The Washington times., 1929-05-13
NEWS OF WASHINGTON SOCIETY
President Hoover Shoes Disposition
TO Pour OIL on Troubled Waters
White House Invitations
| Follow Fast on Unto
/ ward Incidents

/ Wafd incidents
The informal dinner. and
luncheon parties, which are
/ so pleasant a feature of
! White House hospitality in
! the Hoover regime, seem to
be affording the President
! an opportunity to pour oil
on troubled waters.
The political writer's tup
| on the Hill" read into the
| President and Mrs. Hoover,s
| invitation to Senator and
| Mrs. William E. Borah to
lunch at the White House
yesterday a desire to "tell
the world" that Mr.. Hoover
| doesn't subscribe to Senator
Simeon D. Fess' attack on
Senator Borah as a "pseudo-
Republican" because he had
failed to support the Presi-
dents fight against the de-
benture plan in the farm re-
lief bill.
Gracious Gesture
It will be remembered that it
was Just after the Secretary Of
State, Mr.. Stimson, had rallied
to the defense of the Belgian
ambassador, Prince de Ligne,
that Prince and Princess de
Ligne were invited to dine at
j the White House-the first OF
the diplomatic group, and SO far
the last, to be included in any
of the White House dinner
parties. Newspaper criticism OF
the ambassador had inspired a
letter from Secretary Stinnson to
the Belgian envoy, expressing
the cordiality with which the
Administration regarded the dip"
lomat, and commenting upon the
smoothness and sympathetic UNI
derstanding with which relations
between Belgium and the United
States had been conducted dur
ing his regime.
Dinner Guests
Moreover. whether by design or
accident, Vice President Curtis
and Mr.. and Mrs. Edward E.
Gam were guests of the Presi-
dent and Mrs. Hoover on the eve
ming of the very day on which
was handed down that now famous
ruling of the State Department
sponsored by Secretary kellogg
before Secretary Stimson took
hold-which placed the Vice Presf.
dents sister and hostess after
the wives of chiefs Of diplomatic
missions" This, of course. was
before Vice President Curtis
entered the lists in his sisters
behalf, bringing into the open a
fight for precedence which has
ADecome historic and on which
the changes have been rung for
weeks. And the fact that Presi-
dent Hoover took Mrs. Gam into
dinner that evening really had no
bearing on the controversy, since
she was the only woman with
official rank in the dinner COM
pany.
Such gracious gestures, how
ever. coming one after another.
are likely to contribute to en-.
during popularity for the present
occupants of the White House.
Miss Gertrude B. Lane, who
spent Sunday at the White House,
was the only guest beside the
Berahs at luncheon at the White
House yesterday. In the evening,
however, the President and Mrs.
Hoover entertained at one OF their
famous Sunday evening supper
parties and had with them the
Secretary of War and Mrs. Good,
Senator Simeon D. Fess, Senator
and Mrs. Felix Hebert, Senator
John G. Townsend, jr., Represen-
tative and Mrs. Frederick r.
I1ehlbach, Representative Louis
McFadden, Representative and
Mrs. James M. Beck, c. Bascom
Slsmp. J. Walter Drake, some-
time Assistant Secretary of Com.
nerce; Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas
Healey, of Philadelphia, Harry
Culver, of Culver City, Calf. and
Miss Lane.