Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-02-07
Trouble ~ tho white House.

The President is In trouble abou,
questions Of precedence among the la.
dies of Washington, and while the
country may laugh, the trouble is real
and serious. 1t is not disheartening
but it is discouraging.
We suppose no one who has filled the
Office knew any more than President
Arthur knows on this subject, or il
more careful to be polite. There are,
however, some awful points of etiquette.
One thing is settled, and that is that
the President goes first. That holds
good at his own dinners. The g-ntle-
man who escorts the lady of the White
House must go out to dinner after the
President, even if the President walks
out with gentleman.
More than that, the President cannot
dine out anywhere without heading
the procession TO the dining.room with
the lady of the house. He cannot dine,
therefore, at a dinner given in honor of
some one else.
The ladies Of tie Supreme Court are
a disturbing element. They claim TO
rank next the President himself II is
asserted for the wife of the Chief Jus
tice that she is the second lady In the
and, and the wives Of the Associate
Justices understand themselves 10
stand, or walk, cr fly very little lower
indeed than any other angels, and con-
s,drrably higher than the W yes of SEN
ators, though The Mrs. Senators are
not as particularly sure OF ali that. Ill
Is admlttt d, however, that the wives
OF the justices OF The Supreme CourJ
and Of Senator'S are immeasurably lof- |
tier than the wives Of mem bers OF the |
House.
The point Of difficulty has been a. 10
the relative glory OF the wives of JUS |
tices Of the supreme Court and of SeDa- |
tors, and the wives Of Cabinet officers.
The ladies Of the Cabinet are always
Industrious in society, and they are NO
close TO the President that they have
usually succeeded in placing them
sslVes as they pleased. Even General
jackson, il may be relfem bered took
an interest in the social position Of
Cabinet ladies, and Cabinet Of his |
was torn in pieces when one of the he |
roic heads Of department married a |
pretty girl whose mother kept board
Ing-house.
President Arthur's trouble has arisen
from his recognition of Mrs. Speaker
Carlisle Gas they say in Washington y,
III the absence Of the wife of of the
President pro tempore Of the Senate,
acting Vice President, to stand next to |
the lady of the White House at "a recep-
ton. 1t is Arthur's assumption that as |
Mr.. Speaker Carlisle IL in the order Of |
succession, and two removes from the |
Presidency, Mrs. Carlisle CON Us next to
his sister, Mrs. McElroy, the lady of
the White House Mrs. Waite and |
Mrs. Edmunds are both invalids, and |
besides are not anxious in relation to
questions Of precedence. This, how
ever, only transfers the battle down the |
| ne.
AT two receptions Mrs. Carliss has
stood next Mrs. McElroy, and there are
symptoms OF l2htniug all around the
social sky, and some rafting bursts of
Strange AZ it may seem, this
tempestuOus state Of the official atmos-
phcre has not been modified by the
Pre-ident's concession TO the Cabinet in
walking TO dinner with Mrs. Freling-
huysen. We are inclined to think the
President is correct In his estimation of
The dignity Of the Speakership, but we
81 all not venture, even at this distance,
upon any form Of judgment more
precise than that. We wish TO DO In
definite.