The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-04-10
AN ANNUAL FARCE.
The SENATE AGAIN AGOG OVER
SECRET SESSION LEAKS.
unprecedented Precautions Taken to
Guard the Sanctity OF tho Executive
session-IIow Correspondents Get News
from Unsuspccting Senators.

inc AAlAtA NANAtn fthN'Nt ~N'NNN OilAt u
wear thesonate permits itself TO become ex-
cited concerning the manner in which it's
nrocccdings. while IN secret session, yet
into the newspapers. il IS a queer fact
that the secret sessions Of the senate are
more carefully reported in the papers than
the open sessions Asa rule, special cor.
respondents do not pay much attention to
thc sessions of the senate which are open
70 the public. Visitors 70 the Capitol are
always expressing surprise that the press
galleries o. the house and senate are 50
empty. Usually one can see in these gal
leric, but three or four men. Apparently
representatives OF the great newspapers
,f thc land DO not care q rap wha, is going
an down below Explanation Of this is
found I'M the fact that all the papers dc
pend FOR their reports OF ordinary proceed
ines upon the Associated or United Press
reporters, who occupy seats on the floor
who are shorthand writer's and who make
a running account Of all that takes place.
But suppose an extraordinary proceeding
s., ca the tapis-a silver fight or something
Of that sort coming up. In twinkling
tie press gallery will be filled 20 overflow
ing. Every seat will be occupied, and cor
respondents will be hanging over one an
others shoulders. II is surprising where
cd tbc newspaper men come from and
what they All find 90 CO. In all there are
more than $50 Of them, and a keen, well
informed, influential lot Of men they are
to0
Unless there is something Of special IN
forest ia the senate the press gallery Is lett
,1occupicd. When an executive session Is
l-d the correspondents and everybody
else are driven out. Suddenly the same
correspondents who were paying no atton-
tson whatever TO the public session be
come possessed Of a consuming desire TO
know what is going ON I'm executive session.
Perhaps the secret session is of no greater
importance than the public session had
been. That makes no difference infOrma-
t1n concerning a secret session is a sort Of
forbidden fruit. and newspaper men are
ius, like the remainder of humanity in
their prOneness TO pursue that sort Of re-
freshment. SOFT happens that next morn
3ng pretty full accounts Of what was said
and done in the executive session appears
in the newspapers. This goes on day after
dav for about a twelvcmonth. and then Che
senate rises up and gets angry and talks OF
doing something.
We lad such an uprising few days ago,
aud it was attended by some comical fea-
lures In the first place the older sena-
tors who regard themselves as the par
ticular champions of the inyiOlability of
secret sessions, attempted TO institute a
sort Of reign of terror. They knew that
senators had been talking too much to
newspaper men, and they pretended 10
know who the offenders were. They de-
clared with great s0iemnity that the sena-
tors caught revealing the secrets OF the
body would be summary dealt with. 1t
was iutimated that resolutions 10 expei
the offenders might be introduced. Natu-
rally thu. sort of talk from the leaders Gre
ated a good deal of excitement among the
Younger members OF the senate. They
looked one 40 another and held whispered
consultation iu The cl0akrOoms. In few
minutes there seemed 10 be an understand
ing throughout the chamber that every
body was TO appear quite as indignant as
the old senators az the violation of the rule
of secrecy. Everybody did look indignant.
Everybody lifted his voice for terreting
out the offenders and Furnishing them
Every face wore an expression Of limo
cence and virtue And when it was all
over and nothing done, every one smiled
10 himself and the younger senators
nudped their neigh bOrs and shrugged their
shoulders.
That night, for the first and perhaps the
last time in the current year, newspaper
men found it difficult to get news OF the
executive session Senators were not at
home. They were out to dinner. were at
the theater, had gone to the club. The
few who could be found shut their lips
tightly and refused TO utter whisper
There were rumors that the old senators
had hired detectives and set them to watch
the houses of those Of their colleagues who
were suspected Of giving away the senate
secrets. For one night they were cautious,
timid. awed, but for one night only. Next
morning the newspapers had little or no
news Of the previous days executive SEES
sion. but from that day to tins they nave
had better reports than usual.
The old senator's who were determined
10 put a stop TO the giving away Of eNecu-
tive secrets went TO an extreme IN this
case. which has brought down upon them
the maledictions of all the newspaper men
in Washington. They turned out Of the
secret session the old and trusted employ
eos Of the senate, men who had been there
for year after year, and against whose good
faith not q whisper had ever been made.
One Of these old employees whom the SEN
ate thus insulted was Captain Bassett, VINO
Tor sixty years has been in the employ OF
the American house Of lords. Old man
Bassett loves the senate as he loves his
child lie guards it's interests, It's dignity
the prophecies of its every form and pro
ceeding with a jealous eye. lie would
make any possible personal sacrifice 70 pro
tect the senate His zeal in this direction
is the consuming passion Of his life-a pas
sion which has gathered force through All
these years of faithful labor As reward
for the senate turned him out into the
corridor. as much as TO say thatin his ola
NE LIE had fallen under suspicion and
could NO longer be trusted. At first the
old man could not understand IT, Ills
senses refused 70 credit the words ID winch
be was informed that he had been turned
out Then he burst into tears, and IL was
on hour or more before lie had regalned his
oomposurc.
Another old employee who fell under the
ban wasJames II. Young, a newspaper nun
By profession, but for many years the e~-
ecutiye clerk Of the senate. Great sen"
torial minds have concluded that Mr..
Young having been a newspaper man
must be the culprit who was giving news
paper men information concerning inc