The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-04-14

TO say OF MIN, anu not Wslt tlli
the Senate doors were closed ? Had
rot Senators o ten had occasion
as practicing lawyers to comment
in uuen court on the testimony Of
witnesses? He'd they ever hesitated
10 do that wten the interestg Of their
clients demanded il? Did not Senators
here have the people Tor their clients,
and why should they not speak ops My
and boldly whft hey had to say in
behalf OF TIE peoples interests? r.
deed Senator'S had often found il 20
be their duty to say openly what uu-
der the rule might be said t. be exeCu-
tive business. Instances of this were
cited by Ser ator Pat. The essence
of the argument for executive session,
he said, was plea by SeDa ors for
personal liberty on their part. But
did no Senator'S represent the people?
Were Senators beyond responsibility?
The whole administration of law in a
government of the people was in
volved in the appointment AID con-
frmation OF men to office. The laws
could only be enforced through per-
SONS appointed to office. As 20
the point OF Sena orisl preroga-
tive which, 1t was said, was
involved in the question,
"There are two words" said Senator
Plat, (which the people of the coun'
try want to see expunged from tNeir
political vocabulary; it ia time these
words were obsolete. These words
are 'prarogative' and privilege, aud,
if il were not for being alliterstive, /
would say that there were two other
words, patronage and 'DeTquisites',
which the people want to have &C..
The people desired TO have done with
| them, and the Senate bad better have
| done with them. This i no place TO
assert prerc gatve. We had better
| stand pretty close to the people and
trust toe people if we want them to
/ trust us." Public sentiment and the
sentiment of the pr, So, Senator Plat
said, WIS open sessions OF the
| 1900 newspapers in the country fully
| 10000 had declared for open sessions.
Some Senators might say that they
| did not care what the papers said, but
| Senator Plstt said the pres repre-
sented the sentiment OF the people.
Ii was the sentiment of the people
that Senators should desire TO know.
Public sentime cent was easily dis
tinguishsble from pubic c'amor. The
public wish was to be law, for bet-
TOR or worse. The day would come
when the people were to be ON
nipotent in the government. With
the journalism that conct ded to
public men neither honest motives nor
private virtues Senator Plat had no
ynpathy for it he had no respect.
But that was not the press of this
country. 1t was the country newsps-
per that represented the real sentiment
of the countryside newspaper that
had no special correspondent here
Senators were subjected to susp. cion
OF bargains" among one another
arising from conside atoms Of Ssna.
torial courtesy. To these suspicious
they would not be subjected if the
windows were always open.
Senator Platt quoted Burns's lines
go, wad some power the giftie gle
us, to see ourselves as others see us. u
He asked Senators to endeavor to re-
alize how the people regarded the Sc
cret sessions. He did not know how
much or how little of what the news
papers printed about executive SEES
sions was true, but he was justified il
saying that the secrets go out tC
greater or less extent. Mixed they
might be with the fertile imaginatiOnS
of the reporter, nevertheless, no Sera
tor could deny that, either through
the Senators or the officers o.
the Senate, the secrets got out
and Senator Platt did not by this
mean to cast the slightest suspicioT
on the officers of the Senate. He
Senator Platt) did not want tC
be in a position where he was
subjected to suspicion o
dishonorable disclosures. We haC
better" he said, "have everything
that was said by Senators said in opeT
session so that it could be published
unmixed with the Imagination of thu
reporters Senators had nothing lef
to them but silent endurance whet
misrepresented. He could name mat
tiers on which his constituents sup
posed to-day that he tad voted con
trary to his actual vote, because /
had been wrongly stated in the news
papers. He could only submit in 81
lence to the misrepresentation
because he could not disclose wha
his vote had been" Senator Plat
then took up the subject iron
the civil service point of view, ant
claimed that civil service was a mock
cry and sham without an open con
sideration of nominations for Office
made to. the Senate. Referring to tn
architectural features of the Senate
, chamber, with the sunlight shut out
they were well paralleled, he said, !.
the way business was conducted IL
, the chamber. The secret session wa
as much of an outrage as the Senat
, chamber itself was an architecture
, outrage,
On the conclusion of Senator Platt'
: remarks, Senator Butler obtained
unanimous consent to address tn
Senate, after the morning business to
. morrow, on the subject of open eX
! ecutive sessions.
, Senator Logan said he desired t,
follow Senator Butler on the SAM
q subject.
, On motion of Senator Butler
House bill was passed authorizing tn
Secretary of War to deliver to tn
: lawful owners of property proof of ceI
tain claims of property captured il
the late war, consisting of famil
heirlooms, silyerware, watches, etc,
The fisheries resolution was theI
! placed before the Senate.
{ After some debate, Senator Frye
, resolution was brought to a vote, an,
agreed to yeas, 50; nays, 10. OF tn
, Affirmative votes, twenty-siX were Re
/ publican and nine Democratic. Tn
Democrats were Senators Brown, But
Ter, Fair, German, Harris, Mcpherson
Maxey, Morgan and Payne. The neg
alive votes were all Democrats, beinj
. Senators Cali, Cocbrell, Coke, Col
quit Eustis, Gray, Pugh, Vance
. Voorhees, and Walthall.
A number of pairs with absent Sen.
ators were announced.
The resolution declares it is tn,
sense Of the Senate that COngrps