University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-02-16

reveal what takes place there. Before
the news business had risen to its pres
ent proportions and competition had be-
come so keen, perhaps the sessions were
kept secret. As to that. however, you
will have to ask the Oldest Inhabitant.
Many years ago the question, "How
do our cherished secrets get Out?" was
raised in the Senate. As the debate pro-
ceeded, virtuOus indignation rose to red
eyed wrath. The unmitigated scoun-
drels who dared to reveal the Senate
secrets were denounced in boiling words
by themselves. All the senators who
were the chief sources of newspaper in
formation about executive sessions We'd
with each other in excOriating the un-
known but despicable villains who told
the newspapers about executive ses-
siOns.
Every senator felt that if he kept
silent he might be suspected of being
one of the villains himself, and also
knew that the suspicion would be JUS
titled. So. to save himself from the
suspicion. he surpassed the senator who
had held the floor just before him in
the violence of his Indignation. After
the twentieth senator had spoken the
speech of the first speaker seemed milk
and watery. The last man on the floor
had the best of it.
Having thus lashed themselves to a
white heat the senators who revealed
executive session secrets to newspaper
men organized an investigation to find
out who were the guilty rascals who
revealed executive session secrets to
newspaper men. The investigation dis
closed the fact that not single senator
had ever, ever, ever told to newspaper
man anything. The proof was over
whelming, for every senator declared
that he had never done so. and what
more could one ask i'm the way of evi-
dcnce?
Therefore. since the senator's had
never revealed these secrets. it obvious
ly must have been an employee, since
only senators and employees were pres
ent at executive sessions; but which
one? Farcical as this thing seems, the
senators had gOae too far with the hum
bug of an investigation to draw back
1a
Doubtless majority of them felt the
shame of what they We're going to do,
but nobody dared to draw back for fear
of being suspected. They fixed on James
Rankin Young, one of the clerks of the
Senate, as the scapegoat, and fired him. !
1t was as contemplate deed as ever
was done in body presumably COM
posed largely of gentlemen. The out
rage stirred the indignation of news
paper correspondents. and following
Ioung's dismissal every man in the
press gallery made a special point of
printing fuller reports of executive ses-
siOns than he had ever done before.
Whereas such reports had been COM
paratively brief up to that time, the
period Immediately following the remov-
al of Young was characterized by a
flood of them far more elaborate than
ever before.
Young got all the vindication he could
have desired. and the hypocrisy of the
Senate's performance was shown up in
glaring style. He was afterward elected
to the House of Representatives from
Philadelphia, and after his retirement
from Congress became superintendent of
the Dead letter office. which place he
still holds.
There is hardly any pretense of con-
cealment about it now. Immediately
after the adjournment of an executive
session senators stroll into the Marble
room, just back of the Senate chamber.
where they quite accidentally find news
paper men waiting for them. All
through the Marble room are little
groups of senators and newspaper men
talking in low tones. Other senators
stroll out of the chamber to their COM
mittee rooms. where they find other
newspaper men waiting for them. Still
others leave the building. accompanied
by newspaper men. Each newspaper
man has his own senator. or senators.
and these senators would be surprised
and disappointed if they did not find
their newspaper men waiting for them.
Next morning there is report, short
Or long, according to the importance of
the executive session recorded, but only
varying in different newspapers in the ,
details concerning which the recollection
Of the senators varied
Many senators. in course of years. ,
have thus become quite experienced re-
DOrters.