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Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors image
Parent Issue
Day
14
Month
January
Year
1898
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Washington, Januaiy lo. In aceortl- wiih lii.s previous notlee, Senator Davis, ehairman oí the sena te comr mittee on forelgu relations, brougiii un the subject of the rat .tica ti on of the Hawalian aunexation treaty in the seaate today. H'is motion was aiade soon the dïsposal of the routine business and the entire remalnder oí day's session, except the giren to the conHniiatioa of ncminat'.ons. w:is devoted to the conslderatlon oí the question as to whether the treaty should be considered ia op.-:i cssion oí' behind closed doors íu execuHye session. Senator Morgan was the principal opponent of the proposltion to nave the delate public. He talked ai length ui'on tlie Importance of obsarving the senate rules in dlscueslhg mis quostion. eontending that .-s the senate was actlng oiily in au advisory capacity io Ule exeputlve it wonld nan act of bad faitli for it lo throw open i he doors to the public. He saitl that no one would think of asking the president and the eaibinel to up a. treaty in the presen.ee of thfl general public aad he contended that for this reason the obli.ua i i, .n of secrosy was greater upon the señale tha.i t would be upan the executive branch oí' tlie government. .Most of the senators who gpoke in oppositlon to open scssi:)i:s referred to the probability that the action of ICutopean powera in their evident pur!! ise of partitioniíif; the territory of China would form the basis of tnuch of the debate on the question of II.-iwaiian annexation. All wiio refei-red to üiis phase of the question nianifested a disposkion to regard it as a delicate and compllcated one and onr which it were better should be ventllated behind elosed doors. It wa also iniiinati-d that tli,; Moiiroe doe trine would come in for a fair share of diseusslon lefore the close of the debate and it was asserted that th'.s was a. question which could be o freely diseussed in executive than in open session.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat