St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-15
Miss Cleveland Will Inaugurate a Very
Desirable Change in White House
Etiquette.
Curious Expenditure on Account Of the
Senate for Castor Oil, Soft Soap
and Apollinaris.
Minister Hanna's Friends Expecting
aFight Over His Confirmation
by the Senate.
Ex-Postmaster Palmer's Expecta-
tions--Thrifty Minister Wallace
General Gossip.
White House Etiquette.

Special CO Cu6 UlODe.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14.-Miss Cleveland
has been consulting with number of So
cety ladies about a program of exercises at
the White house on New Years day. She
has as much independence as her brother.
and after having listened to the opinions
and suggestions of ladies. who are familiar
through long experience with what is ex-
pected in Washington, she has arrived at
certain conclusions and has already arranged
the program of exercises for that day. Mrs.
HAYES brought in fashion OF having very
large number of ladies
TO ASSIST IN RECEIVING.
The result OF her numerous invitations
was to build up a precedent which has
caused great deal of heart burning, and
has been at the bottom of some OF the Sc
verest of Washington's social feuds. Mrs.
Hayes would arrange ladies she specially
invited in stiff row upon the right, in
stead of having them scattered at their ease
back of her in the blue parlOr, where the
receptions were held. These ladies would
stand with their hands folded, with look
of rapt bliss and calm superiority upon their
faces. and take no part in the reception be-
yond
NoDDING STIFFLY TO FRIENDS
as they passed. Through this arrangement
all semblence of sociability was destroyed.
Miss Cleveland found the social line leg
acy which had been handed down long
enough to be considered as precedent.
She soon learned of the bitter rivalries and
iealousies involved in the maintenance of
this line and she has very sensibly and in
dependently gone to work to see if it can
not be abolished. In order to accomplish
this she will limit her invitations to wives
of cabinet officers. AS there are only five
of these ladies, this will make the line
much shorter and as the
QUESTION OF PRECEDENCE
in the cabinet has been all settled there can
be no differences of opinion as to where
each lady shall stand. 1t is possible Mrs.
Whitney may not be present, as she is in
mourning. For several years it has been
the custom to invite wives of the chief Of
ticials of the two houses of congress to as
sist at the New Years reception. This has
brought into line ladies who have claimed
precedence over cabinet ladies. The wife of
the president or the acting vice president,
ranks next to the wife of the president, and
in the absence of such a lady she socially
stands first The speakers wife is sup
posed to come next. Mrs. John Sherman
is to-day the
LADY OF THE HIGHEST SOCIAL RANK
in Washington. Miss Cleveland avoids all
these questions this year bv contining her
invitations to the administration family.
This may result in a futter among the
wives of Republican senators, but Miss
Cleveland is actuated by the right kind of
motives, and will be criticised by none ex-
cent extreme sticklers for place and burden
some etiquette. Another veXed question
has also been settled by Miss Cleveland.
For a number of years Mrs. Bayard has
been something of an invalid, and has gone
into society but little. Her eldest daughter,
Miss Katherine Bayard, has represented
her. She
HAS CLAIMED PRECEDENCE
as belonging to her mother, and as a
natural consequence this claim has been
disputed by married ladies of officials near
Bayard in point of position. Miss Cleve-
land has requested Mrs. Bayard to be
present at the New Years reception, and
as Mrs. Bayard is in very good health now,
she will occupy the first place there, next
to Miss Cleveland, thereby saving the dis
satisfaction which would follow her being
represented by her daughter. There is no
doubt that the social policy outlined by Miss
Cleveland will give satisfaction to the best
people in Washington society.