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.

MR. JEFFERSON'S PREFACE.
THE Constitution of the United States, establishing a legislature
for the Union under certain forms, authorizes each branch of it A" to
determine the rules of its own proceedings." The Senate have
accordingly formed some rules for its own government: but those
going only to few cases, they have referred to the decision of their
President, without debate and without appeal, all questions of
order arising either under their own rules, or, where they have
provided none. This places under the discretion of the President
a very extensive field of decision, and one which, irregularly exercised, would have a powerful effect on the proceedings and
determinations of the House. The President must feel, weightily
and seriously, this confidence in his discretion; and the necessity
of recurring, for its government, to some known system of rules,
that he may neither leave himself free to indulge caprice or passion, nor open to the imputation of them. But to what system of
rules is he to recur, as supplementary to those of the Senate. To
this there can be but one answer: to the systems of regulations
adopted for the government of some one of the parliamentary
bodies within these States, or of that which has served as a prototype to most of them. This last is the model which we have
studied; while we are little acquainted with the modifications of
it in our several States. It is deposited, too, in publications possessed by many, and open to all. Its rules are probably as wisely
constructed for governing the debates of a considerative body, and
obtaining its true sense, as any which can become known to us;
andthe acquiescence of the Senate hitherto under the references
to them, has given them the sanction of their approbation.
Considering, therefore, the law of proceedings in the Senate as
composed of the precepts of the Constitution, the regulations of the
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