Roberts Rules of Order | Page 4

Congress, notwithstanding that, according to English
parliamentary law, the Previous question could not be moved under
such circumstances. When the rules of the two Houses of Congress
conflict, the H. R. rules are of greater authority than those of the Senate
in determining the parliamentary law of the country, just as the practice
of the House of Commons, and not the House of Lords, determines the
parliamentary law of England. For instance, though the Senate rules do
not allow the motion for the Previous Question, and make the motion to
postpone indefinitely take precedence of every other subsidiary motion
[§ 7] except to lie on the table, yet the parliamentary law of the land
follows the practice of the House of Representatives, in recognizing the
Previous Question as a legitimate motion, and assigning to the very
lowest rank the motion to postpone indefinitely. But in matters of detail,
the rules of the House of Representatives are adapted to the peculiar
wants of that body, and are of no authority in any other assembly. No
one for instance would accept the following H. R. rules as common
parliamentary law in this country: That the chairman, in case of
disorderly conduct, would have that power to order the galleries to be
cleared; that the ballot could not be used in electing the officers of an
assembly; that any fifteen members would be authorized to compel the
attendance of absent members and make them pay the expenses of the
messengers sent after them; that all committees not appointed by the
Chair would have to be appointed by ballot, and if the required number
were not elected by a majority vote, then a second ballot must be taken
in which a plurality of votes would prevail; that each member would be
limited in debate upon any question, to one hour; that a day's notice
must be given of the introduction of a bill, and that before its passage it
must be read three times, and that without the special order of the
assembly it cannot be read twice the same day. These examples are

sufficient to show the absurdity of the idea that the rules of Congress in
all things determine the common parliamentary law.]
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Plan of the Work.
This Manual is prepared to partially meet this want in deliberative
assemblies that are not legislative in their character. It has been made
sufficiently complete to answer for the rules of an assembly, until they
see fit to adopt special rules conflicting with and superseding any of its
rules of detail, such as the Order of Business [§ 44], etc. Even in
matters of detail the practice of Congress is followed, wherever it is not
manifestly unsuited to ordinary assemblies, and in such cases, in
Part I, there will be found, in a footnote, the
Congressional practice.
In the important matters referred to above, in which the practice of the
House of
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Representatives settles the common parliamentary law of the country,
this Manual strictly conforms to such practice.* [On account of the
party lines being so strictly drawn in Congress, no such thing as
harmony of action is possible, and it has been found best to give a bare
majority, in the House of Representatives (but not in the Senate) the
power to take final action upon a question without allowing of any
discussion. In ordinary societies more regard should be paid to the
rights of the minority, and a two-thirds vote be required, as in this
Manual [§ 39], for sustaining an objection to the introduction of a
question, or for adopting a motion for the Previous Question, or for
adopting an order closing or limiting debate. In this respect the policy
of the Pocket Manual is a mean between those of the House and Senate.
But some societies will doubtless find it advantageous to follow the
practice of the H. R., and others will prefer that of the Senate. It

requires a majority, according to the Pocket Manual, to order the yeas
and nays, which is doubtless best to the majority of assemblies; but in
all bodies in which the members are responsible to their constituents, a
much smaller number should have this power. In Congress it requires
but a one-fifth vote, end in some bodies a single member can require a
vote to be taken by yeas and nays. Any society adopting this Manual,
should make its rules govern them in all cases to which they are
applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the By-Laws
and Rules of Order of the society. Their own rules should include all or
the cases where it is desirable to vary from the rules in the Manual, and
especially should provide for a Quorum [§ 43], and