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

given the copy OF the treaty was examined,
and he testified that Senator Tappan had
requested him to convey 1t to the newspaper
editor who afterward made it public. This
proved the case as completely any COM
mittee could have wished. The act of Mr..
Tappan, said the committee has been de-
signed, deliberate, and, as far as the COM
mittee can perceive is marked by no color
OF excuse" resolution was reported to
expel Mr.. Tappan. Mr.. Bayard. the father
of the present minister to England. and Mr..
Simmons of Rhode Island, who sngularly
enough resigned from the Senate in
1862 to save himself from expulsion pro-
posed notifications of the resolution After
a long debate, the Senate adopted a resolu-
ton declaring that Mr.. Tappan had violated
the Senate rules and later. ''in considera-
ton of the acknowledgment and apology
rendered by the said Benjamin Tappan" re-
solved, that mo further censure be inflicted
on him."
Secrets Continued to Leak Out.
Thus ended the Tappan Investigation
quite as lamely as any other of the secret
| session Investigations before or since. The
Senate followed it by passing a more strin-
gent rule for the preservation of Senate
secrets. This rule was quite impotent as
the other. The secrets continued to leak
But there was other Investigation of the
leakage until 1871, when New York paper
published the treaty of Washington The
correspondents of the paper L. l.. White
ana his assistant, Ramsdell, were called be-
/ II.
Carpenter of Wisconsin was chairman and
when they refused to disclose the source of
the treaty, they were declared in contempt
and were locked up from May II to May
- In one of the committee rooms of the
capitol. During the discussion of the reso-
luton to imprson them, Mr.. Morrill, now
the father of the Senate, said: IF our pro-
ceeulngS IN secret session are to be kept
let US contrive some measures nv which
senators themselves may be a little less
leaky." $500
1t Is hardly necessary to say that the Sem
ate learned nothing from Mr.. White and
M. MI. hamsueli 1t never has learned any
thing from the newspaper correspondents
VII" Tp nave been called before it.
Inc excitement over the White-Ramsdell
case had hardly time to subside when an
otner set or confidential documents was
puDilShed. These We're copies of corresnon-
I IIl relatlhS TO the treaty of Washington.
Inc correspondence had been printed for
the use or the Senate, and the comics were
numbered and distributed to the Senators.
one OF the Senators-Mr. Cragin of New
tia'ilp shire-thought that his copy would
De more secure under the cushion of his
chair than in his desk or pocket When the
Senate adjourned he went away, forgetting
the treaty. 1t fell into the hands of a
newspaper man, and, of course was nub
iished. When the publication appeared the
Senators were called to account Only one
copy was missing. Fortunately the facts
became known, and the Senator was held
responsible for careleSsness only Follow
ing this experience came the Dolph invasti-
CATION. In this investigation no arrests
were made, but five newspaper correspon-
dents were held under subpoena for fifty
one days. They claimed witness fees for
the entire time and one of the best LAWYERS
IN the House of Representatives-Natha
FRANK or Missouri-was ready to act as
counsel for them, if necessary, to bring
SUIT Tor the amount But after consulting
the law the committee made out vouchers
for SloS each to these five witnesses The
entire cost of the investigation was about
s2'ooo The result was absolutely valueless.
Some OF the correspondents testified that
they did not receive their information from
the Senate clerks; some of them refused to
testify at all. The committee wound UP the
investigation by taking the oath of each
Senator that he had not made public the
matter under investigation. Incidentally IL
Is interesting to record the fact that the
proceedings of the secret investigating COM
mittee were reported as fully and as accu-
rately as the proceedings of the Senate.
Simply Liable to Expulsion.
The rules of the Senate say that a Sem
ator shall be liable to suffer expulsion" if
he shall disclose the secret or confidential
business or proceedings of the Senate"
The rule does not say that he shall be ex-
PEELED or that he shall be censured; ne is
simply liable TO expulsion. The rules of
the Senate are violated in some particular
almost every day. A great many Senators
believe that to talk about Senate secrets is
like any other violation of the rulcs-that it
is not sinful, but simply little riskful.
Others so back to the senatorial oath,
which binds them to observe the Senate
rules; and these hold that to reveal the
proceedings of the secret executive session
is to violate an oath. But their interpreted
ton of their obligation depends very much
on their anxiety to conceal or reveal what
has occurred in the secret session. One of
the most dignited and unapproachable of
the older Senators-now in private life
sent for newspaper correspondent one
evening, and gave him a detailed account
of what had been done in the secret ses-
sion that day. He had political purpose
to serve. No one could have been more
fearfully offended than he If any newspaper
man had approached him for news OF an
other secret session.
All of these things are of a past day
They have not occurred at this session of
Congress, and they are told of men who
are no longer in the Senate, and who are
not liable to expulsion. A pretty fair in
ference may be drawn from them how
ever.
The Senate has four kinds of sessions
the open legislative. the secret legislative,
the open executive ana the secret execu-
tive. Nice distinctions are made between
them. When purely legislative matters are
discussed behind closed doors the Senators
may talk about them much as they
please. When executive matters dis
cussei in open session Of course they be-
come public property. But when executive
matters are discussed in secret session they
may not be revealed without a violation of
the rules, unless the Senate, by resolution,
removes the injunction of secrecy. Even
the confirmation of an appointment is held
back for two executive sessions, SO as to
make possible hefintroduction of a motion
to reconsider. But that does not prevent
any one who is particularly interested
learning just what has been done
The House of Represen tatveS held secret
sessions in war times. but never since the
war. The movement to abolish the secret
session of the Senate, except, perhaps. for
the discussion of treaties is growing every
year.
Triumph of Perseverance,.
From Life.