St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-02-29
NO RULE TO GUIDE
OFFICIAL TITLES A DIFFICULTY
FOR THE UNINiTiATED.
Changes Made In the Forms of Ad-
dressing the President and 9th
ers in High Position-"con-
oressman" Not Used.

Should I address him as Your Elk
cellency, as Mr. President or as
Just 'President'?".
I'm sure DON'T know. Just muir
1nur President, and guess he won't
know the difference"
This conversation, overheard at one
of the White House receptions, is in
dicative Of the difficulty with titles
encountered by visitors to the ma
tional capital. Nor is there any print
ed guide to follow. These things must
be learned from well-posted friends,
or mistakes will be made.
In We olden times no one ever
thought Of addressing the chief ex-
ecutive of the United States less for
mally than as Your Excellency," but
that expression is now relegated to
the list of things that were. Mr.. Presi-
dent is the correct form, both in
speaking and writing. Mr.. Roosevelt
has even eliminated "The Executive
Mansion" as the name of the presi-
dents official residence, and his sta
tionery bears the simple inscription:
'tThe White House.
It is not only with the title of the
chief executive that the uninitiated
find difficulty, for there are many
forms to be learned. For instance,
cabinet officers are not addressed as
Secretary Root" or Secretary Gar
field" but as "Mr. Secretary" On the
other hand, senators are addressed by
their titles, as Senator Lodge" Sen
ator Hale" few people prefix "Mr."
saying 'Mr. Senator but it Is not
considered as necessary, and by some
Is pronounced ar affectation.
Polite usage requires, invariably, the
prefix to the titles of members of the
supreme court For instance, one ad-
dresses the chief justice as Mr.. Chief
Justice" and the associate justices as
"Mr Justice" although in making an
Introduction one would add the name,
IS: "Mr. Justice White"
The rule which applies to the presi-
dent applies also to the vice-president
and to foreign ministers, who are ad-
dressed as Mr. Minister" but in the
case of ambassadors the form 'tYour
E1cellency," is used except where one
is reasonably well acquainted, when
the simpler Mr. Ambassador" is
adopted, and in every instance one
or the other of these terms is used
instead of the diplomats personal IL
tie of baron, count, or whatever it
may be.
Throughout the government ser
vice there are officials who are ad-
dressed by their titles with the prefix
'Mr.," such as the civil service COM
missioners, the interstate commerce
commissioners, the controller of the
treasury, and it is always safe when
in doubt to so address man who
holds public Office
With members of the house the
simple M" should be used, and
not Congressman" which is regard
ed as proviaeial, despite the fact that
President Roosevelt is apt to use that
form. There are some members of the
lower house of congress who like to
be addressed as Congressman" and
it is probably in difference to such
preference that the president has
adopted that expression. The speaker
Of the house is always addressed as
'Mr. Speaker"
Army and navy circles also present
no little confusion because of the con-
flict between official titles and social
usage. For instance, those who know
never address socially a lieutenant
by his title, despite the fact that he is
SO designated in the army register,
and is so addressed by his brother
officer when on official business. He
is simply mfr. Smith," or whatever
his name may be, and receives his
title in the social world only when
he reaches the grade of captain. But,
you may object, every one refers to
and addresses the leader of the Ma
rine Band as Lieutenant Santelmann. .
Very true, and that is because Lieu
tenant Santelmann is not a commits
stoned officer. He receives the title
by virtue of his position as leader
of the Marine Band, which carries
with it the rank of lieutenant, and
therefore every officer, whether speak
ing socially or officially, is punctilious
to use the title. And SO, too. is the
same care exercised by every officer,
should he have occasion socially to
speak to or communicate with an en-
listed man of any arm of the military
service, to address him by his rank
| alone, as: Sergeant" Corporal,
Private"