St. Paul daily globe., 1896-01-06

the constitution. We have allowed
it to remain after it has become an
anachronism and an evil. The remedy
is simple, although it will require a
constitutional amendment to effect it.
1t will be necessary to shorten, by a
couple Of months, the term of a presi-
dent and congress. This, of course,
would not be done with those al
ready elected. 1t would have to be
arranged in anticipation and advance.
The article in the Atlantic explains
as follows the details of the suggested
change:
The president who will be elected in No
vember, 1886, must hold his Office for four
years from the 4th of March, 1897. But the
constitution may be so amended 10 provide
that the president who will be elected in No
vember, 1909, and inaugurated March 4, 1901,
shall retire on the 1st OF January, 1905; and
that thereafter the four-year term shall run
from the beginning of the year instead of
from the first week in March. AT the same
time provision should be made that the house
of representatives elected in 1902 should have
its official existence curtailed to the same eX-
tent, and that the last two months should be
subtracted from the term of senators who
would regularly sit until March 4, 1905. The
Fifty-ninth congress might then assemble for
it's first session at the Inauguration of the
president or the 1st of January, 1905 (or the
first Wednesday of January, if an invariable
day of the week be preferred) The Fifty
eighth congress could hold its two sessions
during the twenty-five months of its existence
by meeting the first time on the 4th of March,
1909 and the second time on the 1st of jan
uary, 1904
The recommendation of the writer
that the Civil Service Reform associa-
tion should take up this subject, and
agitate it through its various branches,
been made heretofore simply because
it does not appeal to either party par
ticularIy. There is neither party gain
nor loss in it. except brief shortening
happen to choose the congress and
president in Office when the new ar
rangement went into effect. So we
have gone on for century without &C
ton, in the face of the obvious disad-
vantages Of the existing method, just
because nobody was sufficiently inter
ested to take up and carry out the re-
form. It is not worth while, nor would
ton devoted to securing such an
amendment to the constitution. But
the Civil Service Reform association,
which is already organized and wields
a large influence, might well turn its
attention IL this direction. Not only
would the benefits that have been men
toned accrue, and the abuses recount
ed be made impossible but there is no
question that the sense of responsible
ity Of the voters would be vastly
strengthened If congress were to take
office within six weeks after it's cleo
ton.
AS 1t X now, the average voter knows
that the congressman Of his choice will
not go to Washington for more than a
year after his election. The selection
falls, therefore, largely outside of pub
lie issues. The questions that are vital
in November, 1896, may have disap-
peared, and almost certainly will have
dwindled to lesser proportions, by De-
cember, 1897 So the voter is released
from that strong pressure Of respons
1bility which he would feel were the
effect Of his vote to be realized imme-
diately in practical legislation. From
every point of view the reform in oues-
ton Is most desirable one, and public
opinion is probably almost unanimous
IN favor of it. 1t needs only that a.
suitable amendment to the constitution
be passed through congress, and pre-
sented to the legislatures of the sew
eral states. Systematic work to this
end should be begun immediately bv
some organization, and carried on Wig
ofously until the reform is completed.