[Deschler's Precedents]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access]
[DOCID:52093pl_txt-2]
[Page iii]
PREFACE
Scope of Work
These volumes set forth and analyze the modern precedents of the
House of Representatives. The early precedents of the House, dating
from the First Congress, are found in Asher Hinds' monumental work,
published in 1907.(1) The precedents of the House from 1908
to 1936 were taken up by Clarence Cannon in a comprehensive study
supplementing the earlier work by Hinds.(2) It is the
function of these volumes to review the precedents from 1936 through
the first session of the 93d Congress, except as otherwise noted.
Subsequent precedents will be found in supplements to this edition to
be prepared for each Congress.(3)
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1. Hinds' Precedents of the House of Representatives (Washington,
D.C., 1907), referred to hereinafter as Hinds' Precedents.
2. Cannon's Precedents of the House of Representatives
(Washington, D.C., 1936), referred to hereinafter as Cannon's
Precedents.
3. Pub. L. No. 93-544 (88 Stat. 1777), providing that the
precedents be updated every two years.
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It is altogether fitting that this compilation of the modern
precedents of the House should be published on the 200th Anniversary of
the initial meetings of the First Continental Congress. I believe that
the relatively stable government that has prevailed in this country for
two centuries is in large measure attributable to the vigorous and
strikingly effective parliamentary system that evolved in the House. It
is a system that is perhaps the most carefully adjusted and
scientifically balanced of any parliamentary body in the world. It
represents the considered judgment of generations of our wisest
legislators, and the product of two centuries of self-government. In
retrospect, it can be seen as a contribution of an enlightened society
to the security and perpetuation of our democracy. Some countries have
seen their governments rise and fall in relatively rapid succession in
part because their parliamentary systems do not have the inherent
toughness and resiliency of ours.
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