Evening star., 1937-01-19

January to settle
the many contests that arise in elec-
tions and for the States to operate
their election machinery, so vital in
certifying official returns. So he has
proposed that national elections be
held in october instead of in No
vember.
If there had been change in ad-
ministration the vast number of Gov
ernment officials and employees af-
fected by such an event would have
had just little more than nine weeks
in which to adjust themselves to the
prospect of new administration.
While an interval of a couple
months may be sufficient in some in
stances. 1t Is not In others, and the
attempt to accomplish in couple
months what heretofore has taken a
much longer time, might leave the
Government in state Of confusion.
Objective preserved.
As a matter of fact, the real diff
Guilty is that Congress meets so soon
after the election. Senator Norris had
the right idea in wanting to eliminate
the lame duck" or defeated Congress
men from voting again on legislation
when they had been retired by the
people from Office, but the same OBJ
jective Is possible if elections are held
in October instead of November. and
II the interval not only between elec-
ton and the meeting of Congress is
heightened, but also by the same token
the interval between the election and
Inauguration of President.
When the "lame duck" amendment
was under consideration, its opponents
in Congress called attention to an
other possible complication. Suppos-
ing. they said, that the presidential
election is thrown into the House of
Representatives by reason of the fact
that no candidate receives a majority
Of the electoral votes. This might
easily happen in three -cornered race
In that event Congress would meet
about January 3 or and there would
be only II or 18 days before inaugura-
ton in which to pick a President.
States Vote as Units.
Under the Constitution each State
congressional delegation votes as
unit; that Is, the majority Of the con-
gressional representation of each State
determines how the whole States sin
gle electoral vote shall be cast. If
there Is an electoral contest and some
seats are in dispute, it might hold up
the election.
But more important is the contin-
eency in which all the members have
been duly elected and seated and the
several delegations cannot agree upon
any candidate so that he might have
the necessary ajority. Deadlock Is
. possibility and it has happened-in
1900 and 1824-when the election was
decided by the House of Representa-
tives. The election of 1900 was not
decided by the House until February
II, 180l-two weeks before Inaugural
ton; and the House decision settling
the election of 1924 was not reached
till February 9, 1925. Also in 1875
in the Hayes-Tilden controversy Con-
gress appointed an Electoral Commis-
sion composed of five Supreme Court
justices, five Senators and five men,
bers Of the House, and the choice was
not made finally till am. on March 2.
Months Cut to Is Days.
Something of the same sort might
happen again, but with three month
interval, as under the old system, there
was much more prospect of an adjust
ment than would be feasible In 18
days under the present plan.
There is nothing, of course. to pre-
vent an outgoing President from call
ing a special session of Congress, but
if he himself were a candidate for re-
election this might prove a political
complication. Likewise Congress has
never provided method whereby two
thirds of both Houses could call them
selves into special session irrespec-
tive of the wishes of President.
Representative Summers idea of
moving the elections up one month
would require constitutional a~lend-
ment. but it would seem to provide the
solution for the difficulties that could
arise over the shortneSs Of interval
now elapsing between election and in
auguration. The same amendment
proposal could also provide for a spe-
cial session of Congress to be called
by petition of two-thirds of the mem
bers In the event Of an election being
thrown into the House of Representa-
tives because no candidate received a
majority of the electoral votes in the
October election in the future instead
OF In the November elections, as at
present.
(copyright. 1877