The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-03-16

According % thc new rules even the press
Gallery must d. cleared. Last week | wrote
about the press gallery and the convenient
Withdrawing ROOM for writing and CONVEX
sa,ion. directly in its rear. Now the senate
will mot hermit the correspondents % remain
e,en In mi. lobby. though walls four feet
thick and two closed doors, one oi wood and
three inches thick, aud the other Of iron ana
two inches thick. are between the chamber
and the lobby. Wien The gong sounds three
times every man jack OF a journalist, teies-
rainier and messenger boymust go, and stand
not on the order of bis going IL this clear
inc ont were not SD ridiculous 10 would be
oonfomnthlo. ltisa serious Inconvenience
~ novsnaror men. but the disappearing corr
respondents have great sport listening 70 the
s.roarks which are made hy ono or another
olout The grave and Ell important states
mem ON the floor below 10 is q pity the
senator. cannot for once learn some of the
secrets and hear some az the speeches of the
Journalistic executive session. Their ears
mirht burn. but it would be- sure % do them
good in the end.
An this is funny when considered IN con-
noction with the fact that 10 is only once in
long time. say once or twice month, that
there isanything really secret IN the executive
sessions that any person or any interest Would
suffer by having everything made puoio'
Now and then there is discussion as to the
personal character Of on applicant FOR office
TINT might not look well or be entirely COM
Portable I'm print, and at rare intervals the
ruhlic interests would be best served by dis
cus.ion of treaties and such matters with
closed doors. But with these occasional exc
ceptions the secret session is am aDsurdity,
and all this sounding Of gongs and hustling
ont of citizens is q species If comical and yet
disgusting tyranny, more suitable 20 emma
or Russia than 90 free America.
The chances are that the senate viii make
itself 50 ridiculous as 10 rouse a public laugh
that win in good time put AN end 90 Che whole
business In this history would simplyrepeat
itself when the American house Of lords
was first ORGANIZED it transacted all its bus'-
ness i'm secret 10 had no galleries Tor Tue
public aud no newspaper reporters were me-
mitted This was in marked contrast to the
custom adopted by the popular prnncn OF
CONGRESS. where such q thing as tho secret
session was unknown gal'erie- were provided
for the public and seats provided ON the ioor
for newspaper correspondents. Tho senate
borrowed n exciu.ivcnes from the old cone
tnental coneress, which at with closed doors
because 10 was o. much government council
as legislative body, and because DO was cn-
gagod in carrying on war; From the start
public opinion was against the secret session,
and the closed doors bad more than anything
else 20 do with the Jack oi popular interest Do
tae senate. and with tao absence of sympathy
between that body and the people
History records that the secret sessions
were continued bot "a few ycars. ln 1893,
when Ganatn. senator from lennsy wanna,
was unseatei because he had not acquired
citizenship in the United States, the popular
c.amor against secret sessions became $40
great that the senate gave way before the
storm and opened ifs doors for a|l business
excert that requiring secrecy During the
four years in which iho senate sat with closed
doors little Interest Was taken in that body
And for years afterit open,d its doors and
provided caileries for spectators no reports
off senate proceedings appeared in the news
rapers. and when such reports did begin to
anpear they wore oven more meager Than
those Of tle present day.
ROBERT GRAVES.