Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-02-04


O Iectabie city of Washington,
1.-The finest capital in the
world" A row is on which dwarfs into
pitiable insignifcance the threatened
war between the Russians and the
Japs. 1t is the supreme court of the
United States versus the diplomatic
corps-the silk gowns against the gold
collars. Leading the feudists on one
side is Mr.. Justice John Marshall Har-
Ian, who, properly enough, is a Ken
tuckian. The trouble grows out of a
question of precedence and came about
in this wise: At the recent White House
reception to the judiciary Major Nc
Cawley, superintendent of public build
ings and grounds, who is described by
a local Jenkins as 1.-The presidents So
cial aid" arranged the programme, ac-
cording to which the diplomats, with
all their swords, epaulets, cooked hats,
belts. gold lace, fiounces, ETC., were pre-
scented to the president before the SUI
preme court judges. The latter were,
much enraged and went away toward
midnight in high dudgeon and are, to
use a slang expression '.redheaded" at
being made to play second fiddle. And
at their own reception, too-only think
Of that! The judiciary reception! Now,
for the learned and august judges to
IN oorpY1ollod II, oxon11fircr fhoi1 ~. 1.f ir,
that particular function to walk be-
hind the diplomats behind such
a fedgeling as the French minister from
Panama-was more than human ma
ture, especially supreme court human
nature, could bear; hence the judicial
roar. If those reverend judicial seign-
iOrs cannot play the bellweIher role at
reception given especially in their
honor what the deuce is the good of
giving them a reception a. all? They
may differ about constitutional ques-
tons, but on the question of walking
ahead Of the diplomatic corps they are
a unit. The papers say that Mr.. Chief
Justice Fuller DemocraD and Mr..
Justice Harlan Republican, called on
the president and read the riot act to
him, intimating that unless this great
sin against judicial dignity is atoned
for they will take their doll rags, go
home and refuse to play at the White
House receptions any more.
IL is too bad, almost as bad state of
affairs as when a certain MIR. Merry,
English minister to this country, threat
ened to precipitate war between Great
Britain and the United States because
President Jefferson took Mrs. Madison,
the famous Dolly, wife of the secretary
of state, to dinner instead of taking
Mrs. Merry. That performance has
had a remote and curious consequence
in our day. 1t so happened that shortly
after that famous dinner Tom Moore,
the Irish poet, was a guest of Minister
and Mrs. Merry. He took up their
quarrel and wrote some dreadful ar
ticles about Jefferson to some English
papers.
Jefferson on Tom Moore.
So when our great and glorious Con-
gressional library building was in proc
ess of erection it was determined to or
nanent the walls with busts of distin-
guished men of letters. Nearly every
one generally known is there except
Tom Moore, and he, one of the best be-
loved of all poets, is missing because
he wrote those hot and peppery epistles
about Thomas Jefferson.
The latter never harbored malice
against Tom for faying him. In his
old days his daughter, Martha Ran
dolph, was reading him poem which
pleased him greatly. "Who wrote
that?'' he asked. Tom Moore she re-
piled. "Why." said he, that is the lit
tile man who took me so severely to
task about Mrs. Merry. He was very
young then and is a great poet now"
1t is to be hoped that the wrangle be
twixt the diplomats and the judges
will not have any permanent bad eff
feet or involve US in war with all for
eign nations. OF course all the tribe
of Jenkins are demanding that we have
a sort of garter king at arms or official
master of ceremonies who shall arrange
and superintend an official programme,
fixing each ones place in the procession
according to frank" in order to avoid
complications in the future, but we
have done fairly well without such
functionary so far and can perhaps sur
yive without him in the days to come.
First and last, President Roosevelt
has tried his hand at many things.
Perhaps he may succeed. If he tries, in
quieting the stormy waters with oil
and in smoothing the ruffied feathers
Of the justices of the supreme court.
They are shining ornaments, and Wash
ington would be disconsolate without
their inspiring and august presence.
Men are forever poking fun at the
women for squabbling about questions
of precedence, but the foregoing in
cident. together with two or three 9TH
ers. goes to show that the men are
about as sensitive on the subject as fhe