St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-10
The Candidate at Chicago
to Be Named by
Him.
He Looks With ASkance Eve
on the Epicupe
DepeW
And Declares That Gresham
Must Not Be NOmi-
mated.

uatl0n. lie Is taxing careful survey
of the field, with the evident intention
of being the Warwick of,the Republican
party. PlattS present position is in
such colossal contrast to that which he
occupied in 1881, when he was being car
TONED as Me Too that it is scarcely
possible to imagine in the diSgraced
man of the Garfield-Conkling period the
ruling, dominant and forceful leader,
whose grip on New York Republicans
is as complete as President Cleveland's
domination in Democratic ranks, and
who, by reason of this position, really
holds the key of the Republican situa-
ton. Senator Plat is indeed curious
study. For several years after the fail
ure of 1SS1-S2 he was thought to have
no higher ambition than to crafty his
revenge. If that was all he desired, he
secured ample satisfaction for his
grievances.
President Arthur felt his keen stiletto,
and died of disappointment. Warner
Miller dropped next. Then Gen; James
w. HuSted's head rolled in the basket,
although he had been sheltered behind
the New York CentraFS ample power.
Suddenly Mr.. Plat became pacifying
agency, peace and harmony man, and
for two years he has done nothing but
work and conspire to bring the Republi-
can party of New York into line of
action on which all its leaders and
members could unite. He shrewdly at
tackled Gov. Hill, drew his fire, and
then started the aQueduct investigation,
sidered practically ended. Platt recog-
nized i'll Hill Democrat of Democrats,
whom all the mugwumpS and indie
pendent Democratic press would aid
him in destroying, if he could get the
least hold upon the governors record.
Gov. HIPS friends, had unfortunately
for him. paved the way to let Platt push
him to the wall. Thus. although hated
and despised by the mugwumps, Platt
against Hill for the first time since
1884. Similarly he recognized Mr..
Blaine as the choice of the Repub-
lican masses, and by advocating the
nomination was able to secure the
election of siXty-siX out of the seventy
two delegates to Chicago who would
have voted with him for Mr.. Blaine.
There were alliances at work to enable
him to do this, but the credit belongs to
Plat for making the alliances. To-day
he is looked upon by the delegates
East, West and South as having more
to say as to the nominee at Chicago than
any other man who will be there as
delegate He has twenty to thirty
friends in the New York delegation who
will 90 through fire and water if he di-
reefs it. They will follow him as i'm
plicitly as his Republican friends in
the New York assembly have followed
his direction for four winters, until they
control all the legislation there. This
means a great deal. 1t means that
Chauncey NJ. Depew cannot become a
al Mn.
Platts support, even though there are
twenty-five TO tbirty-five red-hot Depew
men in the delegation. 1t means,
therefore, that Mr.. Plat can shift the
nomination westward by mere wave of
his hand; for, without solid New
York delegation MI. Depew'S candidacy
Is nil.
The influences surrounding Mr.. Platt
are worthy of careful study at this mo-
ment. He is president of the United
States Express company. Hence he is
corporation man. Yet he has the po-
litical wisdom to know that corporations
are obnoxious to the people. He is not
wholly removed from the permeating
influences of the United States senate,
in which he once sat. 1t is a singular
fact that no man ever holds seat in
the senate who does not retain in some
degree the feeling that the senate
W OWL dllu CUuIlol CVCly UIllIS III
national politics. Yet Mr.. Plat has
since he left the senate. and knows
more of practical politics than any man
of his day. He is brought in constant
contact with the people, and has a dis
cernment of the movements that bring
success to political parties. He is be-
lever in the efficacy of organization,
and the doctrine that no organization
can be effective without money.
He has discovered that money is the
political power in the cloSely-masSed
populations of the large cities, and that
the big cities hold the balance of power
in the states of New York, New Jersey,
Connecticut, and possibly Indiana At
the same time he is not unaware of the
power of sentiment as a political factor,
when it springs from the prairies where
men are as free as the winds.
Coming down to discussion of can
didateS, / think from what | can learn
here that Mr.. Platt fears that Mr.. De-
pew, whom he declares could carry the
three doubtful Eastern states. would be
smashed to smithereens in Kansas, Ne
braska, Minnesota, Wisconsin. Iowa,
Illinois, and Michigan, where he would
be represented by the opposition press
as the incarnation Of the spirit which
struggled for expression at Chicago
through the lips of w. H. Vanderbilt,
when he said 1.-The public be DID,
Those who are very close to Senator
Plat say that he does not believe Mr..
Depew is the available candidate, but
that he will stand by him at Chicago if
MIR. Depew shall become an open candi-
date for state pride reasons. Mr.. Platt
is known to be bitterly opposed to Sen
ator Sherman'S candidacy, both on per-
sonal grounds and because he deems
him weak III New York, New Jersey,
and Connecticut.
Gresham has been declared by Mr..
Platt as the one candidate who ought
not to be nominated under any condi-
ton. William Walter Phelps and Gov.
RuSk are counted by him as favorite
son candidates only. In this brief re-
view of his opinions, as they are gath
cred from delegates or influential poll
ticians. who talk with him, it will be
seen that the list of available candi-
dates has beed narrowed down to Alli-
son, Harrison and Alger. Behind the
candidates. of Allison and Harrison the
senatorial influences are strong, and sc
are the scattering Blaine elements. Mr.
Platt has come back into political posi-
ton on Mr.. Blaine's popularity, and he
may be forced to follow the Blaine tide
if it goes to Allison or Harrison. But il
is thought the money consideration
leads INN TO Alger, who is uneXception
ably as far as other points are con-
cerned. and has millions on which to
draw for campaign fund. Just how
the tide will set it can scarcely be pre-
dicted. because all speculation as to
Mr.. Plat7s course depends upor
whether or not Chauncey NJ. Depew en-
tiers the list.
There is a suspicion not unfounded
Oh solid basis of fact that Mr.. DepeW
would like to be the Warwick as well as
Mr.. Platt. The great after-dinner ora