Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-04-03
Judge not a Man by his Coat!

The end or tpe hf8L session Oh tue 4Uih
Congress is drawing nigh, and the potent Sen.
a.prs aud Representatives now find time to
discuss the important question ofaa uniform,
to be worn BY persons in the diplomatic ser
vice of the United States.
In the House, on Mondas last, the Senate
joint resolution concerning the diplomatic
uniform was taken up, aud the following edi-
Tying remarks were made:
Mr.. Schenck, Of Ohio, thought the bill
should not pass, unless Congress designated
some dress that should be w6rn. He related
au incident which occurred to one Of our
Consuls to Brazil. to show that the ignoring
of all court dress placed gentlemen iu sin
gular aud sometimes ridiculous position. He
thought all should be allowed to abide by tie
laws and usages of country to which they
might be sent. He held furthermore that it
often occurred that failure to comply with
the usages Of country often had d tendency
to impair the usefulness Of the Minister and
of other diplomatic officers.
Mr.. Judd, of Illinois, who was for time
Minister from this country to Berlin, said that
the representatives of all countries were more
Or less embarrassed at foreign court. The
Turk, for ins.aucc, wore the dress in which be
appeared before his own sovereign; but the
trouble with the representatives cf this Gov
ernment was that no dcess had ever been
prescribed, and he thought all difficulty would
be obviated if Congress would lay down some
rule of dress.
Mr.. CoTode, Of ennsylvania, moved to
amend by proviso, that no diplomatic agent
should wear any dress except such as shall De
prescribed, and fashioned, and ont by the
head tailor of this Government who now
presides over it. Laughter.l
Mr.. Banks, Of Massachusetts, said he would
accept that amendment provided the gentle
man (Mr. Covode) would give the officer
named the control of all other departments
of the Government.
Mr.. NOEL, of Missouri, moved to amend by
proviGing that the court dress of American
representatives abroad shall consist Of
cooked hat, looped up with the American
eagle a swallow tail coat, with the stars and
stripes embroidered on the tails; butternut
knee.breeches d la franklin; yellow stock
ings; square.toed Shoes buckskin vest.
white on one side and black on the other, in
dicalive of the fact that there's no distinction
on account of color, and .rosettc bearing the
inscription, ECONOMY is wealth.
The reading of this amendment created a
good deal of laughter, and the Speaker de-
clared it out Of order.
Mr.. Nicholson, of Delaware, thought an
exception should be made in relation to the
Barbary States and similar Governments,
where mans influence was measured by the
amount of tinsel he wore and the pomp and
circumstance he assumed.
Mr.. Brooks, of New York, said the bill al.
bwed none to wear uniforms except such men
as had served in the army Or navy of the
United States, and he thought this making
wrong distinction.
Mr.. Banks conteuded that the highest badge
of honor that an American who was entitled
to it cared to wear was the uniform of an OIL.
Ger, for it showed that he had imperiled his
life for his country.
He wanted the couutry represented abroad
BY Americans, and this could not be done
unless the dress Of an American gentleman
Was worn. There. might be eourticrS who
would sneer; but there were courtiers who
had alwayssncered at all that was American.
The country had lived down all these sneers,
and they would continue to live them down,
and the time would come when it would be
the highest badge of honor to appear ateourt
IN the dress Of an American citizen.