St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-27
A CABINET CAUCUS
By the Wives of the Presidents Ministers
to Formulate Rules for Social
Observance.
The Announcement of the Result Of Their
Deliberations Causes Veritable
Society Blizzard.
Alarmed at the Reception Accorded
Their Dictum, They Bulletin
a Modification.
Secretary Whitney Spending Nearly
Fifty Thousand Dollars on the
FreIinghuysen Mansion.
necial correspondence of the Globe.

Special Correspondence or the Glope.
WASHINGTON, Dec. "a Washington
society is all torn up" Christmas week.
which ought to be peaceful and happy and
lovely, is full of chickering's and back
billings, and harsh sayings among the
ladies. 1t is truly sad. The storm which
has arisen is quite unexpected, too, but
RACES with more or less violence because OF
its sudden appearance. 1t is all about the
action of the cabinet ladies last week in re-
gard to returning, or not returning calls.
AS has been already announced, these
ladies held caucus of their own last week,
and decided not to return calls made on
them. except dinner calls and evening party
attendance All others, it was announced,
were to be recognized by sending cards.
To all who called on the cabinet ladies
there was, according to this program, to
be sent by mail, or otherwise, the card OF
the lady and two cards OF her husband
Just WHY the husband was to have two
cards to his wife's one nobody seems to
have found out; but this was the plan
announced. that each cabinet lady was to
return her Wednesday calls by card, ieav-
ING her own card and two of her husbands
This announcement has raised storm. 1t
is not a breeze. but a downright blizzard.
That these people, selected from office by
Mr.. Cleveland's favor, who have never seen
ANYTHING of Washington society, should
come here and set up
NEW SOCIAL SCHEME
by which the calls of the families of officials
elected 10 positions of honor and trust, or
who have been leaders in Washington So
ciety for years. are to be returned by the
mere formaIity of bit of pasteboard de-
livered by liveried funky is quite too
much 1t fairly paralyZed the ladies of
society and the families of congressman and
others of high social rank. And, come to
think of it, it would be just a little cool for
the vile of some cabinet officer who has
never seen service here to return the call of
Mrs. Senator Logan or Mrs. Chief Justice
Waite or Mrs. Randall or Mrs. Carlisle and
hundreds of others of equal prominence, IN
this way. The result has been loud COM
plants, so loud that it has already reached
the ears of the ladies themselves, and be-
gins to alarm them. That they are alarmed
is evident by second ''official bulletin, !"
which was issued this week, as follows:
There has been misinterpretation in some
quarters of the paragraph relative to de-
cision made by the cabinet ladies at recent
conference The ladies intend to fulfil all
their social obligations. They will call on the
families of the senators and the justices of
the supreme court. and will return all other
calls in person made before Jan. l. After
that date, when the regular Wednesday re-
ceptions begin, considering the unusually
large concourse of people that will be in the
capitol all winter, it would be physical i'm
possibility to return all the calls in person.
The wives of cabinet officers all have house
holds and their consequent duties. They will
entertain many friends from abroad during
the winter, and they very wisely decide not
to attempt the impossible. The ladies believe
that this straightforward method is prefera-
Bile to that of sending cards to all, and better
than attempting to make determinations
which must result disagreeably.
LOOKING FOB RESULTS.
There is a good deal of interest among
the lockers on as to what will be the result
of this pretty fight thus begun. Mrs.
Blaine, it is said, attempted plan Of this
sort when her husband became secretary of
state but was knocked out in the first
round by the wives of the senators and the
supreme court justices. who insist that a
cabinet officer is nothing more than high
clerk appointed by the president, and
ought not set herself above the wives of
those elected to positions or those holding
positions for life. Yet there is good deal
to be said on the other side of the question.
1t is urged that none except those on par
ticularly intimate terms ought to expect
ladies, who receive each week on an aver
age 400 calls, to return them in person. 1t
has been a common custom for cabinet la
dies to have the business wagons of the de-
partment over which their respective hus-
bands presided to deliver cards several
times each winter to such persons whose
position or close acquaintance did not
necessitate a personal visit. No one can
reasonably find fault with this. The cabi-
net ladies last spring, after their series of
afternoon receptions, endeavored faithfully
to return as many as time would allow, and
such of them as left town early sent cards
by mail, where they found it impossible to
cover their lists.
AN INTERESTING FEATURE
of the week has been the preparations for
the annual Christmas club demonstration.
This club was organized several winters
ago here, and has given Christmas dinners
to thousands of poor children as the holt
days seasons have rolled round. It is a
worthy charity, and made especially popu-
lar by the fact that Miss Nellie Arthur, who
was at its head, is succeeded by Miss
Cleveland at the head of the organization
of grown people, and Miss Mollie Villas at
the head of the children's club. This char
ity, and the numerous home matters of this
character have been about the only subjects
thought of in the past few days Society
festivities have been very much neglected in
the preparations for Christmas day and its
home pleasures The question of the part
that MIR. Cleveland is going to take in
social matters this season is beginning to
be again talked over, as the season proper
is at hand. 1t does not seem probable that
he will trouble himself on this score half
as much as some other people Until the
custom was broken through by President
Andrew jackson, whose example was fol-
lowed by President Hayes, Grant and
Arthur, the rule of etiquette established and
maintained by previous presidents was to
accept no invitations of social character.
This rule, it may be assumed, was not
adopted with due consideration, whether it
was thought that the
DIGNITY OF THE CHIEF
executive of the nation would be better
maintained by not mingling with such
gatherings, or that by accepting some in
VltatonS and declining others it would give
rise to jealouSies that were better avoided
by staying away altogether the fact re-
mains that for many years etiquette pre-.
scrbed that all private invitations should be
declined. AS President Cleveland has re-
trained from paying any visits since he has
been in office it is a fair presumption that
he proposes, like his earlier predecessors in
Office, to devote himself wholly to public
business, and while leaving to others the
giving of social entertainments and the dis
pensation of hospitality, limiting his own
duties in these respects to such receptions
and entertainments at the White house as
he may deem incumbent upon him and be-
coming to his high station. A good deal of
interest is felt in Secretary Whitneys work
upon the old Frelinghuysen mansion. He
is spending, it is said nearly $50. 900 in re-
pairing and refurnishing it. 1t was hand
some home when the Frelinghuysens had
it. but it will be much more so now The