Evening star., 1950-11-28
Lame-Duek Congress,
Should Act Only on
Emergency Bills
Beuten Members Votes
Could Push Measures
Opposed by Electorate
By Da,Hd Laurence

By David Laurence
When the American people
adopted the Twentieth Amend
ment to the Constitution. chang
ing Inauguration day from March
4 to January 20 and stipulating
that each new Congress shall begin
on January 8. the general belief
was that so-called lame duck"
sessions would never recur.
But the 81st Congress is meet
ing now, Notwithstanding the fact
that nearly TO of its members
either were not renominated or
reelected, and votes will be cast
on pending legislation by persons
who no longer represent their
districts or their States, respec-
lively.
The assumption hitherto has
been that no session Of Congress
would be held between the No
vember elections and January 3.
There would have been none this
year except that q national emer-
gency faces the country. due to
the war in the Far East and
threats of Communist aggressions
in Europe.
Efforts to Rush Bills.
Thus. only legislation which has
q bearing on the emergency is
logical business for the present
session. Already intimations have
come from Capitol Hill that very
little will be done between now
and January. The truth is that
efforts will be made, just the
same. to press to a vote various
matters which have nothing to do
with the emergency but which
will be pushed because the spon-
sors think they will have better
chance to obtain passage now
than in the new Congress.
The idea that defeated members
should hold chairmanships or
other important places in the
committees that determine the
fate of legislation was never con-
templated by the authors of the
Twentieth Amendment. 1t is true
that the amendment itself could
not prohibit or prevent a special
session from being called immedi-
ately after the November election
at which a new Congress is elected
but the spirit Of the amendment
at least would seem to be against
any legislative action in which
'lame ducks" participate.
In almost every other parlia-
ment in the world defeated men,
bers lose their seats Immediately
when they fail of election.
Many Abuses In Past.
In many instances in the past
there were grave abuses of legis-
lative power by members Of the
House and Senate who were de-
feated for either denomination or
reelection. This was when in
December Immediately after the
November elections the second
regular session of Congress started.
It lasted until March 4. Many a
member of Congress who was an
Cling for an appointment in the
executive establishment or per-
haps for a good job in private in
dustry or with some of the pres
sure groups would cast his vote
with an eye to his forthcoming |
livelihood.
The abuse became so conspicu-
Gus that the late Senator George
w. Norris, of Nebraska, Republi-
can, led the fight for the adoption
of the lame duck amendment to
the Constitution, and 1t was sue
cessful Notwithstanding the fact
that it meant moving the historic
Inauguration day back from early
spring to midwinter and despite
the fact, too. that q new Congress
takes Office before new President
is inaugurated.
The present session Of Congress
may draw attention to new aspects
of power welded by defeated
members in allegedly representing
areas they really do not any
longer represent. The Federal
laws make 1t crime for Presi-
dent or anyone else in the eXecu-
tive branch Of the Government
to offer any job or anything else
of value to any member of Con-
gress in order to influence his
vote. 1t will be interesting to
watch the votes of the defeated
members.
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