New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-10
THE DOORS OPENED.

A new rule has been adopted by the Senate
without dissenting voice, which will enable
a majority to throw open the doors at any time
during the discussion Of a treaty.. Ii majority
so order, the whole country may be able to
listen to the debate on the Fisheries Treaty
and give an intelligent verdict upon it.
II is not surprising that there was no opposi-
ton. for DO good argument can be made against
such rule II a majority Of the Senators be-
lieve it would be to the public interest to have
treaty discussed with open doors, why should
it not be in their power to order 1t? They
will not be compelled to discuss all treaties
in public. nor any treaty. They will simply be
free to let the people know what is going on,
provided they think it desirable. In other
words, they will be carrying on their business
under system of some elasticity, instead of
being bound and gagged by fixed rules.
1t is to be hoped that the debate on the Fish
cries Treaty will be had with open DOORS
There is every reason why it should be So
The President urged that the text be
made public, and now that that is common
property it would be almost foolish aflecta-
tion to make mystery of the discussion. The
friends Of the treaty. Or some Of them, are on
TIC SLUG VI puDIlCIty, VI pioiess W w. D"'iJ
it's opponents ought to be, and We believe are.
The one side believe that public discussion
will vindIcate the treaty the other, that it will
expose it in its true character as surrender of
American rights and just CLAIMS. The best way
to enable the country to make up its mind is to
let us all into the galleries.
The history Of the secret sessions Of the Sen
ate is of interest as bearing upon this question.
The Continental Congress sat with closed doors,
and this method was inherited by the Senate
The House of Representatives fixed the custom
of public sessions within week after its or
ganization. causing John Adams to write to his
wife that the publication Of the debates would
Establish the National Government or break
the Confederation; but the Senate persisted in
secret sessions for all business in spite of re-
peated efforts by James Monroe against them
for five years. It was then ordered that the
legislative sessions should be open. bat no
formal regulation regarding secret business was
adopted until 1900, when Senators were COM
manded to keep "inviolably secret all con-
Gdential communications from the President
and that all treaties should be kept secret until
the Senate ordered otherwise. In 1918 the
first effort was formally made to prescribe by
rule that remarks and information commune
Gated by Senator in considering nomination
should be kept secret, but it failed and the
rule was not adopted until 1920. The fact that
it failed in 1913 seems to show that secrecy
with regard to what was said about nominations
was not the custom then. 1t was certainly not
prescribed by rule until thirty-one years after
the formation of the Government. Twenty
Al =. . II
Allen of Ohio, made an effort to have open
sessions except in acting upon treaties, and
renewed his proposition, which received con-
siderable support, though not enough for its
adoption at intervals during seven years. In
1S53-thirty five years ago-Salmon p. Chase
offered resolution for the consideration both
Of treaties and nominations in open session,
and pressed it twice upon the Senate, though
unsuccessfully 1t was supported by Charles
Sumner among others. The drift Of that body
seems to have been steadily in the direction of
greater nominal secrecy, though there has been
no real secrecy at any time. until in le6S rule
was adopted that any Senator should be ex
pelled who disclosed confidential business.
This brief statement Of facts shows that this
idea of secrecy, Of which the Senate
has seemed to mako fetch, has
not come down to us with the sane
ton of original and unbroken precedent but is
to q considerable extent modern invention;
that as policy it has been resisted by many Of
orr great statesmen and by a growing public
sentiment. a little more Of the keen, bright
sunlight Of publicity will be good thing for
the Senate atmosphere, and the passage of this
resolution is an excellent beginning.