The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-04-22

ilSh liiO bdllC US pIOflutu tuCICln, lnt COH-
gress of the confederation assembled in
New York city, September 10, 1888, and
voted that on the first Wednesday in Jan
uary, 1889, electors should be appointed in
the several states that on the first We'd
nesday of February, just one month later,
the electors should assemble ia their re-.
spective states and vote for president and
that the first "Wednesday of March, still
another month later, should abe the time
" for commencing the proceedings under
" the said constitution"
Congress, accordingly, assembled on the
first Wednesday Of March, 1889 which
happened to be the fourth day of the
monlh-and proceedings were commenced
under the constitution, although, for vari-
Gus reasons. the e-president-John Adj
ams--was not qualified as such until the
the twenly-frst of April, and George
Washington was not inaugurated as presi-
dent until April 3d. Just prior TO the ex-
piraton of General Washingtons first term
VI OluItsuli bfltTt tll'f tlttllDu Vi Ills hut-
cessor, II became a question at what date
his term should expire, aud from what date
his successor should hold Office. The con-
stitution provided then,as it does now, that
the president " shall hold his office during
the term Of four years. aud that the
vice. president should be chosen for the
same term" 1t was claimed, on The one
hand, that The president having been
inaugurated April 30, 1880, he must
in order to ''hcld his office during the term
of four years." continue as such, under
his first election, until April 80, 1893. But
to this it was replied that, under the reso
luton Of the congiess Of the confederation
he was chosen for -four years from the first
Wednesday of March, 1850, and that 40 the
vice-president was "choscn for the SAINT
" term as the president, he would, if thu
| presidential term was held TO terminal,
only on the 30th Of April, hold office fo
| more than four years, or for a differcn
| term than the president. Congress &c
huONlSelBStt tt.S AbsNS VI tuG III EuLuCHl, dEt
by act, approved March I, 1902, enacted
THAT the term of four years for which
"a president and vico-presdent 1hall b
" elected, shall, in all cases, commence OF
the fourth day of March next succeedin,
"the day on which the votes Of the elect
" ors shall have been given" And thi
is the law to-day. 1t had its origin, as W
have endeavored to show, in the Academia
circumstance that the first Wednesday o
March 11S0, the time fixed " for commenc
ing proceedings under the constitution
happened on the fourth day of March
Aside from the historical argument, th
facts do not carry out the theory that til
fourth day of March would fall upon Sur
day GA less number Of times and at create
intervals" than any other date. Takin
the year 1877, we now have the fourth O
March happening on Sunday three times
namely; At the second inauguration G
James Monroe, in 1921 at the inaugurs
ton of General Taylor, in 1S49 and agai
next year. II the sixth day OF March ha
been selected, the day would not have haI
pened upon Sunday but once, namely, &
the inauguration Of John Quincy Adam
in 1925. The third day of March woul
have brought the date Sunday at Washing
tons second term in 1893, Jefferson's 81
cond in 1905, Jackson's second in 1893, an
Lincoln's first in 1861 the fifth of Marc
would have so happened in the cases G
John Adams in 1901, Madison in 1870!
Van Buren, in 1897, Pierce in 1868, an
Lincoln's second term in 1865; the secon
of March would have occurred on Sunda
three times, as would, also, the seventh {
March. Il would appear, from this stat,
ment, that, if our fathers had designed t
avoid Sunday, they would have selecte
the sixth in preference to the fourth or an
other early day in March.