Robert's Rules of Order Part 12

59. To Suppress the Question. (a) Objection to the consideration of a question. Sometimes a resolution is introduced that the a.s.sembly do not wish to consider at all, because it is profitless, or irrelevant to the objects of the a.s.sembly, or for other reasons. The proper course to pursue in such case, is for some one, as soon as it is introduced, to "object to the consideration of the question." This objection not requiring a second, the chairman immediately

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puts the question, "Will the a.s.sembly consider this question?" If decided in the negative by a two-thirds vote, the question is immediately dismissed, and cannot be again introduced during that session. This objection must be made when the question is first introduced, before it has been debated, and it can be made when another member has the floor.

(b) Postpone indefinitely. After the question has been debated, the proper motion to use in order to suppress the question for the session, is to postpone indefinitely. It cannot be made while any motion except the original or main question is pending, but it can be made after an amendment has been acted upon, and the main question, as amended, is before the a.s.sembly. It opens the merits of the main question to debate to as great an extent as if the main question were before the a.s.sembly.

On account of these two facts, in a.s.semblies with short sessions it is not very useful, as the same result can usually be more easily attained by the next motion.

(c) Lie on the table. If there is no possibility during the remainder of the session of obtaining a majority vote for taking up the question, then the quickest way of suppressing it is

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to move "that the question lie on the table;" which, allowing of no debate, enables the majority to instantly lay the question on the table, from which it cannot be taken without their consent.

From its high rank [-- 64] and undebatable character, this motion is very commonly used to suppress a question, but, as shown in -- 57 (b), its effect is merely to lay the question aside till the a.s.sembly choose to consider it, and it only suppresses the question so long as there is a majority opposed to its consideration.

60. To Consider a question a second time. Reconsider. When a question has been once adopted, rejected or suppressed, it cannot be again considered during that session [-- 70], except by a motion to "reconsider the vote" on that question. This motion can only be made by one who voted on the prevailing side, and on the day the vote was taken which it is proposed to reconsider.* [In Congress it can be made on the same or succeeding day; and if the yeas and nays were not taken on the vote, any one can move the reconsideration. The yeas and nays are however ordered on all important votes in Congress, which is not the case in ordinary societies.] It can be made and entered on the minutes in the midst of debate, even when another member has the floor, but cannot be considered until there is no question

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before the a.s.sembly, when, if called up, it takes precedence of every motion except to adjourn and to fix the time to which the a.s.sembly shall adjourn.

A motion to reconsider a vote on a debatable question, opens to debate the entire merits of the original motion. If the question to be reconsidered is undebatable, then the reconsideration is undebatable.

If the motion to reconsider is carried, the chairman announces that the question now recurs on the adoption of the question the vote on which has been just reconsidered: the original question is now in exactly the same condition that it was in before the first vote was taken on its adoption, and must be disposed of by a vote.

When a motion to reconsider is entered on the minutes, it need not be called up by the mover till the next meeting, on a succeeding day.* [If the a.s.sembly has not adopted these or similar rules, this paragraph would not apply, but this motion to reconsider would, like any other motion, fall to the ground if not acted upon before the close of the session at which the original vote was adopted.] If he fails to call it up then, any one else can do so. But should there be no succeeding meeting, either adjourned or regular, within a month, then the effect of the motion to reconsider

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terminates with the adjournment of the meeting at which it was made, and any one can call it up at that meeting.

In general no motion (except to adjourn) that has been once acted upon, can again be considered during the same session, except by a motion to reconsider. [The motion to adjourn can be renewed if there has been progress in business or debate, and it cannot be reconsidered.] But this rule does not prevent the renewal of any of the motions mentioned in -- 64, provided the question before the a.s.sembly has in any way changed; for in this case, while the motions are nominally the same, they are in fact different.* [Thus to move to postpone a resolution is a different question from moving to postpone it after it has been amended. A motion to suspend the rules for a certain purpose cannot be renewed at the same meeting, but can be at an adjourned meeting. A call for the orders of the day that has been negatived, cannot be renewed while the question then before the a.s.sembly is still under consideration. See Rules of Order, -- 27, for many peculiarities of this motion.]

61. Order and Rules. (a) Orders of the Day. Sometimes an a.s.sembly decides that certain questions shall be considered at a particular time, and when that time arrives those questions const.i.tute what is termed the "orders of the day," and if any member "calls for the orders of the day," as it requires no second, the

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chairman immediately puts the question, thus: "Will the a.s.sembly now proceed to the orders of the day?" If carried, the subject under consideration is laid aside, and the questions appointed for that time are taken up in their order. When the time arrives, the chairman may state that fact, and put the above question without waiting for a motion. If the motion fails, the call for the orders of the day cannot be renewed till the subject then before the a.s.sembly is disposed of.*

[In Congress, a member ent.i.tled to the floor cannot be interrupted by a call for the orders of the day. In an ordinary a.s.sembly, the most common case where orders of the day are decided upon is where it is necessary to make a programme for the session. When the hour arrives for the consideration of any subject on the programme, these rules permit any member to call for the orders of the day (as described in Rules of Order, -- 2) even though another person has the floor. If this were not permitted, it would often be impossible to carry out the programme, though wished for by the majority. A majority could postpone the orders of the day, when called for, so as to continue the discussion of the question then before the a.s.sembly. An order as to the time when any subject shall be considered, must not be confounded with the rules of the a.s.sembly; the latter must be enforced by the chairman, without they are suspended by a two-thirds vote; the former, in strictness, can only be carried out by the order of a majority of the a.s.sembly then present and voting.]

