Amount of, to be certified by the Speaker. short session, received by a member, from the pay and mileage of such member.-Journal, 2, 27, p. 495. The compensation which shall be due the members of each house shall be certified to by the presiding officers thereof, respectively; and the same shall be passed as public accounts, and paid out of the public treasury.—Stat. at Large„Vol. III, of p. 404. And all certificates which may have been or may to be conclusive be granted by the presiding officers of the Senate and House Certificates the Speaker for, Of member who shall die after ment of gress, Con of Representatives, respectively, of the amount due to the members of their several houses are, and ought to be, deemed, held, and taken, and are hereby declared to be, conclusive upon all the departments and officers of the government of the United States.-Stat. at Large, Vol. IX, p. 523. By the joint resolution of March 3, 1859, it is provided the commence that whenever, hereafter, any member of the House of Representatives shall die after the commencement of the Congress to which he shall have been elected, compensation shall be computed and paid his widow, or, if no widow survive him, to his heirs-at-law, for the period that shall have elapsed from the commencement of such Congress as aforesaid: Provided, That compensation shall be computed and paid in all cases for a period of not less than three months; and in no case Of member elect- shall constructive mileage be computed or paid. The compensation of each person elected or appointed afterwards to supply the vacancy so occasioned shall hereafter be computed and paid from the time the compensation of his predecessor is hereby directed to be computed and paid for, and not otherwise. Stat. at Large, Vol. XI, pp. 442, 443. ed to fill vacancy. Of member elect ed to fill vacancy. - By the joint resolution of July 12, 1862, it is provided that in all cases of a vacancy in either house of Congress, by death or otherwise, of any member elected or appointed thereto, after the commencement of the Congress to which he shall have been elected, each person afterwards elected or appointed to fill such vacancy shall be compensated and paid from the time that the compensation of his predecessor ceased; provided that no member shall receive for his compensation more than three thousand dollars for any one year. Stat. at Large, Vol. XII, p. 624. (See SERGEANT-AT-ARMS and MILEAGE.) CONFERENCE COMMITTEES. ences are asked. "It is on the occasion of amendments between the houses when conferthat conferences are usually asked; but they may be asked in all cases of difference of opinion between the two houses on matters depending between them."—Manual, p. 124. agreement as to "In every case of an amendment of a bill agreed to in one In case of dishouse and dissented to in the other, if either house shall re- amendments. quest a conference and appoint a committee to confer, and the other house shall also appoint a committee to confer, such committee shall, at a convenient hour, to be agreed upon by their chairman, meet in the conference chamber, and state to each other, verbally or in writing, as either shall choose, the reasons of their respective houses for and against the amendment, and confer freely thereon."-Joint Rule 1. previous to. The usual course of proceeding previous to a conference is Usual proceeding for one house to disagree to the other's amendment, and for the amending house to insist upon its amendment and ask a conference.-Journal, 1, 35, pp. 711, 933, 1062. But it sometimes happens, near the close of a session, that one house disagrees to the other's amendment, and thereupon asks a conference.-Journal, 1, 3, pp. 221, 222; 2, A conference sometimes takes place after one house has Conference after adhered.-Journal, 1, 3, pp. 281, 283; 2, 3, p. 254; 1, 34, p. 564. pp. 1600, 1602; 1, 35, pp. 604, 615, 620.—Senate Journal, January 20, 1834; Manual, p. 125. adherence. ferences before "In the ordinary parliamentary course there are two free At least two conconferences at least before an adherence."-Manual, p. 122. adherence. There are sometimes three and even four conferences before a matter of difference is disposed of.-Journal, 1, 34, p. 943, 1600; 1, 35, p. 1136. sist, to adhere. In the case of disagreeing votes between the two houses, To recede, to inthe House may either recede, insist, and ask a conference, or adhere, and motions for such purposes take precedence in that order. (See Manual, pp. 110, 111; Journal, 1, 23, p. 229; 1, 34, pp. 1516 to 1518.) made at any The report of a committee of conference is, under the prac- Report may be tice of the House, so highly privileged that it has been held time. to be in order even pending a motion for a call of the House. -Journal, 1, 31, p. 1590. 70 Where unable to agree. Where report disagreed to. Report may be laid on the table. agreement as to CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS-CONSIDERATION. Where a conference committee is unable to agree, that fact is reported, and another committee is usually asked for and appointed.-Journals, 1, 31, p. 1681; 1, 34, pp. 919, 938, 1516, 1518; 3, 34, p. 663; 1, 35, p. 1118. So, too, when a report is disagreed to, another conference usually takes place.—Journals, 2, 27, p. 1248; 3, 34, pp. 653, 655; 1, 35, pp. 1105, 1106. The report may be laid on the table.