The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-11
WASHINGTON SOCIETY.
President Should Not be Held Rcspon.
 sible for Foolish Customs. IndianapoIia Newa

President Should Not be Held RespOn-
 sibIe for Foolish Customs.
 Indianapolis News.
 Now that the election Is almost month behind us-which, as American politics goes, Is almost an infinite in- terval-we venture to suggest to those who during the campaign criticised the President and his family for certain supposed snobbish tendencies that they may well ask themselves whether the dear American people may not be re- sponsible for some of the foolishness charged to MT. Roosevelt. In the last number of Ainslees Magazine is an article on Washington society which throws no small, degree of light on the question. According to the writer, who Is said to be a society leader. though an invitation to the White House would not, twenty years ago, have been regarded. We are informed that "as against 1t no other engagement is per mitted to stand" This rule applies not merely to invitations issued by the President, which are in a sense official. but 1t Is even attempted to extend it ''so as to include members of the Pres idents family" We are not told who Is making the attempt. But that 1t is meeting with some measure of success AS IudO0 SlcdT ny luo lOllOWlnR mel dent:
 We have reached the point, indeed. where a debutante about to give a dfn- ner to other debutantes of the season. having issued invitations to 1t some four weeks ahead, absented herself from the dinner at her mothers direc- tion. and went to the White House, be- cause the day before she had been asked over the telephone by the Presi- dents daughter to join a theatre par ty!'
 No person in his right mind will i'm agine that such a thing as that could be agreeable to such a man as Theo- dore Roosevelt or that he would have permit 1t, had he known of 1t. The young woman in question was not un- der the slightest obligation to accept the White House invitation-rather she was under every obligation to de- cline 1t. And that is what she should have done. The point Is that 1t Is im- possible for a President to stop the follies of fashionable society people, or. indeed, even to know what new rule" they may establish at any minute In this case the blame should rest solely on the debutante and her fashionable mother. who is evidently in sympathy with the scheme to create a republican court at Washington.
 No doubt 1t is necessary for the White House to lead, and, perhaps. within limits, 1t Is desirable that in- vitations from that source should have the precedence. But that any Ameri- can citizen should feel obliged, no mat ter at what inconvenience, to accept an invitation from any other American citizen, even though he happen to live in the White House, Is absurd and ri- diculous. It is so much so that we refuse to believe that Theodore Roose- welt Is in any way responsible for such rule. Probably there Is nothing that he cares less for than society, techni- cally considered. We do not suppose that he even knows about the fine points that are so warmly discussed by social leaders. But. even though he is President, he Is often helpless as against tho masters of etiquette.
 We insist that 1t Is not fair to hold him responsible for all the foolish cus- toms to which he may find 1t advisable to defer. Doubtless he will use what ever Influence he possesses to keep our society free from snobbishness and to make 1t honestly democratic in the best sense of that often abused term As for the rest of us, 1t would be well for us all to remember that our Presi- dent Is simply an American citizen charged by the people for a brief term with many very important duties. We can show him no greater respect or re gard than we do show him when We call him to the high office of Chief Magistrate of this mighty nation. And surely no man could ask anything more than that. Washington society cer- tainly needs breath of the true Amer fcan spirit, that spirit which teaches men to claim no more for themselves than they are willing to grant to oth- CTS. Possibly a social declaration of in dependence would not be a bad thing