The Washington critic., 1890-03-13
SENATORIAL GIvE-AwAYs.
How the business of Executive Sc,
sions was Made Public,
.Specioi TO NE Commercial (fejnpl,ts).

Speciot to he Commercial (JLs,nptis).
LOUISVILLE, KY, March 0.--Jay f.
Durham, for many years Washington
correspondent Of the New York World,
now district manager of the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railway, located here, and
president of the Blue Grass club, was
interviewed this evening on the subject
of the leakings Of the Senate secret ses.
sions now causing so much discussion.
He said: "Yes, ] was correspond
ent at Washington until 1888, and
when | wanted piece of news as to
what had been done at any of
the secret sessions of the Sen
ate i always knew where to go to
get 1t. 1t was not necessary to go to
any of the unfortunate employees of that
august body in order to learn what had
been done. Every correspondent in
Washington knew his business suffi-
ciently well, aud all that was necessary
was to hunt up some United States Sen
ator whom he knew, and he was given
the desired information. | am violating
no obligation, now that am not a cor
respondent, having for the time being
reformed. ! can name Senators whom
] have known TO go to newspaper offices
on The Row to give to certain CORE
spondents secret session news. When
Senator Van Wyck of Nebraska (some
times called "Crazy Horse" because his
initials were go, II. y was in the Senate
he made no secret of giving to the cor
respondents all the secret session news
they asked for. He was in favor of
abollshing the secret session
lI;tal, Ill ,,f n,ao.o,,
Dolph's colleague, was always good to
the correspondents, and they had a
warm place in their hearts for him. |
know one correspondent who often said
to me that Senator ingalls, furnished
him with secret session news, and this
while he was President pro tempore of
the highest legislative body in the
world. The little giant, Spooner of
Wisconsin, always disliked to allow a
correspondent to go away without get
ting what he came for when the subject
of secret session was under discussion
between the Senator and the correspond
ent.
Senator Cullom of Illinois is the
greatest old gossip in the Senate. Ia
fact, it is hard for him to keep from
telling all he knows, and, If his friends
would listen to him a few minutes, he
would. He was the one man of all
Senators whom Chicago correspondents
relied upon for secret session informt
ton, and my recollection is quite Gle II
that the papers in the Windy City a.
ways got their share of secret session
news.
Senator Coclirell of Missouri would
talk, and rather liked it, when he had
for his listeners some of the st. Louis
correspondents. Ex- Senator Warner
Miller was one of the Senators that we
New York correspondents had been
taught to rely upon for good Juice
let's fresh from the session which was
| secret
"To the Southern correspondents
| Senator Harris of Tennessee was in
most cases up to his standard in polite
ness. The Boston or New England
| correspondents, think, had been poi
ished up to the point where they knew
Senator Dawes of Massachusetts woulG
not let them get scooped on secret scs
sion news.
'Manderson of Nebraska, Plumb o.
Kansas, Palmer of Michigan, Call o.
Florida, Chandler of New Hampshire
German of Maryland, Vance of Nortl
Carolina, Reagan of Texas, Hearst o
California and many others never Il
my knowledge turned correspondent
down when they were interrogatet
about secret sessions.
"Old Senator Salisbury of Delaware
once in the rotunda Of Wizards Hote
threatened to brain corn espondent 70
presumiDg upon him TO ask anythin;
about the result of secret session
This is the only case l ever knew o
where such violent objections wer
made by Senator, though there ma,
have been others, of course.
There were some Senators VIII,
were known not to talk, and of cours
they were never molested in their reso
lutions to strictly maintain their oath
as TO secrecy.
"NO, never knew of Senator Dolph
who is now conducting the investiga
ton with the view of finding tn
leak, giving anything away. do nc
think there were any correspondent
who ever accused Senator Dolph q
being in possession of information O
sufficient value to print, and for thi
reason he was not asked to give up an
secret session news.
almost every correspondent who's
duty II is to keep the usual eagle eye 0
the Senate and result of the so-calle
secret sessions knew his Senator, an
there were never any mistakes. Th
news of a secret session which al
jolIrned at 6 O'clock was most alway
common property on Newspaper Ro'
by 7:3O o'clock, and generally the nam
of the Senator who had given it OF
went with it. This was required as
guarantee of good faith, as there wer
some Senators who were known q
times to indulge in romancing."