Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-04

Today brings to a close the existence
Of the Sixty-irst Congress of the Oniteo
States under the Constitution. Every two
years, on March of each odd" year,
Congress dies by the automatic action OF
the Constitution and the laws, and the
new Congress elected in the preceding
November takes Office. although it does
not in ordinary course assemble in the
Capitol until the following December.
In recent years the end Of one Congress
and the beginning of another has been
Of little interest or Importance, because
the changes in both houses We're imma-
terial, the same organizations were to be
continued and the transition hardly made
a ripple on the surface of the political
seas.
But this time it is different. Not only
will the republican party today lose that
absolute control Of the national legisla-
ture that it has possessed without inter-
Of the personnel in both Senate and
House is SO sweeping that no one is able
to predict with any degree of confidence
what will happen in the two years of the
life OF the Sixty-second Congress.
Not since the secession of the southern
states and the beginning Of the civil war
have SO many changes taken place at one
time as will take place today in the Sen
ate. and the House has known no such
upheaval In it's personnel since the great
democratic landslide of 1880, which prac-
tically obliterated the republican party in
the lowest chamber Of Congress.
The interest In this change is further
heightened by the fact that the House
Is to try new scheme of parliamentary
government, and therefore the dying
House Of Representatives Is the last OF
the eleven consecutive Houses-two demo-
~,l To-. hot rd
and legislated under the so-cailed Reed
rules.
When it is said that the Sixty-first Con-
gress ends today 1t means that the Sixty
first House of
Organization of House Repr esenta-
Must Be Complete. Of Existence
and that the terms of one-third Of the
senator's expire. The House goes out OF
existence completely. and the newly
elected House must meet and perfect its
organization exactly as IL 1t were the
first and only House of Representatives
that ever. assembled. The only thing 1t
inherits from the old House is the clerk
who calls the new House to order and
presides over It while it elects Speaker.
On the other hand, the Senate is a con-
tinuing body that never dies. possessing
an organization that is perpetual and
having always two-thirds of its members
In ofi1ce. Senators hold office for SIX
years, and one-third Of the whole num-
Der are reelected every two years. Be-
cause of this great political changes which
barely affect the Senate sometimes over
whelm the House. But this year the
change is so great that, although 1t leaves
a majority Of the Senate nominally' Of
the republican faith, the effect in the
Senate will be no less marked than in the
House.
OF the 891 members of the present
House at the time OF its organization. .1y
were republicans and 17o were democrats.
In the next House the division will be
22S democrats. 162 republicans and l So
ciatlyt, Of the old membership 12S were
not reelected, and therefore nearly one
third OF the total membership OF the In
coming House will be new. The vast ma
jority Of the new representatives never
have had any kind of congressional ex-
perience.
The retiring Speaker, Joseph G. Cannon.
has served q longer consecutive time as
Speaker of the House than has any other
man in the history of the country-four full
terms. Andrew Stevenson served nearly
four terms, but resigned in his last Con-
gress. Henry Clay Is the only Speaker
who presided over the House longer than
has Uncle joe" and his service of FIVE
terms was divided into three separate per-
iods. -