The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-09-30
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, l93
Lame Ducks Ready

The December session of the 72nd Con gress may go down in history as one of the greatest of lsme-duck gatherings. It has been eonservatively estimated that one-slxth of the present House membership will go to Washington in December to engage in the nations business, although strictly speaking it will not be holding office at the time. Just to quote few figures that South Trimble, clerk of the House. has released: twenty mine democrats have not been renominated in their respective congressional districts; forty-two republicans perish in this self-same fashion.
 These men and women will participate in the doings of Congress when It convenes next December and will continue to do so, undoubtedly in l932 or until the new Con- yress that will be elected in November as- sumes active duty. The new congressman are sworn into office in March as IS the president, but do not participate in their first session until December, as per the Constitu- tion That. of course, will be changed by the Norris amendment to the Constitution making January the month Tn which the president and Congress are sworn into of- flee. But it is hardly expected that the nee- essary legal machinery will have enabled this amendment to be effective even by the end of 1932.
 However, it is quite possible that there will be over one hundred lame ducks Tn Congress in December. In addition to those mentioned above who don't even come up for election in November there will be the numerous legislators who are defeated. There is sure to be mortality list here re- qardess of the presidential outcome. Naturally. if there is democratic landslide it will be greater than if President Hoover IS returned to office. In any event we cer- tsinly would not be surprised to ind the laet session of the 72nd Congress becoming known as the Congress in which the largest number of lame ducks participated.
 Connecticut offers her share of lame ducks Fifty per cent of the congressionai delegation from this state will return in this category. And foremost in the list IS Col onel John Q. Tilson of New Haven veteran representative of the third district. The chances are, though, that Mir Iison will not even go back to Congress Tn December as when he announced his retirement early this summer he said that he would like to give up his congressional duties as soon as convenient to all concerned. As yet the third district has not designated whether or not the successful candidate will assume office immediately or a year from Decem- ber. Tn addition to Mir Tilson, Representa- tive Richard F. Freeman and Representative Augustne Lonergan retire as lame-ducks. The former was deposed by republicans in the second district. the latter IS running for U. S. Senator on the democratic ticket.
 But think of Representative Willis C. Hawley. republican. of Oregon. He IS the chairman of the ways and means committee than which there is no more important com mittee in the House. He even lost the nom- nation. There are any number in the House and also in the Senate. too including Smith W. Brookhart of Iowa and John J. Blaine of Wisconsin. We know they won't rilesh the life of lame duck member of Congress any more than their lesser known confreres But if the states unite to put the Norris amendment across the term, lame duck, will no longer be SO commonly applied in our legislative chambers