Evening star., 1924-03-24
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL y. COLLINS

choose Vice President out of i1ar-
mony with the public sentiment of
the time. In case or deadlock in
the House in failing to elect a Pres
| ident, this Vice President would be-
| come President and defeat the will
of the people.
The proposed amendment stipulates
that in case neither a President nor
| Vice President shall be chosen by
Congress within the limit of time
prescribed, Congress may provide by
law what official shall serve as Pres
ident until the House shall have
chosen President or the Senate a
Vice President.
At present there is no power to
name a President to cover the inter-
val and usurpation or anarchy might
prevail. The law specifying the
presidential succession through mem
bers Of the cabinet, which was adopt
cd soon after the assassination of
PRESIDENT Garfield. would not reach a
situation wherein no President nor
Vice President had been elected, for
there would be no cabinet in office.
4 x r.
In the hearings which have been
held by the House committee on cleo
tion of President and Vice President,
of which Representative White {re-
publican) of Kansas is chairman, 1t
has been pointed out that the main
object of the amendment is to bring
the active service OF newly elected
members of Congress closer to the
| date of their election than the thir-
teen months interval which now ex-
lists
When the Constitution was adopted
it was necessary to give plenty of
time for members to travel by horse
back through the undeveloped coun-
try Means Of communication and
ent means. Now, with railroads and
aifplanes. and with telegraph and
radio communication, there is no need
for so great interval of time for
/ travel. or communication of the re-
suits of elections.
Even more important than INSTALL
ing newly elected members into pow :
., er is to put defeated members out OF
power, lest they persist in voting
contrary to the expressed mandates
! of the election.
1t has been argued that to make
! the date for the conyening or the new
! Congress the first Monday in the Jan :
nary following election. and for the
third Monday OF the same JanuarE'
would work hardship on both the
members end the President. VINO
would not have time TO ADJUST tneir
business affairs or to arrange tneiL
uolicies before taking up the duties
/ of Office. -, -.
+. In answer to the argum ment that the
new President would need more tinie
for the selection of his capinet,
: is pointed out that usually the
Il %
the nominating convention or Ger
tainly before the election. Also ~
noted that in countries having wnat
are known as responslpie INNS
tries" a new cabinet Is ofteh Choseh
within a few days after an over
throw of the government repudiated
I, Inv a vote of lack of confidence.
There are members who express
pointed skepticism Of the capacity OF
the people 10 know what they want
and such statesmen resent the idea
/ that it is essential that Congress
/ listen too closely TO the voice of pop
ular vote at election. since the peopie
/, cannot know the merits OF the gre
issues before Congress. This stanu is
opposed by others who express great
er faith in pure democracy. The
general trend both within and oHtsiue E
of Congress- seems TO be toWaru
greater attention to the decisions or
] the masses.
The people have right TO be
wrong. if they see fit. and, as argued
by the supporters of all the proposed
amendments trending toward .resto-
ration of the power of the masses.
that is far more truly republican and
nearer the ideals of pure democracy
than the liberation of assumption or
, superior wisdom by their rejected
! REPRESENTATIVES,. Hence the Wads-
worth requirement that only after the
people shall have newly elected a
legislature shall ii have power to
ratify federal constitutional anne nd :
ment and the Norris-white amend
/ ment ousting 'lame ducks imme-
diately after popular rejection at the
polls.