The Washington times., 1924-08-22
SYSTEM IS
OUT OF
DATE
Choosing Of Candidate by
Congress May Cause Turmoil.
Among Voters, Hard Says
BY WILLIAM HARD

BY WILLIAM HARD
The election Of a President in
the House Of Representatives has
always led to great troubles and
trials. This has been shown in
previous articles. Here it will be
Indicated that troubles and trials
are now again las always) likely
to follow in the wake Of the cleo
ton of a President in the House
Of Representatives.
: It is because of the technique
Of the affair. It is because Of
its rules and regulations and
necessary constitutional traditions.
= 'sOld" House Elects.
In the first place, the House Of
representatives, which elects a
President, must always be House
which itself was elected more than
two years previously.
If next November at the polls
there is no majority for any candi-
date, the decision will go to House
of Representatives which was elect
cd in the November Of year, before
last.
This is because we once used to
travel on horseback.
The Constitution was put together
In 1887. It was to become effective
hs soon as it had been adopted by
nine of the original thirteen Amer.
can commemorative.
The ninth commonwealth to adopt
L was New Hampshire. New Hamp-
shire adopted it in June, 1888.
AT that moment, however, it had
not been adopted either by Virginia
or by New York. Those were, as
they now are, extremely important
States.
Confederation Held Power.
The supreme power was mean
while held by the old Confederation
and by its Congress. This Congress
of the old Confederation did not
wish to authorize the appearance
Of the new Union until Virginia.
at least-had consented.
Even after Virginia had consented,
however, the Congress Of the old
Confederation still hesitated. Not
till September Of 1888 did that Con-
gress issue a call for the making
OF the new government.
1t then ordered as follows:
The States would elect Presidential
electors in January of 1888. The
electors would assemble in their
states and vote on the first w H.
nesday in February of 1880. The
new Congress would meet and the
president of the new nation would
be inaugurated on the first Wednes-
day Of March in 1888.
The Congress Of the old Confeder-
alton allowed six months for the
making Of the Congress and Presi.
dent OF the new union.
This was because it then took
weeks to go from New York to
Atlanta. It was because 1t then
took days to go from Atlanta to
the western borders Of Georgia.
The slowness which then was
necessary we since have followed
by tradition and by habit.
We are the most reminiscent and
traditional people - governmentally
lin the world.
Our first Congress came to-
gether technically - although in
fact not actually-in March Of 1889.
In fact-and actually-it got q
quorum much later. However, it
was suppoSed-technical have
met in March.
Must Convene In March.
Therefore every succeeding Con.
gress has had to begin in March.
No matter when it was elected,
whether in January of the i'm
mediate year, as then, or in No
vember of the previous year, as
now, it could not meet till March.
Therefore the Congress which will
be elected next November cannot
meet till March of next year. Or,
to speak more precisely, it cannot
meet till March 4 of next year.
Therefore II cannot choose the
next President. 'r.-f.f
George Washington was chosen
before March Of 1889. Therefore
every American President must be
chosen before March 4.
Therefore the Congress which
may choose President In January
or February of next year will have
to be the Congress which was
elected in November Of year before
last.
In the British House of Commons
there are various things like rods
and maces and other baubleS which
are carried about in professions.
We Americans look at them and
say: How out.dated"
We forget that the only out.date6
things in the British House Of
Commons are the baLbles,
The practices of the British House
Of Commons keep it instantly re.
sponsive to the British popular will.
Out-Dated Practices.
We discard the out.dated baubles
and keep the out.dated practices.
That is so in the matter Of
choosing a President through a
House of Representatives more than
two years old. 1t is so In another
equally important matter 1t Is 50
In the technique which the House
of Representatives follows In voting
for a President.
1t votes for President by States
by State delegations. Each State
delegation--no matter how large or
how small--counts one.
This is because Delaware and
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