Wichita eagle., 1890-03-13
OF THE SECRET SESSION.
THIS SENATORIAL INSTITUTION IS
NEARING ITS END.
1t Is Really an Absurdity, According to
Robert Graves-He Gives His Reasons
for the Faith That Is in Hiu,-why Lit
tie Interest Is Felt in the Senate.
Special Correspondents. !

! growing, not only In the public mind but IN
the minds OF senators themselves, that the ex-
ecutive session Is absurd and unnecessary.
| For some DAYS the senate has been carrying
on sort OF inqulSition, endeavoring 20 as
certain how its secrets leak out so promptly
and find their way with such regularity and
accuracy into the newspapers. A committee
appointed for the purpose has questioned q
score or more OF newspaper correspondents.
( but without learning very much for its
/ pains The correspondents one and all have
admitted the publication Of news about ex-
! ecutive sessions, and snen declined TO tel
{ whence that news came, except to say that il
4 did not come from any employee OF the SEN
ate, and was not gathered by eavesdropping
/ at keyholes or any such method as that The
I correspondents who appeared before this
committee noticed that one question, and
that very natural and important one. was
never asked them.
Not one witness was asked il be had ever
obtained information concerning the alleged
secret sessions from senators themselves.
The omission of this question with such sus-
piciOuS regularity was of itself confession
of the farce like nature of the investigation.
for every senator on the committee. and
every senator not member of the commit
tee, knew very we'll that senators are the
regular and unfailiug source OF information
concerning executive session matters which
correspondents use and depend upou
Bat few OF the senators now in congress
have made it an infiexible rule TO give out no
information OF this nature Every CORE
spondent has his friends in the senate, every
senator has hisfriends in the newspaper gall
lery The basis OF all friendship is service or
favor, and these senatorial-newspaper friend
ships are no exceptions TO the rule Senators
occasionally need the good offices OF news
paper men, ana once in while the news
paper men draw on their friends the senator's
for news of the so-calied secret sessions. They
do not often draw in vain
A correspondent sits in MS Office on News
paper row. \ rumor steals ill., as rulnors do
steal in all newspaper doors-by messenger,
casual visitor, telephone, telegraph, somehow
that IN the executive session of the day
some business was transacted OF importance
or interest 10 the readers Of the journal
which be represents. The correspondent
forthwith puts on his coat and hat and salIies
forth into the night. Perhaps he calls a cab
TO his assistance He knows Just where he is
going. Senator So-and-so first, Senator Such
and-such second and Senator The-other third
Perhaps the first man is out 20 dinner. Wash
iDgton is a city of dinners, and the iustitu-
ton of dining causes no end of annoyance TO
newspaper correspondents. A stereotyped
announcement at the front door of Washing
ton residences is, ''Out to dinner"
If senatorial friend number two is also out
TO dinner. recourse is had to number three
Chance it that he, too, is dining out, the
choice is left between possible fourth friend
or calling one of the aforesaid trio from his
chair at his hosts table. Some of the best in
tervlews which the corps of Washington cor
respondents have ever printed were secured
in the hall. the interviewer with hat IN hand
and the cold of the weather lingering on his
hablliments, while the interviewee was fresh
and rosy In the face with good wine and good
''wittles'-a rosiness which the white napkin
worn over has capaclous breast served only To
intensity by contrast. Ia half an hour or
such a matter the correspondent returns 70
his office with the executive session ''secret"
at his fingers ends, and shortly afterward.
duly written out and elaborated, II is flying
along the wires.
Journalists the world oyer have q tradi-
ton that the best place 70 approach man
of importance, or man without Importance,
for that matter, is MS own nome There ne
is the host. There, if any place on the face
of the footstooi Is he inclined 20 be generous
and laxative When [ first came 10 Wash
ington l asked an old newspaper correspond
ent here for bit of advice about executive
session news Said he:
Executive sessions usually close late ia
the day. At that hour senator's are tired and
nervous. 1t is just before dinner, Keep away
from your man-and never approach rnan
on this errand unless you know MIN we'll
till after dinner. just before dinner every
man old enough 10 b. senator of the United |
States is a pessimist; just after dinner he is
an optimist.
But sometimes one can't wait till after din |
ner Occasionally a newspaper correspond /
ent wants to dine out himself, Just As IL he |
were human, and IN that case u Is desirable 4
10 get his work out oi the wsy ar an early /
hour Of the evening. Not lo0g ago | ap- |
preached a rough and ready senator from /
the west with an inquiry about executive /
session matter, while we with others y ere 20
ing down stairs IN the senate elevator.
Il would have you know. sir,n said the
senator, drawing himself Up proudly aud put
ting a most severe expression upon hIs face,
that never under any circumstances tax
about executive sessions Of the senate. Pieass
that, SIR, and never dare 20 ap- |
proach me again on that subject"
the people III tee elevator looked at ne |
with an amused sort OF expression on tbe.r
aces and felt 50 badly crushed That .lunk
nto corner and coruuaed win my thoughts
As we were leaving tEe elevator, no xever.
he senator grabbed my arm and pulled ne
nto MS committee room, not far away
)uce inside hs turned with q sLuIle erd 70
marked:
Don; you know tnat ! never talk about
ecreJ sessions-in tie eleya1crl HCv vnat
s II you want 10 know
On another occasion another g-uF and
,lain spoken cid senstor was sccoass1 Tor the
zrue sort o. Information
u c2nt say word, he replied. II mast
.ot say = word. ought not ssy a word /
ant tel you, coald TEL yea, j. 1 waited 70,
nd. hsng me. vii ~ Jou-
And sTaiiiug a. bis 5vn peculiar way Il
apltGIa,img (which wa merely ras .It1ls saT
Z .inpreszIng me with tils importance 81 tbs
avoT be was dcI1E ne, a. pv1-sessta<I 20 give
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