committee, or how they shall be appointed, or when they shall report, or
by giving them any other instructions. [See § 53 on committees, and §
46 (c) on their appointment.]

57. To Defer Action. (a) Postpone to a certain time. If it is desired
to defer action

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upon a question till a particular time, the proper motion to make, is to
"postpone it to that time." This motion allows of but limited debate,
which must be confined to the propriety of the postponement to that
time; it can be amended by altering the time, and this amendment allows
of the same debate. The time specified must not be beyond that session
[§ 70] of the assembly, except it be the next session, in which case it
comes up with the unfinished business at the next session. This motion
can be made when a motion to amend, or to commit or to postpone
indefinitely, is pending.

(b) Lie on the table. Instead of postponing a question to a particular
time, it may be desired to lay it aside temporarily until some other
question is disposed of, retaining the privilege of resuming its
consideration at any time.* [In Congress this motion is commonly used to
defeat a measure, though it does not prevent a majority from taking it
at any other time. Some societies prohibit a question from being taken
from the table, except by a two-thirds vote. This rule deprives the
society of the advantages of the motion to "lie on the table." because
it would not be safe to lay a question aside temporarily, if one-third
of the assembly were opposed to the measure, as that one-third could
prevent its ever being taken from the table. A bare majority should not