The times., 1897-04-03
MR.. BAILEY'S DRESS SUIT.
President McKin1ey's Ruling as
TO ANY Old Coat.

Bailey OF texas. III WIS tHC OCc'oioh
OF the stag party given by His Excellency
to the Ways and Means Committee and
several other distinguished gentlemen,
among them being the Vice President,
Speaker Reed, the Attorney General, and
Senators Burrows, Gear, and Mills.
1t was one OF the most important of all
the social functions yet held at Tie White
House. The President officially announced
to at least one of the invited guests that
swallow tail coat is not de rigeur on
such occasions; and one of the guests stated
to the President that the preservation of
the traditions OF Texas in respect To even
ing dress were of more historical import
aDee than the inchoate joys of wineleSs
feast.
Tne guests had assembled few minutes
before the horn blew for the stays in the
private dning-rOofn of the Executive Man
sion. Mr.. Dingley, who tolls not, neither
does he spin much out of the Congressional
Record. was there arrayed like the dutiable
rose Of Sharon and the ad yaiofem lily OF
the valley, Mr.. Grosvenor was there Geani-
ing the beams OF the patriarch on the rest
of the Sanhcrdim, and Mr.. McLaurin, or
South Carolina, was there also aceoutered
in the customary suit OF black, ana
gorgeous pink carnation- South carolina,
il should be noted, is much nearer Alex
audria thar Texas, and the dress coat Is
therefore beginning to be quite common
in the Palmetto State pinelands, ana es-
pecially in the alluvial lands OF the Great
Pee Dee Mr.. Reed always looks well In
coat, the front half of which does not exist
at all and Senator Mills, who has been
North so long that he has in some sense
lost his Texas steer, looked also quite
au fat in the regulation article, including
the vest and the chrysanthemum
Mr.. Reed looked over the House, and
his lamnergeier eye saw that quorum
was absent Where is MIR Baiiey?' in
uuired Mr. Reed affectionatey. II don't
know" said Mr.. McMiiIn Then 1t oc-
Cured to the vice president that he presl-
dent also was missing and the guests be-
gan to look at each other To see II they
were all really there. Attorney General
NcKenna was not used to this kind or
assembling for dinner in San Francisco,
AMI lie was plainly introspective and
visihiy and audibly silent. Ar. Hobart,
however. who had been TO similar ban
uuets in Hoboken had an idea what was
the matter, and merely twinkled and
tWink!ed his eve and looked wise In the
meanwhile the ice was melting, like Dolly
| Madison : spoons and every now and then
| a lttle-neck clam was heard TO founder
| and hit the bottom OF it's plate.
By and by the sound OF debate floated
| I'm through the lattice door behind which
! the President and Mr.. Bailey were holding
! an executive session, Mr. Bailey wore
! white necktie and d black suit of some
| free wooden material His waistcOat was
| not low-uecked; it was buttOned up to the
! ton shirt button, and his coat was also
bnttoned with considerable severity do wn
/ to the most snutheTly button The only
| pnint OF resemblance between Ar Bailey
! and the President was that they have
! b,th recently had a haircut aud clean
| shave The President : shirt front was
| ike that over which shot the eye OF
! Mars or the flatiron OF local Chinese
! cheap labor His coat fell right and left
! tohis hips anu then ureceded, outOf Difference
! 20 the occasion He also Wore Bride
| rose from a neighboring conservatory
| Mr. Bailey was not decorated, otherwise
| than in the foregoing scheduled of free wool
Nobody knows exactly what took place
| behind the screen but everybody heard the
! President say: We'll, goodnight, Mr.
/ Railey.'' to which Mr Bailey said distinctly,
! AN rcvoir, Mt President, in the French
| which is now quite common in Galveston
When the President eventually sat down
| and a sked Mt. Gosvenor to "a Y grace, which
| ne did say from memory, Mr.. Dtngley,
who mas a list Of everything and every
| body that ought to come out or go in,
ventured to ask the President what was
! the matter with MI Bailey.
..Ob." said the president checriiy, Mr..
! RaiIev never appears at such functions as
! these in a dress coat, or an evening suit
! He told me that he has invariably declined
these invitations. and came here in good
| time to advise me Of the fact. tried to
nersuade him that the dress suit was not
| sine qua non. or, in Common parlancc that
any old coat would do, but he was obdurate'
l failed to get him in, and he has gone
! much to my regret"
This was alIthe information that cOuldoe
obtained in the neighborhood Of the White
House but it is said that several OF the
gentlemen were offended because the
president said. after evidently looking over
his guests. that ANY old coat would do
Mr.. Bailey was called on and asked what
he had to say about the matter which gave
rise to all sorts of rumOrs as to why
| he SHOOK lIe SItES ~ G'''Af rs III
He said that it wasn't worth talking about
! He sirlplv didn't care to wear a dress
suit. or an evening suit. and he went up
and informed the president that he would
not be present and told him Of the cause
Of his intended absence from the feast
Mr. Barley did not say so' but 1T can De
stated on authority that the president
made no such overture that the guests
would he asked to go home and put on
any old coat" and return, if Mr. Railey
wouId consent to remain. This can be
stated on the authority Of no less per-
sonage than Mr.. Porter.
The banquet was reported this morning
IN nave been, with this exception, great
success. The private dining-room was
decorated very handsomely, and they al
had good time Those present were
the President, the Vice President, the
Sneaker Of the House, the Attorney zen
eraI senator Burrows, Senator Gear. Sena-
FOR Mills. Representa- tives Dingley, Payne
DoIzeu. HOPKINS, Grosvenor, Russell OF
Connecticut, Dolliver, steele, johnson ol
North Dakota, Evans, Tawney, McMliiin
Wheeler of Alabama, McLaurin, Robert
son of Louisiana, Swanson, cannon, hen
derson. and Hon William A. Russell
A Wise Suggestion.