Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-07
rv WILLIAM HARD.

This terr..''c controversy into which
Vice President Curtis has gone and got
! himself on the subject OF the social
grading of his sister and "ofnciai
hostess" Mrs. Gam. seems perfectly
silly, but there are a lot Of other things
to be said about 1t.
The first is that it would be the ahso-
lutte height Of stiffness to try to get
along in washington without system
of relative ranks ut ofiicial ceremonies
and even at dinner parties. One mo-
ment's thought win show why this IS so.
washington represents the sovereignty
of the United States and 1t deals with
Ambassadors and Ministers who similar
ly represent the sovereignties OF their
respective countries. The point In
VOWED Is not the feelings Of individuals.
The point involved Is international re-
lationship.
Take . specific case. The Secretary
OF State wishes to give dinner party.
He invites two Ambassadors. He wants
to see them. Having invited them, he
has to seat them somewhere ut his
dinner table. Very well. Which OF
them shall be seated at his wife's right
hand? At present the answer Is easy.
We have D fixed and known rule
whereby the Ambassador who has been
/ here the greater length OF time IS to
be preferred to the other and is to pre-
ceden him. This rule of simple senior
ity Is impartial and gives no offense.
Everything thereupon goes on smoothly,
with no political complication.
y 4 4 *
The contrary system--or lack of sys-
tenl--produces political complications
instantly and profusely. 1t was
famously tried out in Thomas Jeffer-
sons administration under the attrac-
tive title Of 'tthe rule of pell-mell."
The President and Secretary Of State
would let their guests scramble for
places at their dinner tables or else, on
impulse. they would pick out particu-
larry charming guests and seat them
in particularly advantageous positions.
*A**
The result was immediately that the
governments back Of those guests began
to see political meanings In what hap
pened. The President and the Secre-
tary of State were leaning toward GER
tain countryi Or they were offended
with q certain other countryi The
United States wished to show country A
that 1t did not like its last motel Or 1t
wished to show country b that It's
n4tHhotGE uctS Wao uAaCScPtAuaN eAu
OBJECTIONABLE
Such were the deductions and SUR
misses that few about the town and
finally famed It into IN international
| turmoil that was intolerable. 1t was
| intolerable because II made inter-
national relationships even more dim
cult and dangerous than they already
by nature are. The rule of pell-mell''
was abolished. II had sounded like q
striving toward simplicity, but In prac-
tice, instead OF producing q more simple
life In washington, it produced more
complicated and more perplexing one.
$50
Therefore q system Of strict prece-
denee, as In George Washington's day.
was brought back and IN principle has
remained with us virtually continuously
ever since. It Is Q frightful strain. but
there Is no feasible way OF escaping
| from it. Il produces ridiculous situ-
atoms, but It Is better than the opposite
system--namely. no system. II Is like
most social institutions. funny but un.
avoidable.
That IS the point. then. from which
we have to start In considering the ah-
Sorbing and sad case Of the Vice Presi-
dent and Mrs. Gam and--ahove all--
4 MI. N1dIlu. i nc HtCCCIiCC VI 04ttt8AaAAeAS
representatives heye makes precedence
necessary. Thereupon precedence be-
| comes necessary within our Government
as well as between the representatives
/ OF our Government and the representa-
tives of foreign governments, because
each and any member OF our Govern
ment may meet each and any foreign
diplomatic representative, and his man.
ner of intercourse with him has 70 be
reguiarixed IN order to avoid misappre-
/ hersions and frictions and iealousies
| Every sound principle, however, no mat
| ter how sound 1t may be, Is bound "a
produce some incidental ahsurdities
and the Curtis-0 Gam episode Is one o.
| them.
That the vice President. having no
wife. has the right to name his sister
or any other lady, IS his .ofacial
hostess" Is abundantly proved BY nu-
/ marous parallel instances IN the past.
4 That he has the right TO 'precede'
| foreign diplomatic representatives y BE-
You'd question.
That his aofiicial hostess" Is his 20.
cial equivalent Is obvious 70 reason.
That therefore. she has rignt aIic
q duty To ''precede" the wives: o. ON.
cial hostesses, Of foreign dipiomatls
representatives Is deduction easy g
lreach.
THAT Vice President Curtis ana Mrs
Gam would firmly maintain TINS rign'
and duty was only to be expected.
MHN ~
/ That the Vice President. however,
i sho,ld make an open issue q II ~ 9
4 letter to the State Department was IN
usual and can be JUSTIFIED only BY the
i acofies which the WIGS President knew
Il that it would infiict upon the state De-
4 nartnaents naightiest minds.
! That those minds viii hnd any We
81 continuing 70 make tlae omclal