Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-04
FIRST LADY OF THE LAND
THE QUESTION STILL TRoUB-
LING OFFICIAL CIRCLES.

Mrs. Carlisle Credited with Showing
Very Good Sense During the COntro-
versy-The Governments Mammoth
Printing Ohice-Bayard's Cabinet
Chances said to be Impaired
Correspondence of the Morning Meas.
WASHINGTON. Jan. Alt was really
very kind of Mrs. Carlisle, the wife of the
Speaker, to stay at home over New Years.
1t relieved the people who arranged the
programme of ceremonies at the White
House Of great deal Of perplexity, so
great sticklers are some of the society
people of Washington for official and
social precedence. For some time past
there has been pending portentOus and
most important question, whether Mrs.
Carlisle or Mrs. Edmunds or Mrs. Waite
should stand next the President and his
sister on New Years day. This is con-
sidered the ''place of honor" and it has
been a troublesome question, in the
absence of a Vice Presidents wife to fill
it, whether the wife of the Speaker or the
wife of the President of the Senate was
entitled TO be counted the ''first lady of
the land" or whether the wife of the
Chief Justice had the right to brush aside
both these and claim and have that honor
for herself. This subject has, if the
gOssips are to be trusted, caused no small
amount of heart-burnings in certain
circles here. Not that Mrs. Carlisle has
permitted the subject to trouble her. She
has in the midst of it all evinced the
rarest good judgment and taste in quietly
ignoring the entire subject and going on
with her share of the social duties
in whatever position was assigned
her. 1t is said that the fact that she was
given this precedence at the White House
on one occasion was the cause of quite a
scene, in which very prominentlady in So
ciety made very vigorous protest against
the position to which she had been as
signed, and more especially to the prOmi-
nence given the wife of the Speaker. The
President has in the past divided the
honors of first place with several ladies,
sometimes taking Mrs. Carlisle to din
ner, or giving her the post of honor at
his receptions, sometimes choosing Mrs.
Waite for this place, and sometimes Mrs.
Frelinghuysen. Mrs. Edmunds was here
little last season, and the question did
not come up in such prominent form as
now. Within the past two weeks 1t had
been the subject of good deal of discus
sion in a quiet way, and it is probable
that those who had the arranging of the
programme at the Presidential mansion
breathed a sigh of relief when they found
the question eliminated by the announce
ment that Mrs. Carlisle was to spend New
Years at her Kentucky home.
That Mrs. Carlisle is ''first LADY, in
Washington society would scarcely be
doubted by those who witness her recep-
tiOns, about to be resumed for the coming
season. They were last season the centre
of attraction in the social world. The at
tendance was very large, including in
the number all the most prominent in the
social and political world. And she was
one Of the most careful and conscientious
women that Washington has seen in
long time in returning the honOrs thus
paid her. For many weeks after the
average society woman OF Washington
had laid down the burden of social labors
for the season, last spring, Mrs. Carlisle
was busy returning in person all the hum
dreds and thousands of calls that she re-
ceiyed during tle busy season. Her re-
turn to Washington and social life is
ahXiOusly looked for by good many peO-
ME.