The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-16
THE FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS
Senator Logan Argues in Favor Of Abol-
ishing the Executive Sessions.
The House Transacts Considerable Routine
Business and Devotes Portion of Its
Time to the River and Harb0r Bill
THE SENATE.

floor in support of the movement for open exec
utive sessions He preferred his own resolution.
he said because it provided broadly for open SEES
sions all matters Of nomination anc conirma-
ton. Without going into the history Of secret
sessions, Mr.. Logan would simply premise by
saying that there was not now and never was
any necessity for secret sessions Of the Senate.
Senator'S were responsible to the people. and
should let the people know what they were do
ing. Mr.. Logan hoped the Senators who favored
secret sessions would be heard from in this de-
bate. The talking should not be all on one side
in the discussion. Those who believed in secret
sessions should openly state their grounds for
that belief He Mr.. Loganl would like to hear
those grounds. Let the doors be opened and let
Senatorial courtesy give place to fair and open
consideration. The traducer of character and
the condoner OF bad records would both go down
before the open consideration eof nominations.
The treacherous stiletto would give place to
open and manly warfare; the man who, with a
crooked record, wanted public Office would then
have to seek other channels than the Senate
In peoples government, why should not the
people know the reasons for our consent, which
meant the peoples consent, to nomination!
Secret sessions were demons lizing. Was there
a Senator who would not frankly tell man the
truth ii he was opposed to him9 He Mr.. Loganl
would not say that Senators had told untruths.
The secrets of executive sessions were let out in
some wayne would not say how correctly
Was there ever an executive session to consider
an important matter from which something had
not leaked outs He acquitted the officers Of the
Senate OF any fault in this matter. He did not
believe they let the secrets out Still, the news
papers were full Of statements of things that
happened, or were said to happen, in executive
sessions. If they did not make correct state
ments. they proposed to do So If the Senate
would not open its DOORS was it not encouraging
deception on the part of newspapers Was it
not better to have the country know exactly
what the Senate was doing. The newspaper
men did the best they could. They got the
secrets from somebody-Mr. Logan did not
know from whom-probably from the spittoons
or the desks of the Senate chamber--of course
not from any Senator. Were not Senators en-
couraging newspaper men to state things that
were not truel The Senate was not directly re-
sponsible for any incorrect statements as to Sc
cret sessions. IT the doors were open, the
speeches in executive sessions would be shorter
the proceedings more orderly; and the debates
better and of more elevated character AS to
the publicity of votes, Mr.. Logan was perfectly
willing that his constituents and everybody else
should know how he voted in executive session,
and if he dared he would tell everyday what his
vote was, but he never did. The power Of pub
lie opinion was rising on this subject, he said
the people felt they must and should know what
Senators were doing. Everywhere in this coun-
try the principle OF growth was recognized ex-
cept in the United States Senate. That princi-
pie was coming to be recognized everywhere
throughout the world. The principle of
lbery was spreading. Take the case
of Ireland SO long downtrodden and
that the grandest statesman that England had
produced was struggling in behalf of long -suffer-
ing Ireland2 1t was because of the growth of
the principle of liberty-of the principle of fair
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up the minds of all people in this country, too;
the people were getting more enlightened and
advanced views Of their rights. We should bear
in mind that there were but two ways Of right
ing wrongs. Those ways were reformation and
revolution He Mr.. Logan preferred reforma-
ton. Let Senators have done with childishness,
and put on the garb of men. 1t seemed to bring
great JOY to some Senators souls to see the gal
leries cleared and the people turned out as if
some great mysterious thing was to be done in
the Senate when the doors were closed; as if the
Senate was in some way to become magician
and turn sticks into snakes, or do some equally
incomprehensible thing. The whole thing was
an absolute farce; there was nothing that oc
Cured in executive session that could not. with
perfect propriety, occur In open sessiOn--not
one thing Secret sessions gave some Senators
opportunities to talk one way in secret and an
other in open Senate.
Mr.. Hoar said that hardly any proceedings
were of more Importance or public interest than
means of the House of Representatives. or the
finance committee Of the Senate, and especially
important were the proceedings of conference
committees on questions OF revenue. Mr.. Hoar
asked Mr.. Logan whether he would have the pro-
ceedings Of such committees open to the public.
Mr.. Logan had known the astuteness of the
Senator from Massachusetts Mr. Hoar in at
tempts to throw people off the track in debate,
whenever the proposition made did not exactly
agree with his notion; but the Senate was not
no nf v,ost
ings. The people were not demanding open
committee meetings; but they were demanding
open doors for the proceedings of the Senate.
"And the doors will be opened" Mr.. Logan
pointedly remarked, mark what tell you; and
it will not be long, either You gentlemen revel
in the dark for awhile over nominations. 1t
seemed to charm Senators, Mr.. Logan continued
ITO have some knowledge that they
would not give to the people. 1T
seemed to please them when asked
of village postmaster to be able to reply with
an air of mystery oh, I-I-I-I cannot tell
you; am bound to secrecy" What an impor-
tant matter it was how any Senator voted on
such matter. This reform, Mr.. Logan contin-
ued, was growing The people of this country
would run the country. All forms of oppression
would have to cease, including that which pre-
vented men from expressing their wills at the
polls. Mr.. Logan alluded to the English House
of Lords, and advised the Senate to pattern no
longer after that body-a body of hereditary
privileges and powers. He advised Senators to
stop their star-chamber proceedings. Let not
the representatives Of the people, he said, ''im-
agine that they are higher or better than the
people, that they had any secrets of state that
could not or should not be impaired to the peo-
ple."
Mr. Platt said he would have asked for vote
on his resolution now, but that he understood
some other Senators wished to be heard on it.
He would, however, ask the Senate to vote on it
as early as possible.
Mr.. Riddleberger, in Withdrawing the substi-
tute offered by him for the open executive ses-
sons resolution, said he had offered It in the be-
lief that two-thirds vote was necessary to pass
the resolution for which he intended his resolu-
ton to be substitute. Finding that the present
form of the resolution would require only a ma
jority vote, he would withdraw the substitute.
He said he would call up the mat
ter every morning till it was disposed
of. He did not propose that it should be
allowed to die out AS to the secrets of the
executive sessions getting out, he said if ne
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