stions or asking a
question, should always be kept in view, and when the latter will
assist the assembly in determining the question, is allowed to a
limited extent, even though the question before the assembly is
undebatable.

Note On Undebatable Questions.--The English common parliamentary law
makes all motions

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debatable, without there is a rule adopted limiting debate [Cushing's
Manual, Sec. 330]; but every assembly is obliged to restrict debate upon
certain motions. The restrictions to debate prescribed in this section
conform to the practice of Congress, where, however, it is very common
to allow of brief remarks upon the most undebatable questions, sometimes
five or six members speaking; this of course is allowed only when no one
objects.

By examining the above list, it will be found, that, while free debate
is allowed upon every principal question [Sec. 6], it is permitted or
prohibited upon other questions in accordance with the following
principles:

(a) Highly privileged questions, as a rule, should not be debated, as in
that case they could be used to prevent the assembly from coming to a
vote on the main question; (for instance, if the motion to adjourn were
debatable, it could be used [see Sec. 11] in a way to greatly hinder
business). High privilege is, as a rule, incompatible with the right of
debate on the privileged question.

(b) A motion that has the effect to suppress a question before the
assembly, so that it cannot again be taken up that session [Sec. 42],
allows of free debate. And a subsidiary motion [Sec. 7, except commit,
which see below,] is debatable to just the extent that it interferes
with the right of the assembly to take up the original question at its
pleasure.

Illustrations: To "Indefinitely Postpone" [Sec. 24] a question, places it
out of the power of the assembly to again take it up during that
session, and consequently this motion allows of free debate, even
involving the whole merits of the original question.

To "Postpone to a certain time" prevents the assembly taking up the
question till the specified time, and therefore allows of limited debate
upon the propriety of the postponement.

To "Lie on the Table" leaves the question so

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that the assembly can at any time consider it, and therefore should not
be, and is