the other officers of the two houses, in front of the Clerk's desk and upon either side of the Speaker's platform.

"Such joint meeting shall not be dissolved until the electoral votes are all counted and the result declared; and no recess shall be taken unless a question shall have arisen in regard to counting any of such votes, in which case it shall be competent for either house, acting separately in the manner hereinbefore provided, to direct a recess not beyond the next day, at the hour of one o'clock p. m."-Joint Rule 22.

pointed to notify

[After the declaration of the persons elected President Committee apand Vice-President, a joint committee, consisting of of election. two members of the House and one Senator, are appointed to wait on the persons elected and inform them thereof.]

shall devolve on

ken.

It is further provided by the 12th Article of Amend- When choice of ment to Const., that if no person have a majority of the the House. electoral votes for President, "then, from the persons having the highest numbers, not exceeding three, on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President the votes, Votes, how tashall be taken by States, the representation from each State having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall Quorum. consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives If Houso does shall not choose a President, whenever the right of the 4th of March. choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President."

not choose before

House in tho

[In anticipation of the choice of President devolving Rules of the upon it, the House of Representatives of the 2d session election of. Eighteenth Congress adopted a set of rules for its government in said election.-Journal, 2, 18, pp. 212 to 215. For the subsequent proceedings of the House in conducting said election, see same Journal, pp. 220, 221, 222.]

Order in which motion for, to be put.

Form of.

Its effects.

PREVIOUS QUESTION.

"When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received but

to adjourn,

to lie on the table,

for the previous question,

to postpone to a day certain,

to commit or amend,

to postpone indefinitely;

which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are arranged."-Rule 42.

The previous question shall be in this form: "Shall Must be second- the main question be now put?" It shall only be aded by a majority. mitted when demanded by a majority of the members present; and its effect shall be to put an end to all debate, (except that the member reporting the measure under consideration may close the debate-Journal, 1, 31, p. 1056-and the every-day practice since,) and to bring the House to a direct vote upon a motion to commit, if such motion shall have been made; and if this motion does not prevail, then upon amendments reported by a committee, if any; then upon pending amendments, and then upon the main question. But its only effect, if a motion to postpone is pending, shall be to bring the House to a vote upon such motion. Whenever the House shall refuse to order the main question, the consideration of the subject shall be resumed as though no motion for the previous question had been made. The upon in House may also, at any time, on motion seconded by a majority of the members present, close all debate upon a pending amendment, or an amendment thereto, and cause the question to be put thereou; and this shall not Call of the House preclude any further amendment or debate upon the not in order after bill. A call of the House shall not be in order after the no quorum pres- previous question is seconded, unless it shall appear, upon an actual count by the Speaker, that no quorum is present.-Rule 132.

May

operate aimendment only.

a second, unless

ent.

Right of mem

The right of the member reporting the pending measaffected by order ure to close the debate is never denied him, even after

ber reporting not

of.

the previous question is ordered.-Journal, 1, 31, p. 1056.

[But if, after having occupied part of his hour in closing the debate, he moves the previous question, he is then only entitled to occupy the floor for the remaining portion of the hour.]

nor on incidental

der.

"On a previous question there shall be no debate. No debate on, All incidental questions of order arising after a motion questions of oris made for the previous question, and pending such motion, shall be decided, whether on appeal or otherwise, without debate."-Rule 133.

may be

moved pending

It is in order, pending the demand for the previous Reconsideration of a preceding question on the passage of a bill, to move a reconsidera- vote. tion of the vote on its engrossment.-Journal, 2, 27, p. demand for. 1175. [But such motion is not debatable under the practice which has prevailed for many years.]

on seconding.

tive vote on or

The yeas and nays cannot be taken on seconding the No yeas and nays demand for the previous question.-Journal, 2, 19, p. 493. The effect of a negative vote on the question, "Shall Effect of nega the main question be now put?" is to cause the House dering to resume the consideration of the subject as though no motion for the previous question had been made.-Rule 132.

question.

main

who

A member is not debarred from moving the previous Member has already spoquestion because he has spoken once.—Journal, 1, 24, p. ken may move. 1401.

taken under the

reconsidered.

Where a vote taken under the operation of the pre- Where a vote vious question is reconsidered, the question is then operation of, is divested of the previous question, and is open to debate and amendment.-Journal, 1, 27, p. 129; 1, 33, p. 127. [These decisions apply only to cases where the previous question was fully exhausted, by votes taken on all the questions covered by it, before the motion to reconsider was made. In any other case the pendency of the previous question would preclude debate.]

