time. The rule provides that a motion to recommit may be made either before or after the previous question is ordered upon the passage of a bill. It has been frequently held by presiding officers that the word "bill" in this case is used as a generic term, applying to and including all legislative propositions which can properly come before the House; so that in this case the House must first dispose of the substitute, which is but an amendment, and after the disposition of that, when the question shall be upon the original resolutions as amended or without amendment, the motion to recommit will be in order.Journal, 1, 52, p. 154.

A motion to close debate in the House on a particular section of a bill was by a vote of the House decided to be in order.— Journal 2, 48, p. 127. [This decision is an exception to the established practice under which the only method of closing debate in the House is by ordering the previous question, by a special order of the House, or by unanimous consent.]

The previous question applies to a question of privilege equally with any other question.-Journals, 2, 27, pp. 573, 576; 1, 28, p. 882.

The previous question is exhausted by an affirmative 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.

When a bill is considered in the House as in Committee of the Whole it is subject to all parliamentary motions, including the motion for the previous question, even though there has been no debate on the bill under the five-minute rule.-Journal, 1, 49, p. 1412.

Under the practice of the House, if a question of order or a motion to reconsider is pending when the previous question is ordered, it applies only to, and is exhausted with the vote upon, such question.

RECONSIDERATION OF ORDER FOR.

Where a vote taken under the operation of the previous question is reconsidered, the question is then divested of the previous question, and is open to debate and amendment.Journals, 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 in order, pending the demand for the previous question on the passage of a bill, to move a reconsideration of the vote on its engrossment.-Journal, 2, 27, p. 1175. [But such motion is not debatable under the practice which has prevailed for many years.]

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

PRINTING, JOINT COMMITTEE ON.

There shall be a Joint Committee on Public Printing, consisting of three Members of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate, and three Members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House, who shall have the powers hereinafter stated.-R. S., sec. 3756.

The Joint Committee on Public Printing shall have power to adopt such measures as may be deemed necessary to remedy any neglect or delay in the execution of the public printing, but no arrangement entered into by them shall take effect until it has been approved by that House of Congress to which the printing belongs, or by both Houses when the printing delayed relates to the business of both.-R. S., sec. 3755.

By the act of January 22, 1874 (17 Stat. L., p. 5), it is provided that the printing of the debates of Congress shall be under the direction of said committee.

By the act of June 23, 1874 (Sess. Laws, 1, 43, pp. 204, 205), it is provided that the appropriation for the expenses of compiling and preparing the Congressional Directory shall be expended under the direction of the said committee.

All proposed legislation or orders touching printing shall be referred to the Joint Committee on Printing on the part of the House.-Rule XI, clause 49.

The Committee on Printing has leave to report at any time on all matters referred to them of printing for the use of the House or two Houses.-See Rule XI, clause 51.

A resolution to print documents "to be distributed pro rata among the members of the House" is a proposition to print "for the use of the House," and a report thereon is consequently privileged.-Journal, 1, 52, p. 292.

If a resolution reported by the Committee on Printing authorizes, in addition to printing for the use of the House or Houses, printing for any other use, the privileged character of the report is lost.

Resolutions reported by the Committee on Printing, authorizing printing for the use of the House, or of the two Houses, are usually considered in the House when reported. But if the point be made, they are subject to clause 3, Rule XXIII, in like manner as other bills and resolutions making appropriations or requiring an expenditure from appropriations already made.

Resolutions, reported from the Committee on Printing, authorizing printing for the use of the House are subject to the point of order that they must be first considered in Committee of the Whole.-Journal, 2, 46, p. 217.

But one decision to the contrary has been found, and there the Speaker based his decision upon a custom which prevailed of permitting such consideration in the House.-Journal, 1, 47, p. 1728. (See Committees.)

PRINTING, PUBLIC.

Rule XI, clause 51, authorizes the Committee on Printing to report at any time on all matters referred to them of printing for the House or two Houses.

