question giving rise to it, and must be decided by the presiding officer without debate. If a member objects to the decision, he says, “I appeal from the decision of the Chair.” If the Appeal is seconded, the Chairman immediately states the question as follows: “Shall the decision of the Chair stand as the judgment of the assembly?”[1] If there is a tie vote the decision of the Chair is sustained.
This Appeal yields to Privileged Questions [§ 9]. It cannot be amended; it cannot be debated when it relates simply to indecorum [§ 36], or to transgressions of the rules of speaking, or to the priority of business, or if it is made while the previous question [§ 20] is pending. When debatable, no member is allowed to speak but once, and, whether debatable or not, the presiding officer, without leaving the chair, can state the reasons upon which he bases his decision. The motion to Lie on the Tablet[2] [§ 19], and the Previous Question [§ 20] if the Appeal is debatable,
- ↑ The word Assembly can be replaced by Society, Convention, Board, etc., according to the name of the organization. See § 65 for a fuller explanation of the method of stating the question on an Appeal.
- ↑ In Congress, the usual course in case of an Appeal is to lay it on the table, as this practically kills it and sustains the Chair.
