Evening star., 1935-03-31

resentatives, and they plotted to get
him to denounce Butler, expecting
some fun out Of Buffers retort. BY
previous arrangement Conner got the
eye of the Speaker, and by another
arrangement he stepped down to
Buffers desk to make his speech. As
he began Butler was writing, bending
over his papers.
At first the speech was of a gen.
eral nature, but in a moment it
changed to TRADE against Butler,
and as this occurred every eye in the
House turned toward old Ben. He
looked up at the Speaker once; then
went on writing as quietly as though
he was in his own room. At last the
man finished and every one waited
for Butler to retort. But he did not
reply. He merely turned around
with jerk to his next neighbor and
said in loud, inquiring voice: What
is that fellow talking about?' He
then went on with his writing and
Conner was injured by this action
more than if Butler had pulverized
him in a speech. 1t was a second
case of "shoo fly" only much more
pronounced
I give you here some notes ! have
made on the way public men dress
in the Capital of our Nation. They
are as careful of their clothes as are
the noted society bellies, and their
idiosyncrasies are as many almost
as there are men. Garland still shuns
a dress coat and he wears his shirt
with buttons in its bosom. President
Cleveland is at home in nothing but
black broadcloth and boots. Dan La
mont wears business clothes while at
work in the White House, and Secre-
tary Lamar dresses like the Presi-
dent. Villas is a natty fellow, clad
generally in black. though I remem-
Der seeing him ouce in a suit of
olive brown. Bayard wears business
clothes and always has them we'll
made, while Dan Manning wears a
black frock coat and breeches to
match.
Cleveland sports big seal ring on
the little finger of his left hand. 1t
is heavy and shows plainly. Whitney
wears a scarf pin. and Garland has
his cuffs Sewed on his shirt.
The dress of statesmen grows more
democratic from year to year. In
Washington"S day, if his clothes in
the museum are any index of the
time, gentleman's wardrobe must
have cost a small fortune, and it was
as gaudy as that of girl. He must
have silks and satins, gold shoe
buckles. and ruff1ed shirts. His vest
was embroidered, his stockings were
of fine silk, and his head had to
be covered by a wig. In Webster's
time, very few of the Senators ap-
peared on the floor in any other
style Of coat than a swallow-tail, and
it is only since the war that great
men have come down to everyday
plain clothes. Capt. BaSsett. the
doorkepper of the Senate, says:
Daniel Webster wore blue or brown
clothes. his coat always adorned with
brass buttons. Henry Clay came to
the Senate in black Swallow-tail. and
the collar of his shirt was so large
that it made his head look like that of
a turtle. John Randolph imported
his clothes from England, and when
l4C 4OOC Oul Oll llOIOCDdCh w IIlC O6Il~
ate, he wore leather breeches with
white top boots
Every one has heard how an early
President refused to receive one of his
relatives at a state reception because
he had not a dress suit, and half the
troubles of our foreign Ministers have
been in regard to the dress in which
they shall appear in the courts of
Europe. The only man in the Senate
today who wears a swallow-tail coat is
Senator Conger. and he is perhaps the
most democratic in manners of all in
that body.
How Senators Dressed.
The favorite dress of the Senator
today is black broadcloth with double
breasted frock coat. high standing COLI
lar open at the neck, and high boots.
Still. business suits are fast creeping
in and fully one-third of the law
makers wear cut-away coats. Senators
Morgan and Butler are both we'll
dressed Southern men; still their coats
are black diagonal cut-aways, but
toned high at the front by single
button. and neither of them showing
an atom of shirt. Stanford, the mil
lionaire from California, is dressed In
a business suit, which could be dupli-
Gated for $40. and his eyes are covered
by glasses with rubber rims.
Senator Joe Brown is cold-blooded
human and he fights the weather in
clothes made of beaver. Though he
has good tailor his form is so angular
that it is almost impossible to cut
this thick cloth to fit him, and 1t
hangs in wrinkles. Brown wears long
hair, which curls as though he had
twisted it around slate pencil. His
long gray beard hides his shirt. but
look at his wristbands shows his red
flannel underclothing peeping out.
Walthall, Lamar's successor, is tall and
thin. His blue and white necktie is
not tied, but is fastened by gold
ring through which it is drawn. He
wears boots which as rule, you Will
find used only now by statesmen from
the South and West.
Senator ingalls, is one of the best
dressed men in the Senate. He wears
good clothes, made by a Broadway
tailor. His cuffs are Of the WhlteSt
and his hair is never awry. Hoar,
who sits next to him, dresses in busi-
ness clothes, a cutaway coat and he
keeps his watch in the side pocket
of his vest, fastened by chain which
commences at its top button and falls
down in a graceful curl upon his
capacious abdomen. Senator Hoar
always has his keys in his hands,
swinging them about, or lingering
them as he talks or thinks.
Senator Teller dresses in black and
combs his hair without part, a Ia
pompadour. Chace, the Quaker Sena-
tor, wears fancy black clothes OF
Quaker cut. There is little, If any.
collar to the coat, but the lapel at
the front is faced with velvet and
has a standing collar and a black
tie
Hahone is the queerest dressed man
in the Senate. His clothes make him
look like fashion plate Of so years
ago, settled and materialized. His
long black frock coat is cut in the
shape of two inverted bells, with a
big chest, little waist and the skirts