Evening star., 1933-01-24
The Twentieth Amendment.

The final ratification of the twentieth
amendment to the Constitution, doing
away with the lame duck" sessions OF
Congress. Is likely to have q wide effect
on washington life, not to mention the
lives of Congressman and national leg
islation. The annual meetings Of the
Congress will begin the first week IN
January instead of the first week In
December. Unless they see At to come
to the Capital earlier, there will be no
compulsion to bring the Senators and
Representatives here before Christmas.
This change in the dates may run the
sessions later into the Summer, 1t is
true, but Summers in washington no
comfort to the legislators, whose
chambers are air cooled and pleasant
no matter what the thermometer may
say out of doors.
Minority groups, single Senators,
who have had in the past vast power
in the lame duck sessions of Congress
because OF the rule of unlimited de-
bate prevailing In the Senate, have
lost some of this power. They may be
able stih to delay legislation that is
demanded by a majority. But to de-
feat it If a majority really wishes
action would be an impossibility for .
single Senator or even for a sizable
minority, with the session stretching
out perhaps for full two-year period:
1t has been well understood in the
Senate that during short session"
of Congress, such az the present one,
little can be accomplished except by
unanimous consent Such a situation
has led to all kinds of bad and ex-
pensive legislation in the past. Sena-
tors who have had pet projects, de-
manded by influential groups in their
States, have succeeded in getting items
of appropriation placed in the annual
supply bills because of their threats
to delay and perhaps to kill important
legislation unless their requests were
granted.
The lame duck" amendment is a
part of the Constitution today largely
because of the tenacity of one man,
Senator George w. Norris of Nebraska,
its author. No one has been more in
sistent upon the freedom OF debate than
the Senator from Nebraska. However,
he has been no long winded tilibusterer,
and what he has now accomplished has
been in the interest Of orderly legisla-
tion and against log rolling" that
system of give and take forced on the
Senate by the rules and by the short
session. The short sessions of Congress
have held out hope to minorities oppos-
ing legislation sponsored by the ma
jority In the Senate and In the House
even during the 1irst, or long, sessions
of Congress. There will be no more of
these sessions.
The President of the United States
may at any time he sees fit convene the
Congress in the Fall in special session,
thereby starting the legislative wheels
to turning before the first Of the year.
The special session under such circum-
stances would merge with the regular
session beginning in January and con-
tnuing thereafter. As a matter Of fact,
however, the weeks prior to Christmas
in the congressional sessions which
have begun in December have largely
been wasted in the past For it has
been a habit of the Congress to take
generous two weeks recess during the
holidays. 1t Is reasonable to suppose,
therefore, that little time will really be
lost by the legislators If they postpone
their meetings until after the first of
each year.
The present lame duck session Of
the Congress, with its ineffectiveness
and flibustering in the Senate, will
cause no one who has the interest Of
the country at heart to grievs at the
passing of such sessions. The country
liz well rid of them