Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-09
Senate Holds Communion With
Itself and Threatens Pun
ishment
EXECUTIVE SESSION
LEAKS
Members Have a Heart to Heart Talk
and Decide That 1t is Treason and
Perjury to DvuIse Secret Session
Proceedings Warning to Novi-
tiatcs
Especial Correspondence

| Washington, March 9.-,The Secrer
of executive session are, going to b'
guarded even tho it cost the senate
it's kingdom of dignity; even tho Il
loses for a statesman his toga.
Yes. sir; somebody is going to bt
expelled if this thing doesn't stop
I'VE perfectly understand explained
q senator. as he hitched up his toys
with his left shoulder and smoothed
out it's wrinkles with a caressing
touch, that you newspapermen Gre
really the guilty ones We understand
that you disgracefully and contumeli-
ously worm yourselves into the conf
quire from them bits of information
which in themselves mean little. and
ultimately piece together a narrative
of the essential facts. This is most re-
prehensible, and seems to threaten the
senate with the painful necessity of
Furnishing some OF its own membership
because of falling victims to your
wiles.'
A Heart to Heart Talk.
1t seems that the senate had a heart
to-heart talk with itself at the long
executive sitting Saturday That ses-
sion was intended to last about two
minutes. Instead it was still busy at
the end of two hours; and the con-
versational menu was based on the
elaborate publicity which had been
given to some executive proceedings of
the day before.
The case of William Loeb, Jr.,
against whose confirmation as collector
at New York some manifestation of
opposition had been made, caused the
trlble. Mr.. Loeb was an interesting
parsonage, and 1t was quite unavoid-
able that the newspaper men should
employ their worst arts in extracting
details about how Senator Bailey in
di,cated certain GOODNESS toward the
former secretary to the president, and
how Mr.. Loeb's nomination went over
a day.
A Most Serious Business.
All this was grievous to the senator's
who view executive sessions with con-
Germ, and who never tell the proceed
lHSS Unless lliSy are ehoNCo ctOcuL litCiii
or think the joke is on some other
senator. So when the sitting opened
Saturday attention was called to the
fact that diYulging executive secrets IS
most serious business. 1t was pointed
out that there is a rule of the session.
dating back to the first administration,
which prescribes expulsion as the PEN
atty for thus betraying senatorial con-
idance. That rule is said never to have
been invoked to the extent of actually
expelling anybody. But every now and
then there is tearing up of things
about the secrets of executive session
becoming public. The elder senators
never take it very seriously, because
they know it is due about every two
years. To the new senators it is a
fearful and wonderful experience.
Novitiates Threatened.
These novitiates sat in their seats
in fear and trembling while
their elders solemnly discussed the
doom that impended for him who ,
should be caught giving up juicy bits of
executive gossip. They learned With
awe of the rule, never yet enforced
out aching. for an opportunity to prove
Us clIlIleIlSy. euIluSi luChlGSo
senatorial victim of loquacity may be
called upon to walk the plank. They
we're assured that retailing of these
awful secrets of the closed chamber
S neutrality-suspicious. that no
senator is presumed ever to admit that |
he told. Who would be a senator in
good standing must blame the news
paper men for guessing SO accurately |
1T it.
'S.rhe difficulty, explained another
lis that the unregenerate press
publishes the details Of executive ses-
;ions with so much more detail and |
circumstance and graphic quality, than |
he proceedings OF the open session. |
I'm convinced that if the executive ses-
,ion We're not executive at all, it would |
attract less attention and secure less
space than now. 1t Is no less than
sir, that you young mon |
should he more detailed and accurate
n the portrayal of that which you !
lon't and can't possibly know, than in
he picturing Of that which all men
NOW. 1t indicates a depravity which
las we'll been denounced in the cham
,er this afternoon in the well-chosen
words of Mr.. Balley-Dut no, L must
lot go too far in the words he en-
,loyed. In fact on second thought |
Lon't believe he employed them. There
weren't any. Nothing happened. Sir,
% to-"
The Paddock Put On.
But anyhow, the paddock is on; the
lew senators have been duly i'm
ressed. The rule Of Washington's time
as been brought out and polished up
nd has taken it's place alongside that
Their interesting historic relic, the