Evening journal., 1890-03-07
SENATORS VS.THE PRESS
n Great Commotion Over Secret
Session Leakages.
VIEWS OF EDMUNDs AND INGALLS,.


Senator Dolph Very Angry with wash-
ington Rsporter--shaIl Newspaper Men
GO to JAIN or Notq-other News from
tho National Capital.
WASHINGTON, March AFTER routine
business the senate took up the calendar and
passed two pension hills-one granting $75
month to the daughter Of Gen. W. J. " orth
and one increasing 10 800 month the PEN
sion Of the widow Of Maj. Gen. @. K. War
ren. The senate then went into secret ses-
sion to consider the question Of imprisoning
the newspaper men who have been guilty Of
publishing the business Of the senate in OK
ecutiye session, and Of refusing to tell whore
this news was obtained. The discussion
again turned to the consttutionality Of the
question, and for long time the senators
debated whether under the constituti on
they had a right to imprison the newspaper
correspondents Every senator who has
any knowledge Of constitutional law spoke
at some length.
The Definition OF "sedltion.'
The question Of the definition of "sedl-
tionn having been raised, a copy Of Web !
ster's Dictionary was obtained and the deiini- |
tion there given was read and commented
upon at some length. Among the orators
Of the afternoon were Senators Edmunds,
Allison, Plumb, Faulkner and Dolph. Mr.. }
Dolph read to the senate a paragraph from
The Washington Star, follows; 9
The senate "smeng" committee was not la
session today. The senate itself Is supposed TO
Ha ma 10 al "a IA ha -
journalistic lions, who are endeavoring with
good deal Of success, to tear the the enrallH out
Of secret sessions. It is probable that the bush
hess or fun, or whatever else it Is, may be taken
up tomorrow. but today nothing viii be done be-
cause Senator Dolph, who ID the chief Of the
esmellers," is giving a Columbia river salmon
lunch in the restaurant
senator Dolph Angry.
This paragraph, Mr.. Dolph said, was writ
ten by a man who enjoyed the privilege OK
the press gallery Hethought it was an out
rage that man who was granted special
privileges by the senate should be allowed
10 abuse It's members in this way During
the course OF his talk to the senate Mr.. Ed
munds proposed that the old remedy be APP
piled Ia this case--that all Of the senators
and employees Of the senate take an oath Of
purgation to relieve them Of all suspicion for
what had been done in tho past and that
| the matter De closed Win tuaN
Mr.. Ingalls, Proposition.
Mr. Ingalls, laid before the sepnte a propo-
Bition that committee DO appointed TO con-
fer with the press committee. He said that
no Thought the rules Of the press gallery
should provide that any man admitted to
It's privileges who published what purported
10 be a report OF the proceedings in execu-
tive session should be expelled Mr. IngallsF
proposition did not meet with much favor,
and both the Ingalls, and Edmunds PROPOSE
tions were laid aside
One Senator's Views.
There Is a decided unanimity Of sentiment
among the senator's as 60 the wrong which
they believe is being done by the press They
Hay that the treatment to which they are
being sub 1ected is unfair and lacks the ole
ments Of decency. "You occupants Of the
press gallery are our guests, y said one, and
we have never been anything but liberal in
our dealings with you. We have given you
privileged private gallery, from which
every one except yourselves is excluded ny
rigid rules.
'sYou are furnished with all necessary ac-
commodations and you are not even called
upon to pay your stationery bills We treat
you with every respect and have tho kind
liest feelings toward you, yet because we
will not give you our proceedings while in
executive session you abuse us and ridicule
matters Of which you cannot know much or
know even that little with any degree OF
precision Did you ever stop to think that
we are performing duty similar to the
cabnetl Our functions are executive and
we pass precisely upon the same matters as
has been considered by the president and his
, official family yet we never hear any popu-
lar clamor or alleged demand for public ses-
I sions Of the cabinet
bills in the Senate.
S Among the bills introduced in the senate
t were the following BY Mr.. Cullom-For q
Q monument to John Ericsson. By Mr.. Pascc
r For the punishment Of officers and Others
selecting jurors with reference to political
affiliations. By Mr.. Dawes (by requestl l-Te
amend the revised statutes so as to permit
the purchase and register OF foreign built
vessels by citizens Of the United States foH
employment in the foreign trade.