The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-13

-. VIII Not Have Much to DO |
INV en- Debate the Arbitration Treaty |
:. =. Hearts Content-Ths Secret SEES
slons.
WASHINGTON, Feb. l8.-lSpeciai. Sc
-. or executive sessions nave peen one
CIV n the senate this past week Inc gen
r', arbitration treaty with Great hritain
ela' been under consideration much OF the
na' and IL has been the subject OF a great
ulnSi ber of interesting speeches. AS l
num-, Jun the news from the capitol is that the
VIZ VIZ, will not be ratified or rejected dur
.n" .h,s congress 1t will have To go over
my ,a snecial session, which Is to meet
W. tho middle of next month Sena-
sDOa comnlain that they have no time for
'Ois an important and complicated mat
su az this iuncture. 1t is too serious
go IN be dealt with hastily. They
supE 20 discuss 1t at leisure, thoroughly
wal" o.refully From this day forward all
anu . sn Of the senate will be needed for
,bs regular appropriation bills.
The Special Session.
.s... March the senate will be in ses
Il, the time, with nothing, or prac-
-u,r nothing. to do. 1t will be called
IVA a,oot March in special session by
n.osident Cleveland, according to the usu-
!, omStom. for the purpose of considering
a. nominations to be made by his sue
Wv as.or About the middle of the month
.a,s the house and senate will meet un
~. call from President Mckinley. The
W. will Mt once go to work upon the
.or tariff bill, or at least as soon as that
Cd
leans committee. But the senate will
have nothing to occupy its time IL can
NOT originate revenue legislation. There
will be no appropriations to make. The
Republican policy will be not to undertake
General legislation at the special session,
Hnt 10 frown upon all such matters and
keen them in the background. Then the
senate. say the leaders of that body, can
take mn the arbitration treaty and discuss
4 10 its hearts content There are several
amendments already pending.
What the fate of the treaty will be no
one seems TO know. i have talked with
some of the ablest and most influential
senator's on both sides of the chamber, and
thew are divided in opinion as to whether
tbe treaty can be ratified or not. 1t Is not
an easy matter to get two-thirds vote for
ameasure TO which there is serious opposi-
ton, and there is very strong opposition
10 this convention. 1t Is seen to involve
MANY things which apparently were not
considered by President Cleveland and
Secretary Olney when they negotiated 1t.
Senator's object to having the senate give
M its constitutional power to participate
in the treaty making function of the gov
ernment. They say the senate is as much
apart of the executive branch of the gov
ernment, so far as settling foreign disputes
by treaty Is concerned as the executive
himself One senator explained to me that
the secret sessions of the senate are called
Executive sessions" because IL is then the
senate resolves itself into an adjunct of the
executive department of the government,
as directed by the constitution.
A Possible Contingency.
Some senator's think ratification of this
treaty would give foreign governments and
their subjects the right to sue the United
States and the states of the Union. In this
respect they might enjoy an advantage
which is now denied to our own citizens.
The government of the United States can
not be sued without its consent. A court
Of claims has been established to which
claims are referred, but no one can present
claim there and have IL considered with
out first gaining the consent of congress
through special law If the arbitration
court were established as proposed in the
treaty, foreigners might &c able to sue TIT
United States without asking the consent
Of congress
The debates in the executive sessions
were published quite fully in the newspa
pers, greatly to the chagrin of those sena
tors who are Eticklers for privacy. Tn
morning after the first debate the enter
prisng newspapers of the country presented
Their readers with u report of what ha'
been said and done which was more com
plete and quite as accurate as If the session
had been open to the public. One senate
gives 1t as his opinion that the best way T.
induce the newspapers to report the debate
Of congress is to have secret sessions, TO
Then the correspondents are put on thei
mettle to see how full they can make thei
account OF the proceedings.
How Secrets Are Divulged.
There is, of course, no secret as to no,
the information concerning the secret de
bates finds Its way to the newspapers Th
senator's themselves are responsible for tn
are being pumped Others consciousl
ana deliberately give their newspape
trends information. / can remember on
occasion on which three senators wer
prlined TO report a secret or so called 81
cret debate in the executive session. The
@e with pencil and paper before them an
iuaue iull notes of what was said an
uene and after the session was over turr
n 'neir notes over to their newspapt
trends AS rule, however, correspond
T us uepend upon the memory of senator
.sl.s to o few Of the statesmen, shrew
putting OF two and two together, and 1t
NV oinicult to make up four AS a rul
aasan' every bright correspondent in tow
nnows the views of the leading senator
upon any such important question as tn
S .on treaty. He knows because !
s. as talked the whole matter over with Il
'.n. Given the fact that such an
s suon senator's made speeches in the seer
rssslon and 1t is not difficult to que
what they said.
20, vigorous but unsuccessful effort WI
So aue 10 throw open the doors and hold Il
70 ave on the treaty in public. inclii
sd, ne opinion that the senate Is wise
,unerlng to the old custom IL ia exec,