The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-21
NO MORE SECRET SESSIONS.
SENATE VCfES TO ABOLISH THEM,
OR SO PREsIDDNr GIBBS
RULED.
DID CLOUGH IGNORE THE LAW
When He Named Truman Griffin. os
Minneapolis, to the State Board
of Pharmacy.

generals department and the ildi-
ciary committee of the senate. The
latter consists Of fifteen LAWYERS. the
former of a much less number. But the
grievance of the judiciary committee
is not that the attorney general is not
as many as it is, but that he Is closely
associated with the governor, with
whom the senate Is not now on the best
terms.
Twice yesterday did the asperities Of
the situation crop out in debate in the
senate. The first time was in the morn
ing when Senator Knatvold introduced
a bill to give effect to the constitutional
amendment ratified by the people at
the last election, providing that the gov
ernor attorney general and chief. JUS
tlce or the supreme court shall consti
tute board of pardons. Senator Knat-
void asked that the bill be passed
under suspension of the rules He as
sured the senators that it had been
carefully drawn by the attorney gen
eral, and it was an urgent measure as
the power Of reprieve had been taken
away from the governor, and the act
was needed for the proper protection
of those condemned to death.
Some Of the senator's, however, rails
ed the point that if the board alone
was to be given the power of reprieve
it might cost the neck of some inno-
cent man whose innocence might not be
discovered until the last day. when if
was too late to get the board together
Consequently the bill was referred to
the judiciary committee, and during the
noon recess that body took 1t I'D. and
certainly no mantle rof charity was
thrown over the bleeding form of the
attorney general them They picked his
bill to pieces like a man Of straw. and
scattered the pieces on the recumbent
form Of Senator ,Knatvold during the
afternoon. The appropriation for a
clerk for the board was knocked out
They gave any. one member the power
OF reprieve for thirty days in order to
prevent the contingency referred to in
the earlier debate, and they made a
number of changes in verbiage, with
the result that when the transmogrified
Dill was brought back by the commit
tee, the old one was almost entirely re-
written.
The committee also took a decided
stand on Senator Ozmun's bill to pro-
vide FOR delegates to general confer
ence for the securing of uniform legis
lation on general topics, such as mar
riage and divorce, bankruptcy and a
host of others. The appropriation of
$4,000 for expenses Of delegates was
knocked out. the number Of delegates
from the house was increased in order
that that body might not be offended,
and the paltry sum Of $500 was appro-
DTia ted for inoidontoJ
ator Greer's bill for the exemption of
100 bushels Of barley for seed from exc
cution will be recommended to pass, as
will similar bill, increasing the ex-
emption Of seed corn. Senator Bars
bill, relating to the deciding Of property
by husbands to wives direct, will also
be recommended to pass.
The house committee on banks and
banking met and appointed a subcom-
mittee to inspect the securities held by
the state.
The senate took a forward step yes
terday when 1t voted to abolish that
Vestfge of star chamber feudalisrn, the
executive session, but the adjustment
Of the customs was marked by another
or those interesting surprises which
Lieut. Gov. Gibbs political foes de-
scribe with the French as a faux pas
The movement was started by Senator
Young, who moved that hereafter all
business of the senate be transacted in
open session. Senator Morgan warm
ly seconded the motion Not only. he
said, had the enterprising reporters Sc
cured full information as to what
TRANSFERRED in these secret sessions, but
they found out things which never
happened at all. Senator Yale favored
it too He was willing to take the
plaudfts or condemnation Of his con-
st1tuents for any measure or action
he might take or any words he might
utter on the floor Of the senate. SEN
ator Sperry explained that there were
other senators less advantageously
placed, and Senator Pottgieser urged
that it was ridiculous to pass such a,
motion within a, week after adopting
resolution to consider all appoint
ments IN executive session. It was
argued that a two-thirds vote would be
necessary to suspend the rules, and
President Gibbs nodded assent
Senator Young, in support Of his res
olution, said if there was any one
thing the people of the state demanded
1t was that they be allowed to know
what their legislature was doing. The
senate was there to transact public
business and it should be done in a
public way. If there ever had been a
reason for the adoption Of the resolu-
ton 1t had long since been done away.
The vote stood 20 in favor Of the
resolution and 81 against.
Then President Gibbs announced that
the motion was carried. Some one
raised a question, and he explained, he
said, what he should have remarked,
perhaps, before, that any legislative
body has right to change it's rules at
will. And he read from a red morocco
bound book, which he said was written
by Thomas Bracket Reed, a. section
which lays down the principle that
no body has any more right to declare
that 1T shall not have any right to
change it's rules than a man has to
promise himself that he will not
change his mind
This raised an interesting question,
and many Of the senators expressed
doubt not only as to the soundness
OF the ruling, but as to It's adaptability
to the exigencies of general legislation.
The basis Of the old rules Of the SEN
ate Is Jefferson's manual, Rule So pro-
viding that
The rules of parliamentary practice con-
tanned In Jefferson s n manual shall govern
the senate in all cases In which they
inconsistent with these rules and orders of
the senate, etc.
Rule provides that a two-thirds
vote of the full senate shall be neces-
sary for a change in the rules. Mr.
Jefferson's manual goes equally against
Mr.. Reeds view, to this effect
1t Is always In the power Of the majority
Dy their numbers. to stop any improper meas
ures proposed on the part of their opponents
the only weapons by which the minority can
oefend themselves from similar attempts by
those In power the forms and rules of
proceeding which have been adopted as thew