The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-04-20
Executive Sessions.

the U. S. Seaate, on the 9th inst, in re-
%lation to the proposition to open to the
public all sittings of the Senate on Ex-
ecutivc business. The motion was ulti-
matcly rejected by pretty general con-
sent.
Mn. PneLrs. During my experience
in this body, several efforts have been
made to change the rule of the Senate
in relation to our mode of holding Exec
utivc sessions and to my qualification
every attempt of that kind has been
successfully resisted. | have to say
now that from the very existence of the
Senate down to the present day, the rule
winch now obtains has governed it. We
have then from the first organization of
the Senate to the present day, the opin-
ons of all who have gone before us in
support of the rule as it now exists, to
treat matters of n certain description in
secret session. Why should we abolish
it Why should we at this stage of the
session, with a bare quorum present, take
it upon ourselves to change permanent
ly the character of the Senate, and to
regulate the proceedings of those who
are to come after us Sir, a radical
change of this kind ought not to be made
hastily. 1t ought not to be made in a
moment, when the sense of a full Senate
cannot be obtained.
MIR. BoRLAND. viii the Senator per-
NIT me to say that this is not a new
question Five years ago it was before
this body, and it has been more or less
discussed at every session since.
Mr.. PnELrs. That is just what | re-
marked in the outset, that efforts have
been made from time to time to abolish
our present rule, and they have always
been unsuccessful. There are most a.
bundant reasons for our holding secret
sessions. Does any man believe that
our negotiations with foreign nations
can be conducted with success, if every
project which is started by the treaty
making power is to be made and acted
upon subject to public inspection at the
time Are we to gain anything by ex-
hibiting our diplomacy to the world
when the practice of the rest of the world
is to keep their diplomacy to themselves?
1t seems to me that we are not. We
are often compelled, in the discussion of
treaties, to act upon considerations which
at the moment would not bear to meet
the public view. Take the instance sug-
gested by the Senator, the treaty of
peace with Mexico. That treaty was
negotiated during a period of great ev-
element. When we were called upon
to act on it the excited state of feeling
arising from the war in which We were
then involved was very high, and it was
therefore our duty not to be guided by
the public feeling and public excitement,
but by our own deliberate judgment on
the subject, trusting TO a rational view
afterwards, when the public excitement
subsidized, to justify ourselves before the
public. And that we could not have
done in open session.
But there is another consideration
which presents itself to my mind-that
suggested by the Senator from Virginia
Mr., HUNTER in regard to the subject
of nominations. If it is to be under
stood that all nominations are to be
public, unless when particular nomina-
n"o aas5a~stian onorv 49, No
p.:yo. non;nat;on nntn ~ Ill
;[nnoiro us in d;EonItv bove bod 49,.
casion to oppose nominations for my own
State, even those sent in by a Wing Ad-
ministration, aud to give my reasons for
son o I"ra h W. na"mnnts w"Ja
b. NV ~ noI;tiooi fr;onds moro of .
W ny G"a Pu oai,ie' ahnront", w oa
~ H. LII 80 - ana
SOmo,ors foo,inm JnI;ooou on .Ln snb.
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aha,pon e. nSon ill., ho ~ Gov
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nr, e III NY e
tn u ~ VIZ
no on 'n"ns j. 90 IT, u NV
r .,SD1e'~o.m aI SuinV' ne
mo sIr n'eT "Iulu inu'".o "na' was
20 ~ TN u",
O. aG ;s Un .ai,r y, u n1""ns
&c 'c $500 nosI1 u '"e eoasIei"s'o
Gdont;aI 10 mo"Il - troo. III ou, i 10 O"r
nuoh''"i' as we "ouiu ''Ia' tne.i III our
personal intercourse; trust ,nere'
,orS' 1nc psac'ice u 'ne SENATE VIII not
DC departed from, XII" 'he SUBJECT
mas pee9 ag''a.ea ana discussed, puI Tue
result OF sne discussion mas always peeh
Una. 'ne oeha'e mas aqhered TO us pre-
eeuins prac',ce ana thlnk II inc con-