Evening star., 1932-07-03
GARNER HOUSEHOLD
MAY ALTER HABITS
d-FaShioned Ways Would
Face Change in Case of
Election.

II the Democrats carry the country
in November. one of the effects Of the
victory will be to work a change III
the lifelong habits of the household OF
John Nance Garner and Mrs. Garner.
Mrs. Garner has been secretary to her
husband throughout his public career.
Should he become Vice President Gar
ner. she will continue in his Office, but
his new job will take her out more into
the social whirl which she and her
husband have so studiously avoided
when Mr.. Garner was the Gentleman
from Texas. the Minority Leader, and
the Speaker of the House.
During his years of service in Wash
ington, Mrs. Garner has concentrated
her talents in serving her distinguished
husband in his work, first as a Repre-
sentative. and later in the added duties
carried by the speakership She ar
rives at his Office early, and spends the
day attending to his mail, smoothing
over the constituents who demand jobs.
seeSs, Department Of Agriculture bull
letins, appointments to the Naval Acad
emy and the like. This has meant get
ting up at 6 o'clock in the morning,
which has in turn meant minimum
OF activity after the days work Is over.
Generally at Home.
Usually the Garner attend two main
social functions a year-the White
House reception to the Speaker, and
the Congressional Club reception. The
rest of the time they stay at home or
take in an occasional moving picture
show
But If the present Speaker becomes
Vice President, all this will be changed.
The Vice President has no exacting
duties requiring vigilance over the Rules
Committee and the other troubles of
the House. Some one else will be
elected to deal with the needs of the
constituents from Uvalde, Tex
Officially, the Vice President presides
over the debates in the Senate. He
whacks his gavel and tells the Senators
whether they are in or out of order,
and only votes in case of a tie. Strange
ly enough, the only recent occasion
which comes to mind when there was a
| tie vote on an important matter, the
Vice President (then Charles Gates
Dawes was absent and President
Coolidges nomination of Charles
Beecher Warren as Attorney General
failed of confirmation while Gen.
Dawes, hastily summoned, was speed
ing to the Capitol in a taXicab.
Relieves President.
But although his official duties are
light, there is an unwrltten law re-
quiring the Vice President to take off
the shoulders of the President much
of his burden of cornerstone laying,
| convention opening, speech-making and
| banquet attending. The Vice President
! must be good dinner guest and host.
Even the matter Of where to put the
Vice President at dinner caused q
social war in Washington. This war
decided that the Vice President ranks
above the Speaker of the House at the
social dinner tables, so if the election
favors the Democrats, one OF its results
will be to thrust social preference E.
pair which has always studiory
! avoided society.
But although Mrs. Garner is ready to
dc her part, her heart will always be
in the Office where she has shared the
duties of her husband for 80 years.
Fond of Granddaughter.
Outside of her work as her husbands
secretary. Mrs. Garner's interests center
largely in her granddaughter. 1t comes
with something Of a shock that this
young appearing lady should have a
granddaughter at all, but Genevieve is
10 years old. the daughter of Mrs. Gar
ner's 37-year-old son. Genevieve lives
in home with six acres of ground in
the heart of Uvalde, and Mrs Garner
is happiest when she can spend Sum-
mer vacation there.
Grandmother though she Is, Mrs.
Garner's head of brown hair is un-
touched with streak of gray. Her at
tractive presence, her keen blue eyes,
her sharp mind and her enormous ac-
quaintance with those of Importance in
the political whirl give assurance that
the new duties. if they descend upon
her, will be executed with all the
Smoothness and success which have at
tended a life Of the more prosaic and
cloistered task of helping her husband
make a career by working with him
in his Office.