El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-10

All of Washington is rather enjoy
ing the predicaments that the fashion
ables have been getting themselves. in
to this winter. With our high and
brave officers of the army and navy
disputing.over which should go first;
with the diplomatic corps continual
sensitiveuess, now going off on
grudge, now in dudgeOn because they
have been received by the daughters
of cabinet officers whose frank" is in
sufficient, and now an ambassador get
ting on his plenipotentiary extraordin-
airy and tuning because he has been
asked to meet some one less extraord-
mary and plenipotentiary than him
self, and with even our good American
citizens grown fussy over questions OF
precedence, Major Mckinley, his Sec
rotary of state, and all the high facto-
tums of the executive mansion have
| been at their wits end to keep things
going. The president has to be ex-
tremely careful when he takes Ire.
Vice-President of the Senate Pro Tenn
out to dinner to see whether or no
there is not Mrs. Somebody else-per-
haps Mrs. Secretary OF State who
| franks" her.
An account of one Interrupted din
ner at the White House no doubt
ought be very serious reading but most
people found it as amusing as comic
opera ought be. 1t was a state dinner
to the diplomats. The guests had
come. The Marine Bands scarlet
coats cleaned back of the screen Of
palms and soft music saluted the ears OF
| the waiting guests. Ladies In diam
onds and GATHERS and brocades rustl-
ed and shimmered and chartered about.
| ViOle Is and red roses scented the air.
The president offered his arm to Lady
| Pauncefote. She bowed and America
and England again linked arms as Sir
Julian Pauncefote and Mrs. Mckinley
stepped together. So far all is excel
lently we'll. Then the next ranking
am bassador offers his arm to the next
| ranking ambassadors wife, not his
own, and they proceed together. Then
! the next after the next ranking am
bassador moves towards the next after
| the next ranking ambassadors wife,
not his own. This brings Mexicn's
ambassador and the Baroness Hengel
muller together. The baroness is the
| wife of Aussria's representative.
| She demurs. She goes to her hus-
band, whispers something in his ear,
| the baron goes to Major Mckinley aud
tells him. The major confers with his
| secretary of state and with the caiefest
factotum of the White House over the
difficulty for Austria refuses to go to
of the MsXimilian affair. The dinner
party has to be rearranged. The Mex
lean gentlemen Is asked to escort an
other guest, the baroness is sent out
with a diplomat OF insufficient rank bu
one whose country has not recently at
fronted her country and the aggrieveo
lady who so cOnscientiOusly maintain:
the aggrievance of her country is sa-
tisfied. The red coated marine;
sound the cymbals, the drums and
horns, the violets and roses languish il
the brilliant rooms, the ladies chatter
again and the incident is closed 70,
the evening but not for gossips toe
next day.
Besides the tangle of affairs that this
inability of Austria to meet Mexico al
any teas, dances, dinners, or socja
functions whatsoever brings about
there are other trou bl es that the diplo-
mats have found. They have been
much hurt because the president has
allowed the daughters of cabinet OF
| ticers to receive in the line when the
diplomats were invited to the White
House. 1t is urged by the foreigners
| that these daughte have not suffi-
| cient rank. That only the wives OF
cabinet officers have sufficient rank to
receive ambassadors and such. They
contend that if a daughter is the head
of the house and the lady who always
represents her father socially. that lie
another matter. She shares her faith
er's dignity. Such a case is that OF
Secretary Wilson. His daughter is the
lady OF his house, her mother being
dead. But the titled foreigners do not
want the young things who are only
daughters pure and simple to think
that they can step in their mothers
place, if for some reason the cabinet
lofficers wife is obliged to be absent,
and receive meu who represent the
person of royalty.
Furthermore it seems that it i:
highly, entirely, hopelessly, complete
ly wrong to invite diplomat OF great
err dignity to meet one of lesser. A
Minister Plenipotentiary and Ambas-
sador Extraordinary represents the
very person of his majesty from whose
realm he came, and he cannot be tnvit
ed to meet anything less than senior
ambassador extraordinary and minister
plenipotentiary, a monarch or presi
dent. Lesser men should be invited
to meet him and he rides his dignity
very fercely and very high ii thiI
point be forgotten.
All this ought to be very serious
reading. 1t is very necessary and 4
probably keeps pomp and ceremony
aud pride and lots of other delightful
things of life aQoing. But to people whit
are out of it all and do not have &c
worry over hurt feelings and in ureG
pride. il fs rare comedy. 1t seems