Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06
CONSTITUTION is TARGET
1850 TIMES In SO YEARS
Amendments Proposed Range From
Abolition of Senate to Change in
Name of United States.

four years. In others l. has been pro
posed 10 make the term eight years,
seven year six years or five years for
President and Vice President, and to
extend the term of Senators and of
members of the House. Amendments
limiting a President TO two terms Of
four years each have been offered
also, seeking to establish the precedent
laid e'Twn by George Washington as
- saw of the land. Some such res
olutions were offered when both
President Wilson and President Roose-
welt were in office The Democratic
platform on which Mr.. Wilson was
elected President contained a plank
for a single term for President, but
little was heard Of it after the cleo
ton had been held.
Marriage and Divorce.
Many amendments to the Constitu-
ton giving the Congress right to pass
uniform marriage and divorce laws
for the country have been proposed.
This is by no means a new proposal.
although it has been renewed in re
cent years. Senator Dolp Of Oregon,
in 1889, introduced a resolution to
submit such an amendment to the
States for ratification.
At one time there was considerable
demand that the Constitution be so
amended that the postmasters should
be elected by the people, instead of
appointed by the President Senator
HOar of Massachusetts was one of
those sponsoring such an amendment
and he introduced a resolution for that
purpose in 1890.
Not very long ago there was agita-
ton to extend to the President the
right TO veto an item in an appropria-
ton bill. without vetoing the rest of
TN.I = lii. -
suggestion. Mr. Payson of Illinois In
1889 offered an amendment of that
character. In earlier days ii was the
practice frequently to include in APP
preparation bills items of legislation.
some of which might have little or
nothing to do with the appropriation
measure and which might be objection
able to the Chief Executive. But ow-
ing to the fact they were included in
one of the annual supply bills. they
could not be rejected by the Executive
without killing the whole bill.
Now under the new rules of the
Senate and House il is rare that any
legislation creeps into an apprOpria-
ton BILL If the amendment submitted
by Mr.. PaysOn had become part of the
Constitution, however, President Cool
idge would now be in a position to
veto the item for beginning the con-
struction of three new scout cruisers
for the Navy. which the Senate has
inserted in the naval appropriation
bill against the desire Of the President.
Asked Biennial Sessions.
Back In 1892, Senator Chiffon of
| Texas offered an amendment to the
Constitution providing for biennial
sessions of Congress instead of an
nual. This proposal has never made
7 - Al.
gress. But President Coolidge in his
budget message to Congress this year
came pretty near that suggestion
when he proposed that appropriation
bills be enacted for the two years of
a Congress life, instead OF enacting
them annually.
The issue of a national currency
on per capita basis was an amend
ment to the Constitution proposed in
1892 by Senator FELTON, of California.
The election of President and Vice
President by direct vote of the people,
doing away with the electoral college,
has been suggested many times in pro-
posed Constitutional amendments, for
example, by Representative DE
Almond of Missouri and Representa-
tive Miller of Wisconsin. in 1893.
Representative Barrett of Massachu-
sets. in 1896, had resolution pro
posing an amendment by which Con
gress would be empowered to limit the
hours of work in factories.
Proposals have been made to amend
the Constitution so as to permit the
REGULATE of child labor, and Consti-
tutional amendments for that purpose
have been urged on Congress. Con
gress tackled the proposition in legis-
lation, but the Supreme Court held
such legislation unconstitutional.
Many of the proposals for constitu
tional amendments have fallen into
the discard when the States them
selves have undertaken to deal with
the matters included in those amend
ments. Mr.. Lowering of MasSachu
sets in 1898 offered an amendment To
allow Congress to enact uniform hours
of labor.
AT one time there was flock of res
olutions proposing to make polygamy
unconstitutional. The Mormons then
had plural wives. But polygamy has
been dealt with in a different way in
this country, and the amendment TO
the Constitution was not needed. it
developed. Amendments have been
proposed from time to- time providing
for the acknowledgements of God,
Jesus Christ and the Bible in the
Constitution and to prohibit sectarian
legislation. Mr.. Morse of Massachu-
sets, in 1895, and Senator Frye of
Maine both wished God acknowledged
in the Constitution.
Right TO Vote i'm ID. C..
For many years proposals have
been submitted to Congress to grant
to the people of the District of Col
umbia the right to elect representa-
tives in Congress. Senator Blair of
New Hampshire i'm 1889 proposed
such an amendment. A similar
amendment, offered by Senator Jones
of Washington, is now pending before
the Senate, and in the House there is
still another resolution for that pur-
pose. Perhaps this right will be ac-
corded TO the people of the District
after many years. just as the Consti-
-:utfon was eventually amended for
woman suffrage and for prohibition.
Here are a few other proposals for
amendment of the Constitution which
will give some idea of the wide range
covered in such proposals and the eA-
tent to which the basic law might be
swollen If these amendments We're
adopted:
That no noncontiguous territory be
annexed to the United States, by Rep
resentative Crumpacker, Indiana.
1897; to limit the membership of the
House to 1856, by Representative
Brosius. Pennsylvania, 1897 the mem
bership of the House is now 435): to
prohibit suffrage to aliens. by Repre-
sentative Stone. Pennsylvania, 1898;
20 elect representatives every four
years, by Senator Harris of Kansas.
1899; providing penalty of death for
any person attempting destruction of
property of the United States, ecA -
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