Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1923-02-09
Brookhart Gracefully Alb
stains From Use Of
Spike-TailerS
WORK NOT DRESS
Iowa Senator Told Con-
stituents He Would Not
DRESS Up" and In
tends to stick to promis
tRy ISAAC GRECO

(By ISAAC GEENtO
Washington, Feb. 9 Cabinets
may fall, kings may be assassin
ated, wars may be declared and
a million Armenians may be mas
sacred bat none Of these things
can compare in interest with the
moot question in Washington now,
which is: "Ilow long will Senator
Smith Whitman BrooEhar. of
Iowa, be able TO abstain fro:a the
use of dress suit?"
Official circles, society circles
and Just plain ordinary circles in
the National Capitol are now
more excited over this matter than
they have been since Lees sur
render at Appamattox, Books
are being made on the length Of
Mr. Brookhart's ability 70 wear
business suits TO evening functions
where everyone else wears the
spike tailed coat and stiff front
shirt. Bets arc being freely laid
on his ability to entertain low
neeked and bc-diamonded dova-
gers, short-skirted ard bobbed-
haired fiappers at dances, dinners
and the like while he lo'ls in the
comfort Of plain sack sUit and
a red nechtie. These wagers run
in length from one month 30 five
wears but so far as now known,
no one has been foclhardy as toi
risk money on the prospect of
Senator Brookhart's being able to
hold out until the end Of his six
year term in the Senate.
But if anyone of the waEerers
had talked to the Senator rs the
Gazette correspondent has done,
he would have been willing to-
bet his entire fortune that Mr..
Brookhart never viii wear a dress
suit, not even q dinner coat, and
that nc viii affect pink shirts
and soft collars to Che end Of his
days.
al don't wear dress suits" he
said. replying to questions some
what thirdly and fear;ully put
the Senator is I Colonel and y
reputed fire eater, you know
because I haven't got one. Over
ais, in my opinion, are the great
est badges Of sartorial distinc-I
ton. never wore a dress suit
and I never win. 7 told my con-
stiluents when 7 sought election
10 tie Senate chat il they wanted
somebody to 90 to Washington
and really worl; for their interests
they could elect me, hut if they
wanted someone to 90 there and
parade up and down Peacock AL
levs in dress suits they could
elect someone else"
Nv. Brookhart was quite en-
phatic about the matter, not oe-
tentatiously 1T all, merely Qnitc
positive.
az never Owned > d~esS suit. !
don't know vhorc thcv con he
rented. wonldn't know how to
ret into ono + I had it."
"Do yau have any particulaH
aversion to 4 dress suite" the
Senator was asked.
"None whatever. l merely feel
that when my friends invite me-
out they wnnt ire and not my
clothes. If they don't want me 10
come in 4 business suit, they wont
ask me-"
About the matter oC the Presi-
dents receptions, the Senator took
n SLIGHTLY different attitude,
al won't go 10 EN-" he said.
"Bnl Kenyon Former Senator
Kenyon Of Iowal never did and
! don't have to either"
This naturally hyou"ht IN the
topic of Senator - Follett" ard
the story that when Mr, Brook
hart appeared at p dinner OF
In Follette's hiqh brow radical
friends in Washington Sometim"
ago. the Wisconsin Senator apol-
ogized to Bvookh&rt because he
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