Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-17

u w. White to be an asso-
ciate justice of the
Supreme Court Mr. Hill saw a political
advantage in the publication of this speech,
so he carefully Transcribed it from memory
after the executive session, and freely gave
1t to the newspaper correspondents who
asked for 1t. 1t is probable that if Mr.. Hill
had not seen a political advantage in MAX
ing the speech public he would still have
written 1t out to obige the correspondents
Mr.. Hill is a very obliging man. L have in
my desk copies of two speeches which he
made en- route to Atlanta two years ago,
which he wrote for me at the kimball
House from memory.
Mr.. Hills publication of his speech on
the White nomination did not violate the
Senate rules, because the proceedings in
the White case had been made public by
resolution. but it was a shock to the tradi-
tion-bound members of the Senate. 1t is
customary for these Senators, II they are
| anxious to have speech in executive ses-
sion published, to write it out in advance
and to give sketch of it to some news
paper man. Here is what l would say on
the subject of the treaty with Finland the
solemn Senator from Alaska will say to the
alert newspaper correspondent before the
Senate meets; and the correspondent. learn
ing later from some other source that the
Senator from Alaska spoke the treaty
with Finland in the executive session, in
PRODUCES the sketch in his report of ex-
ecutive proceedings that evening. And the
other solemn Senators hold up their hands
in horror the next day and wonder how
the executive proceedings became public
property. III any of the members of the
Senate are really ignorant of the newspaper
sources of executive news. and are honestly
anxious to learn about them, there is a tip
which is worth twice as much as anything
that they have learned through an investi-
eating committee.
Not Anxious TO Learn Anything.
But the Senators, with few exceptions, are
not the least bit anxious to learn anything
at all. Most of them know more than any
one person could tell them; and there are
at least forty-three of the eighty-five mem-
bers of the Senate who would dodge II some
one threw a stone to hit the man RESPONSE
BILE for the leakage. Here is fact that il
Illustrates the extreme desire of the Senators
to ignore the real facts of the case. Four
years ago a committee of investigation was
appointed at the instance OF MI. Dolph 10
learn how certain facts had leaked from
the executive session. The newspapers had
published detailed reports of an executive
session and a record of the vote; and the
publication of Mr. Dolph's vote had made
some explanations necessary to the people
OF Oregon. l think that L can say, without
questioning Mr.. Dolph's honesty, that If he
had been anxious to have the people of
Oregon know how he voted he would have
raised no protest against the publication of
the facts. The conditions being different,
Mr.. Dolph was indignant. The inVeStiGa-
ton was ordered. and the sergeant-at-a arms
served subpoenas on a number of news
paper correspondents, who admitted with
pride had
reports of the executive proceedings. Where
they obtained the facts for these reports
they declined to say. To this committee
came a witness who had been appointed to
high federal position by President Harri-
son. He was chief of one of the big bureaus
of the Interior Department. His appoint
ment had been made without consulting
the Senators from his state, and they did
not feel very kindly disposed toward him.
There was opposition to his conirma ton
from several quarters, and on the day his
nomiration came to vote he went to the
Capitol and sent in for one of his Senators
to learn how the fight was going. He sat
in committee room near the Senate cham
Der, and at intervals the Senator told him
what was going on. When his nomination
was confirmed the Senator told him that
also, and told him how the vote stood I'm
der the rules of the Senate the Senator had
no more right to tell these facts to one man
than to a thousand. He violated the rule
of the Senate governing the secret executive
session. And the Office holder to whom he
had been courteous told the investigating
committee all of these facts Did the COM
mittee report a resolution to eXpel the Sen
ator. or to cenSure him, or to reproach him?
On the contrary, the committee entirely iS-
nOred this testimony. Very likely tWo-thirdS
of the members of the committee had given
information from time to time to appointees
whose nominations had been up for con-
firmation. So without comment they passed
over this transgreSsion and demanded OF
the newspaper correspondents whether any
of bair I'M pr hD hpen obtained from
the Senate clerks. At a subsequent discus
sion they legislated out of office the chief
executive clerk, James r. Young, because
certain Senators professed to believe that
he was the executive leak" Since Mr..
Young's removal the reports of executive
sessions have been, if anything, more &C
curate than before.
The Tappnn Committee.
The Dolph investigation was not the first
of it's kind There were two Investigations
in the first half century of the Senates ex-
istence to which reference is made in the
report of what is known as the Tappan COM
mittee. THE first" says the report, zap
pears to have occurred before the adoption
Of the present rule inhibitlng disclosure as
regards proceedings on treaties, which will
be found to explain the omission of any res
olution of censure on the occasion. In the
second instance a resolution affirming that
the member had been guilty of a violation
of the rules of the Senate (evi1ently de-
signed as a mild form of censure) was
adopted. The offense in that case-the use
of papers In the Senate, communicated con-
fidentially some years previously-admitted
of being explained into misrepresentation, and
lacked therefore the aggravation of the pres
ent case in which the breach of the rule of
the Senate has been deliberate, and presents
no aspect of extenuation.'
These cases, as l said, are mentioned in
the report of the Tappan committee, made
just fifty years ago. The result of that COM
mttee's Investigation proves how little the
Senate cares to visit punishment On one of
its members for violation of this secret SEES
sion rule. In this instance a Senator de-
iiberately gave out for publication a most
important confidential document: he volun-
tarily acknowledged the act, Offering no
annlnnY for II. and the Senate SSei q Ia O