The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-20
BEHIND TIE BARS
ARE EXECUTIVE SESSIONS OF THE
UNITED STATES SENATE
HELD.
SECRETS CLOSELY GUARDED.
DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS DISCUSSED
WHICH SHOULD NOT BE
MADE PUBLIC.
THE FIRST SESSIONS WERE OPEN
Some Interesting Communications
I'm the Early Days of the
Republic.

WASHINGTON, Dec. lS.-Ine eXecu-
tive sessions of the senate are, ana al
Ways have been, reclusively and seclu-
sively secret The doors are closed, ana
all cowans and eavesdroppers are Kept
away by stern sentinels. In the year
1929. and in the year 1869 the senate
authorized the publication of the jour
nails of executive sessions, and they
are interesting bits of history. In the
executive journal Of the first two ses-
sions of the senate there is nothing to
show where the senate was located;
but the journal of the third session is
carefully headed: "a Record of the
u. S. S., Assembled at Philadelphia,
December 6, 1880" In the journal for
Monday, Jan II, 1871, there is an in
teresting letter received from the king
of France and transmitted to the SEN
ate by the president. The letter is ad-
dressed ITO our very dear friends and
allies, the president and members of
the general congress of the United
States of North America" and says:
VERY Dear Great Friends and Allies: We
have received the letter by which you IN
form us of the new mark OF confidence that
you have shown to Mr.. Jefferson and which
puts a period to his appointment OF minister
plenipotentiary at our court, followed by
friendship for the United States. 1t is dated
Paris 18th September, 1880, and signed,
"Your good friend and ally, Louis Montmor-
i'm
Once did Washington condescend to
date a communication from Philadel-
phia. 1t was marked philadelphia,
March /, 1884," and it was addressed to
the president of the senate, calling the
senate together in the senate chamber
In Philadelphia for the 4th Of that
month The business of the special ses-
sion related to the nomination Of Unit
ed States officials to put the federal
government into motion in the state Of
Vermont, which became a part Of the
Union on that day.
The journals of the executive sessions
Of the senate are now kept by a gen.
tleman who bears no special title; ex-
cept that he is clerk in the office of
the secretary of the senate. For num-
Der of years there was an executive
clerk, whose special duty it was to pre-
pare and preserve the journal of the
executive proceedings, but that office
has been abolished The last incum-
bent of the office was James Rankin
Young, Of Philadelphia, now an honor
ed member Of the house of representa-
tives. Mr.. Young held that office for
q number of years, and his official rec
ord is most honorable and praise
worthy. Executive secrets Of national
and international interest were con-
f1ded to him; and they were safer with
him than they were with some SEN
ators. His journals may not be pub
hshed for a generation; but they will
be found to be in keeping with his
character for painstaking attention to
detail. 1t is fair to presume that they
will be found to be more elaborate and
possessive Of more literary finish than
any Of the journals Of his predecessors,
not one Of whom obtained literary rep
Utation.
The first publication Of the executive
journals of the senate was in 1929, when
the book was printed In Washington by
Duff Green, under a resolution passed
by the senate on April T. 1928, as fol-
lows
Resolved, That the entire executive journal
OF the senate, from the commencement of
the federal government to the close of the
Nshed
Resolved, That the said journal be printed
under the direction of the secretary of fbe
senate, who shall cause a suitable index to be
made and printed with each volume and that
700 copies be printed.
Owing to the small number Of COPIES
printed the publication has never be-
come common one, and at this late
day copy Of 1t is rarely seen There
Is a well-worn copy of 1t in the office
of the secretary of the senate and It
would be difficult to imagine ANYTHING
more interesting in the way of political
reading that look through that Jour-
nal.
The first executive communicated W
cetVed by the senate bore the signature
of Geo. Washington las he always
wrote himself DOWN and was delivered
into the hands of the vice president
by Gen. Knox, secretary Of war It's OBJ
Ject was to lay before the senate some
treaties which had been made under
the official superintendent of Gen.
Knox with several tribes of Northern
and Northwestern Indians. The mes
sage began, Gentleman of the SEN
ate" and closed simply with the sig
nature of Geo. Washington" without
any complimentary f1ourishes or quail
fications whatever, and was dated New
York May %, 17S9," which was the in
variable form of such documents
The second executive message was
delivered June 8, 1889, by Mr.. Jay, not
secretary Of state, but Secretary of the
United States for the Department of
Foreign Affairs" who wrote himself
down as hailing from the "Office of
Foreign Affairs 1t related to the con-
vention between his most Christian
majesty the king of France) and the
United States, for the purpose Of deter
mining and fixing the functions and
prerogatives of their respective consuls,
agents and commissaries.
Only in one of hise ACCOMPLISHMENTS
cations did the Father Of His Country