BLANKS. Blanks are filled by motion and are governed by the rules of amendment. "A bill passed by the one house with blanks. These may be filled up by the other by way of amendments, returned to the first as such, and passed."-Manual, p. 154. "In all ballotings blanks shall be rejected, and not taken into the count in enumeration of votes, or reported by the tellers."-RULE XL. BLUE-BOOK. (See BIENNIAL REGISTER.) BOND. Of Sergeant-at-Arms.-RULE IV, clause 3. BOOKS. Price of, to be deducted from compensation of Member or Delegate.-R. S., sec. 42. BRIBERY. An offer to bribe a member is held to be a breach of the privileges of the House.-Journals, 1, 4, p. 389; 1, 15, pp. 117, 154; 1, 33, 1178; 3, 34, 475, 476; Manual, p. 99. [For statutes relating to bribery, or attempted bribery, of members of Congress, or of any person acting for or on behalf of either house, or committee thereof, see Revised Statutes, sections 5450, 5451, 5500, and 5501.] BUSINESS, DAILY ORDER OF. (RULE XXIV, clauses 1 to 7, inclusive.) The order of business prescribed by RULE XXIV is usually pursued each day, though it is often interfered with by questions of privilege, special orders, privileged questions, etc., which must be disposed of in preference to the regular order of business. A motion relative to the order of the business of the House cannot be laid on the table, but must be voted on without debate.-Journal, 2, 45, p. 1221. (See also MORNING HOUR ON MONDAYS.) BUSINESS ON THE SPEAKER'S TABLE. After the Journal is read and approved each day, other than Monday, the Speaker shall lay before the House, for reference, messages from the President, reports and communications from the heads of Departments, and other communications addressed to the House, and also such bills, resolutions, and other messages from the Senate as may have been received on previous days.-RULE XXIV, clause 2. Bills on the Speaker's table are not in any parliamentary sense "pending;" their contents are not even presumed to be known to the House until the bills are taken up.-Congressional Record, 1, 43, vol. 5, p. 3021. [This of course applies only to bills of the Senate, but by inference applies also to amendments of the Senate to House bills.) BUSINESS UNFINISHED AT END OF A FIRST SESSION. Bills, resolutions, and reports before the House to be resumed after six days; before committees, to be resumed as though no adjournment had been had.--RULE XXVII. [The foregoing rule is identical with the former 21st Joint Rule, with the additional clause providing for business which originated in either house. The word "resolution" has invariably been held to apply to joint resolutions only.] See decision of Speaker Blaine, 2nd session Forty-third Congress.-Congressional Record, December 11th, 1874, vol. 9, pp. 51, 52. CALENDARS. (See RULE XIII, clauses 1 and 5.) CALL OF COMMITTEES. (RULE XXIV, clauses 3, 4, and 5.) There are two "calls of committees," viz: The first, under clause 3 of RULE XXIV, is for reports for reference only to the proper calendar, as provided in RULE XIII. It has been held almost uniformly that on this call if a privileged proposition be reported it must go to the Calendar or lie over as unfinished business. The second, under clause 5, is a call of committees for the consideration of business on either the House or Union Calendar. Although it is not in order to consider a bill on the Private Calendar, it was held by Speaker Carlisle, (Journal 2, 49, p. 226), that it was competent for a committee to report a resolution setting apart a day for the consideration of business generally reported from that committee, and that under said assignment a private bill could be called up. He also held that under said call a proposition, to be in order, must be called up by the special direction of the committee which reported it. Journal, 2, 49, p. 53. In this hour a motion is in order to "postpone to a day certain" a pending bill, and if adopted has the effect of making such bill a "special order" on the day and hour named. See latest decision of Speaker Carlisle, first session Fiftieth Congress, February 8, 1888, on H. R. 2012. A motion to dispense with the second "call of committees," under clause 5, is not in order (save by unanimous consent). Journal, 1, 49, p. 372. Under clause 9 of RULE XVI it is in order to move to go into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to consider revenue or general appropriation bills, which motion if adopted would prevent the second call from being proceeded with. There can be no second call of committees on Friday, for the reason that under said call business on the House or Union Calendar only can be considered. CALL OF THE HOUSE. (See RULE XV, clause 2.) By the Constitution of the United States, a smaller number than a quorum of each house "may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as each house may provide.”