A resolution to print documents "to be distributed pro rata among the members of the House" is a proposition to print "for the use of the House," and a report thereon is consequently privileged.-Journal, 1, 52, p. 292.

There shall be printed 500 copies of each bill of a public nature, of which 25 shall be deposited in the office of the Clerk of the House, 100 copies shall be delivered to the Senate document room, and the remainder shall be deposited in the document room of the House for the use of Members; and there shall be printed 100 copies of each private bill and bills relating to rivers and harbors, of which 25 copies shall be delivered

to the Senate document room, and the remainder shall be deposited in the document room of the House for the use of Members. Motions to print additional numbers of any bill, report, resolution, or other public document shall be referred to the Committee on Printing; and the report of the committee thereon shall be accompanied by an estimate of the probable cost thereof. Unless ordered by the House, no bill, resolution, or other proposition reported by a committee shall be reprinted unless the same be placed upon the Calendar.—Rule XLVI.

The Joint Committee on Public Printing shall have power to adopt such measures as may be deemed necessary to remedy any neglect or delay in the execution of the public printing, but no arrangement entered into by them shall take effect until it has been approved by that House of Congress to which the printing belongs, or by both Houses when the printing delayed relates to the business of both.-R. S., sec. 3757.

The Public Printer, formerly styled the Congressional Printer, is required to be a practical printer, versed in the art of bookbinding, and is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.-R. S., 3758; Sess. Laws, 1, 43, p. 88; 1, 44, p. 105.

The Congressional [Public] Printer shall, at the beginning of each session of Congress, submit to the Joint Committee on Public Printing estimates of the quantity of paper of all descriptions which will be required for the public printing during the ensuing year.-R. S., sec. 3766.

The Joint Committee on Public Printing shall fix upon standards of paper for the different descriptions of public printing, and the Congressional [Public] Printer shall, under their direction, advertise in two newspapers published in each of the cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Cincinnati, for sealed proposals to furnish the Government with paper, as specified in the schedule to be furnished to applicants by the Congressional [Public] Printer, setting forth in detail the quality and quantities required for the Public Printing.-R. S., sec. 3767, as amended by act of January 25, 1876; 19 Stat. L., p. 2.

The advertisement shall specify the minimum portion of each quality of paper required for either three months, six months,

or one year, as the Joint Committe on Public Printing may determine; but when the minimum portion so specified exceeds, in any case, one thousand reams, it shall state that proposals will be received for one thousand reams more.-R. S., sec. 3768.

The sealed proposals to furnish paper shall be opened in presence of the Joint Committee on Public Printing, and the contracts shall be awarded by them to the lowest and best bidder for the interest of the Government; but they shall not consider any proposal which is not accompanied by satisfactory evidence that the person making it is a manufacturer of or dealer in the description of paper which he proposes to furnish.-R. S., sec. 3770.

No contract for furnishing paper shall be valid until it has been approved by the joint committee, if made under their direction, or by the Secretary of the Interior, if made under his direction, according to the provisions of section thirty-seven hundred and seventy-five.-R. S., sec. 3772.

In case of difference of opinion between the Congressional [Public] Printer and any contractor for paper, respecting its quality, the matter of difference shall be determined by the Joint Committee on Public Printing.-R. S., sec. 3774.

If any contractor shall fail to comply with his contract, either as to time of delivery, or as to quantity, quality, or weight of paper, the Congressional [Public] Printer shall report such result to the Joint Committee on Public Printing, when Congress is in session, or to the Secretary of the Interior, when Congress is not in session; and he shall, under the direction of the committee, or of the Secretary of the Interior, as the case may be, enter into a new contract with the lowest and best bidder for the interest of the Government, among those whose proposals were rejected at the last opening of bids; or he shall advertise for new proposals, under the regulations herembefore stated; and during the interval which may thus occur, he shall, under the direction of the Joint Committee on Public Printing, or of the Secretary of the Interior as above provided, purchase in open market, at the lowest market price, all paper necessary for the public printing.-R. S., sec. 3775.

The Joint Committee on Public Printing, or, during the re