The Washington times., 1924-11-07

Then followed the swift kick.
stitution provides that the term Of
the President shall be exactly four
years and that the term of each
new House Of Representatives shall
be exactly two years.
Term Constitutional.
Therefore, since the first term of
the first President and Of the first
House of Representatives began on
March 4 it follows that the term
of every succeeding President and
of every succeeding Congress must
constitutionally begin on a March
4 and must last till midnight Of
March 8 exactly four years or two
years later.
Thus by an act of the Congress"
Of the old Confederation" coupled
with the tWO-year and four-year
provisions of the Constitution, the
Fourth of, March became a holy
day which in the minds of most
Americans is almost as immortal
and unkillable as the Fourth Of
July.
Nevertheless, bold and sacriligious
men will endeavor to kill 1t in the
approaching session Of Congress.
Constitutional amendments for
that purpose already exist in both
the House OF Representatives and
the Senate.
House Plan Outlined
The amendment in the House is
later than the amendment in the
Senate, and its main idea will be
here outlined.
This amendment begins by chop.
ping off part of the life of the
odd Congress. 1t provides that
the ''old" Congress-elected. let us
say, in November of 1922-shall
not live till midnight of March 8,
1925. It provides that it shall lie
down and die at midnight of the
third, not of March, but Of jan
uary.
1t provides that the new Con-
gress-elected, for instance, last
Tuesday-shall come into existence
and shall convene for legislative
purposes on January 4.
1t provides that this new Con.
gress, thus converting on January
4, shall be the Congress- which
shall count the ballots Of the
Presidential electors chosen by the
people in the previous November
or at any previous time which Con-
gress may designate.
It provides then naturally that
this new Congress, having convened
on January 4 and having counted
the ballots of the Presidential elec-
tors, shall be the Congress which,
II such action is necessary, shall
choose the next President Of the
United States.
Inaugural Changed
It provides that this next Presi-
dent shall be inaugurated in that
twenty-fourth.
The arguments made for this
new plan are thought by many pc.
Itical people in Washington to be
absolutely convincing.
This plan attacks both of the
main scandals, in the situation
which these articles have dis,
cussed.
It attacks the scandal of allow.
ing the ''old" Congress to continue
legislating and to choose Presi.
dents four months after the Con.
gress which is to succeed it has
been elected. This plan totally
eliminates that scandal.
1t also attacks the scandal of
the long delay and the ensuing DOS.
sible uncertainty caused by having
our national election day in Novem.
Der and the inaugurating Of our
new President in the following
March. 1t shortens that period
from four months to less than
three months.
Congress then by mere statute.
without any further amendment of
the Constitution, could shorten that
period still further by moving our
national election day up from No.
vember into December.
We then would have both our
main needed reforms in this matter
accomplished. The uncertainty pc.
Rod would be reduced from four
months to less than two months:
and all new legislating and ali
choosing OF Presidents by the House
OF Representatives after each cleo.
tior would be done not by the old
House, but by the new House.
1t Is contended that the anxietias
aroused by the recent Campaign
ought to tmpel our present Congress
IN ltS approaching session to under.
take these long overdue reforms
and at last get them done FOR. GOOD
Copyright. 1924, by Current News
Features, Incl