The Indianapolis times., 1930-11-12
Efie Garner
May Be Ne7C
Second Lady
BY RODNEY BUTCHER
COPYRIGHT. 1880. By NEA serviee. Inc)
MA Service Writer

WASHINGTON, Nov. IA girl
from Texas cattle ranch and an
other from a Kansas farm may set
tie between them Washington's
greatest social issue-who shall be
the Second Lady Of the Land.
Ettie Rheiner, the ranch girl,
grew up to be the wife and then
the secretary Of Congressman John
Nance Garner, who probably will be
the next speaker Of the house Of
representatives.
Dolly Curtis, the farm girl who
is now Mrs. Edward Everett Gam,
is the half-sister of Vice-President
Charles Curtis. She was an orphan
in pigtails when the Curtis family
adopted her. She became his secre-
tary when he entered congress.
Assuming the presidency,
Curtis made her his official hostess
and, by demanding social precedence
for her over all other Washington
women except Mrs. Hoover, precipi-
tated a spectacular war in capital
society.
Garners Gust Plain Folk
Just plain folk, both. with fond
ness for flowers, chickens and gar
dens. And the devotion Of Dolly
Gam to her alf-brother's personal
and political interests has been
matched only by Ettie Gamers de-
votion for those of her husband.
Beginning in 1893, Dolly was sec
retary to Curtis for more than tWen-
ty years before she was married.
Mrs. Garner has been her husbands S
secretary since 1903.
Now here are these two women,
elevated by the Republican land
slide of 1928 and the Democratic
landslide of 1880, who soon may vie
for the~y very highest rung on
social ladder which others have
spe1S long years and much money
yainly trying to climb.
Backed by Alice
VIII Ettie Garner carry on the
fight for precedence over Mrs. Gam
at dinners, receptions and other
parties which was begun by Mrs.
Alice Longworth, wife of the present
speaker of the house?
If she does she surely will have
the enthusiastic support of the aris-
tocratic and socially powerful Alice.
Ettie and Alice are good friends, al
though not as intimate as their
husbands, Jack and Nick.
"a Woman's first duty is to her
husband-to uphold the dignity of
any position he attains as we'll as
bearing the burdens of his duties"
says Mrs. Garner.
Well, Dolly and Alice we're fight
ing to uphold the dignity of their
mems positions, too. Charlie held
the nations second highest official
and social position, and Dolly in
sisted she was entitled to similar
recognition as his hostess.
Alice SAID NO
Alice said she was merely the
Vice-President's sister, instead of his
wife, and was therefore not entitled
to it.
But Elite Garner never has in
dicated any social ambitions. The
Garner Office opens earlier than any
other in the Capitol, because she ar
rives at a. m. And that means
getting up too early to allow her to
stay up late at night.
In the last several years she has
gone to few functions and the bulk
of her social life has been found in
going to the movies and playing
bridge with other ladies of the
Texas congressional delegation.
Don't Own Auto
The Garners have never even
maintained an automobile here, al
though the Democratic leader is
wealthy. For many years they lived
in the old Congress Hall hotel across
from the house Office building, and
when that was torn down moved to
a modest three-room apartment at
Washington Inn, block away.
Garner's social inclinations are as
mild as his wife's. Occasionally he
attends a dinner, but he seldom
dresses up to go out anywhere.
Mrs. Garner delights both to paint
and embroider. and they say she has
some talent as an artist.
Daughter of Cattleman
She was the daughter of cattle
man in South Texas and married
Garner before he came to congress
twenty eight years ago. She studied
stenography after marriage so as to
take on the secretarial duties.
During these years she actually
has been the secretary-not merely
a female relative attached to the
government pay roll.
In the Office she appears energetic
and industrious without being ag-
gressive. She has retained the good
fellowship and camaraderie often
found in the west