The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-12
II Will Remain in the Bal
anCe for Some Time.
Business That Will Come Up
at Special Session.
Senate Can Then Debate the Meas
ure TO Its Hearts Content.

Il
| crct or executive sessions have been the
rule In the senate this past week. The
| general arbitration treaty with Great
Britain has been under consideration much
of the time, and it has been the subject of
| a great number of Interesting speeches.
| AS write the news from the capitol is
| that the treaty will not be ratified or re-
| icctcd during this congress. 1t will have
| TO go over 60 the special session. which is
| 10 meet about the middle Of next month.
Senators complain that they have no time
for such an important and complicated
matter at this juncture. II is too serious
subject 10 be dealt with hastily. They
want 10 discuss 1t at leisure thoroughly
and carefully. From this day forward all
the time Of the senate will be needed for
the regular appropriation bills.
The Special Session.
After March the senate will bo in ses
sion all the time, with nothing, or prac-
tioally nothing, TO do. twill be called TO
meot March in special session by Presi-
dent Cleveland, according 10 the usual
custom, for the purpose of considering the
nominations TO be made by his successor.
Abo Il tho middle of the month both the
house and senate will meet under call
from President Mckinley. The house will
at once go TO work upon the new tariff
bill, or at least as soon as That measure is
reported from the ways and means COM
mittee. But the senate will have nothing
20 occupy its time. 1t canno5 originate
revenue legislation There will be no ap-
preparations to make. The Republican
policy will he not to undertake general
legislation at the special session, but to
frown upon all such matters and keep them
In the background. Then the senate, say
the leaders Of that body, can take up the
arbitration treaty and discuss it to its
hearts content. There are several amend.
ments already pending.
What the fate of tho treaty will be no
ono seems to know i have talked with
some OF the ablest and most influential
senators on both sides of the chamber, and
they are divided in opinion as to whether
the treaty can be ratified or not 1t is not
an easy matter to get two-thirds vote
for measure to which there is serious op.
position, and there is very strong oppo-
sition TO this convention. 1t is seen to i'm
volve many things which apparently were
not considered by President Cleveland and
Secretary Olney when they negotiated it.
Senators object to having the senate give
up its constitutional power 10 participate
in the treaty making function of tho gov.
ernment. They say the senate is as much
n part of the executive branch of the gov.
erninent, so far as settling foreign dis.
putes by treaty Is concerned, as the execu.
tive himself. One senator explained to
me that the secret sessions of the senate
are called Executive sessions" because IL
is then tho senate resolves itself into an
IN fix-n ri NJ, Of
government, as directed by the constitu.
tion.
Possible Contingency.
Some senator's think ratification Of this
treaty would give foreign governments
ard their subjects the right to sue tho
United States and the states Of the Union
In this respect they might enjoy an advan.
tage which is now denied to our own citi-
zcns The government of the United States
cannot 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 1t consider
eel without first gaining the consent of
congress through a special law. IL the ar
bitration court were established as propos-
ed in the treaty, foreigners might be able
to sue the United States without asking
the consent of congress.
The debates in ,he executive sessions
were published quite fully in the newspa-
pers, greatly TO tho chagrin of those sena.
tors who are sticklcrs for privacy. The |
after the first debate the enter |
prising newspapers of the country present |
cd their readers with report of what had |
been said and done which was more com |
plcte and quite as accurate as IL The session |
had been open TO the public. One senator |
gives itas his opinion that The best way to |
induce the newspapers To report the dc. |
bates of congress is 10 have secret sessions,
for then the correspondents are put On /
their mcttle to SEQ how full they can make |
their account of the proceedings.
How Secrets Are DivuIged.
There is, Of course, no secret as to how |
the information concerning the secret de-
hates finds its way TO the newspapers The
themselves are responsible for the
leaks Sometimes they do not know they
ire being pumped. Others consciously and
deliberately give their newspaper friends
can remember one occasion
,n which three senator's were primed To re-
port secret, or so called secret, debate in !
he executive session. They sat with pen
Ill and paper before them and made full
notes of what was said and done and after
he session was over turned their notes
,ver 20 their newspaper friends. AS a
7le, however, correspondents depend upon
he memory of senator's. Visits to few
# the statesmen, n shrcwd putting of two
md two together, and it is not difficult to
make up four As rule again. every
right correspondent I'm town knows tho
flows Of the leading senator's upon any
mch important question as this arbitration
raty. lie knows because he has talked
he whole matter over with the statesman.
iiycn the fact that such and such senator's
naic speeches I'm the secret session, and it
; not difficult to guess what they said.
A vigorous but unsuccessful effort was
made to throw open the doors and hold the
cbatc ON the treaty i'm public l incline
o the opinion that the senate l. wise I'm
dhcring 60 the old custom IL Is executive
business, ard, whilc the cntCrprsing cor.
cspondcnts dig out the facts and give them
D the public, now and then word arc used
,hich, u madc public, might cmmrass
Is in our f1rciRn rlations II the amo
q g. /