| Active people attend meetings. At meetings of | | | | edition, in 1970. |
| youth groups like the Scouts and Future Farmers | | | | Meanwhile, Alice Sturgis recognized the need for a |
| of America, service clubs like Kiwanis and Rotary, | | | | simplified and modernized procedure. She wrote |
| school boards and parent-teacher associations, | | | | Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure |
| even state and national legislative bodies, people | | | | in 1950, and a second edition thereafter. After her |
| more or less follow parliamentary rules. Why? | | | | death the American Institute of Parliamentarians |
| Parliamentary procedure balances the rights of the | | | | revised the book into The Standard Code of |
| majority, the minority, and individual members, as | | | | Parliamentary Procedure, 3rd edition, 1988, and |
| well as enables an organization to do its business. | | | | 4th edition, 2001. Both Robert's Rules - Newly |
| When an assembly ignores the rules, the rights of | | | | Revised, 10th edition, 2000 - and the Standard |
| the members of the body - and of the people | | | | Code - 4th edition, 2001 - are in current use, the |
| they represent - are trampled. An assembled | | | | main differences being the simpler procedures and |
| body may be a civic, recreational, professional, or | | | | less formal and archaic language of the Standard |
| legislative group. | | | | Code. |
| "The great lesson for democracies to learn is for | | | | There are other manuals, some written specifically |
| the majority to give to the minority a full, free | | | | for legislative bodies, like Jefferson's 1801 Manual |
| opportunity to present their side of the case, and | | | | of Parliamentary Practice for the U.S. Senate. |
| then for the minority, having failed to win a | | | | Luther S. Cushing wrote Lex Parliamentaria |
| majority to their views, gracefully to submit and | | | | Americana: Elements of the Law and Practice of |
| to recognize the action as that of the entire | | | | Legislative Assemblies, which first appeared in |
| organization, and cheerfully to assist in carrying it | | | | 1856, which had been used by several state |
| out, until they can secure its repeal." So wrote | | | | legistures, and which continues in use, now in a |
| Henry Martyn Robert, author of Robert's Rules of | | | | 1999 edition. The U.S. House of Representatives |
| Order, in his Parliamentary Law (1923). | | | | has used Hinds' Precedents (1901), named after |
| Sometimes called rules of order, parliamentary | | | | author Asher C. Hinds; Cannon's Precedents |
| procedure recognizes that the majority vote used | | | | (1935), named after Clarence Cannon; and |
| with open debate results in a decision that reflects | | | | Deschler's Procedure (1979), named after Lewis |
| the will of the assembly better than a | | | | Deschler. The U.S. House now uses House Rules |
| decision-making system that seeks consensus, | | | | and Manual, and the U.S. Senate uses standing |
| although parliamentary procedure does not | | | | rules collectively called Senate Procedure - both |
| preclude consensus; Henry Robert himself often | | | | available online (at and |
| achieved consensus through effective debate and | | | | Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure is used in |
| parliamentary procedure. | | | | about 35 states by both the state House and |
| "The customs and rules of meetings - the | | | | Senate, used in addition to chamber rules, as |
| practices that go by the ungainly term | | | | parliamentary procedure still recognizes specific |
| 'parliamentary procedure' - are the bedrock of | | | | rules of the authorizing body. Paul Mason designed |
| democracy, the mechanism by which a group of | | | | his manual specifically for state legislatures; the |
| people can make fair and equitable decisions," | | | | first edition appeared in 1935, and the National |
| according to the American Institute of | | | | Conference of State Legislatures published the |
| Parliamentarians. The term parliamentary derived | | | | current edition in 2000. |
| through British parliaments and Middle English from | | | | Parliamentary procedure, regardless of which |
| the Old French word parlement, which in turn | | | | manual spells out the rules, is based on |
| derived from parler, parlier - to speak, talk. | | | | precedents, a system of principles, and reason: |
| Parliamentary rules facilitate civil, polite, courteous | | | | upon "reasonable and equitable customs." Mason, |
| language that addresses the question before the | | | | original author of Mason's Manual of Legislative |
| assembly. | | | | Procedure, defined "ten fundamental principles that |
| Americans have used various parliamentary | | | | govern procedure": |
| procedures over the years, often local versions, | | | | 1. The group must be so constituted and |
| especially during colonial times. The First | | | | endowed that it has the power and authority that |
| Continental Congress in 1774 drafted minimal | | | | it purports to exercise. |
| "rules of conduct to be observed in debating and | | | | 2. There must be a meeting of the group at |
| determining questions"; for example, the delegates | | | | which the decision is made. |
| decided to cast votes by colony, one vote per | | | | 3. There must be proper notice of the meeting so |
| colony regardless of population. When Vice | | | | that all members of the group have an |
| President Thomas Jefferson presided over the | | | | opportunity to attend and participate. |
| U.S. Senate, he saw a need for more detailed | | | | 4. There must be a quorum present at the |
| rules. His Manual of Parliamentary Practice | | | | meeting. |
| appeared in 1801. | | | | 5. There must be a clear question before the |
| A Massachusetts clerk of court, Luther S. Cushing, | | | | group for decision. |
| saw the need of a manual for non-legislative | | | | 6. When the decision is being made, there must |
| bodies and produced his Manual of Parliamentary | | | | be an opportunity to debate the question. |
| Practice: Rules of Proceeding and Debate in | | | | 7. The question must be decided by taking a vote. |
| Deliberative Assemblies in 1845, but he left it to | | | | 8. There must be a vote in the affirmative of at |
| each assembly to draft many rules specific to the | | | | least a majority to make a decision or carry a |
| body. A military officer active in community | | | | proposition. |
| affairs, Henry Martyn Robert saw a need for | | | | 9. There must be no fraud, trickery or deception |
| additional standardization of practices among | | | | causing injury. |
| deliberative assemblies that would require less | | | | 10. Decisions must not be in violation of laws, |
| time be devoted by each assembly to crafting | | | | rules, or decisions of higher authority. |
| rules specific to the body. He prepared the first | | | | Parliamentary procedure can safeguard rights, |
| edition of Robert's Rules of Order in 1876. After | | | | facilitate democratic discussion, and get the |
| his death, a complete revision appeared as | | | | business of the assembly done. As U.S. Supreme |
| Robert's Rules of Order Revised, the 4th edition. | | | | Court Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote, "The history |
| The next full revision appeared under the title | | | | of liberty has largely been the history of |
| Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, the 7th | | | | observance of procedural safeguards. |