Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-04-16

wAsHrNoToN, April Is, 1886.

port OF the movement for open execu-
tive sessions. he preferred his own
resolution, he said, because 1t provided
broadly tor open sessions on all mat
ters OF nomination and confirmation
without going into the history Of secret
sessions. Senator Logan would simply
premise by saying that there was not
now, and never was, any necessity for
secret sessions Of the Senate.
Mr.. Logan read from Story's Com.
mentaries on the Constitution strong
disapproyal of secrecy IS to public
business, and q statement that it was
not in accord with the spirit Of the
Constitution. Mr.. Logan could not I'M
derstand what there was about the
character of any man nominated for
public office that should require his case
TO be considered in secret. The Sc.
crecy that might have been necessary in
the early years of the republic found
no basis in necessity nor propriety now.
The House of Representatives had first
opened its proceedings to the public be-
cause it represented the people directly.
The Senate had stood out longer on
the theory that it more properly repre-
sented the States. Tho senator's, how
ever, were responsible to the people,
too, and should let the people know
what they were doing.
Mr.. Logan hoped senator's who IA
vored secret sessions would be heard
from in this debate. The talking
should not be all on one side in the dis
cussion. Those who believed in secrecy
should openly state their grounds for
that belief. He logan would like to
hear those grounds. Let the doors be
opened, ard let " senatorial courtesy y
give place to fair and open considera-
ton. The traducer Of character aud
condoner Of bad records would both
20 down before the open considera-
ton of nominations. The treacherous
stilletto would give place to open
and manly warfare. The man who,
with q crooked record, wanted public
Office would then have to seek other
channels than the Senate. In people s
government why should not the people
know the reasons for our consent,
which meant the peoples respect, to
nomination? Secret sessions were de-
moraliziDg. Was there one senator
who would hesitate to frankly tell the
truth to q man if he was opposed
to him2 lie logan had known
cases in which men believed
they would be confirmed, and
had good grounds for their belief, yet
were rejected. lie logan would not
say that senators had told such men
untruths. The secrets Of executive
sessions were let out in some way-he
would,Inot say how correctly. Was
there ever an executive session to con-
slider an important matter from which
something had not leaked out? He
acquitted the officers Of the Senate Of
any fault in this matter; he did not
believe they let secrets out; still the
newspapers were full of statements
of things that happened, or were
said to happen, in executive ses-
sions. If they did not make cor
rect statements they professed to do
so. If the Senate would not open its
doors, was it not encouraging deception
on the part Of the newspapers? Was
it not better to have the country know
exactly what the Senate was doing?
Newspaper-men did the best they could ;
they got "secrets " from somebody
Mr.. Logan did not know from whom /;
probably from the spittoons or desks OF
the Senate chamber-of course not
from any senator. Were not senators
encouraging newspaper-men to state
things that were not true? The Senate
was not directly responsible for any in
correct statements as to secret ses-
sions. If the doors were opened
the speeches in executive sessions
would be shorter, the proceedings more
orderly, and the debates better and OF
q more elevated character. AS to the
publicity Of votes, Mr.. Logan was per.
fectly willing that his constituents and
everybody else should know how he
voted in executive session, and if he
dared he would tell every day what his
vote was, but he never did. The
power of public opinion was rising on
this subject. He said the people felt
that they must and should know what
the senators were doing, They were
demanding open doors for the proceed
ings Of the Senate; land the doors
will be opened" Mr.. Logan pointedly
added "mark what | tell you, and it
will not be long either"
. Mr.. Riddleberger, in withdrawing
the substitute offered by him for
the open-executive-sessions resolution,
said he had offered it in the belief that
a two-thirds vote was necessary to
pass the resolution for which he in
tended his resolution to be substi-
tute. Finding that the present form Of
the resolution would require only a
majority vote, he would withdraw the
substitute. lie said he would call up
the matter every morning till it was
disposed Of. lie did not propose that
it should be allowed to die out. AS
to how the secrets of executive sessions
got out, Mr.. Riddleberger said if he
were permitted to guess he could tell.
81 have private secretary, for in
stance" SAID Mr.. Riddleberger, land
l consider him particularly private. |
walk down the avenue with him and he
asks me q question or two, and being
smarter than am, he knows more in
five minutes than | will learn in a
week. Then he gives it to somebody
else, and the whole newspaper frater-
nifty get it. My observation is that if
you would undertake to exchange in
telligence the newspaper-men would
have the best Of this Senate by a
large majority. That is the way