Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-04-30

aud Won will find fewer ofsach sub
iects discussed and fewer men to
take part in their debate. | VIII
instance a case if | can do so within
the rules. | will take . man, for
instance who is nominated by the
President of the United States to
be a Solicitor General or an Assist
ant Acknowledgement. Let the
doors be opened and accusations
made and discussed in open SEES
SION, and the debate will be con
cluded in much less time than 1t
yOu have secret sessions where no
responsibility rests.
believe moreover that open SEES
siOns would improve what we call
the ciyil-service rules; we should
have real civil.servlce honestly and
better when the nominations OF civ
il-scrvice commissioners were sent
IN here if we had open sessions to
consider them. In secret session
we all know that Senators make
short speeches, and they disavow
any purpose of accusation in what
they say, saying things which are
expressed in language that nobody
understands. In open session a
Senator has to express himself to
the country, and not to be the smok
ing congregation of this body.
believe if you open the doors
and let every nomination be fairly
discussed here, every character be
analyzed, every accusation against
personal character be duly lnvestl-
gated, that you will have a better
class of men performing the public
service. Why, sir, the President
himself, Just prior to the meeting
of this Congress, invited even the
Republicans to come and state 10
him anything thas-they knew went
to the fitness or the unhtueSs OF
any ofhis appointees. Who went
| | do not know. l have never seen
him. Republicans, he invited you
to 90 there and tell him what you
knew Of the personal character and
fitness of a man. Why should We
not discuss both in this body and
let the country know about them
You say that these secrets get out
Then why not let the facts 90 oul
without being secret ? Why not let
the truth 20 instead of falsehood
How do they get out ? If | were
permitted to guess could tell.
have a private secretary, for IN
stance, and consider him partlcu
larly private. walk down the
| Avenue with him and he asks mt
question or two, and being smart
er than | AIN he knows more in fiv(
minutes than | learn in a week
Then he gives it to somebody else
and the whole newspaper traternl
" get it; and my observation II
! that if YOU were to undertake to eX
change intelligence the newspaper
men would have the best of thu
Senate by a large majority. Tina
is the way the secrets get out. ina
is the way the secrets of the execn
tive sessions get out all the time
Another reason why ] am in fay
OF Of open sessions is that theI
they can not misrepresent you
The newspaper fraternity, like
every religious denomination or thu
! Masonic fraternity orr Temperance
association or anything else vii
have some unreliable men among
them, and an instance occurred
here last week that | particularly
noticed because | was most con
cerned in it. Almost all the pa
pers which saw stated nearly the
exact facts. There was one here
representing, or supposed TO ID
hired 10 mlsrepTeSent-l would llk'
10 make it as moderate as possible
-misrepresentnga Representative
in the House Of Representatives
and that Just took the facts whlcl
all the others reported and reyers
ed them, and put my name III the
Mace of the other man. lie wOulC
not have dared to do so If we hat
had open sessions.
Mr.. President, will yield tn
floor now to take mp the pension
bill. Will that deprive this reso
luton Of It's priority tomorrow
morning
The President pro tcmporc. Their
is no unfinished business OF tn
morning hour; either the pending
bill or the resolution in respect t
secret sessions would have to b
taken up on motion.
Mr.. Riddleberger. If the pen
sion bill is taken up, would tina
deprive this resolution OF its PRIOR
ty tomorrow morning
The President pro tcmporc. l
would not. Neither OF them ha
any priority in the morning hour
but mast be taken up on motion.
Mr.. Riddleberger. yield tn
floor.