Pueblo chieftain., 1921-05-17
BY Frederic ]. Haskin
By ERT T.. REID


Washington. d. c.. May 1.-THE old
evil of permitting defeated members OF
congress to continue to sit and enact
the nations laws for four months after
their SUCCESSORS have been elected is
again causing n great deal of discus
sion in congress. Ordinarily. this dis
cussion is revived every two years,
during the reelection campaigns. The
fact that 1t IL now under discussion al
the beginning OF new administration
Is taken as an Indication that there is
a better chance than ever before OF
changing tho existing law, and remedy
ing the difficulty.
Another thing which is condemned al
most unanimously by public men. but
which has never been changed. is that
n newly elected president does not take
office until four months. sometimes to a
day. from the date of his election. But
this occurs only once in four years.
and often only once in eight years.
Therefore. despite the greater import
ance of the presidential position. the
situation as 1t affects congress is gen
orally regarded by members of that
body as In more vital need OF remedy
by legislation.
There is widespread belief that an
amendment to the Constitution would
be needed to change the convention
date of congress. This is not so. and
is proved by the simple words of the
Constitution itself. Tho second para
graph of Section 4. Article l, provid rs:
1.-THE Congress shall assemble at
least once In every year. and such
meeting shall bc on the first Monday in
December. unless they shall by law ap-
point a different day"
They" refers to the members of
congress. 1t is generally conceded that
the meeting date of congress can. by
authority of this section OF the Con-
stitution. be changed to any time the
majority OF Its members may select. II
tho president approves OF tho change.
one OF tho greatest objections to the
present system is that under ordinary
conditions a member of tho house or
senate elected in November of one
year does not take his seat in congress
until December of the following year.
In tho case of members OF the house,
this leaves them but eleven months be-
fore they must he up for recollection,
1t has worked out in hundreds of cases
that newly elected members OF tho
house, coming to Washington for tho
first time under such conditions. have
to give nearly all of their time to the
business Of politics in order to keep
their coveted post ons. Their strictly
congressional duties naturally suffer
from this neglect, and the whole coun-
try is the loser.
| Defeated Congressman Hold. sent
Another objection often brought for
| ward Is that members of the house and
senate continue to serve for foui
months after their defeat at the polls
when this is combined with an over
I l. "a l.,,-
power. It has always resulted in tbs
government being practically dead unit
after the Inauguration OF the new pres
| idont and tho convention of the new
congress. a case in point has just oc-
/ CURED. While there was. of course, Il
republican majority in both branches
| OF the congress, this ma ajority was ma
| terialiy increased on both sides of the
capitol as a result of the elections las,
November. Also, tho democratic as.
pirant for the presidency was over.
whelmingly defeated
with this expression OF tho will a
the American people registered. tbs
waning Wilson administration wa.
| forced to sit and twiddle its thumb.
until March fourth. Not unit, ther
| could tho cogs of tho governmental ma
chincry start again. \ parallel situa
| tion developed when Woodrow Wilson
was first elected. Tho then president
| William Howard Taft. feeling an obi
| cation not to embarrass the man VIII
would succeed him, was forced to 81
with idle hands. despite the fact tina
| the Mexican situation was then a
acute matter OF foreign policy.
Tho origin of tho long wait betwee
the election of a president and the tim
OF his taking office dates back to th
! beginning OF the nation. After TIL