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Show ROOSEVELT'S TERM. It will be a safe bet that Franklin D. Roosevelt will not serve four years as president on the strength of his election on November 8. And there is not "catch" in this statement- By the terms of the "lame duck" amendment to the Constitution, which will certainly be ratified by the required re-quired number of states, the administration adminis-tration of Mr. Roosevelt will end January Jan-uary 20, 1937, instead of March 4, as has been the custom in the past. Thereby he will have the distinction of serving a shorter entire term than any other president. Beginning January Janu-ary 20, 1937, presidents will again serve four full years. Members of Congress will lose even more days at the expiration of their current terms, as the new amendment provides that in future a new Congress Con-gress shall take office on January. 3, instead of March 4. Thus future Congresses Con-gresses will meet 17 days before the new president is inaugurated. There is no doubt that the change provided by the new amendment is desirable. Heretofore members of Congress waited about 13 months after af-ter election before assuming their duties. du-ties. In the meantime, many who had been defeated continued to serve, these being called the lame ducks. Hereafter members elected in November Novem-ber will take office in January, and no member will continue to serve after af-ter his defeat at the polls. The new amendment has been ratified rati-fied already by the legislatures of 17 states, these representing all that have been in session since it was submitted. sub-mitted. Practically all the remaining legislatures will meet in January, 1933, and prompt ratification by the additional 19 required is confidently expected. In fact, it is doubtful that any state legislature will reject this sensible amendment. |