The Ottawa free trader., 1881-07-09
THE ALBANY NASTINESS.

To bribery, corruption, drunkenness, de-
famation and lying, as the dominant elements
of the moral atmosphere at Albany, must now
be added ewes cropping and lcchery, As in
timatrd in our last, the name OF Senator Plat
has become involved in "A scandal, and the ad.
dition is now to be made, that in consequence
OF it he has withdrawn hlS name AZ the sta!.
wart candidate with Conkllng for the senator.
ship.
The Platt scandal runs, IN "A !eH words thus
wise: On Wednesday afternoon uf last week
one Of the negro walters AT the Drlavln house
told some of the halfbreed leaders tina, a Ger
tain woman who had stopped at the hotel that
day and was put INTO room ll3 was on intimate
terms with Senator Plat To verify this sus.
picion number Of halfbrecds hired the
room opposite ll3 that night, and laying in a
suitable supply OF whisky crackers, cheese,
cigars, and stepladder, decided To keep
watch. AT 10 O'Clock Senator Plat was seen
to enter the room, and by - O'Clock, the peep
ing Toms having asccnded the step-ladder
and peeped over the transom, saw enough, as
they aver, to make themselves tirstClaSs wit
nesses in divorce SUIT They then dropped
a note into the room advising Senator Platt
that he was found out and telling him, unless
he Immediately retired to his own room, the
door would be broken IN, etc Senator Plat
then fled in his night cothes-not to his own
room, but to that Of another where he spent
the night.
OF course next day and ever since then Sen
ator Plat denies that he was the man, and that
the whole business is a conspiracy and put up
Job on the part of the half breeds to ruin us
but he virtually confess neve G.
less, by Withdrawing from the senatorial
test.
Ofcourse the story Of the escapade of Sena.
tor Platt, whether true or not, though mos,
likely too true is too nasty to deserve
much comment 1t is, of course, no excuse to
say that numerous other grave and reverend
statesmen have often been involved in like
scandals without losing in standing or lntlu.
ence as politicians, Clay, Webster, Thad.
Stevens, Conkling himself, and dozen of
others whom the reader will readily recall,
can be referred TO rs examples. But 1t will
not be as easy to recall instances where grown
men, making prctenslons TO decency, or to be
better that professional sleuth-
hounds, should deliberately plan to play the
spy upon the flax hours of manly dalliance.'
Imagine, as the Times forcibly puts 1t, sight
ronrlaiyo than - tha mink
of the great morality party IN Albany, men
like Woodin and Hustled and Doggett system
aticaly preparing stealthily top peep upon the
lecherous dolngs of another member of the
great morality party and successfully carrying
out their schemes They remove their boots,
mount step,ladder, peep through the tran.
som, and give way one to the other in this
despicable and degrading business. The con.
duct of rlatt, however reprehensible, com
pared with such sneaking performance takes
on something OF respcctabilty.'
The effect, however, of the scandal on the
senatorial contest, as already intimated, has
been no other than the withdrawal of the name
of Plat and the substitution of Crowley, whom
Conking desired last winter to be elected in
stead of Plat. Otherwise the daily balotIng
goes on as before Nor is the relative vote of
halfbreed or stalwart, or the probable out
come of the senatorial contest at Albany ap.
parently in the least affected even by the at
temp, upon the life of President Garfield. Up
to Thursday the monotonous result of the bal.
lots was the same. Potter had 47 for the short
term, Wheeler 36, and Conklng 81 The vote
for the long term gave Depew 4S Herman AZ,
Wheeler "a Crowley 10, and Cornell u. The
latest movement, hCwever is, that slxty-five
signatures have been obtained to call repub.
llcan caucus, in the event of which being held,
it is barely possible that some such comprom.
lse as Depew and Conkllng, or Depew aHd
Cornell may be agreed upon, and thus an cleo
ton effected this week or otherwise an agree.
mcnt reached to adjourn and go before the
people. Whether the caucus, however, will
be held, as it will need the assent Of sixteen
more to make 1t effective, seems still in doubt.
The call, which was read in both houses on
Thursday, stipulated that one candidate should
be taken from each of the republican factions,
and pledged such candidates the support of
the signers. When the time for meeting ar
rived, the required quorum was not present
and after some expenditure of speeches IN
favor OF harmony, the meeting adjourned IN.
til evening.
ELECTION OF COUNTY OFFICERS.
Attorney. General Mccartney, of this state.