The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1900-01-08
WHO rs WHO?
Question OF Precedence Among
the Large Heads at
Washington.
serIpps.MeRae League.

Washington, Jan. S--Another anus
ing question of precedents arose last
night ia connection with the FIRST state
dinner at the white house. 1t was re-
ferred to Secretary Hay,who promptly
decided II against himself, although ]
doubt II Messrs. Blaine, Bayard, ,Olney,
sherman or other OF his predecessors
would have done SO.
Among the guests at the dinner were
the members OF the cabinet, the presi-
dent OF the senate and several other
senators, the speaker of the house and
several other representatives, with
their wives, and II was disputed wheth
er the president OF the United States
should escort 20 the table the wife Of
the secretary OF state, the wife OF the
president Of the senate or the wife of
the speaker of the house. Under the
old law the speaker Of the house was
next in line Of succession TO the presi-
dency at the death or disability OF the
vice president, but during the Harri-
son administration new law was
passed, placing the cabinet members,
with the secretary of state at their
head, in the line Of succession, and
leaving out the presiding officers OF
congress. Hence, il President McKin-
ley should die, Secretary Hay would
be sworn in as president instead of
Senator Frye or Col. Henderson.
Therefore one would naturally place
the secretary OF state second only To
the president at dinner table in the
absence of the vice president.
Another point of view is held wife
great tenacity by Mrs. Frye and other
people in the senatorial circle. Their
husbands alone have the power to con-
firm and cor v'ct members of the eabi-
net when they are appointed and when
they are impeached. No man can be
secretary of state without the consen
Of the senate, hence senator, meas
ured by an official scale, must be big
ger man than n member of the cabi-
net. This has been in controversy
ever since the time of John Adams,
but when the president yesterday sent
the list of his guests to the secretary
OF state and asked him to arrange the
Greer Of precedence Col. Hay gave
Senator and Mrs. Frye the first place.
A similar controversy has been cRus-
ed by Mrs. Dewey claiming precedence
xnr tha xyfvae ~ eauatc~e Co. o1.s,...
the admiral Of the navy ranks the
cabinet, the congress, the judiciary
the army and everything except the
president of the United States, and
sent her husbands aide-de-camp to
the department OF state for an official
opinien respecting her social statue,
The decision was entirely against
her. She was informed that
the admiral OF the navy could
not rank the secretary OF the navy who
was his superior officer and the sec
retary of the navy is No. in the line
OF the cabinet, being subordinate TO
the secretaries Of state, treasury and
war, the attorney-general and the
postmaster general--the executive de-
pArtments being arranged In the order
OF their establishment. The IL natural
~ follows, II the members of the SEN
ate rank the members Of the cabinet
because they sonhrm, they must cert,
rank the admiral of the navy. There
fore II WAS decided by the department,
of state that Mrs. Dewey ranks below
the cabinet. the judiciary and the sen.
ate In the social scale.
The Importance az this decision /,
appreciated by Mrs, Dewey more thar
by any other person, because until 4
was rendered she has insisted that ia,
wives Of the senators should call OF
her before she called on them.
No lazy In the senatorial circle 81
far has visited Mrs Dewey, and no sen
ator appeared among her callers oi
New Years day. These incidents hAv,
caused good deal Of commotion Il
official cileles, where some people ar,