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CHAPTER XIII.: OF DILATORY MOTIONS, OR MOTIONS OF ADJOURNMENT. - Jeremy Bentham, The Works of Jeremy Bentham, vol. 2 [1843]

Edition used:

The Works of Jeremy Bentham, published under the Superintendence of his Executor, John Bowring (Edinburgh: William Tait, 1838-1843). 11 vols. Vol. 2.

Part of: The Works of Jeremy Bentham, 11 vols.

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CHAPTER XIII.

OF DILATORY MOTIONS, OR MOTIONS OF ADJOURNMENT.

A motion made, and its proposer heard, it is lawful for any member, from this moment to the conclusion of the debate, provided he does not interrupt any speech, to propose a dilatory motion; and this shall take precedence of the previous motion.

There are three kinds of dilatory motions:—

Indefinite adjournment(sine die.)
Fixed adjournment(in diem.)
Relative adjournment(post quam.)

This latter motion consists in proposing to adjourn till after a future event: for example, till after the discussion of another motion, or of some bill already upon the order-book—or till after the presentation of a report, which ought to be made by a committee, &c.—or a communication from the king, or expected petitions.

All these motions ought to be permitted, in order to secure to the assembly the exercise of its will; which would not be completely free, if any one of these modifications were excluded.

The relative adjournment, or post quam, is necessary as a preservative against the danger of coming to an unsuitable decision in the absence of the necessary documents.

Fixed adjournment, or in diem, may have the same object, the procuring of new documents upon a question which does not appear sufficiently clear; or it may be for the purpose of arresting a discussion which assumes too lively and passionate a character.

Precipitation may arise from two causes: from ignorance, when a judgment is formed without the collection of all the information required—from passion, when there is not the necessary calm for considering the question in all its aspects.

What may happen to an individual, may happen to an assembly. The individual may feel, that in the actual conjuncture he is not so sufficiently master of his passion, as to form a prudent determination, but he may be sufficiently so, not to form any—

“Quos ego. Sed motos præstat componere fluctus.”

Æn. I. 139.

“I would beat you,” said the philosopher to his slave, “if I were not angry.”

This faculty, of doubting and suspending our operations, is one of the noblest attributes of man.

These two species of adjournment decide nothing as to the merit of the motion: but to demand an indefinite adjournment, is to cut short the debate by rejecting the motion itself. Ordinarily, the partisans of the original motion will be opposed to this adjournment, and they will employ all the arguments which they can advance in its favour, in opposition to the adjournment. In this case the debate will be less direct, but not shorter. But it may happen that they may themselves favour the indefinite adjournment, if they judge by the complexion of the debate that the chances of success are unfavourable, and that they can attempt their object with more success at a future time.

When an indefinite adjournment is adopted, it is probable that the original motion would have been rejected. The prompt termination of the debate is then an economy of time.