The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1919-05-20
The Macarthur Bill Would
Raise Congressional
Schedule T.
Plan for Legislative Authoriza<
tion of New Regular Ses-
sion of Congress on
March 5.

Yesterday the first day of the exc
ira session of Congress recently
called by Preident Wilson. Repre-
sentative Macarthur of Oregon in
troduced a bill reading as follows:
Providing for an additional ses-
sion of the Congress on the 5th day
of March. following the election of
such Congress.
BE it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of America
in Congress assembled, that, in addi-
tion to the present regular session
! of Congress, as provided by Section
II of Article of the Constitution of
the United States. there shall be
session of the Sixty-seventh Con-
gress, and of each succeeding Con-
gress thereafter commencing at II
o'clock meridian on the 5th day of
March following the election of
such Congress; provided that when
ever the 5th day of March fall on
Sunday, the session of the Congress
authorized herein shall commence on
the following day"
Under the Macarthur plan there
would be three regular sessions of
each Congress-, as follows:
The First Session would meet Oh
March S. Immediately following the
Congressional elections and conti-
| nue. until adjournment, or until time
for the second session.
The Second Session would meet
on the first Monday in the Decen,-
Der following the first session and
continue until adjournment or until
time. for the third, session.
The Third Session would meet on
the first Monday in the December
following the convening of the Sc.
cond session and would continue un-
til the 4th of March of the following
year.
In commenting on this proposed
!. important legislation in Washington
yesterday, Mr.. Macarthur said, in
part:
"Under the present arrangements
new Congress comes into being on
March 4 following its election, but
does not actually begin work until
the first Monday in December, OF
| thirteen months after the express
sion of the people at the polls. T
contend that this intervening time
is altogether too long and that mem-
bers chosen to make the nations
laws and to attend to its business
should begin their work as soon as
possible after election day. and
should meet in regular session by
authority of law and not by the call
of the president. I believe in gov
ernment by law. not by men.
"Under the present arrangement
unless the president sees fit 10 calf
a special session, nine months OF
time is actually wasted. and when
the regular session does convene,
members have to rush the considera-
ton of important legislation during
the long session. and much of it goes
over until the short session which
automatically terminates on March
of the old year.
1t is physically impossible for the
various committees to consider ap>
preparation bills during the short
session and get them out of the way
by March 4. 1t is my earnest belief
that the measure I have prepared
will solve this difficulty by permit
ting the incoming Congress to con-
slider and pass the beginning of the
life of Congress. This will tend
greatly to reduce the amount of leg
is lation considered in the short ses-
sion. in which there are always more
or less lame ducks who take little
or no interest in Congressional pro-
ceedings"
The Importance of this proposed
Legislation is so obvious that CONF
ment seems almost entirely super
fluous AS suggested by Mr. Near
thur, the legislative services of CON-
gressmen who have been defeated
for reelection-the lame ducks" as
he calls them-are of questionable
value after the November elections
where they meet their Waterloo
moreover there can be no question
as to the soundness of the view that
newly elected congressman are in a