Senate's Wives

Executive (secret) doings of the Senate are constantly leaking into the newspapers. And last week, the Senate's wives demonstrated that they were no better than their husbands at keeping secrets.

The Senate Ladies' Luncheon Club was distressfully snarled on the election of a president to succeed Mrs. Dawes. By custom the Vice President's wife presides. But Vice President-Elect Curtis is a widower. His sister, Mrs. Edward E. Gann, is to serve as his official hostess. Should that make her a Senate Lady? Should that make her president of the club?

The Senate ladies met in "executive" session. Their doings were to be extremely confidential. All were warned against tattling, and their husbands were facetiously held up to them as bad examples. The meeting over, they trooped out and explained politely to newsgatherers that they had been transacting "executive" business-and that, besides, the election of a club president had been post-poned a year.

It took just two hours for the truth to leak out. Some one simply had to tell that Mrs. George Higgins Moses (nee Florence Abby Gordon), the lively, pince-nezzed wife of the bellicose Senator from New Hampshire, had been chosen to head the luncheon club. "Mr. Moses is President pro tern, of the Senate, you see, so that made it most appropriate . . .," etc. etc. Mrs. Gann was elected a Senate Lady only on a nonvoting, honorary basis.

Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, onetime president of the Senate Ladies' Luncheon Club, attended the meeting.