The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-14
GOTHAM GOSSIP
(Ry Francis Phillips. Copyright 1910. by the National News Service. N. Y.)

New York, July 1.-The bitter arr raignment of American heiresses who marry foreign noblemm, made the other day in Congress by representa- tive Henry of Texas seems to have gotten under the skin of some of the hyper-sensitive relatives here of those who have sought social prestige through international marriage to men of title.
 Tn the opinion of the families of the young New York women who have exchanged dollars for coronets with in the last decade or two, the vigor- ous ephillipic of the outspoken Texan, who while holding them up to appro- briufn, took occasion to score mem- bers, of the diplomatic service for ap- ing the splendor of foreign courts,was uncalled for and unfair. Friends of John Hays Hammond, Special Amer1- can Ambassador to the cornation of King George were disposed to resent the implied reference to him in Mr. Henry's spirited denunciation of the nations Auvoys abroad. They were inclined to interpret the attack on MT. Hammond as a reflection of the dis- appointment experienced by several candidates for the appointment as Uucle Sam's special plenipotentfary extraordinary to the ceremonies in the Englisr capital recently. However.
 
 heiresses, who have married titles with the last few years may be ap- plauded through the country as a patriotic effort on the part of the southern Representative in Congress to discourage the future exportation of dollar laden brides. it is not believ- ed 1t will have an appreciable effect on the trans-Atlantic marriage mar ket. So long as ambitious mothers and title worshiping daughters with substantial bank accounts and much leisure time on their hands haveffa hapkeripg for such marriages they will continue in proportion to the number available. The excuse given for such conjugal contracts. that the average American man of means per sists in devotfng certain amount of his time to business, which preciudes the possibility of giving to her the attention for social Advertisement she demands as her due will continue to encourage heiresses to seek the life of luxuriant leisure they covet by alli- ances with the gilded scions of the old world. The fact that so many of these hastily arranged and ill as- sorted marriages prove to be unhappy will have little adverse influence on those who are eligible, every young woman believing that she can over come the difficulties that encompassed her contemporaries and avoid the
 
 wrecked.
 Insisting that the government has been III advised in it's prosecution of the firm for under valuing importa- tions of gowns and lingerie sold to it's society patrons here. Lucille Ltd" the fashionable English dressmaking esta blishment of which Lady Duff Gordan Is alleged to be the head, has given notice to the authorities that it intends fighting the case brought against it. Several weeks ago the on the establishment on the strength | of statements said to have been made | to them confidentially by a former 1, employe of the concern, who charged l that importations made by the cor | poration had been given a fictitious | value in order to escape the exceS- | sive duties imposed on supplies of the | character handled by it. The manager | and several other officials of the cor poration were arrested. preliminary to | an exhaustive inquiry into the charges which are said to cover an extensive | period.
 Lady Duff Gordan, who arrived in | the city from England the day the raid was made on Lucille, denied that | the firm had been engaged in any systematic plan of swindling the gov- ernmentS out of it's custom duties so far as she was aware. She also aver red that she had no part in the di- rect management of the New York concern. which she said was operat- ing under an agreement by which she | allowed them to use her name. When the examination in the case was call- ed the other day. the manager of the corporation pleaded not guilty to the charge and indicated his inten- ton of contesting the governments claim This attitude is in marked contrast to the other defendants caught in the customs net within the last year. who when confronted with the evidence against them confessed to the deceit practiced on the govern ment and made restitution It has excited much interest and is taken to foreshadow stubborn fight.
 w. T. Stead's suggestion at the