[Deschler's Precedents, Contents]
[Preface]
[Plan of the Work; Arrangement of Materials]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[Page xii-xiii]
 
                                PREFACE
 
Plan of the Work; Arrangement of Materials

    The chapters in this work have been arranged in the approximate 
sequential order in which the subjects covered occur or arise in the 
House; thus, the first chapter deals with the organization of the House 
at the beginning of a Congress, and the last chapter deals with 
adjournment.
    Generally, each section or division in a chapter begins with a 
relatively short summation of the precedents covered under the topic. 
These summaries provide the reader with a frame of reference in which 
to read the precedents that follow, and also reflect constitutional and 
statutory provisions as well as case law.
    Each chapter begins with an identification of the section in Hinds' 
or Cannon's in which comparable coverage is provided. In addition, 
information based on material in Hinds' or Cannon's is given when 
necessary to give the reader a comprehensive understanding of the 
topic, or to provide a missing link between one precedent and another.
    The term ``Parliamentarian's Note'' is used where a point is to be 
made for which there is no Congressional Record source or other 
appropriate citation, or where some editorial comment is needed.
    As can be seen from glancing through these volumes, the rulings of 
the Speaker or Chairman are set forth in the form of blackletter 
syllabi, and excerpts from the Congressional Record are provided where 
necessary to support, explain, or illustrate each syllabus. Excerpts 
are not used where they will in no way add to the reader's 
understanding of the headnote. When an excerpt from the Record is used, 
it is edited in such a way as to eliminate material not relevant to the 
point made in the syllabus.
    The citations in these volumes contain many references to the pages 
of the Congressional Record, House Journals, and court reports. It is 
unreasonable to assume that no errors will 

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have crept in; however, the system of double-referencing to both 
Record pages and dates provides the reader with more than one 
method of finding something referred to in the text. Moreover, 
the reader should be alert to the issuance of future supplements 
to this work for new material as well as any necessary corrections.
    Reference is made in these volumes to the precedents of the U.S. 
Senate where they are of special interest to Members of the House or 
where they tend to throw light on House procedures, but no attempt is 
made herein to provide a comprehensive review of Senate precedents.
    References to frequently-cited works are to the volume and section 
of Hinds' (volumes 1-5) and Cannon's (volumes 6-8) Precedents of the 
House of Representatives (e.g., 6 Cannon's Precedents Sec. 252); to the 
Congressional Record, by volume, page, Congress, session, and date 
(e.g., 113 Cong. Rec. 29277, 90th Cong. 1st Sess., Oct. 18, 1967); to 
the United States Reports by volume and page (e.g., 256 U.S. 345); to 
the United States Code, by title and section (e.g., 42 USC Sec. 1649) ; 
and to Deschler's Procedure, by chapter and section (e.g., Deschler's 
Procedure [93d Cong.], Ch. 8 Sec. 3).

                                                       Lewis Deschler.

  June 1976.


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