Telegram-herald., 1890-03-03
WASHINGTON ECHOES
The Executive Session" Chestnut
Of the United States Senate.
SENATOR'S IRYINe 10 FIND The LEAK
Chicago sun Planning Hsrssif Ga Her
srsat yietsry aaa New fork Nursing
Her ssrss-w asktnsto8 kiskt.s
Important biiis-

people no less distinguished than half
dozen grave and digniaed United States
Senators.
ssThe executive session. Of the Senate
isa tiTne-honored institution, which has
no friends except among tEs Senators.
The outside public has long ago de-
clared war upon it, and although dur
ing the last year band Of determined
Senator's has tried 70 suppress il, IFS ef-
forts have not been crowned with much
success
AL nominations and treaties are con-
sideTed by the Senate with closed doors.
When nominations are % come up, a
motion Is made by Senator, "that the
Senate DO now proceed 70 the consider
alton Of executive business" where
upon the electric bells, outside the
doors Of every gallery ring three times,
the dOorkeepers hustle IN and turn out
all the visitors and the doors are
locked. The newspaper men share the
common fate. The doors leading to
the senate chamber are also locked
and no one Is admitted TO the hoor
except Sens tors, the executive clerk,
aud one or two other special and
trusted employees. When the nominal
tions have been considered no infor-
nation is gwen out to the public, and
1t = only after the lapse OF few days
that sha actfc,, of tho senate l. Off 49, a III y
known.
OF course I need hardly tell your
readers that the newspaper men are not
content 10 wait that lapse of time to
know what has been done. The public
and their papers want the news at once,
and after every secret session the cor
respondents proceed TO hustle for the
news. OF course they get il; that is n
way they have, and the next morning
the public knows just what has hap
pened. ! am not going 10 tell your
readers how We manage to find out
what has been done behind those
locked doors, but / will say that IN a
somewhat long and varied experience,
have never known the proceedings OF
any important executive session to be
kept secret. IL IS certainly an un-
American idea for the characters of
men and their fitness TO office TO be dis
eussed behind locked doors, where the
most serious charges can be brought
against nominee, where he can be ac-
cused of svery crime in the catalogue,
and vet not be gwen the slightest op-
pOrtunity to answer. There Is no JUS
tice IN II, and the practice ought to be
abolished.
During the last week a committee of
the Senate has been investigating trying
10 find out how secrets leak. A great
many newspaper men have been ex-
ahmed by the committee. When the
committee finished with them, they
knew about as much as they did when
they commenced. The only way by
which the Senate can prevent executive
business from leaking" is by not hav-
ing executive sessions, otherwise any,
thing of real Importance that tran
spires VIII certainly become public
property.
The Chicago men are very jubilant
over their Worlds FAIR victory and the
men from Michigan are equally well
satisfied with the result. The West
believes that the holding of the great
exposition in Chicago in '92. cannot fail
90 be of the greatest benefit TO that vast
empire West of the Alleghenies. New
York stn feels somewhat sore because
she lost the prize, and Washington Is
diving hard. The capital always de-
pends on Congress for everything that
will help It. and as the fair would have
gwen 70 an immense business boom.
much disappointment is felt at
tie defeat by the merchants
and real estate spectators. \
project IS now on foot TO have Congress
make \ large appropriation for great
national university n the District of
Columbia tOcommemOrate,th 20 the discovery
Of America by Columbus, and that this
project Viii be used 20 antagOnIze
Worlds FAIR Legislation IN the Senate.
do not bciicve there IS much IN the
talk. OF course. Washington VIII push
The scheme as much a. it possibly can,
nut from all can learn on the subject
.hi,agO has more friends IN the Senate
tb1u it had Iu the house, so there Is not
much prospect tor any little SIDE shows
aud the year 1892 Will doubtless sec q
macu ficeut spectacle in Chicago; one
worthy of the occasion and the
country.
Gen. Cutcbeon IS one Of tho hardest
working members of Congress. There
isslwavs a lot of business before tho
Committee on Military Affairs. and as
chairman of that committee he hiss just
finished doing the principal work on
tnc Army Appropriation bill. The es-
t.-oates called TOR an appropriation OF
S25.s4l IS. hut this the committee cut
down to S1417S. .0S5. an increase over
last years appropriation Of Sf53. .t1o. |
s,lprose that some Democratic critics
viii now get I'D and howl because of
tnis increase and write long Cd torials
about Republican extravaganCe. For
their benefit. then. let me tell them that
this increase r. manly due % the 0pe-
ration of iaw. that IS additional nay 70
officers and enlisted men for length ot
service. ard which increases every year
Ihc other tems are for needed M
pruvements Of the service.
-.
cen Cutcheon IS anxious 70 ace
passed his biIl n reorgsnize the artillery
arm of The army fronI FIVE into seven
regiments. TINS WAS measure m winch
the iate Gen. sheridan was greatly m
terrsted. ard Mai0rf4en. ~choreid, the
command ing general OF the army, slso
regards it ss a necessary measure. lbe
object az the rcorzarizatson Is 70 give
tr0 regiments ~ ARTILLERY for tne forts
% be- erected On the Pacific coast
The bill introduced bv Mr.. BUTTONS,
a brief abstract of which haFe alresdy
-rierrsrhed Won. creating cos1ln'is-