The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-08-22
THE NEW ORLEANS BULLETIN SUNDAY AUGUST %, 1876.
SHOCKING BAD DRESS.
ROBES OF AMERICAN CONGRESSMAN.

| The following extract from letter Of the
special Washington correspondent OF the Chicago
| Times will be found interesting as showing the
personal peculiarities and eccent icties Of the
modern would-be great men who compose the
present Congress:
It is always interesting to know the personal
peculiarities of our prominent men. The knowl-
edge of the small details Of their lives seems to
bring them nearer to US. 1t does not, however,
| follow that the nearer they are brought that
there is a corresponding rise upon their part in
the opinion Of the observer The nearer We get
to our so-called great men, the less we find that
they deserve the title. A Congressman may be
an awe-inspring object in the interior, but here
in Washington he is nothing but one Of very
common lot of humanity.
study of the sty les of dress OF the men who
make up our political bodies will give, in meas
ure, something Of an idea of them. The strange
carelessness VI some aud affected eccentrIcities
of others all make up medley convincing in
proof Of the fact that the average politician,
however strong III his intellect, does not in gen.
eral possess much polish, none OF the "delica-
tesse" of high bree ting. GA strange unkempt
lot" is the comment OF the average stranger IN
looking upon the wild confusion OF the mem bers
of the House, their rufiauly treatment Of one
another, and their absolute avoidan g OF the OBJ
servance of the small requirements OF life. In
the main their dress corresponds to their man
ners. They are uncouth or unbecomlng, nearly
always. Within late years there are advances
among politicians in the fine art of good dressing,
but
THE FAvoRITE DRESS OF ANDY JOHNSON
still continues, in the classic circles of the West
and South, to be considered by small politicians
the dress of all others for impressipg the pOpu-
lace. Mr.. Johnson's dress was of the old school
style Of politician of some twenty years ago,
with but one modern concession, and that was
that the coat was frock instead OF swallowtail.
His style of dress, the conventional one of the
American gentleman" Of the years gone by,
trousers, with a vest of deep black
velvet. There are but few of the Con-
gressmen Of the present day that wear this
style of dress. but t. ke them as class probably
they are as badly dressed set of men as one
can find anywhere in the country. There is a
deal in dress. Taste and a little care, combined
with moderate expenditure of money, can be
made through dress to contribute much to mans
general appearance. There are some men who
are perhal great. enough to rise above the
dignity Of clothes, but even the greatest, appro-
priately dressed, would make a much better
figure There is much nonsense prated by the
badly dressed people of the country, their rail
ing against people who give some attention to
dress, and in this prating. they find some excuse
for their own bad dressing. In general where
bad dressing exists bad breeding in an inevitable
THE GENERAL BAD DRESSING
Of our public men is only one of The evidences of
our youth as q ma. ion. In England or France, |
even the lords of the treasury or the men high in
the ministry do not think it beneath them to give
most careful attention to the cut Of their coats
or the shade of their cravats. The wearing OF
gloves il a peculiar evidence of the old world |
schooling. None of the foreign officials stationed |
here ever venture out without being accura tely |
gloved, and every attention given to the smallest
features of their dress. What would be thought |
1f an average American congressman who should |
wear clothes that fitted him, and then should 60 |
so far as to wear neat little bouquet in his |
and pair OF close-ftting gloves |
whenever he went out? Why, he would be de-
bounced as "a fellow who is airy and puts on
,tyIe" and it would be hard to convince his asso-
i .tes that such course of dressing was not an
evidence ofinteriority OF mind.
And vet the average dress Of the foreigner |
akiug the Englishman as standard, costs
much less than that of the average American.
The Englishmans morning dress of tweeds and
leavy diagonal goods does not cost even in this
country over $50. His white linens, cut of his
and attention to the small details of
lis attire, are what give HIM the appearance OF
,erng 80 well dressed. You will perhaps hear
IN American of the political type amusing him
elf at the idea of the money the foreigners ex-
,end upon dress, while he has broadcloth
uit ill fitting and bullying from the habit of
making document pigeon holes OF his pockets.
hat cost him in the neIghborhood of 500. OF
IL the violations of good taste, that OF wearing
,roadcloth in suit1ngs fer general wear is the
most absurd. 1t soils easily, wrinkles, and as
vorn by the average statesman, soon loses all
f the shape it ever had.
ECCENTRIC DRESSING.
Throughout Congress there are many men who
make it a point of dressing i'll the most eccen-
rio possible manner. Some are always mas
uerading in the cos unes OF Clay and Webster,
linking that from theatrical standpoint they
viii at least be able to impress the galleries as
tatesmen. Luke Poland, of Vermont, was one
( the most eccentric dressers IN the House. He
sed to always move about in blue coaS adorned
nth small dinner plates of brass buttons. His
est was generally white, and opened 80 as to
isplay wild expanse of dainty ruffed shirt
osom under whose shades cleaned here and
here tiny diamond buttons. Now, here was
olemn old guy who spent more time IN devising
ecHharities OF dress, than any. Fifth Avenue
,ppishness. But this old man never in his life
assed pier-glass without taking good square
,ok at himself, and when he rose to make a
peech upon the floor he always posed for pos
Gritty. Two of
THE BEST DRESSED MEN
l the Congress are Clarkson Potter, of New
ork, in the House; and in the SENATE, Gen.
Clarkson Potter has rather overdone
ne matter, and in too closely adhering to the
nglish style of dressing has won for himself
ne title OF the cockney member" His whis-
ers are cut after the English fashion, and he
fleets the English style of pronunciation, which
lakes him appear rather absurd to the average l
bserver Yet there are but few men in the /
louise who are his equals in ability and capacity I
,r work. He is an extremely we'll read lawyer,
nd has most lucrative practice. cen. Burn
de- the EST dresser in the Senate, affects the
udress military style, and in his peculiar era
ats, waistcoats and original collars, never fails
, attract more than ordinary notice. He was
nee tailor in his early days. and his careful
ttention to dress calls up many pleasant
,mark about his earlier avocation. He never
eglects an opportunity offered by an evening i
,ssion to put on full-dress suit. Attired in
lis society splendor, Ambrose loves. to stand
oout the doorways of the Senate Chamber and
low the public to drink in the full beauties of /
is noble proportions.
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