Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-14

vorably reported from the committee on
the judiciary. designed to set into motion
the political machinery 10 put this change
, into effect.
Refers Question to Voters.
The Henry resolution, which purposes
An amendment to the Constitution Of the
United States. making necessary its rati-
f1cation by three-fourths Of the states be-
fore it can become effective. is admitted
to afford the simplest method by which
the shift from March to the last Thurs
day in April can be accomplished.
It provides for the extension Of the
terms of the President. the Vice Presi-
dent and the terms of members of the
House of Representatives, which will he
gin March 4, 1911, from March 4. 1915, to
the last Thursday in April of that year.
Similar provision is also made for ex-
tending the term of senators by this pc
Rod as they expire after the date men,
toned
Resolution Called UP,
Yesterday afternoon Representative
Richard Wayne Parker called up the
Henry resolution during the call of COM
mittees. After half dozen brief speeches
had been made, practically all favorable,
and a couple Of amendments designed to
perfect the resolution had been offered,
the subject was permitted to go over.
There seems to be no doubt that it viii
pass by a practically unanimous vote.
The only member to raise his vd9ce in
protest against the Henry resolution was
Representative Gaines of West Virginia,
|. chairman OF the House committee on
election of the President, Vice President
and members of Congress.
A resolution introduced by Mr. Gaines,
| and also designed to effect the change in
the inaugural date, suggested by the
Henry measure, has been incubating in
Mr.. Gaines committee since the begin
ming of the session. He seemed to feel
hurt yesterday that the Judiciary COM
n1ttee had beaten him TO the PROPOSE
ton.
Mr.. Gaines Criticism.
1T would be piece of folly for the
House to pass the pending resolution
Mr.. Gaines declared, "as it fails to amend
| a specific section of article IL of the Con-
stitution.'
Mr.. Gaines indicated his belief that the
Judiciary committee. in its anxiety to
be the first on the floor with a change-of-
| date resolution, had failed to give due
consideration to the subject
MI. Parker's Explanation.
Mr. Parker, after he had called up the
| resolution, made brief explanatory
statement.
This resolution he said, lis in the
simplest form possible. There have been
| many propositions in the past for chang
ing the time of the meeting OF Congress
and the time Of the Inauguration of the
President. Complications have been found
In all of them.
There is but one thing seemingly,
upon which all agree: that is, first, tina
| the so-calied short session Of Congress
which We have every two years is entirely
too short to do the necessary business.
We begin to do real work In January.
and We end on the 4th Of March, having
barely two months.
This resolution will add nearly two
months to that time: so that the practical
working time in what is called the short
session Of Congress will be nearly four
MONTHS, and will enable Congress to leg
islate and relieve the immense amount of
business which has been always put over
to the long session.
The second matter, In my Judgment
not SO important as the first, but one
which has excited much more general in
terest, and In which perhaps a good deal
of human life is involved, is the date of
~
4 is not the right day. The last Thurs
day in April will be.
THE sentiment in favor of this change
has grown so much during the time L
have been in Congress that / regard it as
practically unanimous. 1 shall not detain
the House. hope long debate will not
be necessary
Defect Pointed Out by Gaines
Then Mr. Gaines took the floor
This is important, he said, because
it proposes to amend the Constitution Of
the United States. There has been a
question of conflict of Jurisdiction with
reference TO this resolution, which, for
personal reasons, because OF requests
made to me recently by one OF the men,
hers Of the committee on the judiciary,
II was entirely ready to waive; but the
resolution in the form in which it has
been reported. is so defective that / can
not consent to it's passage.
II am not certain that there is any part
of the resolution which is we'll worked
out, but | can convince this House i'm 8
very few moments that there are certain
questions which must touched upon
whenever this sort of resolution is put
tho slightest attention in the resolution
reported from the committee on the ju-
dietary.
The twelfth amendment to the Con-
Stitution provides. among other things,
whenever the election of the President is
thrown into the House Of Representatives,
that il the House shall not have elected
n President by the 4th day of March.
then the Vice President, to be elected
under such circumstances by the Senate.
shall be the President as in the case of
the death, resignation or inability of the
President.
Consistency Is Urged.
Certainly we ought not to propose an
amendment to the Constitution putting
forward by nearly two months the time
when President of the United States Is