Evening star., 1926-03-25

n1inistered by any member of the
House OF Representatives to the
Speaker and by the Speaker to all Of
the members and delegates present
and to the clerk, previous to entering
upon any other business"
In the proceedings Of the House at
organization the procedure laid down
In this old law has always been fol-
lowed. The House cannot enter upon
any business until 1t elects a Speaker,
who swears in the members.
Under the existing plan, the House
already Is organized In a short session
ure promptly to organise Is not pres
ent. AS Senator Reed Of Missouri put
it: THE House is then an organized
body; 1t has been in existence for twu
years, =. Under the proposed
constitutional amendment q new Con
gress will have assembled, and there
will have been an election; but sup
pose the House of Representatives is
unable to organize and. therefore. un
able to determine who are prima facie
entitled to seats. It Is easy enough tc
conceive Of a situation of that kind
We can presume an absolute
Officered body, this unorganized body
Of men march into the hall Of the
House of Representatives. and pro
ceed to vote, and the election may
turn on one vote"
Urge Vote by New Members.
But, say those who want q change
a House "discredited" by the people
may elect a President contrary to the
popular will; q House fresh from the
people ought to pass upon the ques
ton. But here again we are met with
the proposition that the same cir
cumstances that would throw the elec
ton Of a President into the House for
decision would also likely be in EVIL
dence in an attempt to organize the
new House. "It 1t not consistent with
human nature" said the late w.
Bourke Cochran. in the House of Rep
resentatives In 1893, when this same
proposition was Overwhelmingly de
feated, Ito suppose that the same
forces that raised the dispute about
the succession to the presidency
would have been able to foment dis
putes about the complexion of the ne"
Congress.
Along this line that distinguished
lawyer and orator argued at some
length, and a few excerpts from MS
speech are we'll worth the most at
tentive consideration and reflection
Evidently the House took them seri-
ously to heart, as reflected In the ad
verse vote on the then proposed
amendment. Mr.. Cockran's remarks
in the Congressional Record, 2-25, PIP,
4s9-4s0, will help greatly to better
understanding Of this problem
Would Disaxrange System.
Conceding, however, that the ear
lier meeting Of Congress for its ses
sion would happily work out g. re-
form, as claimed, 1t would certainly
disarrange the orderly system tc
which we have adjusted our govern
mental system from the beginning
On this phase of the matter 1t Is
well to pause and ponder upon the
words Of those eminent and eruditt
statesmen and legal luminaries. Sen
ator Evarts and Hoar, who ad
Dental succession bill in 1885.
Senator Evarts said: Il believe i
is embraced in the firm provisions o.
the Constitution that after the initia
date Of this periodicity (of foul
years) was fixed it was predeter
mined that it was not to be disturbed
and that this synchronism Of the actor
OF the elestors Of President and thu
votors for the House Of Representa-
tives was not to be disturbed"
Said Senator Hoar: when a man Il
elected to the presidency 1t is not 81
much the purpose OF the American
people to confer honor and authority
upon an individual as It is to pro
nounce that certain policies. certain
tendencies. certain opinions on great
public questions In which the countr,
has an interest shall prevail and have
no ornnuAAnnv In tn Qdnn{nfQf 10T
for four years"
The proposed amendment would sc
riousiy disarrange the symmetry o.
the quadrennial period Of the execu
tive branch Of the Government, nov
cotermineus with tho legislative. an6