Show Silk Hat Days Days' in Capital Recalled By Auto Incident Headgear That Made Congressmen Congressmen Congressmen Con Con- gressmen Look Like Statesmen Now j Vanished By WILLIAM L. L BEALE DEALE Associated Press Pres Staff Writer WASHINGTON Dec 26 The 26 The story of ot Postmaster General Browns Brown's silk hat has stirred recollections of the capitals capital's light gas era the era the days when toppers were the accepted congressional headgear and legislators looked like statesmen whether they were or not Then there were no low topped automobiles au of the type that Mr Brown complained would not accommodate his high fit The old horse carriage easily had room for lor a two footer provided provided provided pro pro- vided the wearer was not some w western western west west- st st. ern giant one Fifty years ago William Tyler Page started working for lor the house that still employs him and tod today y he described the legislator of his first two decades this way High silk hats even ven higher than those of ot today were so 0 common atthe at atthe the capitol as to become the accepted headpiece of the legislator With ithe it ithe ithe he wore the long Prince Albert coat double-breasted double with a low-cut low vest and an expansive showing of shirt frontOn frontOn front On that shirt front some of ot the flashier dressers affected a sparkling sparkling spar spar- kling diamond Around the tM spar spar-I. ne neck k kwas was a flowing silk tic tie or perhaps a astock a as a's s stock ck i The silk hat of those days was larger and clumsier than those of to toI day They were a modification of the beaver stovepipe of civil war times Why a member would not think of coming to the thc capitol without a silk hat And in the thc were a along along along long row of pegs pegs a foot long on which to hang them Beneath Deneath the pegs dangled a tape to hold the cane which nearly all members carried Page said this kind of topper began to wane around the Spanish Spanish-Ameri can war But even in its heyday some sonic competition was offered by southerners and westerners who pre pre- erred the black broad brimmed plantation or frontier hat You could almost spot a Texan every time by that black hat Page said Senator Joe Bailey always wore one Senator Tom Connally still wears much the thc same type today It has persisted longer than any other one style But the large arge Texas delegation in inthe inthe inthe the house has abandoned it almost almos entirely Led by Speaker Garner they wear a light tan narrow brimmed felt hat perhaps best defined as the cowman's city hat |