OF DECORUM, DEBATE, &c.

Rule 24. Every member shall take his seat when the President takes the Chair.

Rule 25. No member shall absent himself from the service of the Convention unless he have leave, or be sick, or unable to attend.

Rule 26. When a member is about to speak in debate, or deliver any matter to the Convention, he shall rise from his seat, uncovered, and respectfully address himself to "Mr. President." He shall confine himself to the question under debate; shall avoid personality, and shall use some other distinction than the proper name of any other member to whom he may refer in debate.

Rule 27. If two or more members shall rise to speak at the same time, the President shall determine which shall speak first, and no member shall speak more than twice on the same question; nor more than once, until every member choosing to speak shall have spoken.

Rule 28. If any member shall, in any manner, transgress the Rules of the Convention, the President shall, or any member may call him to order; in which case, the member so called to order, shall immediately sit down, unless permitted to explain; and the Convention shall, if appealed to, decide on the case, but without debate. If there be no appeal, the decision of the Chair shall be submitted to. If the decision be in favor of the member called to order, he shall be at liberty to proceed; if otherwise, he shall not be permitted to proceed without leave of the Convention; and, if the case require it, he shall be liable to the censure of the Convention.

Rule 29. No member shall vote on any question in any case where he was not present when the vote was taken, without leave of the Convention; and upon a division and count of the Convention on any question, no member without the bar shall be counted.

Rule 30. Every member who shall be in the Convention when the question is put shall give his vote, unless the Convention, for special reasons, shall excuse him. And the

refusal of any member present to vote, on calling the yeas and nays, shall be noted on the Journal at the request of any member.

Rule 31. No member without the permission of the Convention shall answer on the yeas and nays who did not divide on the question; and if any member divide on one side

and answer on the other on calling the yeas and nays, the same shall be noted on the Journal at the request of any member.

Rule 32. No member shall take out of the Convention any paper belonging to the Convention, without leave of the President.

Rule 33. Any member, on motion, or in debate, may call for the reading of any Law, Journal, Record, or other Public Proceedings, which may relate to the subject matter.

Rule 34. The name of every member making a motion, presenting any Petition, Memorial or other Paper, proposing any Resolution, Order, or other Matter, shall be inserted on the Journal; but if any motion or proposition be withdrawn, all proceedings relating immediately thereto shall be expunged from the Journal.

Rule 35. Whilst the President is putting any question, or addressing the Convention, none shall walk out or cross the Hall; nor in such case, or while a member is speaking, shall hold private discourse, so as to interrupt debate.

Rule 36. When a motion is made and seconded, it shall be stated by the President; or being in writing, it shall be handed to the Chair and read aloud by the Secretary before debate; and every motion shall be reduced to writing if the President or any member require it.

Rule 37. When a motion is made and seconded, or when a question is under debate, the matter shall receive a determination by the question; or it may be postponed by a motion to adjourn, to lie on the table, for the previous question, to postpone to a day certain, to commit or amend, to postpone indefinitely; which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are arranged.

Rule 38. On a motion for the previous question, on a motion for the main question, on a motion to lie on the table, on a motion to adjourn, there shall be no debate.

Rule 39. Every question shall be entered on the Journal, and the yeas and nays shall be taken when required by five members; and whenever the yeas and nays are ordered to be taken, no question of adjournment shall be received or propounded by the President until the yeas and nays are called, counted and reported.

Rule 40. Any member may call for the division of a question, which shall be divided, if it comprehend propositions in substance so distinct that, one being taken away, a substantive proposition shall remain for the decision of the Convention.

Rule 41. A motion to strike out and insert shall be deemed indivisable; but the matter proposed to be inserted may be divided, if required, according to the 40th Rule. A motion

to strike out being lost, shall preclude neither amendment nor a motion to strike out and insert. No motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be admitted under color of amendment.

Rule 42. All questions, except on the final passage of a report, or a motion to suspend the Rules, or those otherwise herein provided for, shall be determined by a majority of the members present; those dividing in the affirmative rising in their places, those in the negative continuing in their seats, and so vice versa, until a decision by the President.

Rule 43. The question on the final passage of any subject matter shall always be determined by yeas and nays, which shall be recorded on the Journal; and unless it shall thus appear that a majority of the whole number of members elected to the Convention have voted in the affirmative, the subject matter voted on shall be declared rejected.

