Wichita eagle., 1890-03-13

SKIP cut The sergeaDt-af-arEnS men 60
through all the galleries, locking under ths
seats Tor concealed loi-eress; taey close first
the inner doors aud then the outer ones, So
cureiy locking both lay go through the
outside corridors warning people to hasten
out under penalty Of the iSsv, and II q man
| fingers 70 LOOK at piece of statuary or
| painting one Of these minions steps up and
| taps hmm on the shoulder and orders him down
the stairs and away. When the guards have
cleared all the senate wing Of tbs Capitol
above tie basement OF vulgar citizens they
| must themselves witheravso proper dis
tance from the great doahls doors Until
| couple OF weeks ago tbs guards were perZn:t-
ted 10 sit wftain SIX fess Of toe doors, but IN
der the new rules thsy must not sis within
ten feet, and have seeu the sergeant -as-arms
going about with txpe hne measuring rhe
distance from door 20 chair Woe 20 the
sentry caught one inch nearer the sacred pre-
cincts than the law allows,
According 10 the new rules even tie pres
gallery utst De cleared. Lass week l wrote
sbont the press gallery and the convenient
Withdrawing room, Tor writing and CONVEX
safion. directly In lis rear. Now she seaate
viii not permit the correspondents 10 remain
even "a this loboy. though waals four feet
thick and two closed daers. one Of wood and
three inches thick, and she other Of iron and
two inches thick. are between the chamber
and tie lobby. When the gong sounds thres
times every man JACK Of a Journalist, teles-
rspher aDd messenger hoy>saas1 -. and stand
not on the order Of his gong, II this CHAR
ing ont were not 50 ridicuscss IL would Be
contemplate Lisa serious iaconsenience
10 newspaper rnsn, but the disappearing cor
respondents have great sport listening Ia the
remarks which are made by che or another
about the grave and sell Important states
men on the door below. II is q pity the
senators cannot Cor once learn scne Of the
secrets and hear some OF the speeches Of the
journalistic executive session. Their ears
might burn but II would be sure 20 do them
good in the end.
All tnis i funny when considered in corr
nectien with tie fact that il is only once n =
long time, say once or twice a month, that
there is anything really secret In toe executive
sessions that any person or any Interest s-ould
suffer by having everything made public
Now and then there is discussion as 20 the
personal character of an applicant for office
that might not look wei or be entirely COM
Portable in print, and at rare intervals the
public interests would be best served by dis
cussion Of treaties and such matters with
closed doors. But with these occasional ex-
ceptions the secret session IS an ab<urdity,
and all this sounding of gongs and hustiing
out of citizens Is species OF comical and ye.
disgusting tyranny, more suitable to China
or Russia than to free America.
The chances are that the senate VIII max.
itself So ridicoloGs as to rouse public laugh
that will IN good tune put an end to the whole
business. In this history would siInpiy repeat
itself. When the American house of lords
was first organized it transacted all is bust
ness ia secret. IL had no galleries for The
public, and no newspaper reporters were al
mitted. This was in marked contrast 90 the
custom adopted by tae popular branch of
congress, where s'Ich thing the secret
session was unknown, galleries were provided
for the public and seats provided on the floor
for newspaper correspondents The senate
borrowed It's excuSiveness from the old CON
tinental congress, which sat with closed doors
because it was a. much government council
as legislative body. and because il was en-
gagged % carrying on a war. From the start
public opinion was against the secret session.
and the closed doors had more than anything
else 10 90 with the lack of popular interest IA
the senate. and with the absence Of sympathy
between that body and the people
History records that the secret sessions
were continued but few years In 171,
when GaliatIn, a senator from Penn ylvauia
was uDseatod because he had not acquired
ia the United States, the popular
ciamor against secret sessions became -
great that the senate gave way before the
storm and opened It's doors for al bllsiness
except that requiring secrecy. During the
doors little interest was taken IN tbat body
And tor years after IL opened us doors and
provided galieries for spectators no reports
Of senate proceedings appeared in the meas
papers, and when snch reports dill begin &C
appear they were even moro meager thar
those Of the present day.
ROBERT GRAVES
~ Fffst nj nu.