The Church Manual (Church of the Brethren)/Chapter 19
CHAPTER XIX.
PARLIAMENTARY RULINGS.
Order is correctly said to be heaven's first law, as, without it, there could be nothing but confusion. In all deliberative bodies, to avoid confusion and economize time, there must be some rules of order. These may be simple in form, yet should be sufficiently comprehensive to meet the wants of all deliberative bodies. Let everything be done decently and in order, applies to religious meetings of all kinds, as well as to other things, and any one who has sufficient executive ability to preside over deliberative bodies, can, by a little study, gain a sufficient knowledge of the common rules of order to conduct a meeting in an orderly manner.
The following Rules of Order have been compiled largely from "Cushing's Manual," and we believe them to be sufficiently comprehensive to meet the wants of all ordinary deliberative bodies.
RULES OF ORDER.
Officers and Members.
1. The Moderator having taken the chair and called the meeting to order, the other officers shall, at his direction, take their respective seats.
2. The Moderator shall restrain the members within parliamentary usage.
3. The Moderator shall have the preference to speak on points of order, but should always give an opportunity to any other member to express his opinions.
4. Any person addressing the meeting or Chair shall rise.
5. A member is not entitled to the floor until he has addressed the Chair, and has been recognized by the Chair.
6. If two or more members rise and address themselves to the Chair at the same time, or nearly so, he should give the floor to the member whose voice he first heard.
7. The person by whom a motion is made should be entitled to the first speech.
8. If a member be misrepresented by a speaker, he should be entitled to the floor to defend himself.
9. A member shall not be interrupted while speaking, except to call him to order, to ask leave to explain, or to state a matter of privilege.
10. A member, digressing from the matter of the question, or using improper language against the meeting or any member, shall be called to order.
11. A member called to order shall take his seat until the point is decided (unless he is permitted to explain), after which he may continue his remarks if the meeting does not object.
Appeals.
12. If the decision of the Chair is not satisfactory, an appeal may be made immediately after the decision has been rendered by the Moderator.
13. An appeal must be made in writing, signed by three members.
14. The question is then stated by the Moderator: "Shall the decision of the Chair stand as the decision of the meeting?" After having been open for debate, it is decided as any other question.
15. The Moderator is allowed to take part in the debate, either from the Chair, or by appointing a Chairman pro tempore while he occupies the floor.
16. A motion to lay an appeal on the table is always in order.
Motions and Resolutions.
17. When a motion, made and seconded, has been stated by the Moderator, or caused by him to be read, it is in the possession of the meeting. 18. Before a motion is in the possession of the meeting, it is not in order for any other motion to be made, or for any member to speak on it.
19. After a motion is in the possession of the meeting, it cannot be withdrawn by the mover, if objections are made to the withdrawal, unless he obtains leave to do so, by a motion made and seconded as in other cases.
20. Before a motion has been stated or read, it is competent for the mover to withdraw or modify it without any motion for the purpose.
21. When a motion is regularly before the meeting, no other motion can be received unless it is privileged.
22. No motion can be made without rising and addressing the Chair, and being called to by the Moderator.
23. When a question has been decided, a motion to reconsider it cannot be made before some other motion or business has intervened.
24. Motions to suppress a useless or inexpedient proposition, are the previous question and indefinite postponement.
Motions to defer the consideration of a question are postponement to some future time and to lie on the table.
Question of Order.
25. A question of order may be raised by any member, and is decided without discussion by the Moderator, as follows: "The point is well taken," or, "The point is not well taken," as the case may be. If his
decision is not satisfactory, however, any member may appeal from it and have the question decided by the meeting, subject to the rules for appeal. Debate.
26. No member shall interrupt another while speaking, except in accordance with Rule No. 9.
27. No person, in speaking, shall be allowed to mention a member then present by his name; but shall describe him as the member who spoke last, or last but one, or on the other side of the question, or by some other equivalent expression.
28. No person shall digress from the matter of the question under debate, to fall upon the person of another, and to speak reviling, nipping, or unmannerly words of, or to, him.
29. All motions, resolutions, etc., are debatable, except: (1) A motion to adjourn; (2) a motion to lie on the table; (3) a motion for the previous question; (4) a motion to read a paper, pending a question.
