The Van Buren press., 1893-05-13


nations for positions upon the su-
preme court or the circuit and
district courts of the United States,
or for United States attorneys or
or United States marshals. are referred
to the committee on the judiciary.
Nominations to positions in the treas
ury department are referred to the
committee on finance. The members
of the senate outside of those commit
tees to which nominations are referred
give no consideration whatever to the
cases. One week after nominations are
received from the white house and re-
ferred to appropriate committees the
chairmen of those committees report to
the senate in executive session that
they have examined the papers in each
case and investigated the character and
standing of the gentlemen nominated
and that they report that the nomina-
tions, in the judgment of the commit
tee, should be confirmed, or rejected.
The senate usually acts without ques-
tion in accordance with the reports OF
the committees. OF course, where COM
mittees report adversely, the senators
who are interested in the persons nomi'
mated will make an effort to secure
confirmations in spite of the adverse re.
ports of committees; but they rarely
succeed. The senate, as body, uni
formly sustains thesreports of its cam.
mi5tees.
The idea of writing concerning these
matters was suggested to me while sit
ting in the press gallery to-day, by a
singular little accident One Of the
pages, as soon as the nominations were
delivered by Mr.. Pruden, took one of
the yellow tissue paper lists and hast
ened, as usual, to the press gallery with
it, while another handed copy to Sem
ator German. Immediately thereafter.
Senators Vest, of Missouri, Butler, of
South Carolina, and Ransom, of North
Carolina, left their seats and went to
Senator Germans desk to look over the
list. Other democratic senators, by twos
and threes, did the same thing, until an
executive session was ordered. Hereto
fore, the pages have handed those lists
to Senator Allison, and the republican
senators crowded about his desk, to
read and ascertain who were the lucky
drawers of Office. But the republicans
are now in the minority, and are not 10
formerly were. The senators whose
party is in power are all of them inter
ested in securing appointments for
their friends; and they are not so much
interested in seeing who is nominated,
as general thing, as they are to see
whether any of their individual favor
ties have drawn prizes. The republican
senators have had commanding intiu-
ence in the matter Of appointments for
the past four years, and during the next
four years their democratic brethren
will have that influence and consequent
ly are most interested.
The reason that the senate goes into
executive session to consider presiden-
tial nominations, is this: The nomina-
tions are from the chief executive Of
the nation; his communications to the
senate are confidential in their nature,
and it would not do for the senate to
consider those nominations in open ses-
sion. Consequently the senate closes
its doors for the time being. You will
therefore see that the senate is dual
body 1t does legislative business with
open doors, and everybody is entitled to
know what is said asd done; but the
consideration of executive nominations
is another matter. and takes place
secretly. SMITH d. Fry.