"It is not in order to move a reconsideration of the vote on ordering the main question when it is partly executed."-Journal, 1, 31, pp. 1101, 1398.

Not in order to reconsider, when

partly executed.

The previous question may be moved on a resolution May be moved submitted under a call of the States, and thus prevent resolution day.

on a resolution on

an affirmative

the debate which, under the rules, requires it to lie over. -Journal, 1, 26, p. 1067; 1, 27, p. 429; 1, 30, p. 326. Is exhausted by The previous question is exhausted by an affirmative vote on reference. vote on a motion to refer, and upon a reconsideration of said vote the question stands divested of the previous question.-Journal, 3, 34, p. 452.

Motion to recommit not in order

after ordered.

Motion for, can

not be laid on table.

instructions.

After the previous question is ordered, it is not in order to entertain a motion to recommit.-Journal, 1, 29, p. 643.

A motion for the previous question cannot be laid on the table.-Journal, 2, 29, p. 252.

Does not cut off The previous question has not the effect of cutting off instructions previously moved in connection with a motion to commit.-Journal, 1, 31, p. 1394.

Effect of, on

question of or

[Under the practice of the House, if a question of der, notion to re- order or a motion to reconsider is pending when the preconsider, and to vious question is moved, when ordered it applies only to postpone. them, and is exhausted with the vote upon them; so, too, by the express language of Rule 132, in the case of a motion to postpone.]

No modification

after second of.

After the previous question has been seconded, it is not competent for the mover to modify his proposition. Nor withdrawal. Journal, 1, 31, p. 1397. [Nor, according to the practice, can he withdraw it after a second;] but he may withdraw it while the House is dividing on the question of a second. -Journal, 2, 29, p. 241.

May be moved at same time with a resolution.

Applies to ques

tions of privilege.

not in order to go

It is competent for a member to submit a resolution, and at the same time move the previous question thereon.-Journal, 1, 28, p. 558.

The previous question applies to a question of privilege equally with any other question.-Journal, 2, 27, pp. 573, 576; 1, 28, p. 82.

After second, [After the previous question has been seconded upon into Committee a pending proposition, it is not then in order to entertain the motion to go into Committee of the Whole.]

of the Whole.

Superintendent to have executed.

PRINTING, PUBLIC.

The Superintendent of Public Printing is directed, by the joint resolution of June 23, 1860, to have executed the printing and binding authorized by the Senate and

executed.

to be executed

House, the executive and judicial Departments, and the Court of Claims. He is also required to take charge of, and is held responsible for, all manuscripts and other matter to be printed, engraved, or lithographed, and cause the same to be promptly executed. On and after To be promptly March 4, 1861, all the printing and binding, and all blank books ordered by Congress, or by either house of Congress, shall be done and executed under said Superintendent; but no printing or binding other than that None other than ordered by Congress or the heads of Departments, as in Government aforesaid, shall be executed in his office. It shall be the Superintendent duty of said Superintendent to receive from the Clerk deliver work. of the House all matter ordered by the House to be printed or bound, and, when the same is executed, see that the volumes or sheets are promptly delivered to the officer authorized to receive the same, whose receipt therefor shall be a sufficient voucher by the Superintendent of their delivery.

office.

shall receive and

procured under

said committee.

Whenever any maps, charts, diagrams, views, or other Engraving to be engraving shall be required to illustrate any document the direction of ordered to be printed by either house of Congress, such engraving shall be procured by the Superintendent of Printing, under the direction and supervision of the Committee on Printing of the house ordering the same. The condition of the printing, binding, and engraving, The condition, the amount and cost of paper, printing, binding, &c., a reported to Constatement of the bids for materials, and other information in regard to the matters connected therewith, shall be reported to Congress on the first day of each session, or as soon as may be thereafter, by the Superintendent.-Stat. at Large, Vol. XXII, pp. 117, 118, 119, 120.

cost, &c., ef, to be

gress.

What extra documents to be

Where extra copies of documents of the size of 250 pages and upwards are ordered to be printed, they shall bound. be bound as directed by the Committee on Printing on the part of the House, at a cost not to exceed 12 cents per volume. Stat. at Large, Vol. X, p. 199. In no case shall more than 1,550 copies of any document be printed, printed. unless extra copies be ordered; and the said regular How distributed. number (1,550) shall be distributed by the officers of the

Not more than 1,550 copies to be

house first ordering the printing of the same, to the same