El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-02-26
EXECUTIVE SESSIONS.
Where the Senators Relax heir
Dignity.
IN WEBSTER AND CHOATE'S TIME.
Private Secretary-Thurber's
Idea of His Duty-His Lamentable Fail
ure-what a Private Secretary Needs
Most-Porter's Qualifications.

Most--Porter's Qualifications.
WASHINGTON, Feb i Special THE
senate is now holding some very interest
ing secret sessions for consideration of the
T general arbitration treaty. As a rule, the
newspaper correspondents manage to Sc
cure a fairly accurate report of the debate,
but they do not gather any descriptions of
the scenes which every executive session
presents. An old senator tells me some eX-
ceedingly good gossip about the secret ses-
sions. ''.Just as soon as the doors arc
closed - he says, "cvery man who smokes
pulls out Il cigar and lights it. This is the
first evidence which chance observer
I would have of the delightful informality
which marks our executive sessions. But
d he would not have long to wait for other
I evidences. We feel as free and easy in these
| sessions as men do sitting about in Il club,
! or, perhaps, it is more like the meeting of
Il board of directors where the members
I are all old friends Everything is done in
! the most informal way. Often three or
/ four men will be talking at once. If a
| senator is making speech and some one
| wants to ask him n question, he simply
/ yells it out. OF course there is the presid-
| ing officer, and some little attention is paid
| to the rules and decorum of debate, but
! not very much.
Like Schoolboys.
THE truth is" continued the senator,
THAT we are more like a lot of schoolboys.
! Just as soon as the restraint of publicity is
| removed by the closing of the doors we all
feel like boys who have been let out of the
! classroom, or like the pupils in the room
! when the teacher is suddenly called away.
! We feel like cutting up and having a good
| time. l have heard some pretty lively
/ stories told in these executive sessions.
/ IAN executive session is more like q club
| than anything else, though we do not
! drink on the floor. There is a tradition,
! however, that in the old days our forefa-
! theirs used to pail ou' bottles and jugs and
I pass them around during the secret ses.
/ sions. If you were 10 gain access to one OF
| our secret sessions of these days, you
| would see a lot of men usually very digni-
! fled and careful in their department
/ lounging about in any convenient or
! comfortable way with their arms
around tho shoulders of others, some with
| their feet upon their desks, some sitting
on the secrcta1y's table and dangling their
| feet about like boys. There is nothing
really bad or improper about it all, except
that it looks doliciously naughty, in con-
trast with with the solemnity of the public
| sessions -
| The senator's reference to the old times
reminds me of q story of Daniel Webster
and Rufus Choate which 1 heard the other
| day ana which l think is new to the prints
! Webster and ChOate We're usually hard
| pressed for cash. and, being fast friends,
| they borrowed of one another whenever
| either CHANGED to be in funds. One day
| Choate hunted up Webster and said to
| him:
| Daniel, must have Il couple hundred
dollars. Can't you help me out in some
way
| lam in just the Same predicament my
self" responded Webster. Il don't know
| where ON earth 1 could turn to get that
| much money. But stay! 1 have an idea.
| ChOate, give me your note for S400. III
indorse it, and we'll go down and see il
| Mr.. Corcoran is in good humor today.
| Maybe he will let Us have the money, and
| then we shall both be happy
| Mr. Choate made out his note, Webster
| Endorsed it, and the two great men walked
| down to Mr. Corcoran's bank. As it hap
pencd, the eminent banker was not in. The
| cashier to whom the promissory note was
presented was quite overcome by the names
| and the presence OF two such distinguished
| statesmen. and he promptly ard with ali
proper politeness exclaimed through his
| little window:
Certainly, Mr.. Webster. How will you
| have it-gold or notes."
a Promissory Note.
Mr.. Webster was so overcome that for
moment he did not know what to say
| But Mr.. ChOatc, who was standing right
| behind him, gave him a nudge.
| BY the way, Mr.. Choatc,' said Webster
| in his grardCst air, do you think S40C
| will be enough for you? You may as well
have a plenty while you are at it. Sup
pose we make it,
"A thousand said ChCate.
mo, 1 think you will need still more
than that. Make it s. ,50O-S1 500, if you
please, Mr.. Cashier
The young man changed the figures In
the note and handed out the money. Ten
minutes later Webster and Choate divided
their swac, with many chucklcs as to how
they had got ahead of their friend the enc
my, Banker Corcoran, who had time and
again refused to extend either their indi
vidual or collective credit. When Mir. Cor
coran reached his bank ana found the
promissory note, he held it up before thf
eyes of the astonishCd cashier, new mar
at the window, tore it into fragments and
said:
Young man, experience is a good
school, though Il costly one. Don't ever dc
anything like that again"
A LamentabIe Failure.
All accounts agree that in .. Addison
Porter the Hartford editor, Major Nc
Kinley has secured the services of first
class man for his private secretary. Mr..
Porter is said to lie affablc, tact III, Il stu
of affairs and IL good fellow. Mr.. Ihurbe1
is Il good fellow all right enough, but he
has been a lamcntaElc failure private
secretary so lar as the public is concerned.
Mr.. Cleveland is said to be very well salts,
fed with him, and MIR. 1hurbCr has often
said to me. Il am working for the presi-
dent, and not for the newspapers or the
dear public" / took occasion TO remind
Mr. Thurber that it was the public that
paid him his salary, but it did not reform
him.
What IL private secretary needs more than
anything else is nerve. He is ii good deal
like the man who enters matrimonial
concern. If he starts ont private, he
will always he private ] fancy Mr.,
Thurber must have been too much in awe
of Mr.. Cleveland from the first ana was
never able to recover the ground which he
surrendered at the outset. 1t is to be hoped
Mr.. Porter will promote himself at least to
the rank of lieutenant in the White House
and ever afterward have proper regard
for his own DIGNITY and