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.

I
| auguration was considered today by the
House committee on the judiciary.
Representative Parker of New Jersey, a
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 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 as 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. The
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 its 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
CMo) were also before the committee. One
of these, introduced at the last session, fol-
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 1905. at
noon, and the 30th 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 Fifty 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 shall
| be stated in his proclamation; and In such
| extraordinary session none but emergency
| measures shall be passed or considered.
IN explaining the REASON lOF LidhlliS IL Tic
Both day of April. according to the last res
| olution. Mr.. DeArmond said that II the
date was the last Thursday in April 1T
would, according as the last Thursday IN
| April might fall the Both or the Path,
| 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.. DeATmond said,
! the 3Oth of April was the day on which
| Washington was inaugurated.
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
| same subject at that time
! Mr. Parker referred to the fact that
| George Washington was sworn into once
| on April 80 and ted 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 short
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.