"The ayes have it. It is agreed to." The other proposition is put, merely adding that it be made the order of the day for to-morrow, (which is a nominal date,) and that it be printed.

In referring to committees of the whole, on the state of the Union, no day is named, and this grows out of the fact, that with the exception of general appropriations, which have a preference, every bill referred to that committee may be taken up in committee of the whole on the state of the Union, when the house has resolved itself into that committee. Bills committed to committee of the whole house, take precedence according to their order on the general file of bills, which is accurately kept by the clerk of the house.

Having progressed so far as to have the bills referred, which, when printed and examined by the clerk, are placed on the members' tables, by persons employed for that purpose, and the file of bills being in order for consideration, the speaker, having disposed of the business on his table, on motion of a chairman of one of the standing committees, moves" that the house resolve itself into a committee of the whole on the state of the Union." The speaker repeats the motion, and, rising, says, "Gentlemen, as many as are in favour of the motion, that the house do resolve itself into a committee of the whole on the state of the Union, will say Aye. The contrary opinion will please to say No." If the ayes have it, he will say so, and announce that the motion is agreed to. Whereupon the speaker will invite some senior member of the house, if it be in the early part of

the session, to give the juniors an opportunity of seeing how the business is transacted. "Mr.

will please take the chair." The speaker rises and retires, and as the chairman ascends the steps, and the speaker descends, they bow respectfully to each other. The chairman, being seated in the speaker's chair, should say: “The house is now resolved into committee of the whole on the state of the Union." This is, however, usually omitted. As the chairman of the committee of ways and means made the motion for the house to go into committee, he rises and says " Mr. Chairman," when the chairman of the committee says, “The member from This is done, so that the gentleman from should know, and the committee, too, that he has the right to the floor. He then says" Mr. Chairman, I move that the committee proceed to the consideration of the general appropriation bill, No. —," whereupon the chairman puts the question, rising for that purpose, and saying, "Gentlemen, as many as are in favour of the committee proceeding to the consideration of bill, will please to say Aye. The contrary opinion will say No. The ayes have it." Or he may put the question in a short way. After stating it, he may say "Will the committee proceed to consider the bill?" which being agreed to, he, in a clear voice, says, "The clerk will read the bill by sections." The first section being read, the chairman then says:"The first section is before the committee." Amendments are then to be offered. The committee proceeds through all the sections, when, if any member desire it, he may, before the commit

tee rises, propose amendments to any or all of the sections that have been read and amended. The 118th rule of the house says, that the bill shall be first read throughout by the clerk; this is usually done when the bill is short; then again be read and debated by clauses. The letter of this rule is not adhered to, as some bills, say "Post-Office Routes," would take half a day to get through the mere reading; they are therefore considered by sections, at the first reading of the clerk. After the sections have all been debated upon in com`mittee, the question is put on the preamble to the bill, if it should have one. Preambles, of late, are however not very common. The bill in question being amended, or if no amendments should be offered, after it had been read, the clerk, pausing slightly at the end of each section, the chairman will say, "No amendments being made, the bill will be laid aside to be reported," when, as is the practice, the chairman of the committee of ways and means moves some other bill, and in this way the committee and chairman progress, till they have acted upon as many bills as is desired by the chairman. He then rises and says: "Mr. Chairman, I move that the committee rise, and report the bills, with their amendments, to the house." This motion usually carries, when the speaker resumes his seat, and the chairman, descending to the floor of the house, says :-" Mr. Speaker, I have been directed by the committee of the whole upon the state of the Union, to report, that they, having had under consideration the state of the Union, and particularly bills (reading the titles,) have instructed me to report

the same, with sundry amendments," or the two first with, and the three last without, amendments. If, however, the committee should not come to any decision on any bill had under consideration, the chairman, instead of reporting "with or without amendments," as in the foregoing instance, would say they had instructed him to say "that the committee had come to no resolution thereon." This is the form of procedure in the case of the committee of the whole on the state of the Union.

When the house is resolved simply into committee of the whole house, and have risen, the chairman reports the bills, reciting the titles, with or without amendments, or in the event of not getting through the bills, he says, but having made some progress therein, he is directed so to report, and to ask leave to sit again. The speaker repeats the report of the chairman, and puts the question, "Shall the committee have leave to sit again?" Leave is usually granted to sit again.

After the report of bills, with or without amendments, from the committee of the whole, and committee of the whole upon the state of the Union, the proceedings are exactly alike. The speaker, on receiving the report of the chairman of the committee, says: "The chairman of the committee of the whole house," or "on the state of the Union," if that be the committee," report that they have had under consideration the bill (reading the title) and directed him to report it with sundry amendments; and bill without amendments." The speaker then says, (as to the bill reported without amendments,) that the bill is still

open for amendments. If no amendment should be offered, he adds, "No amendments being offered, the question will be on ordering the bill to be engrossed, and read a third time," and rising, says, "Gentlemen, as many as are in favour of ordering the bill (naming it) to be engrossed and read a third time, will please to say Aye. The contrary opinion will please to say No." If the ayes carry it, he will say, "The ayes have it; the bill will be engrossed," which consists in copying it off in a fine round hand, free from all kinds of interlineations.

The bills reported to the house with amendments, are next taken up; when the speaker, handing the bill, with the amendments, to the clerk, says, "The clerk will read the amendments," which being done, he says, "The amendments are before the house;" for they are still subject to amendments, as well as the main body. of the bill. If no proposition is made to amend, he says, "the question will be on concurring with the committee in their amendments," and rising, he puts the question in the usual form, on agreeing to the amendments being carried, he rises and says, "Gentlemen, as many as concur in the bill as amended will say Aye. The contrary opinion will say No;" which being carried, he puts the question on ordering the bill to be engrossed for a third reading, which, if carried, he asks, "When shall this bill have its third reading?" If it be early in the session, they usually say to-morrow, but if near the rising of congress, they say now. The speaker, if he finds a majority in favour of its being read that day, says, "It will be en