Withdrawing Documents.

A member wishing to withdraw a petition and documents, says: "Mr. Speaker,-I have been requested to withdraw the petition and documents of- an old soldier."

Mr. Speaker then says: "Mr.

the county of

he have leave?"

from

to withdraw the petition and documents."

Additional Members added to Committees.

A member rises and says: "As this is the proper time to make application to the House to appoint additional members to committees, I move, Mr. Speaker, that two members be added to the five already appointed, to report upon the propriety of dividing Mifflin county." The Speaker states the motion, and puts it; and if it is agreed to, immediately names the two additional members.

Reports of Committees.

The Speaker says: "Reports of committees will be now in order.

Reports of committees may be made:

1st. From standing committecs.

From select committees.

Reports are made as follows:

"The committee on claims report, That having duly considered the vouchers produced in favour of the claims of· to a pension, they are fully satisfied that he does not come within the class of persons the state has heretofore granted relief to. They therefore offer the following:

Resolved, That the petitioner have leave to withdraw his petition and documents."

If the member who presented the petition upon which the committee here report, wishes for a few days delay, the chairman of the committee, when the Speaker asks what order shall be taken upon the resolution, says, "lie on the table." The Speaker then says, "it will be laid on the table." But if no delay should be asked, the chairman of the committee of claims will move, "that the House proceed to the second reading and consideration of the resolution attached to the report"-And the Speaker puts the question, and the proceedings are the same as in the case of the newspaper resolutions, page 112. If the committee of claims however, should have come to the conclusion that the applicant was entitled to a pension, the chairman would have

made the following report: Mr. Speaker, the committee to whom was referred the petition and documents of, a revolutionary soldier praying for relief, report a bill, entitled "An act for the relief of a soldier in the revolutionary war." Connected with this title is the section granting relief.

The Speaker receives the bill from the chairman of the committee of claims, and says: "The committee on claims report a bill, entitled an act for the relief, &c.

A report from a select committee is made as follows:

The chairman, standing up in his place, says Mr. Speaker,-The committee to whom was referred the petition of the administrators of John Jones, soliciting power to sell certain real estate, ask leave to report by bill." The Speaker then says: "The committee mentioned by the gentleman in his place, ask leave to report by bill. Shall the committee have leave." They answer him in the affirmative. The Speaker says: "The member has leave." The member then rises, and makes the following report: "Mr. Speaker,-On leave given, I report a bill, entitled an act authorizing the administrators of John

He hands

Jones to sell certain real estate." it to the Speaker, who states to the House, "The committee mentioned by the member in his place, on leave given, report a bill," repeating the title. He hands the bill to the Clerk, who puts its proper number upon it, as all private bills take order according to their number, which is marked at the time of their presentation to the House.

I have often thought, it would be as well to allow all committees to report without putting the chairman to the trouble of "asking leave," or the Speaker to the necessity of submitting so many questions to the House. To avoid in some measure, the inconvenience of putting separate motions for leave, it frequently happens, in the commencement of the session, that when a member moves that a petition of a special character should be referred to a committee, he adds the following words, "with leave to report by bill or otherwise." When this is the case, select or special committees report as if they were standing committees, leave having been granted them to do so, at the time of their appointment. Where, however, a select committee has agreed to report without a bill, for in

stance against the proposition committed to their charge, they do so without asking leave. To a report, a resolution is always attached, either recommending that the committee be discharged from the further consideration of the subject, or that the committee be authorized to bring in a bill in conformity to the prayer of the petition. In either case, as soon as the Clerk has read the report and resolution, the Speaker asks, "What order will the House take upon the resolution attached to the report?" For further proceedings on resolutions, see page 129, on the resolution connected with the report of the committee on claims. It is, therefore, the resolution that is acted upon, and not the report. Sometimes, however, when a committee may wish to place their reasons upon some matter submitted to them, upon the Journal, and yet leave the House little or nothing to act upon, they append a resolution of this kind: "That the committee be discharged from the further consideration of the subject."

To vote for or against such a resolution, by no means affords any just conception of the reasons of a member's vote; for the whole House may be willing to discharge the com.