Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563 of 564

General” and “Mr. Vice President.” They obviously couldn't call me “Mr. Secretary.” I said, “I'm sure that the Speaker of the House, who is an expert on parliamentary procedure, will know better than I do.”

Mr. Rainey drew himself up and said, “When the Secretary of Labor is a lady, she should be addressed with the same general formalities as the Secretary of Labor who is a gentleman. You call him ‘Mr. Secretary.’ You will call her 'Madam Secretary.’” The reporters were scribbling away for all they were worth and the Speaker went on, “You gentlemen know that when a lady is presiding over a meeting, she is referred to as ‘Madam Chairman’ when you rise to address the chair. If she is the president of the Woman's Temperance League, she is addressed as ‘Madam President’ when in her official capacity she is presiding over a meeting or taking some official action as president of that organization. This is all in the Roberts' Rules of Order revisions. She will be addressed as “Madam Secretary.”

They said, “Well, is that all right with you?”

I said, “Anything that the Speaker says is all right with me.”

As a matter of fact, he was quite correct, except that the press, in its ignorance, assumed that “Madam” was a special title. They didn't know how to use it. “Madam”