The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-04-14
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After the usual preliminary buf mess
of the Senate Senator Plat took the
floor on his resolution relating TO open
executive sessions. The question was
a political ore, he said, bur in no sense
a question Of party politics. 1t ross
above all party questions; it YVES the
most important question Of admins
tIauve reform to which the Senate
could at this time devote it's attention
Senator Plat read the Senate rules
relating to secret sessions, including the
rule which prohib Is the disclosure,
either by Senators or Senate officers,
of the secrets of executive sessions,
the penalty for which is that Senators
render themselves liable to expulsion
and officers to discharge. No Senator,
he said, could hear that rule read
without sense of personal degroda-
ton. The first instance Of secrecy
having been imposed on Senators,
Senator Platt said, occurred in Janu-
arv, 1920.
Senator Morrill, asked whether it
WAS not the fact that prior TO that time
all sessions OF the Senate had been
nc u WIN Clo5eu uOOfb.
Senator Platt said he would come to
that by and by. He would be able to
show that the public sentiment of the
century compelled the Senate doors in
the fret instance after they had been
closed some years, and he would be
able to show that the same public SEN
timent now demanded that the doors
should be opened, az a rule, for the
! consideration of executive nomina.
tons. His present res )lution was that
executive nominations be considered
with open doors, except when o.her-
wise ordered by the Senate. Senators
themselves ought to desire that their
constituents should know what the
Senate was doing. The principal OBJ
| lection to the proposed change was
that it was against the custom OF the
Senate. That was no argument. No
great measure of reform had ever
made progress that 1t did not make il
over the Tamparts Of custom and tradi.
ton. Senator Plat reviewe the his
tory Of the secret legislative and ex.
eoutive sessions.
He read a letter from John Adams
when Vice. President and President Of
the Senate to his wife, in which he
gave the details of the vote in eXecu.
tive session on the ratification Of the
Joy treaty. According 10 the present
rule of the Senate on this subject,
Senator Plat said, John Adams would
have been liable to expulsion for ex-
posing the secret referred to. He
Senator Plattl planted himself square.
ly on Senator Sherman's statement
made on February 9th last in the Sem
ate to the effect that there oughtto lie
no secrets whatever in this govern
ment OF ours-a government Of the
people" That statement briefly com
pretended the whole subject. There
was but one exception to he tolerated
to that, and that was in case OF alb
solute necessity. Such cases would
be extremely rare. Senators de
manded that the President have
no secrets from the Senate.
Secrecy was, therefore, odious
to Senators, except when they them
selves wanted 70 observe the secrecy.
The people we're demanding OF Sen
stors that secrecy should not be OBJ
served by the Senate, just as Sen.
ators were demanding that the PreSi-
dent observe no secrecy. How could
Senators meet the memorable logic Of
the peoples demand? Publicity was
the cure for all evils affecting the
body polite. The public service would
be improved by it. We would have
fewer applications from bad men and
fewer nominations of bad men. There
was no proper ground for secrecy in
! the mere question Of convenience to