A manual of parliamentary practice, composed originally for the use of the Senate of the United States. By Thomas Jefferson. With references to the practice and rules of the House of representatives. The whole brought down to the practice of the present time; to which are added the rules and orders, together with the joint rules of both houses of Congress. And accompanied with copious indices.

74 PREVIOUS QUESTION.
to the previous question, get the enemies to the
amendment added to them on the first vote, and
throw the friends of the main question under the
embarrassment of rallying again as they can. To
support his opinion, too, he makes the deciding circumstance, whether an amendment may or may not
be made, to be, that the previous question has been
proposed from the chair. But as the rule is, that the
House is in possession of a question as soon as it is
moved and seconded, it cannot be more than possessed of it by its being also proposed from the chair.
It may be said, indeed, that the object of the previous
question being to get rid of a question, which it is not
expedient should be discussed, this object may be defeated by moving to amend, and, in the discussion of
that motion, involving the subject of the main question. But so may the object of the previ us question
be defeated by moving the amended question, as Mr.
Hatsell proposes, after the decision against putting
the original question. He acknowledges, too, that
the practice has been to admit previous amendment,
and only cites a few late instances to the contrary,
On the whole, I should think it best to decide it ab
inconvenienti; to wit, Which is most inconvenient,
to put it in the power of one side of the House to
defeat a proposition by hastily moving the previous
question, and thus forcing the main question to be put
amended? or to put it in the power of the other side
to force on, incidentally at least, a discussion which
would be better avoided? Perhaps the last is the
least inconvenience; inasmuch as the Speaker, by
confining the discussion rigorously to the amendment
only, may prevent their going into the main question;
and inasmuch also, as so great a proportion of the
eases, in which the previous question is called for, are
fair and proper subjects of public discussion, nm)