Evening star., 1926-03-22
BY WILL =. KENNEDY.

The Founding Fathers had no in
tention of making March 4 the date
on which the Quadrennial terms of
the President should begin. In fact,
it was intended that the date should
be the first Monday in December. 1t
was chance and the force of circum'
stances that started the Government
on that date, which was made law
on March ], 1792, and later written
into a constitutional amendment.
Since 1895 some 215 proposals have
been made by constitutional amend
ment to change the date on which the
executive and Legislative branches of
the Government start their terms in
office.
The Constitution is silent as to
when the Presidents term of office
for four years should begin.
The Constitutional Convention left
to the old (ContinentaD Congress time
and place for beginning the more
perfect Union The ratification of
the Constitution by nine States was
long delayed. and it was not until
September IS. 1888. that the Cont
mental Congress could fix days for
the election of a President, for the
counting OF the vote and for the term
of the President ard Congress TO be-
gin.
They fixed "the first Wednesday in
March next-l7S9-as the time for
commencing the proceedings under
the Constitution" Oddly enough,
nothing was said about the meeting OF
Congress on March A. nor the begin
ming of the presidential term on that
date. But ii so happened that tine
first Wednesday in March, l'S9, was
March 4. and as the Congress holds
for two years and the President Tor
four years. the Fourth Of March be
came fixed day regardless OF the
day Of the week.
1t was intended by the Constitution
that the first Monday in December
should be the time to start the new
Government. but the delay in its rati-
fication pushed over the beginnins
from December until March-and
everything else merely followed.
Thus was established what Senator
Evarts called the "periodicity' of our
Government
Act of March |, 1892, Cited.
The act Of March /, 1892 R. s.
1922. provided
"The term of four years for which
a President and Vice President shall
he elected, shall. in all cases. com
mence on the fourth day of March
next succeeding the day ON which the
votes of the electors have been
given"
This provision was Section II OF the
act relative to the election OF Pfes'
ident and Vice President of the
United States and declaring the officer
who shall act az President In case OF
vacancies in the offices both of Presi-
dent and Vice President" which act,
49, do Mt al a.
sion. was superseded by the presiden-
tial succession act of 1886, but Sec
ton -. above quoted, seems never to
have been repealed by implication or
otherwise and still is in effect.
AS early as 1895 a proposition was
submitted to change the meeting day
of Congress to the first day of June.
! In 1903 the first Tuesday in April
was suggested. Thirty-two years
later, 1910, the first day OF Decem-
ber was proposed as the day for the
commencement of the terms OF mem
bers of Congress. From that time
until 1869 no change of this kind was
proposed, but in the period from 1869
10 l924-55 years-no less than I'll
amendments to the Constitution were
offered in Congress having for thelf
purpose the changing OF the time for
the beginning of the terms OF the
President, Vice President and men,
bers of Congress.
Wide Range i'm Proposed Dates.
The proposed dates ran all the way
from the first Monday in December
to the last Thursday in April. And
among other things those proposed
amendments also would have changed
the term Of Representatives from two
to three and to four years, and the
term of the President from four to
five, to six and to seven years. Some
Of them would have made the Presl'
dent ineligible for reelection to a sec
ond term, and some to a third term.
Hardly any proposition ever submit
ted for the consideration OF Congress
has developed more diversity OF
opinion. or more clearly exemplified
the saying, MANY men OF many
minds" Yet. after 1877 years of ex-
perience, amendments to the Constl-
tuition for the same general purposes.
but differing in form, as always, still
are being proposed. :,
One amendment designating April
30 as the commencement of the term
of the Executive and of Congress
passed the Senate in 1886, and another
fixing the last Tuesday in April
nassed the Senate in 1883, but neither
of them was passed by the House.
For the latter it was sought to sub.