to appear within a reasonable time after the stated hour meeting.

If, after the presiding officer has taken the chair, at the opening of a daily session, or if at any time during the progress of business, either house is found to be deficient in number, business is either not commenced or is suspended, until a quorum shall appear, voluntarily or compulsorily, under the usual process of enforcing attendance.

THE READING OF THE Journal.

"The President having taken the chair at the hour to which the Senate shall have adjourned, and a quorum being present, the Journal of the preceding day shall be read, to the end that any mistakes therein may be corrected.". -Senate rule 1.

"The first business of each day's session shall be the reading of the journal of the preceding day, and the correction of any errors that may be found to exist therein." -- Assembly rule 3.

The reading of the journal bringing under review all that transpired during the next preceding daily session, presents the opportunity to members, while fresh to the subject, of proposing corrections by way of amendment.

But this review is not final or conclusive against subsequent corrections. On information of a misentry or omission of an entry in the journal, a committee may be appointed to examine and rectify it and report it to the Пouse.

So, under a reconsideration of the vote approving of the journal, errors of commission or omission may be corrected without the intervention of a committee, or even without a reconsideration, by unanimous consent.

No general rule, comprehensive or exclusive enough, can be laid down, as to what should and what should not be entered on the journal. The Constitution and the Rules prescribe what shall be so entered. Usage and precedent are the only guides in all other cases.

"After the reading and approval of the journal, the order of busi ness shall be as follows: 1. The presentation of petitions. 2 Reports of standing committees. 3. Reports of select committees, 4. Messages from the Governor. 5. Cominunications and reports

from State officers. 6. Messages from the Assembly. 7. Notices
of bills. 8. Introduction of bills. 9. Third reading of bills. 10
Motions and resolutions. 11. Special orders. 12. General orders.
But messages from the Governor and Assembly, and communica-
tions and reports from State officers may be considered at any
time."- Senate rule 2.

"The first business of each day's session shall be the reading of
the journal of the preceding day, and the correction of any errors
that may be found to exist therein. After which, except on days
and at times set apart for the consideration of general or special
orders, the order of business, which shall not be departed from,
except by unanimous consent of the House, shall be as follows,
viz. 1. Introduction of bills by counties, in alphabetical order. 2.
Reports of standing committees in the order in which the commit-
tees are stated in Rule 14. 3. Presentation of petitions by counties,
in alphabetical order. 4. Motions and resolutions, to be called by
counties in reverse order. 5. Reports of select committees. 6.
Third reading of bills. 7. The preferred calendar of general orders.
8. Unfinished business of the general orders. 9. Special orders
of the day. 10. General orders of the day. Messages from the
Governor, communications from State officers, messages from the
Senate, and reports from the Committee on Engrossed Bills,
Public Printing, and the select Committee on the General Orders,
may be received under any order of business." - Assembly rule 3.

This prescribed round of business, which is substantially the same in both houses, varied only by transposition and subdivision, may be superseded in whole or in part; or it may be, and often is, substantially inverted.

Thus, where a bill has been made a special order, to be taken up immediately after the reading of the journal or at a particular hour; in the one case, the prescribed round of business may be entirely set aside for the day; in the other, all the orders not reached when the special order intervened. But, the special order being disposed of, and time permitting, either the regular order of business is taken up, commencing with introduction of bills, or business is resumed at the point where the special order found it.

So, in the absence of any special order, when it is desirable to reach any particular class of business, before it comes up in turn, all intervening orders are successively laid on the table as soon as announced, to be resumed when the pressing business is disposed of, if time permit; but not until every order of business, succeeding and including the one thus reached, has been gone through with or disposed of by laying on the table.

Croswell's

THE PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS.

The rules regulating the reception of petitions in both Houses are these:

"Every Senator presenting a petition or memorial shall indorse the same with a brief statement of its subject or contents, adding is name." Senate rule 12.

Petitions, memorials and other papers addressed to the House, enail be presented by the Speaker, or by any member in his place.' - Assembly rule 4.

