Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-04-15
secret sessions of the Senate.

Secret Sessions of the Senate
There is no doubt that Senator Platts
resolution abollshing secret sessions oil
the Senate, which is now being discussed
in the Senate, has toe approval CT the
great majority Of the people. One OF the
strongest arguments in favor OF it is the
remark OF Senator sherman, made some
weeks ago, and quoted by senator Platt
on Tuesday, that there ought to be no
I secrets in this government Of Ours-a gov
eminent OF the people"
4 Only week or two ago there was a
1 great debate in the Senate, which at
tracted the attention of the whole coun-
try, the purpose Of which was to show
that the President has no right TO keep
certain matters secret relating TO the al
ministration OF the government. The
Senate will be open to the charge Of in
consistency If it insists upon retaining a
custom Of which it voted to deprive the
President.
There is nothing in the organic law
which requires that nominations shall be
considered in secret. There was only a
snow at secrecy in the early days Of the
that took place in executive sessions was
given to the newspapers.
A great deal Of what is now done in
executive sessions finds its way into the
newspapers, but such information must
necessarily be very imperfect. The result
is that the public is often misinformed as
TO what actually takes place in these ses-
sions. The Senator'S who furnish the cor
respondents with the points from which
their reports are written are not always
well informed. They generally see things
only from their standpoint, aud often re-
member only what particularly interests
them, or what they want, for some special
purpose, to have published.
The idea entertained by some Senators
that the public has no business to know
what takes place in executive sessions
indicates feeling that they are the mas
ters rather than the servants Of the peo-
pie. A Senator is a very humble individ-
ual when his term is about expiring and
he is seeking a reelection. There is moth
ing then, according to his talk, that the
dear people ought not to have. He tells
them that they are the masters and that
the ofice-holders are their servants, but
just as soon as he gets firmly fixed in his
place his talk and his manner undergo a
very great change. He then begins to be-
lieve that the people are impairment
when they want to know anything that
takes place in the administration Of the
government.
A prominent Senator is reported to
have said few days ago that he was
surprised that any one wanted to intrude
into the privacy of execu tive sessions.
He compared the Senate to a private
club, and declared that he could not un-
derstand why respectable people should
wish to force open the doors of the SEN
ate. This Senator will not express such
sentiments when he asks for a reelection.
His comparison of the Senate to a private
club is an unhappy one. He doesn't pay
anything for privacy, and he wasn't sent
to the Senate for his pleasure and amuse-
ment. He is only paid servant, along
with seventy-five other paid servants, of
avery observant and jealous master, who
wants to see and know what his servants
are doing. If the Senator wants to be
boss he ought to resign.
When nominations are discussed in
open session it will be known why certain
nominations are rejected, and as nomi-
nations, as as rule, are rejected only
for good reasons, it will not be difficult to
discover who undertakes to get friends,
tavOrites and henchmen in office, by
making false statements with regard to
to their fitness and qualifications. Pub
LEFTY will make bad men hesitate to ASK
for places Of responsibility and trust, and
public men who have respect for their
regulations will cease to recommend
them.