News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-04-17
WESTINGHOUSE FOUR HUNDRED.
The Question Of Precedence In Vexa-
tious Forever.

The Question Of Precedence In vexa.
tious Forever.
The relations between the ladies OF
the Cabinet and those of the Senate
circle are always little strained, d
the war of precedence between the two
sets is as old as the government.
The Senators are nearly all self-made
men, and sometimes the job is not
completed, but at whatever stage the
process is arrested the self-made man
is satisfied with his handiwork. When
the Senators get mad on the subject
| their wives are worse, and men who
never used anything save business
card before they entered this political
heaven lay as much stress upon visit
ing card as they do on the clauses of a
treaty. The ladies of the Cleveland
Cabinet tried to reverse the old ETH
quette and wait for the Senator's
wives to call on them. They sat down
and waited awhile, and then most of
them took up their card cases and the
Congressional Directory and made the
calls.
The hubbub from that rash attempt
has not died out yet, and Senators and
their wives who survive d the shock of
that rebellion like to talk. about it now
by the hour. The Senate is very ten
acious of its privileges, and at many
executive sessions social matters are
discussed informally. There was an
executive session of Senators and their
wives at a dinner at a brother Senator's
house lately, and of course the conduct
of the Cabinet came up.
"Have all the Cabinet ladies called
on your" asked one white-headed mil
ionaire of the hostess.
"No-no, not all of them"
"Did you see those who did call"
"N-no; l was not receiving, and 1
found the cards when came home
or, no, they were brought up stairs to
me-"
.tDid you look out of the window
and see who brought them and how?"
asked the Senator eagerly.
"Why no."
"Well, madam, you should" he
said, pounding the table and calling
every ones attention. "Oae member
of this Cabinet and his wife have
dared to send their cards to u.s."
'Per bicycle, too" said his wife. 81
saw a government bicycle back up and
leave an envelope one morning. The
man brought it up and there were Sec
rotary So-and-So's cards and his
wife's."
Then the whole rabble was in arms
and related similar experiences, and
told how they went down the line at
White House reception, and ignored
the erring Secretary'a wife. The COM
panv hanged, drew and quartered the
sinners before parting, and from that
episode the name of "b:cycle" has been
given as Prefix to a distinguished
Cabinet name.
The wife of a recently ennobled, or
rather elected, commoner, has caught
the dinner-giving fever now raging,
and, gathering herself for a mighty
effort, sent out sixteen invitations. She
wanted to have an aggregation of
greatness, regular three-ring and
chariot-race performance, and she ask
ed Supreme Justice, Cabinet officer,
two Senators, foreign Minister, the
General of the Army and the Admiral
of the Navy, with wives or ladies' to
match. When she received acccptances
from all and began to think about the
seating of the company at table she
found puzzle in her hands worse than
pigs-in-clover or the fifteen blocks.
Every man of them belong at her right
hand and might fight for the place if
he did not get it; certainly their wives
would scratch her eyes out after the
men went to smoke. She took her list
and her own diagrams to the White
House and asked the help of the exec
utive clerk, Mr.. Pruden. He studied
awhile and gave it up. "Take it to
tie Chinese Legation; it's puzzle to
beat them, he said, "for in all the
Presidents state dinners of thirty years
nothing like it has ever come np."
MI. Hdee, Of the State Department,
a great authority on such matters, was
implored to help. 81 will tell you the
only way you can do. You must die
or fall suddenly ill and postpone this
dinner; nothing else can save you!"