The Portland daily press., 1890-03-05
MAKING DIGNITY RIDICULOUS.
The Senate and the HustIlng Re-
porters Who Print the News.

WASHINGTON, March 4.-The Senate to-
offered by Mr.. Dolph in behalf of the COM
mittee recently appointed to investigate exc
cutive session leakings, calling for the arrest
and imprisonment of A. j. Halford of the
Associated Press and George Grantham Balm
of the United Press, for contempt in refus.
ing to divulge the sources of news concern
ing secret sessions. The resolution and re-
port of the committee set forth the fact that
these correspondents were guilty of making
public the confidential business of the Sen.
ate contrary to statute. Mr.. Dolph said the
committee was unable to obtain satisfactory
information from the five newspaper men
called as witnesses in the investigation
which had been in progress for some time.
The local papers, he said, obtained most of
their secret session news from the press asso-
Citations. Only few papers published else
where printed other than the regular press
reports. He held the press associations, and
the men who furnished these facts to them
particularly culpable. 1t would be wise for
the Senate to make an example of them.
During the discussion that followed, it was
suggested that other correspondents who re-
fused to answer questions, were equally in
contempt, aud when the resolution is finally
acted upon 1t may include their names also.
Senator Teller offered as substitute for
Mr. D0lph's resolution, resolution hereto
fore offered by him, now pending before the
committee on rules, providing for the consid-
Grafton of nominations in open executive
session. He said the Senate was making it
self ridiculous in its efforts to run down the
betrayerS OF executive secrets. Senators
knew perfectly we'll that most of this infor-
nation of confidential character was be-
trayed by members of the Senate He did
not think it would be possible to accomplish
the end Mr.. Dolph desired by throwing two
or three newspaper men into Jail. Instead
of preserving the dignity of the Senate, it
would make that body a common laughing
stock.
Mr.. Wilson of Iowa, member of the
leakage committee, supported Mr.. Dolph.
He said the newspaper men ought to be
locked up until they would tell where they
got the information.
Mr.. Blackburn, also member of the COM
mittee, gave the resolution a qualified in
dorsement and seemed somewhat exercised
over the publication in the newspapers his
morning of the proceedings of the secret
session yesterday, particularly the criticism
in New York paper of the attitude of the
Democratic Senators who voted for the con-
iirmation Of Collector Yarmouth at New Or
leans.
Mr.. Platt supported Mr. Teller's resolution
as he had done in the past. He said so long
as the nominations were considered in secret
the rules of the Senate should be observed
in this particular.
Mr.. Harris supported Mr.. Dolph vigorous
ly.
The Senators from the new states spoke
vigorously against the resolution of Mr..
Dolph, and told the Senate in plain terms
how much it owed to the press, particularly
to Washington correspondents.
The matter was under discussion for near
ly five hours. The indications are the Dolphs
resolution will not be agreed to.