Page:Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies (1876).djvu/45

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§ 19]
SUBSIDIARY MOTIONS.
45

[§ 27]. It removes the subject from consideration till the assembly vote to take it from the table.

The Form of this motion is, “I move that the question lie on the table,” or, “that it be laid on the table,” or, “to lay the question on the table.” When it is desired to take the question up again, a motion is made, either “to take the question from the table,” or “to now consider such and such a question;” which motion is undebatable, and cannot have any subsidiary motion applied to it.

The Object of this motion is to postpone the subject in such a way that at any time it can be taken up, either at the same or some future meeting, which could not be accomplished by a motion to postpone, either definitely or indefinitely. It is also frequently used to suppress a question [§ 59], which it does, provided a majority vote can never be obtained to take it from the table during that session [§ 42].

The Effect of this motion is in general to place on the table everything that adheres to the subject;[1] so that if an amendment be or-


  1. A question of privilege [§ 12] does not adhere to the subject it may happen to interrupt, and consequently if laid on the table does not carry with it the question pending when it was raised.