Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-04-27
Were Dead Stuck on
Their Uniforms.

Not many years ago there burst upon
the court of Spain an American munster
,..ho made his formal appearance clad
in the gorgeous raiment of certain
celebrated state cavalry troop OF f'h'i-
adelphia This diplomat had not peeh
a conspicuous member of the troop, put
when the time came he found the troop
ii useful thing to him, since II save"
him the necessity he would have "ther-
wise have been under, of appearing at
court in plain clothes.
Another instance is recalled of an am
bilious American, who, upon being APP
pointed minister to small European
court, promptly had himself made an
officer in the state mih,ia of Connect
lcut, and wore his American uniform
Tor the first time when he appeared be-
fore Il European king. These cases are
exceptional, however, and our ministers
are usually content to appear at court,
.,s they appear at home, in the regula-
ton dress suit. Ii a veteran of the civil
war receives an appointment he may,
ii he chooses to do SO, before leaving for
his post unroll from the camphor- laden
sheets the musty military coat and the
old wrinkled military trousers, and bring
down from the garnet the box with the
furnished epauletS, and unlock from
Its place on the wall the rusty old sword
al! of which he wore when an officer
in the civil war-and in the antiquated
characterization he may make his bow
before a foreign sovereign. But as he
uoes not like to appear shabby on such
an august occasion, he has the choice
It hn oJn ,inC no of II
military clothes or of ordering new
ones, which in all probability he Will
Use dozen times.
What he may wear is regulated by
law. In 1867 congress passed a resolu-
tion forbidding diplomatic officers of the
United States to wear any uniform or
official costume not authorized by con-
gress." Now congress has never "pre-
viously authorized and uniform or Of.
do!al costume whatsoever for diplo-
matte officers. What was really meant
was that the military uniform which a
previous act had declared might be
Worn by a diplomatic officer was the
only authorized, and that he could wear
no other The resolution was fatherei
by Charles Sumner in the senate AMI
Gen. Banks in the house, but it was
| only an expression of the general aver
sion which the people then had, and
| probably Will have, to q custom which
| belongs to the elaborate fOrmalities of
| courts rather than to the freedom Of
official intercourse of democracy.
Yet this dislike for diplomatic uni
| form or court dress had no official
| existence during the first century of our
| national existence Benjamin Franklin.
| who was the father of American diplo-
! macy. put some gilt buttons on his
| IOIl L.
uniform and was much admired by his
brother courtiers of Versailles. When
the treaty of peace was signed ami
John Adams was preparing to go from
| Parls to London as our first envoy to
| the mother country, the Duke of Dorset
waited upon him and told him he must
carry with him fine new coat in which
to be presented to the king for that it
was "a rule of etiquette in London for
everybody who went to court to have
new clothes upon that day, and very
| men ones.' Adams sighed at the ex-
pcnse. but he did not contest the rule.
but at this time and some years after.
ward. the American ENJOYS consulted
their individual discretion in the matter
or ceremonial costume, and conformed
generally to the customs of the courts
near which they resided. In 1914, when
Clay, Bayard, Russell and John Quincy
| Adams went to Client TO negotiate the
! treaty or peace which terminated the
war of 1872, the found it advisable to
adopt uniform costume. 1t consisted
OF blue coat, slightly embroidered with
gold. white breeches, white silk stock.
ings, gold knee buckles and shoe buck
les, sword and small cooked hat orna.
| mented with a black cockade. Upon oc-
casions of the greatest ceremony this
uniform was varied by the addition OF
little more gold embroidery. When
John quincy Adams, who had Worn this
costume, became secretary of state ne
recommended it to all our ministers.
In 1923 he sent them a circular descrih-
ing it and accompanying it by illustra.
tive cuts to insure accuracy
When Andrew Jackson entered tn.
presidency his friends We're in doubt
whether this uniform was to be contin-
ued, and Cornelius Peter Van Ness, of
Undertook, New York, the minister 10
Spain, wrote to Secretary Martin Van
Ruren and asked what clothes he should
wear. He was told that the president
would not prescribe any uniform, Blu.
that the following seemed to be "recom-
mended as well by its comparative
cheapness as its adapta ...,n to the SIM
plicity of our i.>Stitutico A black coat
(single breas-.D. blue - white, accord
ing to the taste of the wearer: under
! clothes" of black, blue or white. &C.
cording to the wearer's taste a three
cOrnered chapeau de bras ornament
with black cockade, and steel-mount.
ed sword in a white sctbbard H,y
extensively this dress was used il is i'm
possible to say, but it was the prevail
ing costume in all proba bility for some
years until, by reason of the changes
OF 1ashlon, there was doubtless a re-
lapse INTO the old custom of individual
olscretion and the following of local
custom.
Secretary Marcy. coming to the state
department in 1858, shattered tn whole
fabric of diplomatic costume at one