Felt’s Parliamentary Procedure/To Strike Out and Insert Words

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4245502Felt’s Parliamentary Procedure — To Strike Out and Insert Words1902Orson B. Felt

TO STRIKE OUT AND INSERT WORDS.

117. If the motion be to strike out certain words and insert other words, said motion is a combination of the other two forms—to strike out, and to insert—and if the motion prevails the words so struck out, or any of them, cannot be again inserted except with other words, or the words so inserted, or any of them, cannot be struck out except with other words. This, however, does not prevent a further use of the motion to strike out; or to insert, or to strike out and insert, as the same words with other or part of the same words with others may be again inserted, or the same words with others, or part of the same words with others, may be struck out, provided a new proposition is thereby presented: because, inasmuch as said motion is a combination of the other two motions if rejected, while it cannot be renewed in the same form, it is subject to a great variety of changes; for example, if it be moved to strike out A and B and insert C and D, and the motion is rejected, it does no prevent a motion to strike out A and B and insert nothin, or to insert C only or D only, or to insert E, or to strike out nothing and insert C and D, or C only, or D only, or in fact any way by which a new proposition is presented.

118. One motion cannot be changed into another, under color of amendment, or no amendment which has the effect of changing one from of motion into another, is in order. For example, a motion to adjourn to meet at 7:30 p. m. could not be amended by striking out all after adjourn, because it changes it from a qualified to an unqualified motion; or a motion fixing the time could not be amended by striking out the time and inserting the place of meeting.[1]

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  1. Note—As a rule, the motion to strike out and insert is indivisible, because it might lead to confusion, and is held by most authorities to be strictly one proposition, since if the proposition to strike out is rejected the proposition to insert would fall on its own weight; or the words, if inserted, might destroy the sense of the motion or resolution. Therefore, the chairman should exercise his best judgment as to whether the questions presented are properly divisible, for since it is a combination of the two forms—to strike out and to insert—there seems to be no good reason why this question may not be divided into these two forms, provided each of the propositions into which it is proposed to divide the question is a distinct proposition, capable of standing by itself if the other is not adopted.

    (For further description of this form of amendment see division of the question, Sec. 128).