custom has been for the promoter of
the bill to move reconsideration and
then at once to move to lay his own
motion on the table. If the latter mo-
tion is agreed to, under the customs of
the house, the motion to reconsider is
defeated, for nothing is ever taken Off
the table save by unanimous consent.
Only member who voted with the
prevailing party has the right to move
for reconsideration. A motion to re-
consider is debatable whenever the
subject on which reconsideration was
moved was itself debatable.
When business begins and the main
question is stated by the presiding Of
ficer, that is the subject of debate. If
an amendment is proposed and stated
to the chair, that is then the subject
of debate, and not the main question.
Although the distinction can be stated
thus sharply in words, it is often diff
cult to rule upon it in practice.
To discuss an amendment involves
more or less the main question. The
best course for a presiding officer, in
most cases, is to interfere only when
the irrelevancy is very great and is
leading to confusion. Sometimes the
pending motion, as for example the
motion for indefinite postponement,
being the indirect equivalent of a mega
tive vote on the main question, involves
the main question and all amendments.
In that case the subject of debate
would be the whole range of pending
propositions.
The rules of order which have been
adopted by the A. o. II. are according
to recognized parliamentary law. The
exception is that member may speak
twice on every question that comes
before the meeting, and third time,
by permission of the chair, if no other
member wishes to speak.
When point of order is raised and
the presiding officer is not familiar with
the rule, he should take the word of
the member who states the point of
order, or appeal to some one present in
whose knowledge and veracity he has
confidence, and decide accordingly.
This is more courteous way to rule
than to evade the point by fiat avow-