Page 182 - index

MUNLCIPAL LAW. 179
read, .1 member s right to vote be called in (|uestion he should be
Iii case
I it l)e- heard in explanation, and then to withdraw while the t|uestion is put,
" That the vote of be disalljwed."
104. Members Voting. Every member in the House and hearing
the question put by the Speaker must vote. If one fails to vote, and the
attention of the Speaker is called to that fact, he will call upon the member
ti) declare on wliich side he votes and the vote will be recorded. Those
who do not wish to vote manage to be out of the House wlien the vote is
taken.
If a meml)er accidentally votes contrary to what he intended to vote
it cannot be corrected.
If a miMuber's name is incorrectly entered, or inadvertently i)mitted
from the list, he may iiave it corrected when the Clerk reads out the
names, or if not read out, then the next day when he discovers the error
in the ))rinted list of votes.
JOS. Debate on Motions- When a (picstion has been "put" by the
chair it is open for diseu.ssioii. In Parliament there i.s no limit Hxed to
the length of a speech, but in many other assemblies it is advi.sable to limit
the time allowed to .speeches on n\otions before the House. A meml)er
.should only speak once to the .same (picstion, except the mover of the main
(|ue.stion, who has the right of reply. The mover of any amendment has
no reply. Each member has a right to apeak to the main (|uestion, to each
amendment, and to an ailjourimient of the debate.
Adjournment. A motion for adjournment is always in order. It
may lie for the a<ljourinnent of the House or for the adjournment of the
debate. A motion to adjourn the Hou.se, if carried, supersedes the (juestion
then under considt^ation.
It should then take this form: I move "That the House do now ad-
journ.' No amendment is ])ermissible, neither is it allowable to move an
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adjournment to a future day: but the motion shouM be pure and simple,
as in the jircceding wording of it The adjt)urnnient of the House maj' be
made wiiile a matter is under discussion, or in the interval of pi'oceedings.
A motion for adjouriuneiit decided in the negative cannot be renewed until
after an intermediate proceeding.
HHi- Amendments. When an as.sembiy is satisfied with the subject-
matter of a |)r<>position, but not with the form of it, or with all its ])ai'ts, or
di'sii-es to make some addition to it, an anu mlnumt is intendeil to bring it
into proper form to ex])r(>ss the will of the House.
But when a ])i(j])osition is regularly moved and seconded it is in the
jio.ssession of tln' Mouse ami may 1"' ]>ut into any shape or turneil to any
purpose that the as.sembiy may think propei'. Its enemies, therefore, may
so amend it as to entirely alter its natiu'e, and to make it bear a sense .so
ditieri'Ut from what it was originally intended to bear that its friends, who
first introilui'i'd it, may be forced to \'ote against it in its amended form.
Tills is one way of defrating a proposition that would otherwise be carried
if a straigiit vote were taken on it as fir.st proptjsed.
Amendmeiits nuist be relevant to the original motion as to sutiject-
matter or thev are iiot admi.ssible.

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