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The Commoner.
6
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 10
CURRGNT
III Alt Mm sfKyJ '
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"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
