Page:Robert's Parliamentary Practice.djvu/50

28 into another secondary motion. An amendment of a debatable motion is debatable; an amendment of an undebatable motion is undebatable. When debatable the debate must be confined to the merits of the amendment.

Improper Amendments. An amendment is improper and out of order if it is not germane to the motion to be amended; or if its adoption would make the motion an improper one, as described, page 11; or if its adoption would make the affirmative of the amended motion the equivalent of the negative of the original motion; or if it changes one form of amendment to another form [See (a) (b) (c), page 24] or if it substitutes one form of motion for another form; or if it strikes out words that have been inserted, unless some additional words are struck out to make the new question entirely different from the old one; or if it inserts words that have been struck out, unless the motion to insert includes enough additional words to make the question entirely different from the question of striking out which was previously decided.

To illustrate: Suppose the question is on the adoption of the resolution, "Resolved, That our delegates to the State Convention be, and are hereby, instructed to oppose the adoption of the proposed amendment to the by-laws": It would be out of order to amend by adding "and that the janitor's salary be increased five dollars a month," as the amendment is not