Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-05-17
PROCEEDINGS OF The SENATE TO-DAY
Discussion OF the Fourth Estate"
The Senate met 10 day AZ noon.


The Senate met to-day at noon.
The Vice President presented communics-
tioh nom the President IN reply to q recent
report OF William Whiting late SolicitaS of the
war department, containing list of claims of
ioTeign subjects growing out of the late war
said ~, tps 20 MI: snIner the Vice Presiden,
mltted, and accompanied by two pages from
the Secretary OF State.
MS. sumner thought about tbirty-five pages
OF the book related 20 those claims and as the
Information therein contained was not now
gtnersIly accessible he hoped il would be
printed with the letter OF the Secre-srv Of
state. III vas ordered that the document b.
Lrlnted, and, on motion Of Mr.. Cameron, the
senate went into executive session.
Al I'VE minutes past one O'clock the doors
were reopened, and MIR. French the Sergeant
alarms, appeared at the main entrance TO the
Senate with
SsssEs. WHITE AND RAMsDELL,
ana reported that, IN accordance with the order
tlemen. 0A
Mr.; CARPENTER then offered resolution that
hr. W lite he ARA sued before the bar of the
senate, and that the Vice President PROFOUND
TO him interrogatoTies A. to what excuse he hal
for refusing TO answer the questions propounded
10 him o! the committee, and was he now ready
10 appear before the committee and ans wer All
proper questions put 10 him.
MIR. Sumner suggested that the witnesses
Messrs White and Ramsdeli, be furnished with
seats Chairs were brought, and the two gen
tlemen were seated 10 the left OF the door.
MI CARPENTER then proceeded to explain
TIE POWER or COMMITTEES
appointed nv the Senate 10 investigate matters
aDC rgued that II was proper for the Senate to
compel witnesses TO answer. In q matter OF an
lmlottant treaty between great nations secrecy
must be preserved until the proper time 10
make the whole matter public. Mr.. Carpenter
then had read the act of Congress of 1851 TO
compel witnesses to give testimony before com
mlttees OF either House OF Congress, and In case
they refuse TO DO so be liable to Indictment he
fore a criminal court, and, upon conviction be
punished by tine or Imprisonment. Also, the
act OF lse. IN relation 10 the same subject. The
report OF the committee detailing the questions
propodnded, &c, was then read. Mr.. Carpeu-
ter then stated that Mr.. White had clearly
COMMITTED NrspBNEANoR,
and every man who employ ed another 10 cou-
NIT misdemeaDor, who paid him TO do So or
counseled another 10 do so, or promised 10 paw
oouble salary for taking the consequences OF a
misdemeaDor. committed a disdemeanor also
He then had read the editorial from the Tribune
OF Yesterday, and argued that the Senate of
OF the country delegated by the PEOPLE OF the
cou1 try and not by the New York Tribune N
had been said that in England the Press wa.
THE FOURTH ESTATE
OF The realm, II the Senate now was to be
stopped IN its inv tigation, then the Press of
THE country was the erst and only estate of the
realm: Disobedience TO the law was a crime,
and II Senators quailed now before Mr.. White
who said the Senate should not investigate this
matter, he mir. c. wondered what the kuklux
Organizations of the South would think. Ger
talDIy the President OF the United States would
receive very little encouragement to execute the
law against the kukluH organizations. In con-
clusion, Mr.. Carpenter urged the passage of the
IesSLuuon IN order that Mr.. White might be
Mr.. Fenten did not like the resolutions OF Nr.
carpenter, and offered as substitute therefor
a resolntion authorizing the President OF the
Senate TO PROFOUND 70 Nessrs White and Ram
dell questions whether they received A COPY OF
me treaty from any Senator, clerk, or secre-
Tar tsry OF the Senate, or an! member OF the fam
lily OF any Senator, clerk, or employee or secre-
tafy, and upon answer ing these questions salts
factoriIy be discharged from custody.
aI. W iIs9h would vote Tor the amendment,
anc would q O so becaUse.he thought that was as
ihr as the Senate ought To go. IL was a well
known fact that all the main features OF the
.I were sent ont to the country by the Sec
enforcing the rules Of the Senate, but
THE FREE PRESS
OF thls country had the right to give all Informs
obligation whatever TO keep the secrets OF the
Senate or the Cabinet. He was surprised 20
Ge ar Senators talk a. if the press was bound to
keep the secrets OF the Senate. Ii was under no
such obligation.
Mr.. Morton said the treaty was not eSclu-
slyely Senate document. It belonged 10 the
British government aud 10 the Executive de-
psrtment of our government as well as TO the
Senate. He argued that sill treaties should be
kept secret by Senators and officers of the Sem
ATE, and II made public by any one else the
Senate had DO jurisdiction over the mater.
There were abuses in the press. The defams-
ton CT personal character, &c, abounded too
much, but the publication OF true information
could not be put down as abuses Of the press
Mr. thurman agreed with Mr.. Wilson. There
was no law to enable the Senate to punish any
one who had published copy OF the treaty OBJ
tanned from the State Department. The per-
&c ms at the bar did not publish the treaty; they
did hing more I'd an the oper ators in the tele-
graph Office. If anybody was TO be punished ID
should be the managing editor OF the New York
IItonns. he did not feel bound to support the
resolution Of Mr.. Carpenter.