Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-04-01
Abolish the Secret Session

1en. Logan struck the KEYNOTE of
popular sentiment when he introduced
IN the Senate resolution for the aboli-
ton OF the executive session of the SEN
ale and for the public and open con-
sideration of all business pertaining to
nominations. The Senate cannot consis-
tently ask of the President that he trans
act all executive business 'behind glass
DOORS and then shut itself up in secret
session every day. If the light of pub
licity ought to be thrown on the re-
movals and suspensions by the Presi-
dent. why should the senatorial consid-
Grafton of nominations be shrouded in
the darkness of secret session? The
cases are parallel and the same reasons
apply equally to each. Senator Ed
munds is right in holding that secret
removals carry insinuations against the
character of the officials removed, but
equally great damage is done by a
secret rejection by the Senate of the
nomination of person for office. In
case of removal, if the removed Off
cial is Republican, the popular sup
position that he was removed because
he was politically Objectionable to the
President will serve to protect his char
acter against unjust suspicious against
his personal integrity. Offensive par
tisanship" does not lower ones personal
character, especially in his own party.
But when the Senate is of one political
party and the President of the other, as
Is now the case, most of the nomina-
tlons which come before the Senate
will be of men of the opposite political
party, so that the Senate cannot, with
out blocking the wheels of the govern
ment. reject nomination for political
reasons only; therefore the presump-
ton is much greater than his rejection
was owing to charges against his per-
sonal character, rather than for polit-
ical reasons.
We believe that so far the Senate has
been right in its issue against the Presi-
dent; but to fortify itself against coun-
ter-attacks of the same nature it ought
to abolish the secret session. With its
present secret method of transacting
this very business concerning nomina-
lions it claims prerogatives identical
with that the President sets up in with
holding papers relating to removals and
consequent nominations. 1t is true the
prerogatiye exercised by the Senate is
an nndisputed one and one fortified by
long usage, while that claimed by the
President, as Senator Edmunds has
clearly shown, is not sustained by a
single precedent or instance of usage.
But the Senate cannot rightfully depend
upon precedent and usage against
reason and political progress. Nc
abuse ought to stand simply because II
is an old and long-used one. No matter
what the Presidents prerogatives,
founded on an ingenious construction
of the constitution, may be, be j:
bound by his personal pledges and the
popular demand, to fair, open trans
action of public business-to execute a
public trust by letting the public know
how and why he does it. No matter
what the Senate's constitutional privil.
eyes may be, all methods which hint OF
antique barbarism and plutocracy
ought to be abolished-the progressive
spirit of the age and the demands of 9
republican-democratic form of govern.
ment demand it. Senator Logan's
resolution is step in the right direction
which ought to be taken at once.