The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-11
SENATE DEBATE TO BE SECRET
ooDswILL BE SHUT DURING TALK
on HAWAII.


senator PettiErew ohefs INC
nave the Discussion Public-Sen-
Dovies successfully Antagon-
-. the PIan-A Majority of Those
rtpp Open Doors Opposed to
t,ecation-Bad Water of the
District of Columbia Alluded TO.
.-.--,ioe.on. Jan. 1O-In accordance with
toms notice, Senator Davis, chair
If the Senate committee on foreign
.I,tiors brought up the subject OF the
,ss.,tion of the Hawaiian annexation
il the Senate to-day. Two hours
-4,-or to the consideration of the
.,.-tion as to whether the treaty should
considered in open session or behind
.tosed doors in executive session. Inc de-
1,zior was Overwhelmingly against open
session. ....,,,
senator Morgan was the principal op-
r.,+ of open sessions. He talked at
9TH unon the Importance, of observing
..,,ta rpIes in discussing this question,
contending that as the Senate was acthg
on1v in an advisory capacity to the legis-
l.+i1a il would be an act of bad faith for
# ~ throw open the doors to the pubic.
II, said no one would think of asking the
I5roei1ent and the cabinet to take up
trsatv in the presence of the general
a,f1ic and he commended that for this
raason the obligation of secrecy was
ereoter on the Senate than ii was on the
executive branch of the government.
The senator referred to the probability
that the action of the European powers
I'm their evident purpose of parutlonlng
china would form the basis of much of
tbe debate on the question of Hawaiian
annexation With reference to this phase
of the question many thought it was best
that it should be ventilated behind closed
doors The Monroe doctrine would come
in for a fair share of discussion before
the close of the debate and he asserted
mat it was a question that could be more
freely discussed in executive session than
IN open debate.
Senator Morrill, contended that the Ha-
waiian question was one of public interest
and said that on this account the public
should be informed of the reasons for and
against the treaty.
Senator Davis gave notice of his inten-
ton 10 take up the ratification resolution
and working for it's passage as soon as
possible
The advocates of the measure claim if
ty-nine votes in favor of the treaty, lack
ing only one of the number required to
ratfy it, On the other hand, the opposi-
ton say that ratification will fall short
from one to three votes.
Washington, Jan. 1O.-Rev. Bishop Mer-
rill, D. D., of Chicago, delivered the in
vocation at the opening of the Senate to-
day.
A bill was reported favorably from the
v,ro1,{bitipor 4I,a -, ;Irc.a 4
companies from charging more than 3
cents a mile for passengers through the
Indian territory.
A resolution looking to the alteration of
water used in the city of Washington caus-
ed Senator Hall, by whom it was referred
to the District of Columbia committee, to
say that in no part of the United States
were it's citizens so imposed upon as to
the water supply as are the citizens of
Washington.
I'VE are confronted with bad, foul wa
ter" said he, 80 filthy indeed as to make
it dangerous to drink and irksome even
to take a BATH
At 100 o'clock, on motion of Mr.. Dawes
Of Minnesota, chairman of the committee
on foreign relations, the Senate went into
executive session to consider the Hawaiian
annexation treaty.
The Hawaiian treaty was not taken up
Immediately in the executive session, as a
number of nominations were first con-
firmed.
Immediately after the treaty was
called up Senator Pettigrew offered his
motion for conducting the debate on it
with open doors.
This was antagonized by Senator Davies,
Chairman of the committee on foreign re-
iations and others
The opinion was expressed that the
debating OF the treaty in open Senate
would have the effect to prolong the SEN
ATE discussion indefinitely. A majority of
NOSE faVoring open doors are opposed to
latlhcation, but not all of them are on
mat side of the main controversy.
The. Senate decided not to debate the
treaty in open session, and at 3:45 o'clock
adjourned.