Evening star., 1937-11-13
By Ira L. Smith.
THO WASHINGTON, for the 161st
/ time. comes the opening of a
/ session of Congress. Once

time. comes the opening of
session of Congress. Once
again the Capital is to witness
the somewhat magical effect of the
pounding of two gavels, with more
than 500 men taking the form of
legislative amalgam.
Because such events so often have
recurred in the National Capital, the
eye might perhaps be pardoned for be-
coming slightly dull in contemplation
and the mind might be excused for
slipping into a well, that's that" atti-
tude. But that which Mondays noon
will bring would be the object Of
major fixing of attention even though
1000 sessions had preceded the one
which is imminent.
For consideration of national prob
lens impends and clashes of great de-
sires are oncoming, probably to be at
tended by the making and undoing of
some political fortunes. Beyond all
that rests the interest recommending
fact that nobody knows for certainty
exactly what is going to happen. No
possession of advance information, no
accumulation of experience in national
affairs and no mastery of legislative
formula can provide ability to prophesy
in detail just what congressional ses-
sion will add to the national history.
Given the job of doing such a piece Of
forecasting, even the seventh son of a
seventh son would throw away the
trappings of his trade
Many are those, however, whose
prime interests are not linked with the
contemplation of mysteries ahead and
who view sessions on the Hill simply as
recurrent realities. They are sharply
divided into two camps. In one are the
folks who insist that Congress should
not be in session more than a small
portion of each year. They contend
that the Nation must adjust itself to
lawmaking and that the shorter the
period of lawmaking the longer and
more productive is the period of ad-
justment. In the other camp are the
citizens who are just as unrestrained
in their declarations that a Congress
which is in session is a capable and
helpful Congress because it engages in
an exhaustive threshing of problems
and leaves no work undone.
MOST prominent of all those, living
and dead. who have abided in
the short sessions" camp is George
Washington.
Just after the master of Mount
Vernon retired from the presidency he
wrote a letter to Thomas jefferson in
which he set forth the opinion that
the place of a member Of Congress
is with his constituency and that a
session of Congress should never exceed
two months. Declaring that tissues are
created at home" he stood by the idea
that members of the National Legisla-
ture must be CLOSE to the people
must live with those whom they
represent.
Having definitely expressed his
thought along that line, Washington
would be jolted if he were alive in our
day and looking upon the time-con-
suming records of the 173 sessions
which have passed into national his
tory. For one of his ideas on the
subject, the impact would be enough
to set a powdered wig quite askew.
Congress has been in session a total
of 23089 days since the first convening
in 1889. More than $4,000 days have
elapsed since that first session was
called to order Thus it is seen that
Congress has been in session fairly
close to half the amount of time that
has skidded into the past since the
legislative branch of the Govern
ment began operations.
Incidentally, the first session of the
First Congress obliged though it was
to lay much governmental ground
work, was shorter than this years
session. It lasted 210 days, a mark
passed early in August by the most
recent gathering.
To remain just bit longer in the
realm of figures, this last meeting of
Congress went far beyond the average
duration, which is 1874 days. The av-
erage length of sessions since 1912 Is
178 days and that of sessions since
March, 1882, even when the most re-
cent is expected, is 148 days.
Small wonder, with the average du-
ration in our times being more than
20 weeks, that the phrase, "a great
relief" often is definitely joined with
the word "adiOrrnment" But the rec
ords must be searched all the way
back to chronicles bearing the date
of October 20. 1888, if a really impress
sive expression of that type of relief
is to be found. The session then con-
cluded had lasted 32l days, and there
must have been some citizens, not to
mention quite few legislators, who
were convinced for while that 1t
never would end.
Let q contemporary report tell the
tas Of how jadsd spirits thank