The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-08
SOCIAL WARS VAGED
WaShingtonIlm rogIiolnvoIveS
All 0ffiCiaIdOm.
SOME BRILLIANT BLUNDERS
Foreign Diplomats Mortified
by Gross ReubeniSm.
SOME BRILLIANT BLUNDERS

SON-o
Precedence raised so much trouble il
official society as this season.
Everybody is at loggerheads. Senato
Frye, President of the Senateand Vice
President protein, and his wife CLAIM
precedence over Speaker Henderson, O.
the House of Representatives, and hi:
wife, who as stoutly maintain their sup
eriority.
Secretary Of State Hay and his wife
nave their own particular fight with
Senator Frye. OF course the late Vice
President Hobart stood higher in an Off
cial hierarchy than the Secretary of state
but as the latter isdesign ated to succeed
to the presidency if both the president
and the wce-president die; it is anice
question whatever or not he ranks high
er than the senator who assume the dnt-
les Of a deceased vice-presbdent in the
senate.
There have also been some social disa-
greements among the wives of the mem
bers of the Cabinet, which is somtimes
called the official family of the President.
All the members of the Cabinet are
designated to succeed to the Presidency
before senator Frye, and on this ground
they and their wives claim precedence
over him. The Secretary Of the Treasury
the Hon. Lyman J. Gage and his wife
follow the Secretary of State in the order
of precedence.
The naYey and army supply their own
troubles. The army takes precedence
officially Of the navey, but there are
many patriotic citezehs who think that
nobody should be allowed to take prec E.
dence Of Admiral Dewey.
The Diplomatic Corps has been terri
bly, shocked by the outrages upon court
~ etiquette which it . has witnessed
Secretary Root actually asked the Am,
bassadors ito meet Sir Henry Irving"
Now, in Europe entertainments are only
given fowrmally tn honor of ROYALTIES.
Moreover, Ambassadors, who are person
can only be invited to meet the head Of a.
State and possibly the heir apparent.
TO ask an Ambassador ito meet an
actor was tnexpressibly shocking.
All Of these incidents are exceeding
to an administration, which is proud to
represent the Dlutocracy Of the land.
secretary Hay, whose English sympath-
les are well known, is understood to be
IN favor Of appointing an official CORE
sponspondig to the English Lord Cham
oerlain, who settles once and for all the
social position of everybody in Queen
FictOra's dOminions
The season opened with trouble in the
ce-drs. Hay, contrary to all precedent
ana custom, without consulting any of
the ladies on the subject, caused an
announcement to be published in the local
papers that the ladies of the Cabinet
would not receive until an hour later in
The day than had heretoforebeen the c,,s-
tom from time whereof there is no writ
ten history. Instead of following the
white house morning reception by Cab
met at-homes from 2:30 to 4:9O or :
o'clock, the opening hour fro the Sc re-
cepuons was delayed until $3.50. This
plan was especially objected to. IN view
OF the fact that the army and navev Off
GERS al in uniform, together with the
members of the Diplomatic Corps. would
nave TO hang around in gala attire with
hothing to do and nowhere TO go for a
whole miserable hour In consequences
the wife OF the secretary Of state came
In for some wishes on the part of her
days callers of a decidedly Different kind
all mankind and womankind on the first
day of the nav year
The feeling with regard to official pre-
cedence runs high between the Speaker
of the House and the President pro tenn
of the senate. Speaker Henderson shows
great deal of feeling.
whenever the speaker has been invited |
70 dinner this season he has asked If
the host or hostess if Senator FRYE was
to be one of the party.
why do you wish to meet hin, or |
avoid him?" asked one dinner pivar |
Neither; I am wholly Indifferent"
/ am entitled to the place Of precedence
"a the table. l do not care in the least |
on my personal account but the house |
insists so strenuously upon this matter
OF official precedence that I have to see |
that it Is observed wherever I go"
Then came the beginning of the Am
bassadorial row. The torrents Of social
wrath and chagrin that have been let |
loose in Washington this season bacauso
OF the refusal of the Ambassadors 70 a.
tend certain dinner parties and swell re-
ceptions would I'll large volume. 1t |
started off with what society at erst
sight designated a deliberate snub to the !
Secretary OF War and Mrs. Root.
1t seems that during the week of Sir
Henry Irving's engagement in Washing
ton the Roots. as old personal friends
OF his, elected TO give him a dinner Marty
one evening after the performance. As a
mark OF especial homer each of the Am
bassadors was asked IA meet Sir Henry
at dinner. Great stress was laid upon
the desira bility Of having Lord Paunce-
fote thus honor his distinguished conn
tryman- The Roots were nearly parsly-
zed by receiving a courteous. but firm.
declination for their dinner party from
not one. but all 1the Ambassadors
The dinner party was given nevertheless
and was a social success. rs Is. every sucb
entertainment planned and given by the
Roots
While society talkeditself over the aaf-
fair the following morning the Ambass-
adors FASTENED to the residence or the
Secretary Of War to explain in accord
ance with Ambassador,al etiGutte II was
NOT possible for them TO have accepted
an Invitation TO meet any one either ut
dinner or any other form Of entertain
mn, Of this country. or one OF the
crowned heads Of Europe As an Anbas-
sadar represents the person Of his SOW
ere.en ho cannot be asked 70 meet any
one Z l1ss rank than the hzad of q ma
tion lie must in all instances be the
gussl Of honor. People can be hidden to
NEE. aim. but he cannot be hidden 20
ne 1t1cr than The head Of a notion.
FFt~5.v had this tangle been straighten-
& Ar,-f, D