JEFFERSON'S MANUAL, THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Pursuant to a resolution of the House passed January 21, 1893, WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, PREFACE. ! This compilation being intended to serve as a manual of legislative procedure, the introduction of subjects not pertinent to this object has been avoided. The contents are: (1) The Constitution of the United States and amendments, with analytical index thereto; (2) Jefferson's Manual; the principles of procedure contained in the Manual being by Rule XLIV expressly adopted by the House so far as consistent with its other rules; (3) The rules of the House of Representatives as amended to the date of this publication, with synopsis and marginal index; (4) A digest of the rules and practice of the House, including sections of the Constitution and statutes which relate to proceedings of the House and to the duties of its officers; (5) An appendix containing useful tables and catalogues not considered appropriate to the body of the digest. In the Digest proper the several rules and parts of rules relating to a particular subject are grouped together, thus presenting in compact form both the rules and practice relating to a point in question. Sections and paragraphs of the Constitution and laws are in like manner repeated in full where applicable. The decisions of Speakers and of Chairmen of the Committee of the Whole are sometimes given verbatim, but generally the substance or effect of the decision only is presented. On some questions the decisions are conflicting; while as to many other matters the practice of the House has been so long and well established that express rulings respecting them have not been required. In such cases the prevailing practice is briefly stated. The general plan of Barclay's digest as published in the Forty-fourth Congress has been pursued, and so much of the |