PREVIOUS QUESTION. A question put to a parliamentary assembly upon motion of a mem ber to ascertain whether it is the will of the assembly to vote at once and thus put a stop to further debate on the subject under considera tion. The form of the previous question is: "Shall the main now be put?" If the vote is in the affirmative, the subject under dis cussion must then be voted on without further debate on the main question or amendment. This puts it in the power of a bare majority to shut off debate at any time. Under the name of 'closure,' this method of parliamentary tactics was first extensively resorted to by Mr. Gladstone in the Iloue,e of Commons in 1882 in order to prevent dilatory or obstructive motions of the minority. Tt has been frequently resorted to in the United States House of Representatives from the earliest time, but up to the present time has not yet been tried in the Senate, where the prac tice of unlimited debate is allowed. In the House of Representatives the defeat of the pre vious question operates to keep the business be fore the House as though no motion had been made, but in the English Parliament it has the effect of postponing consideration for the day.
The of the practice in the United States is to hasten action, and a motion is made by a friend of the measure; in the English Parliament the purpose is to get rid of the subject for the time, and the motion is made with the purpose of voting against the measure. Thus in the United States House of Representatives the mover of the previous question votes for it, while in Eng land he votes against it. At first in the House of Representatives the previous question was de batable, and if it was negatived the main ques tion was postponed for the day, according to the English practice; but in 1505 a rule of the House declared it to be undebatable, and in 1860 a rule adopted by which consideration of the sub ject is resumed when the previous question is negatived, thus completely changing the English practice. The original rule of the House vided that the effect of the adoption of the pre vious question was to cut off all motions except the main question, but this was later changed so as to allow a vote first on the pending amend ments and then on the main question.