New-York tribune., 1910-01-23
WHY MARCH ~

We have received the following in
quiry from reader of The Tribune:
VIII you kindly advise the writer al
what date and for what cause the date
of the Presidential Inauguration was
changed from April TO March 1?
We are glad TO answer this question
because there seems to be so much mis-
information abroad as to the legal and
constitutional warrant under which the
terms Of the President and the Vice-Pres-
ident and of Senators and Representa-
tives in Congress begin and end on
March 4 Only the other day some Of
the members of the House Judiciary
Committee were credited with having
reached the following conclusions:
Nowhere in the Constitution is there
provision as TO when the terms of the
President and the President and
members of the House and Senate shall
begin and end. Inauguration Day has
been on March T. and Congress has al
ways met on March / of every year ex-
Cept when ii met in special session, but
ii was not because Of any requirement
Of the Constitution or law. 1t has been
due entirely to the following of prece
dent. and if the proposed amendment TO
the Constitution is ratified by two-thirds
Of the states the next Congress will be
the first to meet under definite authority
OF the Constitution.
This statement conveys several very
erroneous impressions. The terms Of
the President and the Vice-President and
members of Congress do begin on March
by virtue of ample legal and cOnsi-
tJttiOnal authority. The Constitutional
Convention. after adopting the Constitu-
tion in 1877, passed a resolution author
iZfng the Congress Of the Confedera-
ton, after nine states had ratified the
new federal charter and it had thus be-
come effective so far as those nine were
concerned, to fix a day on which Presi-
Dental and Yice-Presidential electors
should be appointed by the states. a
day on which they should assemble and
vote fer President, and to fix the time
and place for commencing proceedings
under this Constitution" On Septem-
Der 13, 17SS after nine states had
voted for ratification. the Congress Of
the Confederation adopted this resOlu-
ton:
Resolved. That the first Wednesday in
January next be the day for appointing
electors in the several states which be-
fore the said day shall have ratified the
said Constitution; that the first Wednes-
day IN February next be the day for the
electors to assemble in their respective
states and vote for a President. and that
the first Wednesday in March next be
the time and the present seat Of Con-
gress New York; be the place for COM
mencing proceedings under said Consti-
tuition.
AS the Constitution fixed the term Of
the President and the Vice-President at
four years and the terms OF members
of Congress at two years, it is obvious
that those terms must have begun on
the first Wednesday of March, 1850.
which happened 70 be March t. They
have been renewed at four and two
year intervals ever since and must con-
tinue to be thus renewed on successive
March As. unless the Constitution shall
be amended so as to alter our political
calendar. President Washington's first
term began Oh March 4, 1lS9 but he did
not find il convenient TO be inaugurated
on that date and the ceremony was
postponed until April 80. His first term
ended and his second began on March
4, 1893, so there was no possibility or
second April Inauguration. The date
of the Inauguration simply reverted TO
the legal and constitutional date for the
beginning of a Presidential term.
The two houses of Congress must
meet at least once q year, and the Con-
stitution fixed the first Monday in De-
cember as a suitable date, but left Con-
gress free 10 substitute any other date
by legislation. 1t is immaterial when
the houses assemble, but every Senator
o. Representative elected for full term
hegins that term on March 4 OF an odd
year, and draws salary for six years or
TWO years from that date. In the
Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution