ators shall be called over, and when a quorum shall have taken their seats, they shall take the following oath, viz.: "Ia senator for the county of — in the State of Vermont, October session, 18-, do solemnly swear that I will be faithful and true to the State of Vermont, and that I will not, directly or indirectly, do any act or thing injurious to the constitution or government thereof, as established by convention. So help me God. And I also solemnly swear that, as a member of the Senate, I will not propose or assent to any bill, vote, or resolution, which shall appear to me injurious to the people, nor do or consent to any act or thing whatever, that shall have a tendency to lessen or abridge their rights and privileges, as declared by the Constitution of this State; but will in all things conduct myself as a faithful, honest representative and guardian of the people, according to the best of my judgment and abilities. So help me God." Whereupon they shall, on nomination of the President, appoint a canvassing committee, consisting of one senator from each county, to join such committee as the House of Representatives may appoint, whose duty shall be to receive, sort and count the votes for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Treasurer, and make report thereof to the Joint Assembly of both Houses.

2.

The Senate shall meet every day (Sundays excepted,) at ten o'clock in the morning and two o'clock in the afternoon, unless otherwise specially ordered.

3.

The President having taken the chair, and a quorum being present, the journal of the preceding day shall be read, and all the errors therein corrected.

4.

In case no quorum shall assemble within fifteen minutes after the time to which the Senate was adjourned, those present shall have the power to send the Sergeant-at-Arms, or other officer, after the absentees, and compel their attendance.

5.

Whenever the Senate shall assemble according to adjournment, or at the commencement of a session, and the Presi

dent shall be absent, it shall be the duty of the Secretary, if present, if not of a senator, to call to order; and the senators present, if a quorum, shall by ballot elect a President pro tempore.

6.

No senator shall be absent without leave, unless he is sick, or otherwise necessarily detained.

7.

No senator shall audibly speak to another, or otherwise interrupt the business of the Senate while the journal or other public papers are being read, or while a senator is orderly speaking in debate.

8.

Every senator when he speaks shall, standing in his place, address the President, and when he has finished shall sit down.

9.

No member shall speak more than twice on the same question without leave of the Senate; and senators who have once spoken shall not again be entitled to the floor, (except for the purpose of explanation,) to the exclusion of another who has not spoken.

10.

In all cases, the senator first rising and addressing the President (subject to the restriction of rule 9) shall be entitled to the floor, and when two or more arise at the same time the President shall name the one who is to speak.

11.

When a senator shall be called to order he shall sit down; and every question of order shall be decided by the Presi dent without debate, subject to an appeal to the Senate.

12.

If a senator be called to order for words spoken, the exceptional words shall be immediately taken down in writing by the senator calling to order, that the President may be better enabled to judge of the matter.

13.

The first hour of each morning's sitting may be devoted to the reception and disposal of petitions, memorials and remonstrances, motions, resolutions, and the introduction of bills; after which the orders of the day or other proper business shall be announced, always commencing with the unfinished business of the last sitting. The first hour of the afternoon's sitting may be occupied in receiving and disposing of reports of committees, and in completing the business of the morning hour; at the expiration of which the Senate will again take up the orders of the day.

14.

Reports of committees may be signed by any member in behalf of the committee, and shall be by him presented to the Senate when the call for reports is made. The signer of each report shall be held responsible for the accuracy of its statements and the propriety of its language, and when the same shall be under consideration he shall be further liable to give additional statements of facts or other explanations in answer to the call of any senator.

15.

The proceedings of the Senate, except when acting as in Committee of the Whole, embracing the titles of bills and such parts thereof as may be affected by the proposed amendment, and also the names of senators and the votes which they give on every question decided by yeas and nays, shall be by the Secretary accurately and concisely inserted in the journal.

16.

The Senate shall annually, within the first four days of actual sitting, elect, by ballot, a Secretary and an Assistant Secretary, who shall be severally sworn to the faithful discharge of their duties, and shall hold their offices until superseded by a new election. The Assistant Secretary shall be, ex officio, engrossing clerk.

17.

At each annual session the Senate shall appoint the following committees to consist of three members each, except

that the committees on the Judiciary, on Claims, and on
Education shall consist of five (5) members each, to wit:
A Committee on Rules.

A Committee on Finance.
A Committee on the Judiciary.
A Committee on Claims.

A Committee on Education.

A Committee on Agriculture.

A Committee on Manufactures.

A Committee on Elections.

A Committee on Military Affairs.

A Committee on Railroads.

A Committee on Highways and Bridges.

A Committee on Banks.

A Committee on Land Taxes.

A Committee on Printing.

A General Committee.

A Committee on Federal Relations.

All select committee shall be appointed by the President, unless otherwise ordered by the Senate.

18.

All bills after the second reading, and all petitions, me-morials, remonstrances, resolutions, and other papers, calling for legislative action, (except such as have been reported by a committee,) no objection being made, shall be referred by the President to appropriate committees.

19.

Before any resolution, any petition, or other paper addressed to the Senate, shall be received and read, whether the same shall be introduced by the President or a senator, the title shall be fairly endorsed thereon, and a brief statement of its objects or contents shall be made by the introducer.

20.

Every motion shall be reduced to writing by the mover, if required thereto by the President or a senator, and a motion to lay another motion, the latter not being in writing, on the table, or otherwise to dispose of it, shall not be in order.

21.

Every bill shall receive three readings before it is passed;,

the President shall give notice at each reading whether it be the first, second or third; the last of which reading of public bills shall be at least twenty-four hours after the first reading, unless the Senate unanimously direct otherwise; provided, that bills may be read the second time by their title. Resolutions requiring the approbation and signature of the Governor shall be treated in all respects as bills; and the third reading of all bills of a public nature shall be ordered for some particular day. Each and every nomination made by the Governor to be confirmed by the Senate shall lie over at least twenty-four hours between such nomination and the confirmation thereof.

22.

On motion of a senator, public bills, after the second reading, may be referred to a committee of the whole.

23.

Every bill originating in the Senate shall, before it is read the third time, be fairly engrossed. No amendment shall be received at the third reading, but it may be committed for amendment at any time before its final passage.

24.

Motions on bills and resolutions shall be sustained in the following order: 1. To postpone indefinitely. 2. To lay on the table. 3. To commit. 4. To amend.

25.

A call for the previous question shall not at any time be in order. A motion to adjourn shall always be in order, and shall be decided without debate.

26.

If the question in debate contains several points, the same may be divided on the demand of a senator. A motion to strike out and insert shall not be divided, but the rejection of a motion to strike out and insert one proposition shall not preclude a motion to strike out and insert a different one, or a motion simply to strike out; nor shall the rejection of a motion simply to strike out, prevent a subsequent one to strike out and insert.