The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-05-14
OUR old FOGY SENATE.
It's Amusing Attempts to Pre-
serve Secrecy.
THE NEWS OF EXECUTIVE SESSIONS

THE NEWS OF EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
Views of Senator Ingalls, Before He Was
ga Statesman Out OF Job"-Sacredness
of the Secret Sessions = Washington
Gossip.
WASHINGTON, May 19.-[Special. Tho
day the general arbitration treaty between
the United States and Great Britain was
defeated in the senate there occurred an
incident which up to this time has not
reached the eur Of the public. Just after
the vote WIS taken senator made sug-
gestion that tho ballot be given to the rep-
resentatives Of the press in order that the
details might be correctly reported. To
this u storm of objections at once arose,
and while the grave and reverend senators
were seriously discussing the question
whether or not tho seal of secrecy should
be removed one senator u western man,
rOso and said:
ut would be advisable for the senate to
mako haste and decide this question, for
If you do not the newspaper men will
have all the particulars of tho vote on tho
wires before you have reached decision"
This remark raised n great laugh, and
the motion to throw the details of the voto
open to tho public was carried in tho era
of good feeling which cnsued. But it was
too late. The vote of every senator was
alrcndy OH the wires, correctly given. For
tho facts concerning thisamusing incident
am indebted to one of the most promi-
nent members of the senate, who thought
1t too good II joke to keep
No Eavesdropping.
During tho debate on the arbitration
treaty which preceded the final vote one or
two senators became very much excited
For the first time within my recollection
as Il member of the press gallery it was
possible to hear voices within the senate
chamber while tho doors wcro closed for
an executive session. Not only could the
men in the press gallery hear voices with
In, but they could distinguish tho peculiar
infections and tones of Senator Roger Q.
Mills, but not n word of what ho said
was audible. Moreover, and Mt this the
old fogy senators who constantly imagine
newspaper men orc trying to play the
cavesdroppcr, not single press man left
his sent or approached tho door or made
tho slightest effort TO hear what was going
OH inside.
Two dozen newspaper correspondents
were sitting about in tho lobby of their
gallery, waiting for tho senate to conclude
its vote upon the treaty, bu6 not ono of
them cared enough about what was being
said to make any effort to ovcrhoar.~ One
correspondent simply remarked, "Thats
Senator Mills talking now" whcrcupon
tho others listened for II second, agreed
thut 1t WAS Mills, and all hands continued
their conversation, apparently wholly OBJ
livious to Mr.. Mills existence.
Ingalls, He Was.
Some years ago, when tho senate was
passing through ono of It's periodical agita-
lions concerning the manner in which the
news of executive sessions reached the
press, there occurred an incident even fun
nier than the one which have described
above. AS the senate sat in secret session
the shadow Of n man Was discovered as 1t
fell nthwart tho ekylight over the cham
Der. AS soon as 1t had been discorncd by
ono senator he called the attention of
others to the strange manifestation. I'M
mcdiately thcrc was much excitement.
Tho proceedings wero stopped. Senators
walked about on tiptoc. An officer of
the senate was informed that an caves
dropping correspondent was in the upper
part Of the chamber listening to tho pro-
ceedings He sent squad of his most
agile men after the intruder. While await
Ing tho capture of the intorloper the cx-
element among the senator's became in
eSASN. ~ A'oII eiiOtSiit tlic blSttCSIuCIt tiC
manner in which the newspaper corro-
spondents fathomed all the secrets of tho
executive sessions was to be uncarthed.
In almost brcathless silence and tense ex-
| pcctancy the senate awaited the report of
tho scrgeunt-at-arms. In ten minutes thnt
official came in. Every eye was upon
him. MIR. Ingalls, was in tho chair, and
| he added to the solemnity of the occasion
by the manner in which he greeted the
scrgcant-at-arms and badc him speak
Mr. President" said the official, 81
hnvcto report that onoof the carpenters of
| the senate force has been up under the
| roof of the chamber fixing q broken trap
| door,
This ending of tho senatorial man hunt
was so ludicrous that to this day 1t re-
| mains tender subject with some of the
older senators.
When John J. ingalls, was the tempo
| rary president of the senate, long before he
became newspaper writer himself, he was
ono of the greatest sticklers for tho privacy
of the senate chamber. IIe used to say
that If he had his way about it he would
put IN jail for contempt every newspaper
| man who printed any news concerning the
| secret sessions. One day Mr.. Ingalls, broke
| out in torrent of exclamation concern
| ing the wickcdnoss of newspaper men in
| general and Washington correspondents in
| particular jim the presence of momber of
the local corps Of writers.
Nothing to Say.
Senator" said this newspaper man
| finally, do you remember how angry you
were when So-and so was confirmed by the
senate In executive session? If you will
make little effort, l am sure you will re-
call that you bitterly opposed his conflr-
nation, and after he had been put through
by his friends you talked to me very freely
about it. Without intending to do so you