ROBERT’S
RULES OF ORDER

PREFACE.

There appears to be much needed a work on parliamentary law, based, in itsgeneral principles, upon the rules and practice of Congress, and adapted, inits details, to the use of ordinary societies. Such a work should give, notonly the methods of organizing and conducting the meetings, the duties of theofficers and the names of the ordinary motions, but in addition, should statein a systematic manner, in reference to each motion, its object and effect;whether it can be amended or debated; if debatable, the extent to which itopens the main question to debate; the circumstances under which it can bemade, and what other motions can be made while it is pending. This Manual hasbeen prepared with a view to supplying the above information in a condensed andsystematic manner, each rule being either complete in itself, or givingreferences to every section that in any way qualifies it, so that a stranger tothe work can refer to any special subject with safety.

To aid in quickly referring to as many as possible of the rules relating toeach motion, there is placed immediately before the Index, a Table of Rules,which enables one, without turning a page, to find the answers to some twohundred questions. The Table of Rules is so arranged as to greatly assist thereader in systematizing his knowledge of parliamentary law.

The second part is a simple explanation of the common methods of conductingbusiness in ordinary meetings, in which the motions are classified according totheir uses, and those used for a similar purpose compared together. This partis expressly intended for that large class of the community, who are unfamiliarwith parliamentary usages and are unwilling to devote much study to thesubject, but would be glad with little labor to learn enough to enable them totake part in meetings of deliberative assemblies without fear of being out oforder. The object of Rules of Order in deliberative assemblies, is to assist anassembly to accomplish the work for which it was designed, in the best possiblemanner. To do this, it is necessary to somewhat restrain the individual, as theright of an individual in any community to do what he pleases, is incompatiblewith the best interests of the whole. Where there is no law, but every man doeswhat is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty. Experiencehas shown the importance of definiteness in the law; and in this country, wherecustoms are so slightly established and the published manuals of parliamentarypractice so conflicting, no society should attempt to conduct business withouthaving adopted some work upon the subject, as the authority in all cases notcovered by their own rules.

It has been well said by one of the greatest of English writers onparliamentary law: “Whether these forms be in all cases the most rational ornot is really not of so great importance. It is much more material that thereshould be a rule to go by, than what that rule is, that there may be auniformity of proceeding

BU KİTABI OKUMAK İÇİN ÜYE OLUN VEYA GİRİŞ YAPIN!

Sitemize Üyelik ÜCRETSİZDİR!