Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-19

whole nation in war II he choose 10 make
disclosures at certain very delicate times
When the Senate locks Itself in executive
session all pages and clerks to senators
have to retire from the chamber, as do the
Senate's officers with tho exception OF the
sergeant-at-arms. four assistants and the
executive clerks who keep the vague rec
ord Of the proceedings. All OF these mi
tiated ones are under oath to keep mum as
to what goes on behind closed doors. but, In
addition, two outside officials admitted
by the doorkeepers while the secret SEES
sions are In progress. These are the clerk
of the House of Representatives and the
assistant secretary 10 the President OF tho
United States. who often must bear mes
sages to the Senate. II Is impossible. how
ever. for these two functionaries to learn
any OF the Senate secrets as all proceed
ings are huShed when they are announced
and until they retire with those low obei-
sances prescribed by custom.
OF all the executive session secrets tho
darkest are those concerning treaties sub
mitted by the President for ratification. Be
fore the Senate ratifies such Instruments
our relations with the contracting nation
are discussed with frankness OF speech
which might. II made public cause inter-
national complications. and even war. When
our treaty annexing Mexico was before a
secret session of the Senate Benjamin Tap
pan of Ohio allowed TO be placed in the
hands of a newspaper editor that fnstru-
ment as well as the Presidents message
and some confidential papers accompanying
1t A committee of senator's was appointed
smNnthe1
over. In lSN2 the newspapers published &C
curate reports OF an executive session and
gave details OF vote. The publication OF
the vote Of Senator Dolph of Oregon ne
cesSttated his making explanation TO the
people of his state and he became very
wroth. He called for an investigation, ana
smelling committee was organized. the
result being that the chief executive clerk,
Mr.. James Rankin Young, was made a
scapegoat and dismissed. although those
whose business II was TO find out such news
for the papers knew that he was Innocent.
Senator Teller In the chamber last winter
publicly referred to this incident and stated
that Mr.. Young was innocent The latter
was later elected to Congress and is now
superintendent OF tho dead letter office.
Since his dismissal secrets Of executive ses-
sions have leaked out more freely than
ever, and 1t is well known that the
mouths of senators themselves are the vents
through which these mysteries dribble out
especially when they political ad-
vantage In such disclosure. Senator Cul-
lom last spring stated openly in the Senate
that he regarded Secret sessions a farce,
and that they should be abandoned alto
gether.
Leaden Case to Be Sunk in the Sea.
The State Department is the most score
tive of the big executive branches of the
government. II has it's cipher code in
which diplomatic secrets are daily flashed
across seas to our scattered embassies. le-
cations and consulates. AS official OF
our foreign office explained to me the other
day, If all our diplomatic correspondence
were laid bare annually in the State De
partment red book we would be constantly
at war The War. Navy and Treasury de-
partments. too, have their secret telegraph
codes, those of the military departments
being pressed into use especially in times
Of war. A copy OF the key to the navy
cipher IS aboard each man-of-war. Tn
der lock and key. It is always kept In n
perforated case OF lead. and is thus
weighted that It may be readily thrown
overheard and sunk TO prevent the enemy's
getting possession of it should the vessel
be boarded. The Treasury Department
cipher. besides saving telegraph tolls con-
veys such dark secrets as the details of
shipments OF gold to the mints, disclosure