The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-03-04
INAUGURATION DAY.

Should the weather IN washington
be unfavorable today there is likely
to be more agitation for the change
of Inauguration day from March 4th
to some later day. The selection Of
March 4th was purely accidental. The
first Inauguration of Washington in
1880 took place upon April 3Oth and
this has been the date most frequently
named whenever a change has been
suggested. The Constitution of the
United States provides that the term
of the president shall be four years,
and that the term Of Congressman
shall be two years, but the Constitu-
ton does not provide upon what day
these terms shall begin. There was
law passed. however, in 1902, which
provides that the presidential term
shall begin on the 4th day of March
after each election.
This is the law which still fixes the
time for the commencement of the
presidential term. The term for which
the president is to be elected cannot
lie extended or shortened, except by
constitutional amendment. and Il con-
StitutiOnal amendment would need the
consent of the Legislatures of two
thirds of the states. The fixing Of the
It'll day of March as the commence
ment of the presidential term and the
commencement of each Congress was
purely incidental to another matter.
At the time of the framing of the
Constitution there was a debate as to
how long the term of Congressman
should be. Some favored one year.
some two years and some three years.
and the term was finally fixed at two
years as Il compromise, and the Con-
gress of the Confederation, on Satur
day, September 18th. 1883. passed the
following resolutions:
"Resolved, That the first Wednes-
day in January next he the day for
appointing electors in the several
states, which, before the said day,
shall have ratified the said Constitu-
ton; that the first Wednesday in Feb
ruary next be the day for electors to
assemble in their respective states and
vote for president, and that the first
Wednesday in March next be the time
and the present seat of Congress New
York; the place for commencing the
proceedings under the Constitution"
In accordance with this resolution
Congress met in the City of New York
on the first Wednesday Of March,
1880. which happened to be the fourth
day of that month. And Congress, near
ly four years afterwards, by an act APP
proved March LIST, 1892, fixed the 4th
day Of March as the commencement Of
the presidential term by an act which
reads in part as follows: "And be it
further enacted that the term of four
years for which a president and vice
president shall he elected shall in all
cases commence OH the fourth day of
March next succeeding the day on
which the votes of the electors shall
have been given
There have been frequent attempts
to change the date Of inauguration
from the fourth day Of March to the
thirtieth of April and to change the
date of the meeting Of Congress from
the first Monday of December to the
first Monday of January, but so far
these attempts have ended in failure.
The reason for changing the COM
mencement of the presidential term
to the Both of April is mainly because
the weather would then be better and
that people would not be exposed to
the winds and cold that usually pre-
vail in the month of March. At least
| one presidents life was sacrificed
through exposure on Inauguration day
and doubtless many thousands of PEG
pie have contracted sickness from
such exposure. And again, by making
| April Both the day we would hold our
| inaugurations on the day originally
intended and on the day on which the
first president was sworn in. BY max.
ing April Both the Inauguration day
and also the commencement Of the
terms of Congressman it would extend
the short session of Congress for two
months which is Il very much needed
Improvement. AS it is now in it's two
sessions each Congress assemblies il
December, and ends on the 4th OF
March. This does not give sufficient
time to do the business of the country
Every short session sees very import
ant measures killed through lack OF
time to consider them. Measures are
passed by one House and sent to the
other and there die in committee
through the abrupt ending of a Con
gress on the 4th day Of March. TIT
Railroad Rate Bill dies today through