Evening star., 1922-12-03

reelection. and members OF the
House in similar case, should not be
permitted thereafter to vote on
measures of policy. but only on rou-
tine matters He proposed. too. that
the lame ducks" in Congress should
not be permitted to continue to act
of the Senate and House. For politi-
cal reasons. if for no other. there is
not the slightest chance of the Cara
way resolution being adopted.
! But the Ashurst proposal to amend
| the Constitution is a very different
, matter. 1t does not appear conceiv-
able that the states would raise any
objection to the proposed amendment
to the Constitution if it were submit
ted to them by the Congress for ratifi-
cation. In fact, the states. it may be
assumed. would gladly concur in the
change.
Need Is for Momentum.
! The only difficulty is for the move
ment to obtain sufficient momentum
! in the Congress- If the proposal
?
! passed as Il reform measure. then
! there is every reason to believe that
| it would receive the necessary two
| thirds vote in the Senate and in the
! House to put it through and provide
| for submission to the states. AS the
i Ashurst resolution now stands. it
cannot be charged that it has po-
1;si {oo Vt l1r p
that the proposed amendment to the
Constitution shall not become ef-
fective until after March 4. 1925. the
i date on which the term of President
t Harding expires. and also the date
, on which the newly elected Congress
will go out of existence. OF course.
the resolution might be amended so
as to have it apply to the terms of
President Harding and the incoming
Congress. but there is some question
as to whether it could be made to
apply, since the President was elected,
under the Constitution, to serve for
four years. and his four years will
not have been completed until March
4, 1925, and the Congress-elect was
March 4. 1929. 1t is doubtful that
the effect of the amendment could be
made retroactive
One Short-Term President.
But whenever the change is made it
wili result in one President having
his term shortened by a couple of
,,,nptbs and ono Congress- suffering in
the same way.
Under the Constitution as it stands
today. Congress must assemble "at
least once in every year. and such
meeting shall be on the first Monday
in December. unless they shall by law
appoint different day"
The new Congress-, which was elect
ed November 4, will not begin to
function until the,first Monday in De-
cember. 1923. thirteen months after
its election. unless a special session
of the new Congress should be called
by the President after March 4. 1923.
when the present Congress dies. The
pay of the members-elect. however,
will begin to run with the expiration
of the old Congress March a.
Law Fixed March Session.
During the troubulous days of An
drew Johnson's administration the
matter of the long delay in Congress
getting into action. following its cleo
ton, came to the fore and a law
passed, as Congress had the right un-
der the existing Constitution pro-
visions. to have the first session of
the new Congress assemble immedi-
ately after the old Congress had ex-
pired in March. This practice was
continued for two or three Con-
crosses. But when things had quieted
down again the demand for the earlier
meeting of new Congresses was aban-
doned. and the old practice of having
the new congress meet first in De-
cembe unless called in special ses-
sion iearier. was resumed