Show i Y i W Why y So o Much Muck Shushing they are are pe perhaps wi within hin their legal t r r rights till all l to too frequently bodies r transact transacting l ing Mg g p public business go into secret or executive executives s sessions I II it enc encourages rage public suspicion and d distrust rust There Ther is pretty general agreement that 1 t the principle of ot open covenants openly ar arl arrived arth ar- ar l th rived iv d at should b be followed d when public servants set ser v ts at at arc dealing with the p p public blk business This isby no m m mearis ns s a rule rOle that hat i is is' g generally zi t r lly followed F Fede Federal state stat Jat county and local bodies sit b be behind behind be- be hind closed d doors a and and d the people whom the they represent s nt are re prevented from knowing What I is going on This was the most conspicuous feature oi oJ the he meeting at the capitol Monday when r presen- presen representatives of Colorado river basin states met to consider wh what t should be done about Arizona's xi rl newest move in the United States supreme court t to have a new de deal l in th the apportionment of ti the rivers river's water Belief relief was expressed that C California fornia and d Arizona have something up t their sleeve Seeing n newspaper men in the session chamber former Congressman Phil i of California suggested that the reporters report report- ers ought not to hear what the conferees hadt had t 16 say William R. R Wallace a Utah representative senI sen- sen I was quick to move to b bar r them and the motion was carried Af After er this this' shushing the b business si ess went on in secret and at t its conclusion v very ry little news wasp wasp was p permitted mitt d to r reach a h the p public 5 about the pro pro- Of course ourse the s six x compact states were Vere getting their heads beads together to plan strategy to be used against Arizona But even evenso evenso evenso so inasmuch as as s Arizona representatives are areto areto areto to be called in to sit with them when they meet again gain on Dec December 28 26 what could have been the reason for the secrecy If California is also suspect wh why didn't the delegates bar its distinguished representative Now the p doesn't know whether or or not the public interest justified d all this dark lantern business Sometimes it might Nor Noris NorIS is this instance the m most st glaring ever to come cometo cometo cometo to light It just happens to be a tim timely ly example of df f a practice e which is not conducive to confidence confidence confidence dence in bodies carrying on public affairs It should be possible to inform the people of reas rea's reasons rea rca s 's sons ns for doing this sort of thing without prejudicing dicing the public interest It should be possible also to conduct much more public business openly so that judgments may be passed on the motives and acts of f public servants |