The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-04-16
FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS.
THE RIVER AND HARBOR BILL
IN THE HOUSE.
The Subject OF Open Executive Ses-
slOns Further Considered by
the Senate.

port oil the movement Tor open eXecu-
tive sessions. He preferred his own
resolution, he said, because it pro-
vided broadly for open sessions on all
matters OF nomination and confirma-
ton without going into the history of
secret sessions. Senators were respon-
sible 10 the people, and should LET the
people know what they are doing.
Senator Logan hoped the Senators
who favored secret sessions would be
heard from in this debate. The talk
ing should not be all one side in the
discussion. Those who believed in
secret sessions should openly state
their grounds for that belief. He
Senator Logan would like to hear
those grounds. Let the doors be
opened and'let Senatorial courtesy
give place to fair and open considera-
ton. The traducer of character and
the condoner of bad records would
both 90 down before the open consid-
Grafton of nominations. The treach-
erous stiletto would give place to open
and manly warfare. The man who
with 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 peo-
pies respect, to a nomination. Secret
sessions were demoralizing. Was
there one Senator who would hesitate
to frankly tell the truth to man if he
was opposed TO him. Senator Logan
had Enown cases in which men be-
lieved they would be confirmed, and
had good grounds for their belief, yet
were rejected. He Senator Logan
would not say that Senators had told
such men untruths. The secrets Of
executive sessions were let out in
some way, he would not say how cor
rectly. Yves there ever an executive
session to consider an important mat
ter from which something had not
leaked out? He acquitted the officers
of the Senate of any fault in this mat
ter, He did not believe they let the
secrets out. Still the newspapers were
full Of statements of things that hap
pened, or were said TO happen, in ex-
ecutive sessions. If they did not
make correct statements they pro-
posed TO do so. If the Senate would
not open its doors, was it not encour-
aging deception on the part of news
papers2 Was il 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. Senator 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 true. The SEN
ate was not directly responsible for
any incorrect statements as to secre'
sessions. If the doors were opened
the speeches in executive sessions
would be shorter, the proceedings
more orderly and the debates better
and of a more elevated character. As
to the publicity Of votes, Senator Lo-
gan was perfectly willing that his
and everybody else
should know how he voted in execu-
tive 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 Senators were
doing. Everywhere in his country
the principle of growth was recog-
nized except in the United States Sen
ate. That principle was coming TO
be recognized everywhere throughout
the world. The principle of liberty
is spreading. Take TIE case of Ire
land, 81 long trodden and tram.
pied under foot. Why was it
that the grandest statesman that Eng
lard had produced was struggling in
behalf of long-suffering Ireland. 1t
was because of the growth of the prin-
ciple of liberty of the principle OF fair
dealing. Education and reflection
were lighting up the minds of all peo
pie in this country, too. The people
were getting more enligh tened and
views of their rights We
should bear in mind that there were
but two ways of righting wrongs.
Those ways were reformation and
revolution. He Senator Logan pre-
ferred reformation. Let Senators have
done with childishness, and put on
the garb OF men; it seemed to bring
great Joy to some Senators souls TO see
the galleries cleared and the people
turned out rs il fome 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
and turn sticss into snakes,
or do some equally incomprehensible
thing The whole thing was an abso-
lutte farce. There was nothing that
occurred in executive session that
could not with perfect propriety occur
in open session - not one thing. Secret
sessions gave some S majors opportu-
mites to talk one way in secret and
another in the open Senate.
Senator Hoar, alluding to mention
by Senator Logan of the proceedings
of Commuters, asked Senator Logan
whether his logic would not r quire
the proceedings of committees also to
be open to the public.
Senator l. gan replied "Not at all
but why should not committee meet
ings be open TO the public if anybody
wanted them to beP"
Senator Hoar said that hardly any
proceedings were of more importance
or public interest than the proceedings
of the Comm ttee on Ways and
Means of the House of Representa-
tives, or the Finance Committee of
the Senate, and especially important
were the proceedings Of conference
committees on questions of revenue.
Senator Hoar asked Senator Logan
whet er he would have the proceed
ings of such committees open to the
public
Senator Logan said that, knowing
the astuteness of the Senator from
Massachu etts Senator Hoar) in at
temuts to throw people off the track
in debate whenever the proposition
made did not exactly agree W tn his
notion, but the Senate was not dis
cussing the question of open commit
tee meetings. The people were not
demanding open comm ee meetings,
but they we've demanding open doors
for the proceedings of the Senate. "And
the doors will be opened" Senator
Logan pointedly added, "mark what
I toll Won anI Il ,,.,,,'t l., 49, ,.,l -.