February 20, 1932

Mr. ALLGOOD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to extend my remarks in the RECORD on the " lame-duck " amendment and to include therein a short article.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection?

There was no objection.

Mr. ALLGOOD. Mr. Speaker, the constitutional amend- · ment abolishing the " lame-duck " Congresses will soon be in conference, and I hope the _ conferees of the House and Senate will be able to iron out the differences and that this amendment, which I indorse whole-heartedly, will soon be . submitted to the States for ratification. When this amendment was before this body Hon. W. B. BANKHEAD, of Alabama, proposed an amendment making the term of Representatives four years instead of two. One Member of this House, in speaking against the proposed amendment of Mr. BANKHEAD, said, "I would give up my term as a Member of the House before 1 would vote to extend that term." At this point I am inserting an editorial from the Southern Democrat, an Alabama paper, touching on this · particular amendment: -

The Constitution of the United States should be amended so that Congressmen will take their seats in January after they are · elected in November and will . serve for a . term of !ow: years instead of only two. Congress should convene in January instead of the following December. Under our present system a Congressman has to be looking after his political fences all the time and has no time to study great economic and social problems. He ~ ts all the time studying about what he can do to . popularize himself with the people . of his district. Men who have to fight for reelection every two years seldom make statesmen. Give them a rest from politics and they will become more efficient as lawmakers.

No Member of this House can · by his vote on this or any other measure extend his own term. lf · the Bankhead amendment had prevailed our terms of office would all have expired long before it became the law of the land, and the · people back home are the ones who would say whether or not our terms would be extended. Therefore it is by their votes that any Member's term is extended even for two · years, if a Member of this House could extend his own term, ...... I am afraid that there would be very few elections held in the future. ·