Omaha daily bee., 1908-02-16
SOCIETY CANE IN POLITICS
Hospitality and Smiles Dispensed 70
Strengthen Party Lines.
LIBERALS HAVE FEW DUCHEssEs
wiIes of social Climbers TO Secure
Titled Persons at Their Func-
tiOns-BIack Servants
TaboOed.

LONDON. Feb. 15.-(special) with the
opening Of Parliament political hostesses
resume their functions of dispensing hos
pltallty and smiles in the interests Of their
respective parties. Petticoat politicians are
far more numerous here than in America,
L believe, and they play the game differ
emily. Their motto is Feed the beasts"
the beasts being the men, of course
Bounteous repasts, served by matrons of
high social distinction, are found often TO
be more effective than masculine oratory
in strengthening partisan loyalty and win
ming over desirable recruits
II Is species OF campaign infwhich the
conservatives have all the best of Il. They
possess an overwhelming majority in the
House of Lords The wives OF the hered-
itary legislators naturally accept the polltl-
cal faiths of their husbands.
American peeresses, who might be sup
posed to furnish exceptions to this rules
don't. They are all welded to conserva-
tive noblemen and are the staunchest sup
porters of hereditary distinctions and all
the other things which differentiate a mon
archy from a republic. Nearly all the
coroneted DANES are conservatives, and
with political hostesses titles count for
much. They make 1t easier for a con-
servative to get into society with the big
IS" than for a liberal; and, particularly
where q man has a wife who Ia ambitious
20 meet a duchess or a countess, that con-
sideration is not unlikely to be the de-
termining factor in deciding what party
he shall support. Even If the House of
Lords were abolished, or its political powers
greatly curtailed, the peeresses would still
count as valuable political assets.
Liberals in Tight Place.
The liberals cannot muster a single
duchess or marchioness to entertain in their
behalf, while the conservatives can count
on half dozen of eRch-and more at a
pinch.
The mainstay Of the government in play
ing the society game Is an American
woman, to whom 1 have frequently re-
ferred in this oorrespondence-Mrs. LULU
Harcourt wife of the first commissioner of
works, who is cabinet minister. If her
husband were only a lord she might ac-
complish great deal more but all that
woman can do who lacks a title she
may be depended on to do She is in great
form for the fray, and, like the wise
woman she is, she has provided herself
with some wonderful frocks straight from
the Rue de la Paix and new Jewels from
the Rue de Rivol I hear of a white satin
princess frock cut with the still popular
empire waist that sounds enhancing Stiff,
rather hard fabrics are yet again "the
thing in Paris, but Mrs. Harcourt has had
the good taste to have hers trimmed with
point de Venise and the buttons which
adorn the bodice are of brilliants, with
pearl centers.
She had extraordinary popularity with
her husbands party and never did a woman
in so brief time manage to get so much
influence over certain members of the
cabinet. She is very successful in getting
appointments for her friends 1t is some
thing to her credit that she accomplished
all this by thoroughly straight" means.
One needs not to go back very far to recall
the amazing manner in which a few So
ciety women managed things of the kind
both with the War office and his majesty's
government a few years ago. There used
to be story that a well-known countess
got places" for half her following of
young men from veteran general by the
kisses she gave him. She used to count
out most carefully to him the compensa-
tions. Small posts she repaid with five,
bigger ones with ten, and really handsome
ones fetched as many as twenty.
With Mrs. Lulu Harcourt It is a question
of the gift Of the CAB and a certain
tenacity and determination of purpose
which is bound to succeed. Besides 1t is
her boast that she only recommends de
serving individuals