Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies

by Henry M. Robert

For other versions of this work, see Robert's Rules of Order.

Layout 2

POCKET MANUAL

OF

RULES OF ORDER

FOR

DELIBERATIVE ASSEMBLIES.

---

PART I.

RULES OF ORDER.

A COMPENDIUM OF PARLIAMENTARY LAW, BASED UPON THE RULES AND PRACTICE OF CONGRESS.

PART II.

ORGANIZATION AND CONDUCT OF BUSINESS.

A SIMPLE EXPLANATION OF THE METHODS OF ORGANIZING AND CONDUCTING THE BUSINESS OF SOCIETIES, CONVENTIONS, AND OTHER DELIBERATIVE ASSEMBLIES.

 

By Major HENRY M. ROBERT,
Corps of Engineers, U. S. A.

 

SEVENTH THOUSAND, REVISED.

 

CHICAGO:
S.C. GRIGGS AND COMPANY.
1876.

 

Copyright, 1876,
By H. M. ROBERT.

 

KNIGHT & LEONARD, PRINTERS, CHICAGO.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

page
Table of Rules Relating to Motions			8
Preface			11
Introduction
	Parliamentary Law		13
	Plan of the Work		16
	Plan of „ Part I		18
	Plan of „ Part II		19
	Plan of „ Part III		19
	Definitions and Common Errors		19
Part I.—Rules of Order.
Art. I.—Introduction of Business
	§ 1.	How introduced	21
	2.	Obtaining the floor	21
	3.	What precedes debate on a question	24
	4.	What motions to be in writing, and how they shall be divided	25
	5.	Modification of a motion by the mover	26
Art. II.—General Classification of Motions
	§ 6.	Principal or Main motions	27
	7.	Subsidiary or Secondary motions	28
	8.	Incidental motions	29
	9.	Privileged motions	29
Art. III.—Motions and their Order of Precedence
Privileged Motions.
	§ 10.	To fix the time to which to adjourn	30
	11.	Adjourn	31
	12.	Questios of privilege	33
	13.	Orders of the day	34
Incidental Motions.
	14.	Appeal [Questions of Order]	38
	15.	Objection to consideration of a question	41
	16.	Reading papers	42
	17.	Withdrawal of a motion	43
	18.	Suspension of the Rules	43
Subsidiary Motions.
	§ 19.	Lie on the table	44
	20.	Previous Question	46
	21.	Postpone to a certain day	53
	22.	Commit [or Refer]	54
	23.	Amend	56
	24.	Postpone indefinitely	59
Miscellaneous Motions.
	25.	Filling blanks, and Nominations	60
	26.	Renewal of a motion	60
	27.	Reconsideration	62
Art. IV.—Committees and Informal Action.
	§ 28.	Committees	68
	29.	Committees„ Form of their Reports	72
	30.	Committees„ Reception of their Reports„	73
	31.	Committees„ Adoption of their Reports„	75
	32.	Committee of the Whole	76
	33.	Informal consideration of a question	80
Art. V.—Debate and Decorum.
	§ 34.	Debate	82
	35.	Undebatable questions and those opening the main question to debate	84
	36.	Decorum in debate	87
	37.	Closing debate, methods of	89
Art. VI.—Vote.
	§ 38.	Voting, various modes of	91
	39.	Motions requiring more than a majority vote	97
Art. VII.—Officers and the Minutes.
	§ 40.	Chairman or President	100
	41.	Clerk, or Secretary, and the Minutes	105
Art. VIII.—Miscellaneous.
	§ 42.	Session	109
	43.	Quorum	112
	44.	Order of Business	114
	45.	Amendment of the Rules of Order, etc.	117
Part II.—Organization and Conduct of Business.
Art. IX.—Organization and Meetings.
	§ 46.	An Occasional or Mass Meeting
		⁠ (a) Organization	119
		⁠ (b) Adoption of resolutions	121
		⁠ (c) Committee on resolutions„	122
		⁠ (d) Additional Officers	126
	47.	A Convention or Assembly of Delegates	126
	48.	A Permanent Society.
		⁠ (a) First meeting	129
		⁠ (b) Second meeting	132
	49.	Constitutions, By-Laws, Rules of Order and Standing Rules	135
Art. X.—Officers and Committees
	§ 50.	President or Chairman	139
	51.	Secretary, or Clerk, and the Minutes	140
	52.	Treasurer	143
	53.	Committees	147
Art. XI.—Introduction of Business.
	§ 54.	Introduction of Business	150
Art. XII.—Motions.
	§ 55.	Motions Classified according to their object	152
	56.	To Modify or Amend.
		⁠ (a) Amend	154
		⁠ (b) Commit	155
	57.	To Defer Action.
		⁠ (a) Postpone to a certain time	156
		⁠ (b) Lie on the table	156
	58.	To Suppress Debate.
		⁠ (a) Previous Question	157
		⁠ (b) An Order limiting or closing debate	159
	59.	To Suppress the question.
		⁠ (a) Objection to its consideration	160
		⁠ (b) Postpone indefinitely	160
		⁠ (c) Lie on the table	161
	60.	To Consider a question the second time.
		⁠ (a) Reconsider	161
	61.	Order and Rules.
		⁠ (a) Orders of the day	164
		⁠ (b) Special orders	165
		⁠ (c) Suspension of the rules	165
		⁠ (d) Questions of order	166
		⁠ (e) Appeal	167
	62.	Miscellaneous.
		⁠ (a) Reading of papers	167
		⁠ (b) Withdrawal of a motion	167
		⁠ (c) Questions of privilege	168
	63.	To close a meeting.
		⁠ (a) Fix the time to which to adjourn	168
		⁠ (b) Adjourn	169
Art. XIII.—Miscellaneous
	§ 64.	Debate	170
	65.	Forms of stating and putting questions	171
Part III.—Miscellaneous.
	§ 66.	Right of an Assembly to Punish its members	175
	67.	Right of an Assembly to Eject any one from its place of meeting	176
	68.	Rights of Ecclesiastical Tribunals	176
	69.	Trial of Members of Societies	177
	70.	Call of the House	181
Index			185