The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1912-03-08


make application to the navy depart
ment First it is necessary to write
to the department for blank forms
which are to be filled in and returned
The distribution of the relics will be
made from Annapolis.
The collier Leonidas had On board
f1fty tons Of coal which were secured
from bunkers of the Maine. The
coal mad been exposed to the action of
sea water for fourteen years. The
naval academy scientists will use the
coal for experimental purposes to find
OUT II they can how much heating
value remains III fuel after remaining
IN salt water for long period of
tlme There are some scientists, 1t Is
said, who claim tbf.t the coal will be
round TO be better in quality than it
was before its immersion. but the pre-
nonderance Of scientific opinion Is
that i will be found to have lost mos:
of its good qualities as fuel.
May Open Senate Doors.
The senate of the United States has
In part at least discussed in the open
the arbitration treaties pending be-
tween the United States, Great Britain
and other countries. Ordinarily al
most everything pertaining to treaties
Is distressed In executive session with
no one present but the senator's. the
clerks and the stenographers. "Execu-
tive session secrecy" is not always
secrecy, for frequently when the ses-
sion is over the facts of the debate
leak out
1t is possible that this discussion
of arbitration In part openly may be
the entering wedge for the opening to
the public of all so-called executive
sessions, although 1t rs not at all
probable that complete publicity will
come for some years.
Some time ago the senate was dis
cussing a treaty with Santo Domingo.
AS usual the session were secret, but
as secret sessions they proved to be
broadly farcical The senate sat be-
hind closed doors and on this Santo
Domingo occasion not only the pub
lie and spondents, but the clerks
and even the reporters were exclud-
ed Somehow or other nearly all the
proceedings of the secret meeting
were reported in full in the newspaper
Of the next day, and since them some
proceedings of the senate which or
dinarily In the past would have been
held behind close doors were open 10
the public. The tendency is more and
more to do away with secret sessions.
Secrets Are lnvloIate.
When the senate sits in executive
session for the consideration OF the
of appointments to ONCE
made by the president the secrets OF
the chamber are kept inviolate. NO
one thinks Of asking senator about
protests that might have been made
against the confirmation of any man.
Neither would any one think OF asking
him how the senators voted on the
question of approving the choice OF
the president. The senators wouldnt
tell il they were asked. Aside from
their implied promises to hold sale
the secrets of the room, they have too
much at stake personally to JUSTIFY
them in answering questions or in Civ
ing information voluntarily.
Nominations have been refused ap-
prevail because of the objection OF a
single senator who held that the man
named was distasteful to him person
ally. 1t is a sort of "do this for me
and III do it for you some day propo-
sition. In the case OF treaties ana
other matters which the senate may
feel called upon to discuss In private
the thing is different. The whole
public Is interested in the proceed
ings. and the public for many years
has been unable to understand why II
should not h~ow the views OF Its rep
resentatives on questions OF national
Importance. As a matter OF fact, the
public generally has discovered these
views. for the senators will talk. Near
iy every new and comparatively new.
senator is in sympathy with the ope
meeting idea. The belief Is that II
will prevail before long.
In his day Charles Sumner was an
ardent advocate of open senate ses-
sions for all of the business except
that of the confirmation of appointees
to office. Even the strength of sum-
ner, however failed to move the SEN
ate. Since his day individual senators
have tried and tried again to secure
the consideration of treaties In open
session, but the trying failed.
Clapp ls lronicaI.
Some years ago Senator Moses f.
Clapp OF Minnesota introduced an
ironical r. solution calling for open
sessions. The members were eonsid
ering an Isthmian canal matter. and
full reports of everything that was
said in the secret session were APP
pearing daily in the newspapers. The
Clapp resolution was to the effect
that the Minnesota senator had dis
covered that one newspaper man had
made n mistake OF one word in Sc