"Every member presenting a paper shall indorse the same; if a petition or memorial, with a brief statement of its contents or subject, adding his name."- Assembly rule 5.

In the Assembly, to avoid confusion from struggles for the floor, the counties are called, alphabetically, and petitions received as they are presented by members representing such counties respectively.

The questions that usually arise on the presentation of petitions, are questions of reference. Generally, they are referred by the Speaker, without motion or question put, to the standing committee, indicated by the indorsement as the appropriate committee; or, if the bill or subject to which they relate is on the general or special orders, or before a standing or select committee, then to the committee of the whole or the standing or select committee having the bill or subject in charge.

Competing motions to commit have priority among themselves in the Assembly:

"When a question shall be under consideration, no motion shall be received except as herein specified; which motion shall have precedence in the order stated, viz.: 1. For an adjournment of the House. 2. A call of the House. 3. For the previous question. 4. To lay on the table. 5. To postpone indefinitely. 6. To postpone to a day certain. 7. To go into committee of the whole on the pending subject immediately. 8. To commit to a committee of the whole. 9. To commit to a standing committee. 10. To commit to a select committec. 11. To amend." - Assembly rule 46.

The question some times arises, whether a petition of memorial is respectful in tenor or language, or both, or whether the signatures are genuine.

The presentation of a petition or memorial of the opposite character, being an abuse of a sacred right, and an indignity which cannot, with self-respect, be overlooked, the House, in a plain case, proceeds at once to vindicate itself; or, if the case call for investigation, institutes an inquiry through a committee, and awaits their report before taking action.

Petitions are seldom read except by the indorsement thereon. But by the Senate rule, they must be read through if any Senator insists.

Motions to print petitions are subject to similar rules in both Houses. The rules and the practice in both Houses, in regard to the reading and printing of petitions, papers, etc., are noticed elsewhere.

REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES.

"Reports from the committee on engrossed bills may be received under any order of business."- Senate rule 2.

Reports from the committee on engrossed bills, sub-committee of the whole, and the committee on public printing may be received under any order of businees." Assembly rule 3.

Reports of other standing committees can be made only in their turn, without consent or a suspension of rules.

Such reports, being in compliance with the express or implied order of the House, are received and entertained, when made in order, as of course, and without leave asked or question put.

They are either oral or written generally oral. They must be in writing in certain obvious cases; under the Assembly rule, always in cases of private claims:

"No reports shall be received from the committee on claims, unless a written statement, setting forth the reasons in brief for

the action of such committee, shall accompany such report." Assembly rule 22.

Being advisory or suggestive-except those of the committee on engrossed bills—and without effect until sanctioned by the House, they always accompany the petition, bill, resolution or other paper to which they relate, and are disposed of along with it.

The action of the House on these reports varies, necessarily, according to their nature, and the circumstances of each case, thus:

If the report be accompanied by an original bill, in accordance with the prayer of a petition, or the order of the House, or the committee's own views of the public interest or policy, such bill must have its first and second readings, constructively or otherwise, before any disposition can be made of it. It may then pass directly to the committee of the whole, to take its place and turn on the general orders, or be made a special order, or tabled or recommitted or postponed.

If the report be favorable to a bill, with or without amendment, such bill having had two readings before its reference, is in a condition to be disposed of in either of the modes indicated in the last preceding paragraph. It usually goes, sub silentio, directly to the committee of the whole:

"No bill shall be amended or committed until it shall have been twice read." - Senate rule 28.

If the report be adverse to a bill, the question of agreeing to the report may be taken forthwith. If the House agree, the bill is deemed to be rejected. If the House do not agree, or the question of agreement be not taken, the report and bill go together to the committee of the whole, unless some other disposition be made of them, by tabling, recommitment or postponement:

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Every report of a committee on a bill, which shall not be considered at the time of making the same, or laid on the table by a Vote of the Senate, shall stand upon the general orders with the bill, and entered on the journal." Senate rule 20.

"Such committee may report any bill, either with or without