1915 Version, Public Domain

[Editor's Note: The copyright on the original 1915 version has expired. However, the modifications and enhancements to this work are Copyright © 1996 Constitution Society. Permission is hereby granted to any person to copy and use this material on a non-profit basis with attribution, and in particular, with the retention of links to the site of the Constitution Society or its successors on the World Wide Web. One of the modifications made to the original document is the substitution for page numbers of section and paragraph numbers, using the format mm:nn, where mm is the section number and nn the paragraph number. Footnotes have been numbered and moved to the end of sections. The Order of Precedence of Motions and the Table of Rules Relating to Motions have also been reformatted and revised to adapt them to the needs of an online document.]

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Table of Contents

• Order of Precedence of Motions. (OPM)
• Table of Rules Relating to Motions. (TRM)
• Preface. (PRE)
• Introduction. (INT)
• Parliamentary Law (PAR)
• Plan of the Work (WRK)
• Definitions (DEF)
• Part I.- Rules of Order.
  • Art. I.- How Business is Conducted in Deliberative Assemblies.
    • 1. Introduction of Business
    • 2. What Precedes Debate
    • 3. Obtaining the Floor
    • 4. Motions and Resolutions
    • 5. Seconding Motions
    • 6. Stating the Question
    • 7. Debate
    • 8. Secondary Motions
    • 9. Putting the Question and Announcing the Vote
    • 10. Proper Motions to Use to Accomplish Certain Objects
  • Art. II.- General Classification of Motions.
    • 11. Main or Principal Motions
    • 12. Subsidiary Motions
    • 13. Incidental Motions
    • 14. Privileged Motions
    • 15. Some Main and Unclassified Motions
  • Art. III.- Privileged Motions.
    • 16. Fix the Time to which the Assembly shall Adjourn
    • 17. Adjourn
    • 18. Take a Recess
    • 19. Questions of Privilege
    • 20. General and Special Orders and a Call for the Orders of the Day
  • Art. IV.- Incidental Motions.
    • 21. Questions of Order and Appeal
    • 22. Suspension of the Rules
    • 23. Objection to the Consideration of a Question
    • 24. Division of a Question, and Consideration by Paragraph or Seriatim
    • 25. Division of the Assembly, and Motions relating to Methods of Voting, or to Closing or Reopening the Polls
    • 26. Motions relating to Methods of Making, or to Closing or to Reopening Nominations
    • 27. Requests growing out of Business Pending or that has just been pending, as, a Parliamentary Inquiry, a Request for Information, for Leave to Withdraw a Motion to Read Papers, to be Excused from a Duty, or for any other Privilege
  • Art. V.- Subsidiary Motions.
    • 28. Lay on the Table
    • 29. The Previous Question
    • 30. Limit or Extend Limits of Debate
    • 31. Postpone Definitely, or to a Certain Time
    • 32. Commit or Refer, or Recommit
    • 33. Amend
    • 34. Postpone Indefinitely
  • Art. VI.- Some Main and Unclassified Motions.
    • 35. Take from the Table
    • 36. Reconsider
    • 37. Rescind
    • 38. Renewal of a Motion
    • 39. Ratify
    • 40. Dilatory, Absurd, or Frivolous Motions
    • 41. Call of the House
  • Art. VII.- Debate.
    • 42. Debate
    • 43. Decorum in Debate
    • 44. Closing and Preventing Debate
    • 45. Principles of Debate and Undebatable Motions
  • Art. VIII.- Vote.
    • 46. Voting
    • 47. Votes that are Null and Void even if Unanimous
    • 48. Motions requiring more than a Majority Vote
  • Art. IX.- Committees and Boards.
    • 49. Committees Classified
    • 50. Boards of Managers, etc., and Executive Committees
    • 51. Ex-Officio Members of Boards and Committees
    • 52. Committees, Special and Standing
    • 53. Reception of Reports
    • 54. Adoption or Acceptance of Reports
    • 55. Committee of the Whole
    • 56. As if in Committee of the Whole
    • 57. Informal Consideration
  • Art. X.- The Officers and the Minutes.
    • 58. Chairman or President
    • 59. Secretary or Clerk
    • 60. The Minutes
    • 61. Executive Secretary
    • 62. Treasurer
  • Art. XI.- Miscellaneous.
    • 63. Session
    • 64. Quorum
    • 65. Order of Business
    • 66. Nominations and Elections
    • 67. Constitutions, By-laws, Rules of Order, and Standing Rules
    • 68. Amendments of Constitutions, By-laws, and Rules of Order
• Part II.- Organization, Meetings, and Legal Rights of Assemblies.
  • Art. XII.- Organization and Meetings.
    • 69. An Occasional or Mass Meeting
      • (a) Organization
      • (b) Adoption of Resolutions
      • (c) Committee to draft Resolutions
      • (d) Semi-Permanent Mass Meeting
    • 70. A Permanent Society.
      • (a) First Meeting
      • (b) Second Meeting
      • (c) Regular Meeting
    • 71. Meeting of a Convention.
      • (a) An Organized Convention
      • (b) A Convention not yet Organized
  • Art. XIII.- Legal Rights of Assemblies and Trial of Their Members.
    • 72. Right of an Assembly to Punish its Members
    • 73. Right of an Assembly to Eject any one from its Place of Meeting
    • 74. Rights of Ecclesiastical Tribunals
    • 75. Trial of Members of Societies
• Plan for Study of Parliamentary Law. (PLN)
• Introduction
• Lesson Outlines (LES)
• Index (NDX)