SECTION XLVII.MESSAGES.Messages between the Houses are to be sent only while both Houses are sitting.—3Hats.15. They are received during a debate, without adjourning the debate.—3Hats.22.In Senate, the messengers are introduced in any state of business, except—1. While a question is putting. 2. While the yeas and nays are calling. 3. While the ballots are calling. The first case is short: the second and third are cases where any interruption might occasion errors difficult to be corrected.—So arranged, June 15th, 1798.In the House of Representatives, as in Parliament, if the House be in a committee when a messenger attends, the Speaker takes the chair to receive the message, and then quits it to return into a committee, without any question or interruption.—4Grey, 226.Messengers are not saluted by the members, but by the Speaker, for the House.—2Grey, 253, 274.If messengers commit an error in delivering their messages, they may be admitted, or called in, to correct their message.—4Grey, 41. Accordingly, March 13, 1800, the Senate having made two amendments to a bill from the House of Representatives, their secretary, by mistake, delivered one only; which being inadmissible by itself, that House disagreed, and notified theSenate of their disagreement. This produced a discovery of the mistake. The secretary was sent to the other House to correct his mistake, the correction was received, and the two amendments acted onde novo.As soon as the messenger, who has brought bills from the other House, has retired, the Speaker holds the bills in his hand, and acquaints the House, "That the other House have, by their messenger, sent certain bills," and then reads their titles, and delivers them to the clerk to be safely kept till they shall be called for to be read.—Hakew.178.It is not the usage for one House to inform the other by what numbers a bill has passed.—10Grey, 150. Yet they have sometimes recommended a bill as of great importance to the consideration of the House to which it is sent.—3Hats.25. Nor when they have rejected a bill from the other House, do they give notice of it; but it passes sub-silentio to prevent unbecoming altercation.—1Black.133.But in Congress the rejection is notified by message to the House in which the bill originated.A question is never asked by the one House of the other by way of message, but only at a conference; for this is an interrogatory, not a message.—3Grey, 151, 181.When a bill is sent by one House to the other, and is neglected, they may send a message to remind them of it.—3Hats.25;5 Grey, 154. But if it be mere inattention, it is better to have it done informally, by communications between the Speakers, or members of the two Houses.Where the subject of a message is of a nature that it can properly be communicated to both Houses of Parliament, it is expected that this communication should be made to both on the same day. But where a message was accompanied with an original declaration, signed by the party, to which the message referred, its being sent to one House was not noticed by the other, because the declaration, being original, could not possibly be sent to both Houses at the same time.—2Hats.260, 261, 262.The King having sent original letters to the Commons, afterwards desires they may be returned, that he may communicate them to the Lords.—1Chandler, 303.
Messages between the Houses are to be sent only while both Houses are sitting.—3Hats.15. They are received during a debate, without adjourning the debate.—3Hats.22.
In Senate, the messengers are introduced in any state of business, except—1. While a question is putting. 2. While the yeas and nays are calling. 3. While the ballots are calling. The first case is short: the second and third are cases where any interruption might occasion errors difficult to be corrected.—So arranged, June 15th, 1798.
In the House of Representatives, as in Parliament, if the House be in a committee when a messenger attends, the Speaker takes the chair to receive the message, and then quits it to return into a committee, without any question or interruption.—4Grey, 226.
Messengers are not saluted by the members, but by the Speaker, for the House.—2Grey, 253, 274.
If messengers commit an error in delivering their messages, they may be admitted, or called in, to correct their message.—4Grey, 41. Accordingly, March 13, 1800, the Senate having made two amendments to a bill from the House of Representatives, their secretary, by mistake, delivered one only; which being inadmissible by itself, that House disagreed, and notified theSenate of their disagreement. This produced a discovery of the mistake. The secretary was sent to the other House to correct his mistake, the correction was received, and the two amendments acted onde novo.
As soon as the messenger, who has brought bills from the other House, has retired, the Speaker holds the bills in his hand, and acquaints the House, "That the other House have, by their messenger, sent certain bills," and then reads their titles, and delivers them to the clerk to be safely kept till they shall be called for to be read.—Hakew.178.
It is not the usage for one House to inform the other by what numbers a bill has passed.—10Grey, 150. Yet they have sometimes recommended a bill as of great importance to the consideration of the House to which it is sent.—3Hats.25. Nor when they have rejected a bill from the other House, do they give notice of it; but it passes sub-silentio to prevent unbecoming altercation.—1Black.133.
But in Congress the rejection is notified by message to the House in which the bill originated.
A question is never asked by the one House of the other by way of message, but only at a conference; for this is an interrogatory, not a message.—3Grey, 151, 181.
When a bill is sent by one House to the other, and is neglected, they may send a message to remind them of it.—3Hats.25;5 Grey, 154. But if it be mere inattention, it is better to have it done informally, by communications between the Speakers, or members of the two Houses.
Where the subject of a message is of a nature that it can properly be communicated to both Houses of Parliament, it is expected that this communication should be made to both on the same day. But where a message was accompanied with an original declaration, signed by the party, to which the message referred, its being sent to one House was not noticed by the other, because the declaration, being original, could not possibly be sent to both Houses at the same time.—2Hats.260, 261, 262.
The King having sent original letters to the Commons, afterwards desires they may be returned, that he may communicate them to the Lords.—1Chandler, 303.