Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-15
INAUGURATION DATE
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
CONSIDERS IT.
Mr.. Parker's Report Recommending
Janaury 1-Mr. Diamonds
Two Resolutions.

The proposition to change the GATE OF IN
| auguration was considered today by the
House committee on the judiciary.
| Representative Parker of New Jersey,
member of the committee who had been re-
quested to look into the whole question,
| read a lengthy report on the subject and
concluded with the following recommended
| ton:
THAT the term of Congress shall begin
on the second Tuesday in December, and
! the President be sworn in on the first day of
| January; the terms of senators and MEM
bers shall hereafter end and begin on the
first day of December and the term of the
President on the first day of January in
stead of on the fourth day of the following
March. and all such terms now existing
shall be shortened so to carry this pro-
vision into effect
Mr.. Parker declared that the weather
consideration in his opinion should not have
weight, when the administrative needs or
the government were In the balance Inc
administrative needs Of the government re-
quired that the practice of holding short
session of one Congress after the election
Of the next Congress, and the postpone
ment of the meeting of the Congress-elect
for thirteen months after Its election, should
be abandoned. 1t was most desirable to
have Congress meet as soon as possible
after it's election.
Besides this proposition the committee
had before it the Hoar resolution, passed
by the Senate at the last session, providing
an amendment to the Constitution whereby
the Fifty-eighth Congress and the term of
Office of the President and Vice President
should continue until the last Thursday In
April, 1905, and that hereafter this date
should be substituted for the 4th of March
as the commencement and termination of
the terms of Congress and of the President
and Vice President.
Mr. Diamonds Resolutions.
Two resolutions by Mr.. DeArmond
(Mo1 were also before the committee. One
of these, introduced at the last session, tol-
lowed the lines of the Senate resolution,
while the other provides that the term of
| office of the President shall continue until
the 3Oth day of April, in the year 1908, at
noon, and the Both day of April, at noon,
shall thereafter be substituted for the 4th
day Of March as the beginning and the end
| ing of the terms of President and Vice
President; and the Fifty-ninth Congress
shall end and the Sixtieth Congress shall
begin the Sth day of January, 1907, at noon,
and thereafter each Congress shall begin
and end on the Sth day of January, at noon;
and no Congress after the Fffty-eighth
| shall meet or sit later than the day for the
election of a new Congress, except when
| convened by the President in extraordinary
| session, in great emergency, which snail
be stated in his proclamation; and in such
! extraordinary session none but emergency
measures shall be passed or considered.
In explaining the reason for making 1t the
| Both day of April. according to the last res
| olution. Mr.. DeArmond said that X the
date was the last Thursday in April it
would, according as the last Thursday in
| April might fall on the Both or the 24th.
| make one Congress a week longer than two
years and one Congress a week less than
| two years, and would also have the same
effect on the term of the President. To fix
| the date on the Both would obviate this OBJ
| lection Besides this, Mr.. DeArmond said.
| the 3Oth of April the day on which
| Washington was 1naugurated
Mr. Parker's Report.
The report of Mr.. Parker went fully into
| the history of the fixing of the dates both
| for inauguration and for the beginning of
| the sessions of Congress. He first referred
to a report prepared by Mr.. Crane MEM
| Der of the Fiftieth Congress, made on the
sa me subject at that time.
! Mr. Parker referred to the fact that
! George Washington was sworn into ONCE
| or April 80 and stated that he maintained
| that as the Constitution provided that the
| President should hold office for four years.
| his first term did not end on the 4th OF
| March, but on April 30.
| The present practice of holding the snort
| session Of Congress, after an election, when
| the party in the majority may have been
| defeated, was the great evil in the present
system.
| As soon as Mr. Parker had concluded the
| reading of his report the committee went
| into executive session on the subject After
| considering the subject further the commit
| tee adjourned without taking action Of any
| kind
| Just before adjournment the committee
| decided to go to Austin, Tex, to witness the
| Inaugural tion-January 20-as governor Of
that state of Representative Lanham.