Rule 44. When a question has once been decided in the affirmative or negative, a motion of reconsideration shall be in order, if made by one member and seconded by two others who voted in the majority at any time thereafter; but should a report, on its final passage, be declared rejected for the want of a majority of the members elected, the motion for reconsideration may be made by one member and seconded by two others who voted in either the affirmative or negative; and no motion for reconsideration shall be postponed or laid on the table.

Rule 45. Petitions, memorials and other papers addressed to the Convention, shall be presented by the President, or by a member in his place; and the object of all petitions and memorials shall be endorsed on the back, and entered on the Journal.

Rule 46. The unfinished business in which the Convention was engaged at the preceding adjournment, shall have the preference in the orders of the day; and no motion or any other business shall be received without the special leave of the Convention, until the former is disposed of.

Rule 47. The Rules of Parliamentary Practice shall govern the Convention in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the Standing Rules and Orders of the Convention.

Rule 48. Upon calls of the Convention, or in taking the

yeas and nays on any question, the names of the members shall be called alphabetically.

Rule 49. The Rules may be suspended when demanded by a majority of the members present.

Rule 50. Any fifteen members, (including the President,) shall be authorized to compel the attendance of members.

Rule 51. No Committee shall sit during the sitting of the Convention, without special leave.

Rule 52. When a blank is not filled up, and different sums, numbers or times shall be proposed, the question shall be taken on the largest sum or number, and on the longest time.

Rule 53. After a report of any Committee (embodying proposed provisions for the Constitution) has passed through its second reading, the question shall then be put by the President of the Convention "Shall this report be engrossed for a third reading?" After any report of a Committee has passed to a third reading, it shall not be in order to amend the same, except by the consent of the majority of the members elected to the Convention.

PREVIOUS QUESTION.

Rule 54. There shall be a "main question" and a "previous question" in the consideration of reports of Committees. Section 1. The main question on the report of any Committee shall only be called after the said report has passed to its third reading, and shall be in this form: "Shall the main question be now put?" and when demanded by a majority of the members present, it shall, until it is decided, preclude all further amendment, and debate on the main question.

Sec. 2. The previous question shall be in this form: "Shall the previous question be now put?" It may be called on any amendment offered to the report of any Committee, when the same is on its second reading; and when demanded by a majority of the members present, it shall, until it is decided, preclude all further amendment and debate on the question before the Convention; but shall not preclude further amendments while the said report is on its second reading.

Sec. 3. The Rules of Parliamentary Practice on the call of the previous question on all other subject sshall govern the Convention.

Rule 55. No Standing Rule or Order shall be rescinded or changed without one day's notice being given of the motion therefor.

GENERAL RULES.

Rules defining the several duties of the Secretaries, Clerks, Officers and Employees of the Convention.

GENERAL RULES.

1st. All Clerks, Officers and Employees shall be prompt in their attendance at each opening of the Convention, and shall remain at their several posts during the entire sitting of the Convention, ready to render any service in accordance with their several duties.

2d. No Clerk, Officer or Employee shall be absent at any time during the sittings of the Convention, unless by permission of the President, nor absent himself from the service of the Convention unless by permission asked (in writing) and obtained from the Convention during its sitting.

3d. Upon proper information and just complaint, the President is authorized to suspend any Clerk, Officer or Employee, and shall report the fact to the Convention at its then or next sitting.

THE SECRETARY

Shall keep a correct record of the proceedings and the business of the Convention, and shall have the same printed in Journal form.

Shall (under Rule 4th) submit a proof copy of the same to the President for examination and correction.

Shall (under Rule 2d) read to the Convention the Journal of Proceedings.

Shall (under Rule 18th) arrange every morning all Resolutions which have been read once and are entitled to a second reading, all Reports and other matter which have been read once or twice, and are entitled to a second or third reading, and place the same agreeably to seniority, on the Presiden's table.

Shall certify and endorse with the date all Orders, Resolutions, Reports, or matter which has passed the Convention.

THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY

Shall call the roll each day at the opening of the Convention, read all Orders, Resolutions, Reports, and other matter when handed him by the President.

THE SERGEANT-AT-ARMS

Shall attend the Convention during its sittings, to aid in the enforcement-of order, under the direction of the President,