The Washington times., 1911-03-08
Last Year in Capital Has
Been Far From Pleasant
for His Wife.
HAVE BEEN SLIGHTED
BY SOCIETY LEADERS
Host of Friends in Seattle Promise
Them a Sincere and Cordial
Reception.

Secretary Ballinger, of the Depart
ment of Interior. whose official career
as a Cabinet officer will come to an
end in a few days, will leave Washing
ton with greater pleasure, probably,
than his leaving will give his most
ungenerous foe.
This is not hard to explain. The last
year has not been a pleasant one for the
high school official. There have been
many embarrassments and many dis
agreeable incidents which, ordinarily, a
Cabinet officer is far above and beyond.
All this the Secretary will escape when
he returns to Seattle, where he and
Mrs. Ballinger have a host Of personal
friends, and where they expect to be
warmly welcomed. He will be relieved
of the Sights which have pursued him
since the beginning of the famous con-
troversy over the Cunningham claims.
Felt Social Sights.
For instance, the social life of Mr.
and Mrs. BalIinger will be more agree
able in the West. The past season in
Washington has not been as happy as
that a member of the Presidents off,
cial family naturally has the right to
expect The BaIlingers were, of course,
invited to all functions where Cabinet
officers are expected to be. Not to in
Vite them would have been an insult to
the President himself. but there have
been many little personal affairs which
the Secretary and his wife did not
grace.
The women OF Washington took quite
as much interest in the Ballinger-
pinphpf onUhndyy
They crowded the hearing room each
day the committee sat and practically
every one Of them was a partisan. 1t
was impossible for them not to take
sides, and when once committed, these
women became more bitter in their
feelings than a vast majority OF the
men actually involved.
Society Split By Hearing.
in fact, it was apparent that the in
yestigation had practically split an i'm
portant element of Washington society,"
The women of one faction would scarce
ly speak to the women of the other. 1t
is recalled that Mrs. Ballinger, wife Of
the Secretary, and Mrs. Pinchot, mother
of the former forester, each attended
the trial regularly. Other women
watched them closely and found that
these two women ignored the presence,
each of the other.
Mrs. Ballinger was made to feel a
large measure of this unpleasantness
While she is a very gracious and charm
ing woman, she often found herself
omitted from the invitation lists of
o'he- Cociety women at whose houses
one would naturally expect to find her.
She herself entertained handsomely,
but this did not make it a great deal
easier.
Overlooked AS Speaker.
Then, too. the Secretary himself, un-
doubtedly felt the shadow which his op-
ponents put upon him. 1t has been many
times remarked that he would be in
vitcI to official affairs and then over
looked when speakers were called for.
This was true in spite of the fact that
other Cabinet officers were invited to
MAKE responses.
All this unpleasantness the Secretary
will escape when he returns home. He
is held in high cSleel, - ~ llu,-
townsmen, and they promise him a re-
ception that will not lack for warmth
AMI cordiality.