ORGANIC LAW OF THE UNION. 197 



amendment and an amendment to the amendment has 

 been offered he will take the vote of the last amendment 

 first and announce the result. He will then take the vote 

 on the first amendment and announce the result. He 

 will then take the vote on the main question. This 

 sometimes dauses confusion because the adoption of the 

 amendments seems to settle the question. For example, 

 say the following motion is introduced: " I move that 

 the regular meetings of this body be changed to Thurs- 

 day night;'' and the following amendment is offered: "I 

 move to amend by saying Wednesday night in place of 

 Thursday night;" and this, in turn, is sought to be 

 changed by an amendment to the amendment saying, 

 " Wednesday night at 8 o'clock." The President calls 

 for the first vote on the amendment, which is carried. 

 Now at first glance it would seem that the whole business 

 was disposed of and that the regular meetings were 

 changed to Wednesday night at 8 o'clock. But such is 

 not the case, because the vote simply means that if the 

 meetings are changed to Wednesday night, then they are 

 to be at 8 o'clock; consequently the President takes the 

 vote on the amendment as amended, saying, "The vote 

 now recurs on the amendment as amended." This is 

 also carried and the status of the question now is, "If the 

 regular meetings are changed they are to be changed to 

 Wednesday night at 8 o'clock." But no vote has been 

 taken on the original motion to change the meetings. 

 The only questions decided are, that it is the will of the 

 body that the form of the motion be changed. Con- 

 sequently it is necessary for the President to say, "The 

 vote now recurs on the original motion to change the 

 time of meeting as amended;" and when this question is 

 decided the question is disposed of, and not till then. 



18. To POSTPONE INDEFINITELY. Third-class. 

 Cannot be amended. Is debatable and opens main ques- 



