Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-07
CAPITAL SOCIAL
FEUD IS ENDED
Mrs. Gam and Mrs. Long,
worth Bury Ak at Reception
to Diplomatic Corps.
Continued From First Page.)

The cultured voices of both women
were audible, clear and friendly and
| there ensued an animated conversation
on Mrs. Cams at home Wednesday,
on cabinet receptions and general So
| cial topics of the day. When they
parted, those in the overcrowded State
drawing room drew breath and de-
clared, Now that incident is past.
There was nothing in it."
Nothing in it, is just what Mrs.
Dolly Curtis Gam has declared over
and over and nothing in it" is what
| Mrs. Longworth reiterated quite as
| often.
Wherever Mrs. Gam and her ru-
mored antagonist, Mrs. Longworth, have
met in years past, their greetings have
been cordial This does not, however,
settle the "sit or not to sit" question,
for Mrs. Gam and Mrs. Longworth
have never attended a dinner or lunch
con at the same time since the question
arose.
There is not much that is new in a
question of precedence, for an unseemly
wrangle arose in the earliest history of
| the White House and waxed warmer
until during the Monroe administration
1t reached most unpleasant proportions.
| Tbs late Chief Justice Melville Fuller
baked at the door of the White House
and refused to enter and carry on with
the judicial reception because foreign
Ambassadors and others we're there to
| precede him. The matter was settled
| for the moment by the other guests
going direct to the blue room, leaving
the austere little Chief Justice to head
the line and be first to greet the Presi-
! dent when the reception opened.
Cabinet Women Refused to Call.
It was in the Roosevelt administra-
| ton that cabinet women took I'D the
social cudgel against Senate women and
| refused to call on them. They waited
at home for Senators wives to make the
first visit. They continued to wait
/ Their at homes were scarce and chilly
The Senator'S confirmed cabinet mem
bers, so why should they call first?'
Cabinet members are in line for the
Presidency, so why should they curry
| favor with the Senate?
Only the other day the Congressional
Club gave tea in honor of the cabinet
women, and while 1t was quite Mrs
Cams privilege TO attend, she did not
do so. Perhaps 1t was because there
might have been a conflict Of prece-
dence. The social world said so, and
yet when the President and Mrs
Hoover gave a reception to the diplo-
mats Thursday night, Mrs. Gam
walked beside the Vice President, i'm
mediately behind the exalted hosts and
Immediately in front of the Secretary
Of State and Mrs. Stimson.
1t has always been the custom fol
the Vice President to keep open house
during the social season, taking Wed.
neSday, just as do the cabinet women
Mrs. Gam gave her first afternoon re.
ception on a parallel day and hour
with the cabinet women and that she
has done her full duty in making calls
was shown by the hundreds of guests
who Surged through the large suite al
the Mayhower all during the reception
hours.
Not all the Senate women wer,
there, for there are some who still
maintain that Notwithstanding Mrs
Gam is ofncial hostess for the Vic,
President, she is also his sister anC
should not be given rank above q
Senator's wife. There was nothinl
political about it, for there were quite
as many Democrats as Republicans whC
left cards. Assisting Mrs. Gam wer'
two women who held sway during tn,
Wilson administration, the populal
Mrs Thomas r. Marshall and Mrs
Edwin T. Meredith, whose HUSBAND
was Secretary Of Agriculture in thu
| oaIHC duItll1llSIId IlO1.
Program AdroitIy Planned.
Mrs. Hoover, who is one of the mos
democratic women the White House hal
ever had as q mistress, has adroitly anS
in friendly spirit arranged q socia
program for the White House that can
not be questioned for wisdom anC
diplomacy.
Like all other women and men in ON
ctal society, when she strikes the snai
OF precedence and neither she nor thu
Department of State can untangle 1t
she automatically goes around 1t. Or
the White House roster she found tina
a Speakers dinner was part of the ON
cial program. She knew it was bego
OF q controversy as bitter as any tina
ever waged or was said to wage, be-
tween Mrs. Gam and Mrs. Longworth
Uncle Joe Cannon, doughty old Western
politician that he was, refused to PLAY
second fiddle or attend q dinner where
members of Congress were given rani
above him and so President Roosevelt
said let there be a Speakers dinner ant
there was a Speakers dinner.
Perhaps Mrs. Hoover found objec
ton or rather embarrassment in placing
Mrs. Gam with the cabinet women, 81
she arranged that she and the Presi
dent would first entertain the cabinet
ident would give a dinner in honor o.
the Vice President. This distinction
should have been thought Of years ago
State dinner parties were too large TO
comfort and sociability, now they arr
smaller and there are more of them. Tt
each one Mrs. Hoover gives her per.
sonal attention, debating the menu ant
the flowers to be used.
Senate Source of Trouble.
Nobody has brought greater discorc
into the ofdcial ranks than the Sen.
ate and again Mrs. Hoover comes to thu
instead Of one congressional reception
January is there will be reception t.
members Of the Senate and January 2E
q reception for members of the House
OF Representatives. At the former thu
president pro tempore of the Senate vii
lead the line of guests and at the latte
event, the Speaker and Mrs. LongWorti
will come into their own. There has fire.
quently been controversy between thu
president pro tenn and the Speaker, ant
this Winter the Speaker will have {
dinner all to himself. while the presi
dent pro tempore of the Senate viii
Vice President Curtis at the Whit
House dinner given in his honor.
And now since the "Halloo Dolly
Halloo Alice" incident in the blue room
as reported by guests about them. tn
world may rest in peace and whil
Mrs. Gam and Mrs. Longworth ma,
never play pussy wants corner 70
place at the right of the host, they vii
at least add nothing to the disturbance
Of q drawing room.