Evening journal., 1890-03-05
IN tl,e Sennte.

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In the senate.
WASHINGTON, March 5.--In the senate the
resolution offered by Mr. Voorhees, in regard
70 tho lease Of the fur seal islands--.N Alaska
TO the North American Commercial COM
pany, was reported back from the finance
committee by Mr. Morrill, adversely, on the
ground that tho treasury department had
already made the lease, and that the com
mittee had no power to interfere in the
matter
MIR. Voorhees, said that there was nothing
further from his intention in Offering the
resolution than to make any imputation on
the conduct OF the secretary of the treasury.
The resolution was indefinitely postponed.
Bills for public buildings in Dover and
Nashua, n. H. each appropriating 100000,
were reported and placed on the calendar.
To Arrest Newspaper Men.
The senate in secret session debated at
length a resolution offered by MIR. Dolph,
IN behalf Of the committee recently ap-
pointed to investigate executive session
leakages calling for the arrest and im-
prisonment Of A. j. Halford, Of the Asso-
ciated Press and George Grantham Balm,
Of the United Press, for contempt In refus-
ing TO diyulge the sources Of the news con-
cerning secret sessions which they have sent
out from time TO time. The resolution and
report Of the committee set forth the fact
that these correspondents have been guilty
Of making public the confidential business
Of the senate contrary 10 the statute, and
that they have placed themselves ia con
tempt Of the senate by refusing to answer
questions concerning the source Of their in
formation.
In presenting the resolution Mr.. Doiph
said that the committee had been unable to
obtain satisfactory information from FIVE
newspaper men who had been called as wit
nesses in the investigation which has been
in progress for some time. The local papers,
he said, obtained most Of their secret session
news from the press associations, aud only a
few papers, published elsewhere, printed
other than the regular press reports.
Five scribes as Examples.
He held, therefore, that the press associn-
tions and the men who furnished these facts
to them were particularly culpable, and
that il would be wise for the senate to make
an example Of them. During the discussion
that followed il was suggested that the
other correspondents who had refused to an
swer questions were equally in contempt,
upon It may include their names also
They are: NJ. @. Seckendorff, Of The New
| York Tribune; Jules Guthridge, Of The
New York Herald, and +. A. Dupuy, Of
| The New York Times.
1t Would Make the Senate Ridiculous
Senator Teller offered as a substitute for
| Mr.. Dolph's resolution the resolution here
tofore offered by him and now pending be-
| ba
the consideration of nominations in open
executive session. He said that the senate
was making itself ridiculous in its efforts to
run down the betrayers of executive secrets.
He said that senators knew perfectly well
that most Of the information of a coniiden-
tial character was betrayed by members Of
the senate. He did rot think it would be
possible to accomplish the end which Mr..
Dolph desired by throwing two or three
newspaper men into jail. Instead Of pre-
serving the dignity Of the senate they would
make that body a common laughing stock.
Mr.. Wilson tIa.), a member Of the leakage
committee, supported Mr.. Dolph and said
that the newspaper men ought TO be locked
up until they would tell where they got
their information. Mr.. Blackburn, also a
member Of the committee, gave the resoln-
| tion a qualified Endorsement He was some
what exercised over the publication In the
newspapers Of the morning OF the proceed
ings Of the secret session Of Monday, partic-
ularly the criticism in a New York paper OF
the attitude Of the Democratic senator who
voted for the confirmation Of Mr.. War
mouth.
Mr.. Platt supported Mr.. Teller's resolu.
tion, as he had done in the past, but said
that so long as nominations were consid.
cred in secret the rules Of the senate should
be observed in this particular Mr.. Harris
supported Mr.. Dolph vigorously.
nIr. Dolph win Get Left.
The senators from the new states, TO the
great qualification of the friends Of open
sessions, spoke vigorously against the reso
luton Of Mr.. Dolph, and told the senate IN
| plain terms how much it owed to the press
and particularly TO the corps Of Washing
ton correspondents. The debate was con.
tinued at great length. The indications
are that the Dolph resolution will not b
agreed to.
Among the bills introduced in the senate
were the following: BY Mr. Butler-Ths
bill introduced by him last year providing
for the enrolment Of the naval militia and
the organization Of naval reserve forces
| By Mr.. Cameron-Appropriat $3.50, OOl
for public building at Altoona, Pa.
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