Order and Succession of Question.
30. When a question is regularly before the meeting, no other question can be put except: (1) Privileged Questions: Motion to adjourn, question of privilege, motion for orders of the day; (2) Incidental Questions: Question of order, motion for the reading of papers, withdrawal of a motion, suspension of a rule, amendment of an amendment; (3) Subsidiary Questions: Motion to lie on the table, postpone to a day certain, commitment, amendment, postpone indefinitely.
These motions are arranged in their order of precedence among themselves.
31. A motion to adjourn, unqualified, takes precedence of all others, and is always in order, except: (1) When a member is speaking; (2) when the meeting is voting; (3) when no business has been transacted since a motion to adjourn has been decided in the negative. 32. When no other business is before the meeting, a motion to adjourn may be amended. When it supersedes the pending question, it must simply be to "adjourn," without any particular day added, and cannot be amended.
33. A motion to adjourn, except to a day certain, is not debatable.
34. A motion to lie on the table decided affirmatively, removes the matter before the meeting, until by a motion and vote it be again taken up.
35. A motion to lie on the table cannot be amended, nor can it be debated.
36. When a member moves the previous question, and this is seconded, the Chair must immediately put the question: "Shall the main question be now put?" A negative decision suppresses the main question for the day. If decided in the affirmative, the main question is to be put immediately.
37. A motion for the previous question cannot be amended or debated.
38. A motion to postpone to a day certain may be amended by substituting one day for another.
39. A subject should be deferred to a committee when more careful consideration is required than can be given in the meeting. A subject may also be re-committed.
40. A motion to commit or recommit may be amended by substituting one committee for another, by altering the numbers, or by instructions.
41. In form, an amendment may be made by: (1) Inserting or adding certain words; (2) striking out certain words; (3) striking out certain words, and inserting or adding others.
42. An amendment may be amended, but an amendment to an amendment cannot be amended. 43. An amendment to an amendment must be decided first.
44. A vote either adopting or rejecting an amendment cannot afterward be altered, except to reconsider.
45. A motion to postpone indefinitely may be amended by making it to a day certain. A matter indefinitely postponed cannot be renewed.
Taking the Question.
46. The Moderator having stated the question, he puts it in the affirmative, thus: "As many as are of opinion that [repeating the question] say Aye;" and then in the negative, thus: "As many as are of a different opinion, say No."
47. If the Moderator is unable to decide the question by his ear, or if any member desires it, he shall direct the meeting to divide by rising, that the vote may be counted.
48. If the members are equally divided, it then becomes the duty of the Moderator to give the casting vote; in doing which he may give his reasons.
Yeas and Nays.
49. Any vote may be decided by yeas and nays when ordered by seven members. Every member present is required to vote.
50. In order to take a question by yeas and nays, both sides are stated at once, as follows: "As many as are of opinion that [stating the question] will, when their names are called, answer Yes; and as many as are of a different opinion will, when their names are called, answer No."
51. After the question has been thus put, the Secretary shall call the roll, and each member, as his name is called, shall rise and answer Yes or No. 62. When the vote has been taken, the Secretary shall read over the list of names, first on the affirmative, then on the negative, to afford an opportunity for correcting any mistakes that may have been made in recording the votes, after which he shall count the votes and report the number to the Moderator, who will then declare the result to the meeting.
53. During the progress of the vote, no motion is in order, nor can the debate be renewed.
Reconsideration.
54. Any motion may be reconsidered, provided the motion for reconsideration be made and seconded by members who voted with the majority.
55. If the motion for reconsideration prevail, the subject is then open for debate on the original motion, in the same manner as if that motion had never been passed.
Committee.
56. A Committee maybe appointed to consider any particular subject, to obtain information, or to perform certain duties.
57. A Committee may be instructed by the meeting at the time of appointment, or while in the performance of its duties, if necessary.
58. The number on a special Committee shall be determined by the Moderator, or by the members of the meeting.
59. The member first named by the Moderator shall act as Chairman, or the Committee shall elect its own Chairman, unless he be designated by the mover of the motion to appoint.
60. A Committee once discharged may be revived. A Committee appointed for one purpose, may perform other duties of the same or different character.