The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-03-25
Mrs. swisshelm writes from Washington
the Pittsburg Gazette:

THE PARLoR.
Mrs. swisshelm writes from Washington to
the Pittsburg Gazette:
A paragraph is going the rounds Of the pa
pers to the effect that Mrs. Sprague is bringing
her influence to bear on her husband and father
in favor of President Johnson and against i'm
peachment. There may be more In this than
O. casual observer would suppose. The ques-
ton Of rank or precedence Is not more CLOSELY
contested in any European court than N -, ouT II
Republican capital. Colonel Benton and Ch1ef
| Justice Taney had little feud, which only
ended with their lives, about precedence:
Should United States Senator rank Judge OF
the Supreme Court? That was the question
| which the naughty persistence OF the eagle
faced Colonel but partially settledin the ahirma-
tive: for. although United States Senator will
NOT often condesceud to leave his card for u. S.
c.. the J. S. C.s are slow to acknowledge their
dutv to pay the respect Of call upon U. s.
s. or course this is a question in which ladies
take an active interest, and no one has dlstln-
guished herself more in it than Mrs. Sprague.
In the early days OF the war, the young Gov
ernor of Rhode Island, who raised q regiment
at his own risk, and went to suppress the re-
| bellion Was quite hero of romance. Loyal
ladies were not 80 abundant in Washington, as
after Lees surrender; and, what with her wit,
beauty, gracious manners, her Iathers posi-,
ton, and the afianced OF the Rhode lsland
| millionaire patriotic Governor Colonel, Miss
Chase occupied o very prominent position,
and believed herself entitled to precedence as
first lady" in the government. She contested
her claim with Mrs Lincoln, who, as LADY Of
the White House. was by common consent,
awarded that eminence. There had been
several passages at arms between them, and
Mrs. Lincoln felt deeply .aggreved when Miss
Chase was at the White House, either by
Il itoffN mr. 1ntr0dnnQ
friends. I forget which, Mrs. Lincoln, in an
amiable desire to promote harmony, reminded
her that she had not seen her for some time,
and hoped she would call again soon.
Mrs. Sprague haughtily replied that she had
generally been at home, and that If Mrs. Lin,
coin had wished to see her she could most
probably have done 30 by returning her pre-
yious call. My informant, lady who was pre-
sent at the time, thought Miss Chase's manner
as offensive as the open claim to equal rank
uniust and iniudicious and felt that Mrs. Liz
coin was fully justified in ever afterwards re-
fusing to treat her with any pretense of kind
ness, or to attend her wedding. Those who
knew the history of Miss Chase's refusal to
accord to Mrs. Lincoln the precedence to which
she was upquestionably entitled, felt that MIR.
Lincoln did wrong in attending that we'd
ding, and thus giving the naughty bride tri-
umph over his wife.
Mrs. Sprague's desire to be 'First Lady"
amounts almost to a mania; and, no doubt, has
much to do with her fathers presidential aspi-
rations. While MIR. johnson is President she
will have little active opposition in her claim to
that dignity in right to her treble rank OF
wealth, wife Of Senatora and daughter OF the
Chief Justice; for Mrs. Patterson is woman
OF little or no self-assertion. What with the
intemperance Of her husband and brother, the
care Of her invalid mother and her four chill
dren, she has little time to attend to the digni-
ty of her position, and, with her earnest devo-
ton to her father, would defer to Mrs. Sprague,
if by 80 doing she could win any support to that
father. On the other hand, Mrs. Wade will
hold any position to which she may be
assigned, and which she expects. If Mrs.
spragne has ever undertaken to assert |
aspiring lady no doubt retired from the
conflict feeling that she had won no laurels. |
Mrs. Wade is very unpretending in her dress
and manners, and to see her and her husband |
in street car, as have done, returning from
a hospital visit, after Senate hours, one might |
mistake them for q well to do farmer and his |
hale old wife; but there is'a reserved force OF
would make itself felt in the lowest hovel or
most brilliant drawing room. II she goes into
the White House, there will be no room for dis |
pute as to who is the First Lady" in this De-
mocratic land. Hence there is no doubt Mrs.
Sprague would not wish to see herin that posi-
tlOn, especially Hb mI6. WdOeI III Soumou Will
thousands Of The people of Ohio, must remem-
Der. with grave disapproval, the youthful folly
OF the spoiled beauty who brought public scan-
dal on her fathers administration while be was
Governor Of that State. Even at that school
girl age she had sufficient tact and influence
with him to battle his wisest counselors in |
their efforts to remove her favorite, q hand
some, dissolute, married man, from his posi-
ton under the government. One morning the
City Of Columbus was thrown into great ex-
citement by the announcement, in the morn
ing paper that the Governor had undertaken
to horsewhip the handsome gentleman. and
had been shot in the rencontre; but Miss Kate
clutched the helm so firmly as to carry her lit
tie bark through the storm without throwing
her Jonah overheard. Her influence with her
father is almost unlimited, and to that source
was ascribed his active opposition to an in
crease of salary to female clerks at time when
they received 5000 a year, and she paid just
this amount for wedding veil.
Mrs. Wade is SO thoroughly her opposite. be-
ing heart and soul Interested in all true efforts
to aid the lowly, while maintaining her own
dignity, rendering honor to whom honor is
due, that there is no doubt in my mind but
Mrs. Sprague will strain every nerve 10 prevent
her being placed in position to dispose OF
her own claim to the title of First Lady,"
JANE G. SWISSHELM.
Soer;oI 31nfirpe