—Const., 1, 5, p. 5. "In the absence of a quorum, fifteen members, including the Speaker, if there is one, shall be authorized to compel the at But tendance of absent members."-RULE XV, clause 2. where less than that number are present, a motion for a call can not be entertained.-Journal, 1, 28, p. 885. At the conclusion of the call of the roll-which is called but once the absentees are noted, and the doors closed; the names of the absentees are called over, and a list of those for whom no sufficient excuse is made is furnished the Sergeant at-Arms by the Clerk. "A call of the House shall not be in order after the previous question is seconded, unless it shall appear, upon an actual count by the Speaker, that a quorum is not present."—RULE XVII, clanse 2. [The practice of counting the House by the Speaker, of late years, has frequently been resorted to to ascertain the presence of a quorum, and is a more expeditious method than calling the roll.] A call of the House may be moved before the Journal is read if no quorum is present.-Journal, 1, 34, p. 1253. [The order of arrest is not usually made by the House unless a quorum can not otherwise be obtained; on and upon the appearance of a quorum a motion is usually made and carried that “all further proceedings in the call be dispensed with;" and this motion is held to be in order at any period of the proceedings. The order for arrest is usually in this form, viz: "That the Sergeant-at-Arms take into custody and bring to the bar of the House such of its members as are now absent without the leave of the House;" and, upon its adoption, a warrant, under the hand and seal of the Speaker, and attested by the Clerk, with a list of absentees thereto attached, is immediately placed in the hands of the Sergeant-at-Arms. Upon his appearance with members under arrest, he is announced at the bar of the House by the Doorkeeper, whereupon he makes his return. The members brought in by him are then severally interrogated by the Speaker as to what excuses they may have to offer for being absent from the sitting of the House without its leave.] It is not in order for the House to take a recess during a call of the House.-Journal, 1, 26, p. 843; 1, 48, p. 618. [No motion, except to adjourn or with reference to the call, is in order or ever entertained during a call of the House, and no motion * whatever is in order (except by unanimous consent) during a call of the roll. It is the well-settled practice of the House that after the roll-call has been commenced it must be concluded, with the single exception above noted.] [By an adjournment pending a call, all proceedings in the call are terminated; but where the House has previously passed an order especially directing otherwise, such special direction should doubtless be executed.-See Journal, 2, 27, p. 672.] See proceedings during a call of the House, February 25, 1885, and also ruling of Speaker Carlisle.-Journal, 2, 48, p. 675. CAPITOL. Speaker has control over hall and other rooms.-RULE I, clause 2. Hall not to be used except for legitimate business of House.— RULE XXXIII. Spirituous liquors prohibited in, or grounds.-Former Joint Rule 19. Chief of engineers to have charge of certain public buildings and grounds.-R. S., sec. 1797. Old hall House of Representatives, care and charge of, etc.; statuary, etc.-R. S., sec. 1814. No painting, property of individual, to be exhibited in.-R. S., sec. 1815. Architect shall have care of; shall perform all duties relative to, as heretofore performed by Commissioner of Public Buildings and Grounds.-Laws, 1, 44, p. 147. Exhibition of works of art in, forbidden; rooms in, not to be used for private studios or works of art, except, etc.-Laws, 2, 43, p. 376. Repairs, etc., of.-R. S., sec. 1816. Electrical apparatus.-R. S., sec. 1817. Protection of.-R. S., sec. 1820. Police number and pay of; suspension of; uniform, at whose expense; supervision of Botanical Garden by police, etc.-R. S., sections 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1826; see also Sess. Laws, 2, 43, p. 345, and 1, 44, p. 41, relative to compensation and duties of Capitol police. |