(b) Special Order. If a subject is of such importance that it is desired to consider it at a special time in preference to the orders of the day and established order of business, then a motion should be made to make the question a "special order" for that particular time. This

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motion requires a two-thirds vote for its adoption, because it is really a suspension of the rules, and it is in order whenever a motion to suspend the rules is in order. If a subject is a special order for a particular day, then on that day it supersedes all business except the reading of the minutes. A special order can be postponed by a majority vote. If two special orders are made for the same day, the one first made takes precedence.

(c) Suspension of the Rules. It is necessary for every a.s.sembly, if discussion is allowed, to have rules to prevent its time being wasted, and to enable it to accomplish the object for which the a.s.sembly was organized. And yet at times their best interests are subserved by suspending their rules temporarily. In order to do this, some one makes a motion "to suspend the rules that interfere with," etc., stating the object of the suspension. If this motion is carried by a two-thirds vote, then the particular thing for which the rules were suspended can be done. By "general consent," that is, if no one objects, the rules can at any time be ignored without the formality of a motion.

(d) Questions of Order. It is the duty of the chairman to enforce the rules and preserve

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order, and when any member notices a breach of order, he can call for the enforcement of the rules. In such cases, when he rises he usually says, "Mr. Chairman, I rise to a point of order." The chairman then directs the speaker to take his seat, and having heard the point of order, decides the question and permits the first speaker to resume his speech, directing him to abstain from any conduct that was decided to be out of order. When a speaker has transgressed the rules of decorum he cannot continue his speech, if any one objects, without permission is granted him by a vote of the a.s.sembly. Instead of the above method, when a member uses improper language, some one says, "I call the gentleman to order;" when the chairman decides as before whether the language is disorderly.

(e) Appeal. While on all questions of order, and of interpretation of the rules and of priority of business, it is the duty of the chairman to first decide the question, it is the privilege of any member to "appeal from the decision." If the appeal is seconded, the chairman states his decision, and that it has been appealed from, and then states the question, thus: "Shall the decision of the chair stand as the judgment of the a.s.sembly?" [or society, convention, etc.]

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The chairman can then, without leaving the chair, state the reasons for his decision, after which it is open to debate (no member speaking but once), excepting in the following cases, when it is undebatable: (1) When it relates to transgressions of the rules of speaking, or to some indecorum, or to the priority of business; and (2) when the previous question was pending at the time the question of order was raised.

After the vote is taken, the chairman states that the decision of the chair is sustained, or reversed, as the case may be.

62. Miscellaneous. (a) Reading of papers and (b) Withdrawal of a motion. If a speaker wishes to read a paper, or a member to withdraw his motion after it has been stated by the chair, it is necessary, if any one objects, to make a motion to grant the permission.

(c) Questions of Privilege. Should any disturbance occur during the meeting, or anything affecting the rights of the a.s.sembly or any of the members, any member may "rise to a question of privilege," and state the matter, which the chairman decides to be, or not to be, a matter of privilege: (from the chairman's decision of course an appeal can be taken). If the question is one of privilege, it supersedes,

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for the time being, the business before the a.s.sembly; its consideration can be postponed to another time, or the previous question can be ordered on it so as to stop debate, or it can be laid on the table, or referred to a committee to examine and report upon it. As soon as the question of privilege is in some way disposed of, the debate which was interrupted is resumed.

63. To Close the Meeting. (a) Fix the time to which to adjourn. If it is desired to have an adjourned meeting of the a.s.sembly, it is best some time before its close to move, "That when this a.s.sembly adjourns, it adjourns to meet at such a time," specifying the time. This motion can be amended by altering the time, but if made when another question is before the a.s.sembly, neither the motion nor the amendment can be debated. If made when no other business is before the a.s.sembly, it stands as any other main question, and can be debated. This motion can be made even while the a.s.sembly is voting on the motion to adjourn, but not when another member has the floor.

(b) Adjourn. In order to prevent an a.s.sembly

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from being kept in session an unreasonably long time, it is necessary to have a rule limiting the time that the floor can be occupied by any one member at one time.* [Ten minutes is allowed by these rules.] When it is desired to close the meeting, without the member who has the floor will yield it, the only resource is to wait till his time expires, and then a member who gets the floor should move "to adjourn." The motion being seconded, the chairman instantly put the question, as it allows of no amendment or debate; and if decided in the affirmative, he says, "The motion is carried;--this a.s.sembly stands adjourned." If the a.s.sembly is one that will have no other meeting, instead of "adjourned," he says "adjourned without day," or "sine die." If previously it had been decided when they adjourned to adjourn to a particular time, then he states that the a.s.sembly stands adjourned to that time. If the motion to adjourn is qualified by specifying the time, as, "to adjourn to to-morrow evening," it cannot be made when any other question is before the a.s.sembly; like any other main motion, it can then be amended and debated.** [For the effect of an adjournment upon unfinished business see -- 69.]

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64. Order of Precedence of Motions. The ordinary motions rank as follows, and any of them (except to amend) can be made while one of a lower order is pending, but none can supersede one of a higher order:

To Fix the Time to which to Adjourn.

To Adjourn (when unqualified).

For the Orders of the Day.

To Lie on the Table.

For the Previous Question.

To Postpone to a Certain Time.

To Commit.

To Amend.

To Postpone Indefinitely.

The motion to Reconsider can be made when any other question is before the a.s.sembly, but cannot be acted upon until the business then before the a.s.sembly is disposed of; when, if called up, it takes precedence of all other motions except to adjourn and to fix the time to which to adjourn. Questions incidental to those before the a.s.sembly take precedence of them, and must be acted upon first.

A question of order, a call for the orders of the day, or an objection to the consideration of a question, can be made while another member has the floor: so, too, can a motion to reconsider, but it can only be entered on the minutes

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at that time, as it cannot supersede the question then before the a.s.sembly.