The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1909-03-06
NEWS Of NATIONS
CAPITAL

W'ASHlNdTON, March S.-Ine
quadrennial agitation for q change in
the date Of inaugurating the president
and vice president Of the United Ststes
il now at its height. April 30, the dats
Washington first took the oath, u the
date most generally favored.
No one has ever attempted to deny
that it would be desirable to sdvsnes
the inaugural date to q time vhsn
pleasant weather ct the capital Was
assured. Had it only required IN oct
of congress the thing would have bssn
done years ago, but the difficulty lies
in the fact that an amendment - the
constitution 10 necessary.
The reluctance of the Americas peo-
pie to tamper with their eonslitatisn
has been pronounced by eminent an
thorities as the greatest Guassntee Of
the permanency of the American re-
public. How great is this relustaaee II
shown by the fact that except for the
three amendments growing out Of the
abolition Of slavery and tho war BE-
tween the states the eonstitution has
remained unchanged for more than .
hundred years. OF the hftesn .a2(nd-
ments to the constitution the frsE 1tea
were adopted almost ct once to 1up-
ply omissions in the original docun(ent
which were discovered az soon ~ con.
gress attempted to legislate under Il.
The l1th amendment, limiting the ju-
dicial power, was promulgated in 17eS.
The 18th amendment, which changes
the method of electing the presi
dent and vice president, became effect
lev in 1904. Then followed a period ~
ol years in which the organic law was
unchanged. The 18th amendment vas
promulgated in 1865, the 14th in 1868
and the 18th in 1870. And thus the con-
stitution has stood for more than SO
years.
~ aass..r-
There has hardly been q year since
1870 which has not witnessed .agitation
for amending the constitution in some
form or another, but the trainers having
IN theft wisdom complicated the meth
cd of bringing about amendments. none
of these agitations has borne fruit.
There is hardly a possibility that
any one would object to changing the
date of Inauguration, the objection be.
ing to entering on to so grave q matter
as changing the organic law for so
trivial a reason as that the weather
in Washington on March 4 is 20 often
unpleasant.
There is an argument in favor of the
change aslde from the weather, how.
ever, which may in time bear fruit.
The submission of an amendment max.
ing the term Of new president begin
on April 80 would be accompanied by
one. extending the life of each congress
to that date. Then, by leaving the date
Of ,convening at the first Monday in
DVSOuAVOiy hodfiy tWO montu9 WOuAu
be added to each "short session, !"
which. must now adjourn on March L..
As the work Of congress grows heavier
and heavier it.is getting more difficult
all the time to accomplish the task in
the short session year. Speaker Cannon
once made the prediction that the time
would come when congress would have
to be in continuous session, and it 10
agreed by nearly every member that
the sittings ought to be longer than
they now are.
There are some weak points, though,
in the contention that the session
ought to be longer in order that legisla-
tion might be better considered. The
"short sessions' are only three
The Pennsylvania railroads new
station, which is to be the greatest
railroad terminal in the world. in ran.