—Journal, 1, 31, p. 1590. May report The committee may report agreement as to some of the part and dis- matters of difference, but unable to agree as to others.Journal, 1, 29, p. 1302. agreement as to the rest. Must be asked by house which has the papers. Papers to be left with conferees of other house. "The request of a conference must always be by the house which is possessed of the papers."-Manual, p. 124. "In all cases of conference asked after a vote of disagreement, &c., the conferees of the house asking it are to leave the papers with the conferees of the other."-Manual, p. 125. Reports proceed ings. ers of. CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS. (See SECRET SESSION.) CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE. The daily proceedings of the House, including the debates, Seats for report. are published in the Congressional Globe. And, in order to facilitate the reporting of the same, the doorkeeper was directed, by a resolution of the House (Journal, 1, 32, p. 70), to provide chairs for its reporters, to be placed in front of the Clerk's desk. An appropriation is annually made to furnish each member and delegate with twenty-four copies of the Congressional Globe and Appendix. When question of, to be put. CONSIDERATION. "When any motion or proposition is made, the question 'Will the House now consider it ? shall not be put, unless it is demanded by some member, or is deemed necessary by the Speaker.”—Rule 41. And it is competent for a member to raise the question of consideration upon a report, even though a question of privilege is involved in the report.-Journal, 1, 35, pp. 1083, 1085. But after a question has been stated, and its discussion commenced, it is too late to raise the ques- when too late. tion of consideration.-Journal, 1, 17, pp. 296, 297. [The question of consideration, of late years, has very rarely been raised.] CONTESTED ELECTIONS. (See ELECTIONS, Contested.) CONVERSATION. indulged in. "While the Speaker is putting any question or addressing when not to be the House, or when a member is speaking, none shall entertain private discourse."-Rule 65. COURT OF CLAIMS. (See CLAIMS, COURT OF.) DEBATE. to be stated or read “When a motion is made and seconded, it shall be stated Motion by the Speaker; or being in writing, it shall be handed to before. the Chair and read aloud by the Clerk before debated."— Rule 38. must rise and address When any member is about to speak in debate, or deliver Member any matter to the House, he shall rise from his seat and re- "Mr. Speaker." spectfully address himself to "Mr. Speaker."-Rule 57. [According to the usage, he may rise from any seat he may happen to occupy.] one member rises at same time. "When two or more members happen to rise at once, the Where morethan Speaker shall name the member who is first to speak." Rule 59. And it is the right of the Speaker generally to name the member entitled to the floor.-Journal, 2, 32, p. 405. (See also Manual, p. 74, where it is held, that no appeal lies from his decision.) floor by courtesy. By parliamentary courtesy, the member upon whose motion who entitled to a subject is brought before the House is first entitled to the floor.-Journal, 2, 30, p. 247. [So, too, it is an invariable No member shall except the mov practice for the Speaker, at every new stage of a bill or proposition, to recognize first the member who has had charge of it. But to be entitled to such a recognition, he must, in all cases, be a claimant for the floor at the same time with others.] "No member shall speak more than once to the same quesspeak but once, tion without leave of the House, unless he be the mover, proposer, or introducer of the matter pending; in which case, he shall be permitted to speak in reply, but not until every member choosing to speak shall have spoken.”—Rule 63. But it is too late to make the question of order that a member has already spoken, if no one claims the floor until he has made some progress in his speech.-Journal, 1, 29, p. Where members 934. "Members may address the House or committee from the Clerk's desk, or from a place near the Speaker's chair.” -Rule 58. [Members very seldom speak from the place here indicated, but usually from some central position in the hall.] may speak from. Members may Where an amendment is offered after a member has occuO pied the floor, he may again occupy the floor, the question being changed.-Journal, 1, 28, p. 532. speak again after Member may move previous A member who has once spoken may be recognized to question after move the previous question.-Journal, 1, 24, p. 1401. ken. having once spo- The right of the "member reporting the measure" to open Right to open and close debate is not affected by an order either for the and close, not af ous question or fected by previ previous question or that debate shall cease in committee.close of debate. Journal, 1, 31, p. 1056. previous Where member Where a member has spoken part of his hour, and moved question within the previous question, he may withdraw the motion and speak his hour. for the remainder of his time.-Journal, 1, 31, pp. 1367, 1368. While a member is occupying the floor, he may yield it to another for explanation of the pending measure as well as for personal explanation.-Journal, 1, 32, p. 524. [So, too, he may yield it for a motion to adjourn, or that the committee rise, without losing his right to reoccupy it for the remainder of his time whenever the pending question shall be resumed; but it is otherwise when he yields to enable another to offer or withdraw an amendment.] |