The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-01-12
ms. Williams Not to be the First
Lady In the Land.

mrs. Williams Not TO be the FRS
Lady In the Land.
From the Boston JournAl.l
II used to be said that II you wanted tc
wean man Of Catholicism, send him Il
Rome. Would 1t not be q queer state o
things II our heartfelt believers In Re
publicaniSm should find more to shoch
their faith and TO burlesque their ideal In
the society Of Washington than in that
Of any other Of our cities 7 Would II mol
be extremely suggestive 10 such an OBJ
server to study the ways and bother him
self over the tranSplanted Old World dis,
tlnctions ofwhAt SCALED, not 90 ironically
as many might IMAGINE, -Four Republican
court 7" Here, for Instance, d. the nomi-
nation Of Attorney General Williams ID
be Chiet Justice Of the United States.
Ills professional qualifications, his intel.
lectual calibre and his public record are
very properly subjected To- examination;
but, II we are TO believe Washington cor.
respondents, more than all these In the
way Of furnishing objections 10 the fact
that, II the nomination, should be CON
fifmedi Mrs. Williams would Become hthe
first lady in the land"
What Is thatg do we hear our honest
readers along the Merrimack and the An.
droscoggin inquiring in the simplicity Of
their hearts 2 We will explain. Accord.
ing to the etiquette Of Washington society
all other ladies are expected TO call first
upon the Presidents wife, but she Is not
expected 10 return the calls. This sets
her on an eminence, as It were, above tho
ordinary obligations Of society. The CUES.
ton who should come next In rank was
fought over for years between the families
OF the Chief Justice and the Vice Presi-
dent, but was finally settled In favor oil
the former; that is, the wife OF the Chief
Justice 10 entitled, after the Presidents
wife, to be first called on by "the Cabinet
ladies"-to use the Washington phraseol.
"senate ladies" House ladies'"
and so on In regular graduation, each class
doing out the first visit due from them,
and resolutely exactipg that due to them.
Hence It will be seen why 1t Is that Mrs.
Williams, with the proposed promotion
Of her husband, would become Q "first
ladN though why that particular result
should arouse such tremendous opposition
IN Washington society, making itself felt
syen within the majestic presence Of the
United States Senate, 1t Is none of our
business to inquire, and We trust that a
majority oi the Senators will take the
same view. It Is Mr.. and not Mrs. Will
liams that Is proposed for the Chief JUS
Iiceship.
We may say, however, in continued
elucidation Of the interesting point dis
cussed above, that It is generally agreed
that the clalgradation or hierarchy runs
With tolerable smoothness down to the
Fourth degree, as follows: The President,
Inc. Chiet Justice, the Vice President, and
Mr.. Speaker" With the fifth comes the
lug Of war, or as a graceless correspond
mt says, It's q cat fight. The Justice of
he Supreme Court, the General of the
Army and the Admiral OF the Navy (who
have effected Junction Of land and sea
.orces on this point), the Cabinet and the
Senators, are all claimants for this post of
honor aon behalf. of' their better halves.
Truly, as Dryden sings, "men mot to say
women are but children Of q larger
growth" Still more pertinent are the
words Of John Quincy Adams in letter
once drawn from him on this very point
i have invariably considered the Gov
srnment Of the United States as q Gov.
for the transaction Of business, I
md that no ceremonial for the mode or
interchanging visits between the
persons belonging to the respective de-
partmentsin ifhadeYer been established
Of course, Washington society, like oil
other society, must have Its rules, FORM
lily or tacitly recognized, but to fashion
hem on the etiquette of monarchical
courts, to insist upon them, in this demo.
cratic society Of ours, as If they were
smoug the verities OF moral life, and to
push them into the province Of official de.
ibcrations in which the whole country is
Is too ridiculous to be thought
If. 90 'i2 : Va. s{i 81