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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 18, 1910)
-&tttfi$ .(.yvwti !- i The Commoner. 6 VOLUME 10, NUMBER 10 CURRGNT III Alt Mm sfKyJ ' J VtySv yy1'"' "tCES23. NEWSPAPER comment concerning tho lato Thomas Collier Piatt may bo summed up In this editorial statement by tho New York Times: "With a serviceable Latin proverb In mind, wo may say of him that he was a man of commanding ability as an organizer, who attracted and controlled with consummato skill a voritablo army of adherents. If ho had many onomicB, ho had In his time also a host of ad miring frionds." MR. PLATT WAS three times elected to tho United States scnato by tho New York loglslaturo. Twlco ho was elected to the houso of representatives. Ho was succeeded in tho senate by Elihu Root Mr. Piatt began life as a druggist, then ho becamo an editorial writer, serving in that capacity on tho Now York Tribune and other papors. Later ho engaged in tho lumber business, then becamo a bank president and Anally .president of tho United States ExprosB company, which position he held at tho tlmo of his death. Mr. Piatt made his first appearanco In politics in tho support of John 0. Promont for president In 185G. He was a mombor of a Fromont Glee club. Three years lator ho was elected to a small local ofilce. In , 1870 ho was made a dolegato to a congressional convention. In 1872 and In 1874 ho was elect ed to tho houso of representatives. Ho allied hlmsolf with Roscoo Conkling. In 1880 ho joined Conkling in tho support of General Grant for a third nomination. In 1881 ho was- elected to tho United States senate. IT WAS WHILE sorving with Conkling in the senate that Mr. Piatt won tho nickname "mo too Piatt." Mr. Garfield was then president. Tho republican party was split with factional strlfo, Garflold and Blaine leading one faction whilo Roscoo Conkling led tho other. Mr. Gar field had inado certain New York appointments without consulting Conkling and, so Conkling claimed, had violated an explicit pledge on that point. It was claimed that James G. Blaine, Gnrflold's secretary of state, had persuaded Garflold to violate his promise to Conkling. How ovor that may be, Conkling and Piatt sent their resignations as senators to the governor of New York. Lator they announced their purpose of submitting their claims for re-election to tho Now York legislature. Newspapers, however, mado fun of them and they were cartooned all ovor tho country. A spirited campaign was com menced. In the meantime, however, Garfield was assassinated by Guiteau and tho assassin proclaimed hlmsolf to bo "a stalwart of tho stalwarts," that being the term by which tho Conkling forces wore known. Conkling and Piatt were defeated through practically un known men being elected in their places. Conk ling retired from politics and again took up tho practice of law. Ho was a very vain, although a vory ablo man and it was no secret among his friends that his heart was broken bv his political failure. BUT PLATT'S heart was not broken. Ho never liked the title "Mo too Piatt" be causo ho felt that it was a reflection upon his own force of character. Ho turned again to politics and becamo tho most powerful state leoa??r,in tho h,story of Now York politics. In 1884 ho wont to the Chicago convention and helped nominato Blaine, although three years beforo he had opposed him with such zeal that he gave up tho sonatorshlp by way of showing lite antagonism to tho Blalne-Garfleld element Re cently In giving his estimate of public mon.'piatt referred to Blaine as "an ideal American "in the campaign of 1884 Piatt won the friendship of tho BUIne forces and his power as New York loader continued to grow. In 1888 ho helped to nominate Benjamin Harrison. William e Curtis correspondent for tho Chicago Record, llerald prints a statement which ho says was given to him by Piatt a few years ago with The understanding that it was not to be nrintort ,, til after Piatt's death. In this statement PlSt charged that Benjamin Harrison sent Stephen B. Elklns to Piatt with tho assurance that Elk. -ins had authority to make promises for Har- rison. Piatt says that Elkins promised that Piatt would bo mado secretary of tho treasury and would bo given control of New York patron age. After Harrison's election, according to Piatt, ho violated this pledge and refused to "deliver tho goods." In 1892 Piatt fought Har rison's renomlnatlon and in the following cam paign ho sulked. In 1896 Piatt was opposed to McKinley's nomination, but together with other representatives of special interests, he worked for tho republican candidate in the en suing election. In 1897 ho was re-elected to tho United States senate and he was re-elected in 1903, retiring last year. In 1900 Piatt, being dissatisfied with Theodore Roosevelt as gover nor of New York, forced his nomination for the vice presidency with tho idea that he was shelving him. But a few months later Mr. Mc Kinley was assassinated and Mr. Roosevelt be camo president. THE TERM "the easy boss" originated with Piatt. Once when he was bitterly de nounced as a boss ho retorted: "Well, after all, I am an easy boss." A' writer in the New York Times says: "The 'easy boss' was famed for his epigrams. He it was who described the Harrison administration as 'the ice wagon,' a characterization of the president's cold and re pelling demeanor bo felicitous that the democrats instantly seized on it and used it throughout the campaign of 1892. In the same year, when his old enemy, Whitelaw Reid, was proposed for vice president, Piatt said: 'He (Reid as minis ter to France) gave such a character to. the American hog as to enable it to force its way not only into the French market, but into every other.' When the Brookfield republicans raised a revolt against him In 1894, denouncing him as a boss, Piatt commented: 'It is not difficult to understand plain folks like them. By a 'boss' and an 'intermeddler' they mean one who differs with them. By a 'leader' and