Evening journal., 1911-11-16
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Senator and His ECCen-
triCity of Dress
By Holland.

Within comparatively recent years,
as the history Of the nation goes, three
men have worn the dress suit while
they took part in the deliberations Of
the United States Senate, Senator
Joseph W. Bailey Of Texas first at
tracted national notice by appearing
on the floor of the Senate arrayed in
full evening dress. Senator Hannibal
Hamlin, who was vice-president dur
ing Lincolns first term, always wore
a dress suit and never wore an over
coat. even In the coolest weather. And
as Senator Hamlin left the Senate
in March, 1881, to become Minister to
Spain, Omar V. Conger of Michigan,
clad in dress suit took his seat in
that august body. The two men met in
! the doorway Of the Senate and paused
long enough to shake hands and wish
each other full success in his new
field.
Some months after he had become a
Senator Mr.. Conger, who was enjoying
a national reputation because of his
wit and sarcasm, which was fully
equal to that of Senator John J. In
gals, of Kansas, and also because of
his eccentricity Of dress while on the
/ floor of the Senate, was asked why he
daily appeared in his seat In conven-
tional evening dress. DO you dress as
! you do for the purpose of attracting
attention to yourself?" he was frankly
asked.
When ! was a youth" the Senator
| replied, 81 took the keneest interest in
reading everything that I could lay
hands on that was descriptive of the
personalities Of the men who were
then or had been leaders in the United
States Senate Also, whenever | got the
chance 10 DO so ! studied the portraits
or cngravings which set forth the ply
steal characteristics of such men as
Webster, Clay and Calhoun. 7 observed
that all of them wore dress coats-the
dress coat of that early time was
usually blue and adorned with gilded
or brass buttons.-and after a while il
came 10 be driven IN upon me that the
public men of that period showed
even in their dress that they had a
high sense of the dignity and propriety
! that were associated with so import
ant a public service as membership
in the United States Senate or the
House of Representatives. ! remem-
Der too, when | was a youth having
heard it said that when an argument
was TO be made before the United
States Supreme Court il was unwrit-
ten law that the lawyer making the
argument must appear before the
court wearing that dress which sug-
gested the highest social associations
the dres coat.
Now, when I was a young man
was seized with the ambition to serve
my State and my country in the United
States Senate, and l made up my mind
that If ever I did become a member OF
the Senate ! would indicate my sense
of the dignity the responsibility and
honor attached to a seat in the Senate
by dressing properly. II seemed to me
that IL cheapened such service to ap
pear in the Senate in an ordinary bus.
mess suit or a frock coat. even anC
that if il were proper for Webster ant
Clay and Calhoun always TO wear d
dress suit In the Senate it was in tn
highest propriety for their successors
to do the same thing.
mo. | do not wear a dres suit in
the Senate in order to attract attention
TO myself indeed. the attention my
mode Of dress attracts 10 me I'd rather
not have. ] have worn the dress coat
since 7 began public life simply be-
cause I wanted to express in my per
sonality my profound sense Of the dig.
nifty the honor and the responsibility
which attach TO service i'm the Sen.
ate. And I would have been pleased
had | found every Senator dressed as
] thought 1t proper for me TO dress
when ] entered this body"
Copyright, 1911, by f. J. Edwards All
rights reservd)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell OI
"Mny Michigan SfOod FoSf for So.xors