Russell Peterson wrote, "Just a note that I was quoting from the
original version of Robert's Rules of Order. I know it is fashionable to us
the 'Newly Revised'
version. Do we know which version is tied to the Minneapolis City Council?
Most organizations cite the particular version as to not create confusion -
I should
have done the same. My version in section 44, does not contain the word
'abstention.'"
While some organizations do adopt a particular edition of Robert's,
the more common (and better) practice is to adopt "the current edition,"
which will automatically update the organization's parliamentary authority
when a new edition appears. Even saying "Newly Revised" is not fully
precise, since three editions--the eighth (1970), ninth (1981), and tenth
(2000)--have borne that title. The book evolves slowly, but there are a few
material differences over time, as we discovered at the City DFL Convention
when one of the parliamentarians was using an outdated edition that differed
from the current edition about a particular point.
General Henry M. Robert published the original "Robert's Rules" in
1875 and 1876 and, since the copyright on that edition (and the next few
editions) has long since expired, there are numerous unofficial editions on
the market. The third edition, published in 1893, is still marketed in
paperback by more than one publisher as the "original" Robert's Rules. With
the copyright expired, even the name "Robert's" has passed into the public
domain, and many imitators have slapped the name "Robert's" on books of
parliamentary procedure that bear minimal relation to General Robert's work
(much as many dictionaries claim the name "Webster's" without any connection
to Noah Webster or the Merriam-Webster brand that carries on his work).
Only the current edition is the "real" Robert's, composed by an editorial
board appointed by General Robert's heirs (including his descendants Sarah
and Henry III, both eminent parliamentarians). Now in its tenth edition,
published in 2000, the current edition "supersedes all previous editions
and is intended automatically to become the parliamentary authority in
organizations whose bylaws prescribe 'Robert's Rules of Order,' 'Robert's
Rules of Order Revised,' 'Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised,' or 'the
current edition of' any of these titles, or the like, without specifying a
particular edition. If the bylaws specifically identify one of the nine
previous editions of the work as parliamentary authority, the bylaws should
be amended to prescribe 'the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order
Newly Revised' . . . ."
The Minneapolis City Council's rules (Rule 20) provide that "the
rules of parliamentary practice, embraced in Robert's Rules of Order,
Revised, shall govern the council in all cases to which they are applicable
and in which they are not inconsistent with these rules." The Council
therefore follows the current (tenth) edition, and its rules are
automatically updated when a new edition appears.
BRM
Brian Melendez
St. Anthony West (Ward 3)
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