a 'states man' they mean one who agrees with them. That's all there is to It.' Early In tho cam paign of 1904, when the Parker movement gained headway, the senator observed: 'The democratic party seems to be becoming sane and dangerous. This epigram was caught up all over the country, and, though it was afterward misquoted into 'safe and sane,' became the uni versal characterization of the reorganizing movement." THE DOMESTIC tribulations of the New York boss were many. His first wife, the mother of his children with whom evidently he lived happily, died in 1901. Two years later he mar ried a government clerk in Washington. Then another government clerk brought suit against him, charging that she had already been mar ried to him. Finally he separated from his second wife and the other government clerk brought several different proceedings against him, making life very miserable for him. This latter woman made public many of Piatt's nri vate letters. One of these related to a dinner engagement of Piatt with President Roosevelt and contained the statement: "I suppose I shall have to sit and endure that bulldog grin for an hour." Since Mr. Piatt's death the second gov ornment clerk, Mao C. Wood by name, has an nounced that she will claim tho widow's shn of the Piatt estate. Plainly, therl was in this man extraordinary power. It might have been a power for good, but without violating the ad monition to "say nothing against the dead" it may be said for the benefit of the living that hv reason of his ability and opportunity Mr Piatt's life was an ignominious failure. MEMBERS OF the house of representatives are, according to Washington dispatches analyzing the amendments offered in thi senate to the postal savings bank- bill. An AlsoMnto! Press dispatch says: "The amendment thai is causing the most comment is that which will prevent postal funds from being invested in Two per cent government bonds, while making In higher interest bearing securities avilaSf for such investment in time of war or otter ex ency. Practically noonteat wag made igamS this amendment when it was offered by Senator Borah. It was accepted by Senator Carter, who had charge of the bill, and the votes against it were few. In the light of President Taft's New York speech calling attention to the obliga tion of the government that the holders of the two per cent consols should not suffer loss, and that the government could give relief by using postal funds to buy these low class bonds, some members of congress profess to see in the sen ate action a direct slap at the president. In only one other way is the adoption of the amend ment explained and that is by the fact that those who were in charge of the bill believed it could be passed, only by making concessions to insur-. gent senators. It was charged on the demo cratic side of the senate, chiefly by Senator Bacon, that the adoption of the Borah amend ment was not in good faith and that it would be dropped in the house and finally eliminated in conference. This charge, however, obviously can not be based upon certainty and is nothing more than speculation." WASHINGTON correspondents appear to be" practically at' agreement concerning the probability that the next congress will be demo cratic. Arthur Wallace Dunn, Washington corre spondent for the Woman's National Daily, says: "If Champ Clark becomes speaker of the Sixty second congress by the will of a democratic majority, sixteen years will have elapsed since the democrats went out of power in the house of representatives. Great changes have taken place in the democratic party within that period. In the house, supposing they are re elected this fall, there will be but four demo crats who were members of the Fifty-third con gress, the last in which the democrats had a majority. Two of these, Jones of Virginia, and Livingston of Georgia, have served continuously. Champ Clark saw his first service in the Fifty third congress, but missed the succeeding con gress. Talbott of Maryland was in the Fifty third congress, but was out for eight years be fore he was returned. Congressman Charles H. Morgan of Missouri was a democratic member of the Fifty-third congress. He is a member of the Sixty-first congress, but he Is now a re publican. He will continue to be a republican If he is a member of the next congress, so he can not count as one of the democratic sur vivors from the last congress in which that party had a majority. In the senate there are five democrats who were members of the house of representatives at that time. They are Bailey ' of Texas Bankhead of Alabama, Money of Mis NevaPd " r f Maryland and Newlands of A INTERESTING story is vouched for by . the Galveston, Texas, correspondent for the Chicago Record-Herald. The storv fniw? "The filing of documents foi -record tranSf erring J?ieTeSin She big Valvedere rancX m Jeff Davis county, from Sam Jennings the cattle king, to Francis R. Strome brings to light an interesting incident in which Strfme, who is a MaynSjVnUhsS X th? hero d I little may Jennings, the six-year-old dauehtor nf Colonel Jennings, was the heroine qhf saved from death beneath an engine nnfcS WaS road tracks, and as a' reward for vSL J ho is given a half interest prope nyid'S AworUl anywhere from $700 000 tn ri nnn 000. Strome is about fifty years old n J V,0?'! by trade, and for many vel ? 75 ma?hinist small town In Illinois Hornet w?th Lf and, after the death of his wtf e took tTf ?' and had been leading a Bhiftleaa Ufa fnro Inl5 years. He was beating his way westwnrST1 ins to make California and was hSn?d tryT Alpine trying to catch a Tain when thCT happened that brought him foVtuL CidenJ was crossing the railroadTrack just' a fl approached. The child became win8 a train would have been killed had SlWllder,ed and on the track and snatched hmS?9 no 3umPed "just in time. He disappeared shorHvf ,the lal1 the father of the cirl had him , ?tly ater, but miles awaySl!SigW hta oacf tot?' nd kept him at the olac fa?J5US K ? "iii iii'A' V&Til OMitt