The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-03-01

LAA Va kIE HFSCh Oi the Maine muEt
make application TO the navy depart
ment First II is necessary 10 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
fifty tons of coal which were secured
from bunkers of the Maine The
coal had been exposed to the action of
sea water for fourteen years The
naval academy scientists win use the
coal for experimental purposes to find
out II they can how much heating
value remains in fuel after remaining
In salt water for a long period of
time. There are some scientists, II Is
said, who claim that the coal will be
found to be better In quality than II
was before its immersion, but the pre-
ponderance of scientific opinion is
that II will be found to have lost most
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 discussed in executive session with
no one present but the senators, 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.
II 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 is not at all
probable that complete publicity will
come for some years.
Some time ago the senate was dis
cussing 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 correspondents, 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 to
the public. The tendency is more and
more to do away with secret sessions.
Secrets Are fnvioIate.
When the senate sits in executive
| Frr n1nu5dnr1rfnT1 ~ the
confirmation of appointments to Office
made by the president the secrets of
the chamber are kept inyiolate. No
one thinks of asking a 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 wouldn't
tell If they were asked. Aside from
their implied promises to hold safe
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 I'll do it for you some day" propo-
sition. In the case of treaties and
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 1t
should not know 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
ly every new and comparatively new
senator is in sympathy with the open
meeting idea. The belief is that 1t
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.
cIapP Is IronIeaI.
Some years ago Senator Moses E.
| Clapp OF Minnesota introduced an
| ironical resolution calling for open
| sessions. The members were consid-
| ering an Isthmian canal matter. and
| full reports of everything that was
| said in the secret session were ap-
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 a mistake of one word in a Sc
cret session report which was six col
umns long, and 1t asked in the inter
est of accuracy that the newspaper
| correspondents be admitted to the gal
| leries during the executive sessions
t. -